Tuesday, December 24, 2013

CONGRATULATIONS!

Congratulations and thank you to those who participated in my second Primal 21 Day Challenge!

How did your last fast go? How do you feel?! What are your results?!?!

At the end of my last challenge I shared Mark Sisson's 80/20 rule to help those who finished the challenge to incorporate this lifestyle for good. Here is the post...

The 80/20 Rule


Now for the promised post regarding the 80/20 rule...

After you have hit your weight loss/health goal from living the primal lifestyle {so for those of you who have not yet hit your goal, continue the challenge until then} then consider the 80/20 rule, which is to have a 100% personal commitment in the primal lifestyle plan with 80% or more physical commitment to the plan.

This doesn't mean on a daily basis to eat primally 80% of the time and the other 20% like a typical american! You will definitely not succeed this way. It means, to look at the bigger picture. Look at a month's worth of your primal lifestyle and if you're living primally 80% of the time, then you're going to sustain health/wellness. Don't beat yourself up over the 20%! It's neither healthy to be strict/hard on ourselves and let ourselves go little by little until we fall down the slippery slope.

However, there is one thing to be fully committed on in order to have the primal benefits, which is to avoid processed carbohydrates at all costs.

Here is an excerpt from marksdailyapple.com:

That said, some aspects of the Blueprint do call for consistent adherence in the interest of meaningful impact. Particular among these is avoidance of processed carbs. The fact is, the physiological effects of processed carbs simply are harsher and harder to recover from – especially when they’re a regular player in the body’s daily functioning. It’s not that your body can’t bounce back. It’s just an unnecessary detour in your progress – a diversion and interruption (albeit temporary) in the physiological homeostasis that maximizes hormonal balance, fat burning and energy consistency.

Read more: http://www.marksdailyapple.com/8020-principle/#ixzz2mHEqQv7N


Even I feel these effects and it is NOT FUN. I literally will feel sick to my stomach, have a pounding headache, bloating around my abdomen, and a foggy mind. At some point, you won't want to go back!

Again, look over the course of months and if you are eating primally 80% of the time while avoiding processed carbs, consider yourself PRIMAL:)

Good luck on the continuation of your primal lifestyle and feel free to leave a message or contact me!

Please contact me and let me know what you liked/did not like about this challenge. Also, another challenge will start after the New Year, so let your family and friends know:) 

Merry Christmas!

Saturday, December 21, 2013

Round 2: Day 21!

Day 21:

Congratulations!!! You have made it to Day 21:)

For your last day of the challenge you will be doing an intermittent fast, so when you wake up do not eat for as long as possible until you are very hungry. If you have been faithful to this challenge, you will be able to fast longer than your first time or at the least longer than before the challenge.

Be sure to take your after picture to compare with your before picture. If you see a difference {and are willing!}, please send me your pictures:) If you are even morewilling and would like to share your experience, please contact me and I will post your story and/or picture to my blog! I will be starting another challenge after the New Year, so this would be very helpful to those who are preparing for the next challenge.

Also, don't forget to document and compare your earlier notes from the challenge. It's incredible to see the difference!
Document:

-total hours fasted
-how you increased your daily movement
-relaxation techniques tried
-energy level {POOR, AVERAGE, GREAT}
-satisfaction level with meals
-hunger level between meals
-struggles
-benefits

Lastly, celebrate Day 21 by preparing your favorite primal dinner {assuming you will be able to fast through the typical american breakfast and lunch schedule!} with your loved ones:)
Congratulations!

I will repost Mark's 80/20 concept tomorrow from the last challenge, so stay tuned on how to continue this lifestyle.

Again, congratulations and thank you for taking this challenge. I hope you feel an increased feeling of health, strength and a sense of control! If you had a wonderful experience, please refer your family/friends to beprimal.blogspot.com and have them take my next challenge starting the first Monday after the New Year!

Round 2: Day 20

Day 20:

Today (yes, today...too much celebrating around here and an early workday today that I missed posting last night!) for Day 20, you will be preparing for your last intermittent fast of this challenge. So, tomorrow night will be your last meal before Day 21 and that does not mean to pig out! Eat normally to see how you will do during your fast. Then on Day 21 fast for as long as you can until hunger gets the best of you;)

Also perform a 30-60 minute moderate aerobic exercise of your choice .

Here we are foraging and getting in some aerobic exercise:)

Meal/Snack Ideas:

Breakfast- sauté mushrooms, peppers, onions and put on top of an omelet.

