breaking a sweat

/

When it comes to working out, getting back in shape, and the necessity to get some sort of exercise every day, I have come to the following conclusion: it has to be fun.


Fun.


I have so little free time.  When I do find an extra 45 minutes in my day (or early morning) I don't want punishment.  I don't want a treadmill that leads to nowhere. I just want to do something fun. For me.


Step class, aerobics, indoor spinning, weight training in the gym...no thank you. Blech.


All I really need to do is work up a sweat. So I am trying to approach the idea of exercise as something that is just that simple.


  Yoga pose full


(If you nurse a baby or carry one around on your hip all day...this is the stretch for you! Feels so good!)


What I am loving most of all: Yoga.  I find it to be a great workout and a great form of relaxation all in one. I started practicing about 4 months ago and it was like a total body awakening. After having being pregnant, giving birth, and all of the time I spend nursing-- I really did feel like some of my muscles had become dormant.  It felt/feels so wonderful to rouse them again.


I can't leave my kids everyday to go take a class so I have to rely mostly on dvds.  I love trying new ones from the library or ordering them up on my netflix queue before purchasing them. 


Because I am a retired ballerina, technique was important to me.  I wanted to be doing it "right".  This video was a great place to start. I like Sheva's other video too.


I also like Baron Baptiste.  This video is good (and inspiring, lots of really athletic bods!).


Yoga pose


With respect to those who approach yoga from a different perspective, I will say that yoga is not a spiritual experience for me.  Maybe some would argue that you cannot separate the two.  But once I get the sequence down, I pretty much tune out the instructor and do my own thing mentally.  I'm pretty focused on maintaing form and keeping my breath going. I do not practice meditation, nor to I feel "connected to the earth". I just like the way my muscles are engaged and working hard...and yet relaxed.


Fun. It has to be fun.  What are you doing to stay active?

the whole paleo deal

/

A couple weeks back I decided to try transitioning to a paleo diet.  Okay, I didn't transition.  I basically just went cold turkey. A paleo diet consists of veggies/fruits, meat/eggs, nuts and seeds. In other words, "anything that you can kill or hit out of a tree with a stick". Read: no wheat, no sugar, no grains, no beans, no legumes, no dairy. I didn't really have any type of expectation or commitment.  I just wanted to try it out and see how I felt. It was hard. Super hard. By the third day I was in full-on withdrawals. I had the shakes, a headache, dry-mouth, and I was really REALLY grumpy.


By the fifth day things were better and I felt good. I was eating a whole lot more veggies and my blood sugar felt stable- no more ups and downs. I've always known that I had some sort of dairy intollerance or sensitivity. I know this is disgusting...but the phlem is gone!


I found a couple of great websites/blogs that were filled with recipes and information:


Robb Wolf- shopping lists and quick start guide


Everyday Paleo


Growing up Paleo


Dino Chow


Kale chips


(kale chips. I know you think I'm crazy...but these are yummy)


  Laurel eats kale chips
(I told you she eats anything!)


Okay here's the downside of this whold deal:


I am not really excited about eating so many animal products.  I don't naturally like meat. I'm not an animal rights activist or anything (although there are some environmental implications of eating so many animals)...I just don't really like the taste of a big ol' hunk of steak. Or chicken. Or pork.


I also haven't found an affordable source of grass-fed beef or pastured chickens. I can afford occasional portions of these animals, but not in the quanity that this diet requires.


In order to feel full and make enough milk for Ian, I found that I really did have to eat a lot of eggs/meat/and nuts.  I've gone a bit overboard with the nuts. I am sure that I am eating more than usual and consuming more calories just because I am so limited in what I can eat. Scarcity principle for sure.


The things that I miss are not over-processed or junky. Oatmeal. 1/2 and 1/2 for my decaf. Yogurt. Dave's killer bread.


So here's my take, and I'm still thinking this through.  I am going to stay away (mostly) from dairy and scale way back on wheat. I'd like to be able to eat oatmeal, or a sandwhich, or some brown rice, or quinoa...but not all of them. Not in one day.


I'd like my diet to remain plant-based with an occasional portion of meat, and free from processed and sugary foods. Ultimately, I just need something more balanced and less extreme in order to make a long-term commitment. This fits in better with how the rest of my family eats. It is a whole lot more cohesive.  I'm all about making only one thing for dinner- for all of us!!


Okay, moving on.