Lunch- bacon and egg salad.

Dinner- pork chops seasoned with rosemary and a side of cooked carrots and salad or steak with hash back sweet potatoes! We had a juicy grass-fed Delmonico steak I picked up from  a local farm to celebrate my husbands birthday:) 

Document:

-how you increased your daily movement
-moderate aerobic exercise
-relaxation techniques tried
-energy level {POOR, AVERAGE, GREAT}
-satisfaction level with meals
-hunger level between meals
-struggles
-benefits

Thursday, December 19, 2013

You will LOVE this article!

Please read this brief article here about a man who worked in a health foods store for 5 years and what he learned...

Thanks to my wonderful husband for sharing this with me today {and on his birthday, too...no one expects you to share on your birthday, right? ;)}


Round 2: Day 19

Day 19:

I want to share a method of cooking fowl for you to try for the Holidays {or anytime for that matter!}

It's called...get ready... spatchcocking. Weird, right?

My husband made the turkey for Thanksgiving this way and it was Deeeeevine! This method is basically where you take out the back bone of the bird and then lye the turkey flat on the pan. This ensures it cooks evenly. Then cook it at 450 degrees for about 80 minutes. It was so juicy! 



Also, for tomorrow please try another max reps workout to see how you have improved from the beginning:)

Exercise:

Find your maximum repetitions of...

-Pushups
-Sit-Ups
-Pull-Ups or Chair Dips
-Plank Holds
-Squats

Meal/Snack Ideas: use your fowl leftovers {we cooked a turkey over the weekend and STILL are using those leftovers!}

Breakfast- scramble eggs up with leftover meats/veggies.

Lunch- turkey wraps.

Dinner- use remaining meat for a soup or shepherd's pie.

Snacks- baked pumpkin seeds or another seed of choice.

Document:

-how you increased your daily movement
-max reps of the above five movements
-relaxation techniques tried
-energy level {POOR, AVERAGE, GREAT}
-satisfaction level with meals
-hunger level between meals
-struggles
-benefits

Wednesday, December 18, 2013

Round 2: Day 18

Day 18:

On Day 18 {a day or two before Thanksgiving} of the last challenge I had challenged everyone to make their Thanksgiving meal primal. Honestly, it's not hard to stay primal during the holidays! You have your meat, vegetables and then primal desserts. Your challenge tomorrow is to determine your holiday primal meals. This was my favorite recipe from my Thanksgiving this year...


 Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes with Pecans - recipe here.


The second part of tomorrow's  challenge is to do a movnat workout here!

DOCUMENT:

-how you increased your daily movement
-holiday primal meals planned
-movnat
-relaxation techniques tried
-energy level {POOR, AVERAGE, GREAT}
-satisfaction level with meals
-hunger level between meals
-struggles
-benefits

Tuesday, December 17, 2013

Round 2: Day 17

Day 17:

Tomorrow your challenge will be to complete another sprint workout...

Complete a sprint session! Do about 5min of a light warm-up such as jumping jacks, high knees, or jog. Then, put on running shoes {or your bare minimalist shoes} and decide on a number of sets to complete. For example, you could complete 5-8 sets of 10-30 seconds of sprinting with a recovery in between {rest for about 60 seconds or until your breathing is back to normal} doing any cardio activity: running, rowing, bicycling, stationary bike, etc.

For example, I sometimes complete a sprint session on our rowing machine at home as follows: 8 sets x 30 seconds of work with 30 seconds of rest. GO ALL OUT!



Meal/Snack Ideas:

Breakfast- make a big, green smoothie: spinach, kale, cucumber, coconut/almond milk, berries, bananas, and some ice or scramble eggs with spinach and blue cheese {like I did today!}


Lunch- roasted cauliflower and broccoli with mushrooms and onions.

Dinner- try a spaghetti squash or summer squash noodles with veggies!

Snacks- try some primal beef jerky from a co-op/health foods store or make your own using a food dehydrator.  


Last week my husband made homemade jerky VERY easily:
-box fan
-2 air filters (ours was 20x20 which fit the box fan perfectly)
-meat of choice cut thinly (I believe we used beef round eye)
Then... 
Lay your box fan down or up on a chair. Set one filter on top and place meat on top filter spreading around the area evenly. Set another air filter on top. Turn fan on for about 18hours or until meat is dried as desired (ours took less time.)
I wish I had a picture to share!

Document:

-how you increased your daily movement
-sprint workout
-relaxation techniques tried
-energy level {POOR, AVERAGE, GREAT}
-satisfaction level with meals
-hunger level between meals
-struggles
-benefits

Monday, December 16, 2013

Round 2: Day 16

Day 16:

For romorrow your challenge is to take 3-5 PLAY BREAKSthroughout the day! This could include getting off of your home computer to play on the swings with your kids for 15 minutes or getting up from your work desk to throw a frisbee with a coworker outside for 5 minutes or whatever else your heart desires to do for fun :) Make it enjoyable!

Lastly, try a new primal recipe! Find a recipe I have put up on the blog, google primal recipe's, go tomarksdailyapple.com to find a new recipe, or find a delicious recipe and make it primal!

{These are a couple of my siblings PLAYING while on our hike in Utah.}

If you're feeling really energetic after all your play breaks then go ahead and try another movnat.com workout!

Meal/Snack Ideas:

Breakfast- cut the top off of a large tomato, core the inside, and put in oven at 400 degrees for 5 minutes or more until tomato softens slightly. Sauté ground meat, onions, or anything else on hand and then put in the tomatoes after they come out of the oven. Crack an egg or two on top of the meat/onions and place in oven to broil until egg is set. 

Lunch- make a shrimp coconut milk soup.

Dinner- place whole chicken in crockpot with veggies: carrots, celery, onions, or leeks. Salt and pepper. Fill crockpot with water leaving 2 inches of space at the top of crockpot. Add some lemon juice and vinegar. Turn on crockpot to cook for about 6 hours and turn chicken once halfway through.  When cooked, let chicken cool a bit and then pull apart the meat in chunks and serve with the cooked veggies!

Snacks- guacamole and chips {sweet potato, zucchini or another primal chip}.

Document:

-play breaks tried
-new primal recipe tried
-movnat 
-how you increased your daily movement
-relaxation techniques tried
-energy level {POOR, AVERAGE, GREAT}
-satisfaction level with meals
-hunger level between meals
-struggles
-benefits

Sunday, December 15, 2013

Round 2: Day 15

Day 15:

Let's kick off our third and LAST week of the 21 day challenge by another FORAGE. My husband and I do a family night every Monday, so this is a perfect challenge for a Monday {well, for us at least!}


You could do a real primitive forage and go out into your surroundings to find mushrooms, apples, berries {which are probably all gone now;)}, etc. Last year my husband and I went out early spring to pick fiddleheads {basically a baby fern}. It was fun to get outside and hike around and try something new!


You could also forage by finding a new shopping market with ingredients to make primal foods or even go out to a different restaurant and to eat a primal meal. Remember, politely ask for substitutions as deemed necessary to create a primal meal:)

Lastly, perform a moderate aerobic exercise of your choice, 30-60 minutes long and 50-70% of your maximum heart rate.

Meal/Snack Ideas:

Breakfast- scrambled eggs, veggies of choice, and then throw in kale or spinach for the last few minutes of cooking.

Lunch- ceviche {I foraged at a restaurant last night and had ceviche that included the seafood, onions, cilantro, and sliced mangos...delicious!}

Dinner- I promised you the zucchini egg bake...

Zucchini Egg Bake from Mark Sisson's  'The Primal Blueprint Cookbook' {click on the link to order from Amazon}:

4T butter
1/4c finely chopped onion
2lb zucchini, grated {I use about 3 medium sized zucchini's}
1/2lb ground Italian sausage or other ground meat {or whatever leftover meat you have!}
3 eggs, beaten
1/3c grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Set oven to 350 degrees. Melt butter in a sauté pan. Once melted, add zucchini and onions to sauté for about 5-7 minutes or until zucchini is tender. Drain zucchini in strainer to get all excess liquid out. Add sausage to sauté pan and sauté until meat is just cooked. In a 8x8 pan or pie dish combine sausage, zucchini and season to desired taste. Add eggs and mix thoroughly.  Grate cheese on top {optional} and bake uncovered about 35-40 minutes.

Easy AND delicious!

Snacks- roast chestnuts {'Tis the season, right? I am dying to try this soon. It sounds easy enough by making an 'X' on the top of the chestnut with a knife, place upright on a baking sheet and bake.}

Document:

-how you increased your daily movement
-forage
-moderate aerobic exercise
-relaxation techniques tried
-energy level {POOR, AVERAGE, GREAT}
-satisfaction level with meals
-hunger level between meals
-struggles
-benefits

Please share results thus far!

Saturday, December 14, 2013

Round 2: Day 14

Day 14:

Tomorrow is Day 14! Two weeks down, one week to go:)

For Day 14 I want you to REST. No crazy workouts, just a lot of relaxation and spending time with those you love. Plan on taking a family stroll around the neighborhood or take a nap on the couch!  Continue {obviously!} to eat primal approved foods and work on your relaxation techniques... this includes preparing for bed a couple of hours early by putting away digital media, dimming lights, etc. You might also want to make a list for the upcoming week to get yourself organized and prepared for your last week of the primal challenge:)

Meal/Snack Ideas:

Breakfast- stir fried veggies atop eggs.

Lunch- chicken salad wraps.

Dinner- salmon burgers.


Snacks- olives, grape tomatoes and fermented cheese of your choice.

Document:

-how you increased your daily movement
-relaxation techniques tried
-energy level {POOR, AVERAGE, GREAT}
-satisfaction level with meals
-hunger level between meals
-struggles
-benefits

Have a RESTful day!

Friday, December 13, 2013

Round 2: Day 13

Day 13:

I hope the fast went well and that you are blown away by how long you can go without feeling hungry! If so, this means that YOU are becoming a great fat-burning human being.

Tomorrow is Day 13 and I want you to eat your usual primal meals/snacks, but also measure and write down everything you eat throughout the day. Mark Sisson recommends using a great website called fitday.com to input your day's worth of information and the website will calculate your daily nutrition: protein, carbs, fat, and calories. This will give you a great idea of how much you are intaking in a day and what you will need to eat more or less of. If you are trying to lose weight, Mark recommends a daily carb intake of 50-100 grams/day.

Lastly, for Day 13 complete a push-up tabata workout. Remember, this is 8 sets of 20 seconds of work and 10 seconds of rest. Count your total repetitions. If you need to keep your knees on the ground that is fine, but be sure to maintain good posture: flat back, hands to the side of shoulders, and ensure your chest hits the ground first {if you cannot make it that low, then use a pillow beneath your chest.}

Meal/Snack Ideas:

Breakfast- zucchini egg bake with sausage {I will provide a recipe tomorrow}.

Lunch- chicken breast, sweet potato, and veggies!


Dinner- roast in the crockpot with veggies.

Snacks- bananas with a spread of almond butter and sprinkle of honey.

Document:

-how you increased your daily movement
-your fitday.com calculations
-total push-ups from tabata workout 
-relaxation techniques tried
-energy level {POOR, AVERAGE, GREAT}
-satisfaction level with meals
-hunger level between meals
-struggles
-benefits

Thursday, December 12, 2013

Round 2: Day 12

Day 12:

Are you ready for tomorrow's fast?! Please don't forget to eat a nice dinner tonight {remember, do not over eat with the knowledge of Day 12's fast or carb overload}. So, tonight will be your last meal and then tomorrow go as long as possible without food until you get very hungry and then eat a very primalicious meal:)

Meal/Snack Ideas:

Breakfast- eggs with tomatoes and avocados.


Lunch- cobb salad.

Dinner- Turkey, baked sweet potatoes, and baked asparagus wrapped in bacon.

Snacks- parsnip fries {I saw these the other day and want to try them! Google a healthy recipe.}

Document:

-how you increased your daily movement
-total hours fasted 
-relaxation techniques tried
-energy level {POOR, AVERAGE, GREAT}
-satisfaction level with meals
-hunger level between meals
-struggles
-benefits

Let's Talk:

A few weeks ago in my hemodialysis nurse training class we talked about nutrition for dialysis patients and they stressed the importance of protein because of it's "wound healing and repair" mechanisms. Protein is so important for SO many reasons, which reminds me of why it is the biggest section of the primal food pyramid. 

Good luck tomorrow:)

Wednesday, December 11, 2013

Round 2: Day 11

Day 11:

Tomorrow for Day 11 your challenge is to...

(1) Complete a favorite aerobic exercise and invite someone to do it with you. Do your exercise for 30-60 minutes and with a heart rate of about 50-75% of your maximum.

(2) Limit the carbs you eat all day. This is to get us ready for the following day {Day 12} where we will practice intermittent fasting. After a normal primal dinner on Day 11 you will fast for as long as you can until you feel famished or energy depleted. Record how many hours you went without food.

Meal/Snack Ideas:

Breakfast- sausage patties with cooked vegetables and eggs.

Lunch- a few weeks ago at my hemodialysis training we were provided lunch. I was very weary of this and brought healthy snacks as I was unsure how primal the food would be. But, surprisingly I have foraged well! Take a look below...

 I opted out of the pasta salad and grabbed grilled chicken with a heaping side of green salad.

We were served tacos, SO I made a taco salad complete with fresh salsa, guacamole, greek yogurt {for the sour cream} and beef! Ahhh....

Dinner- stir fry veggies {that is sitting in your fridge and you're thinking, "man, I need to toss these soon!} and add meat on the side.

Snacks- kale chips (sprinkle sea salt and olive oil over small pieces of kale on a baking pan and pop in the oven at 350 until crispy).

Document:

-how you increased your daily movement
-aerobic exercise with a partner
-carbs cut out in preparation for intermittent fast
-relaxation techniques tried
-energy level {POOR, AVERAGE, GREAT}
-satisfaction level with meals
-hunger level between meals
-struggles
-benefits

Tuesday, December 10, 2013

A Must!

I found an incredible video about eating more fat today which includes short clips of: stories/the science behind it all/results... this is a Must-Watch-Video! 
I LOVED it.


Have a happy Wednesday tomorrow! 
Which means, you're just about done with week TWO :)

Before & After

Check out these extremely amazing before and after pictures of one who went primal!



Read his story HERE

Round 2: Day 10

Day 10:

We are in the double digits! Stay focused on your end results and don't get discouraged if you're not seeing all benefits of the primal lifestyle just yet. If it is significant weight loss you're looking for, then focus on how your clothes are fitting now and celebrate the small achievements. All these small things will add up:)

I will also talk more about Mark Sisson's "80/20" concept when we get towards the end of the challenge for you to incorporate or you may want to continue to be strict {if that's what you want to call this challenge} for a while until you hit your goal weight.

Your challenge for tomorrow:

(1) Eat whenever and whatever you want! I mean it... Eat dinner for breakfast and breakfast for dinner. Dessert for an afternoon snack or vice versa. Eat whatever sounds good that falls in line with the primal food pyramid. Now while doing this, get rid of any guilty feelings from eating or other emotions tied to eating and just enjoy your food. For the remainder of this challenge, ENJOY {primal, of course} FOOD.

(2) Complete a sprint session! Do about 5min of a light warm-up such as jumping jacks, high knees, or jog. Then, put on running shoes and decide on a number of sets to complete. For example, you could complete 5-8 sets of 10-30 seconds of sprinting with a recovery in between {rest for about 60 seconds or until your breathing is back to normal} doing any cardio activity: running, rowing, bicycling, stationary bike, etc.

The benefits of sprinting: slight increase in human growth hormone {HGH} and testosterone production, increase in muscle fiber growth, toned muscles, and metabolic advantages.

(3) Try a new primal food!

{Like the dragon fruit in the above picture!}

Meal/Snack Ideas:

Breakfast- a dinner favorite or leftovers from last night!

Lunch- cheesy omelet and spinach.

Dinner- a lunch favorite or breakfast again like... cutting the top off of bell peppers, take out the pit, put in an egg or two and stuff with bits of meat/bacon/etc. and pop in the oven to bake until cooked.

Snack- PRIMAL DESSERT!

Dessert- apples dipped in hazelnut butter.

{Please try to find one other than this brand due to the sugar content!}

Document:

-how you increased your daily movement
-how you did with cutting ties between food and emotions
-sprint workout
-new primal food tried
-relaxation techniques tried
-energy level {POOR, AVERAGE, GREAT}
-satisfaction level with meals
-hunger level between meals
-struggles
-benefits

I hope you enjoy tomorrow's crazy food day! 

Monday, December 9, 2013

Round 2: Day 9

Day 9:

Tomorrow for Day 9 you have only two tasks:

(1) Avoid eating foods that have a label! This might mean you will need to find fresher foods from co-ops or other whole food stores. This might give you the opportunity to learn how to make your own dressings, dried fruits, or nut butters! Do the best you can and remember to avoid eating anything with a label:)

(2) Avoid media! We spend so much time in front of computers, phones, our TV, etc. You may have to be in front of a computer all day at work, but if that is the case then limit the extra media you engage with. Set time limits and give yourself these set times twice a day. Focus on the most important things {email, news, etc} and then close the device. Also, try to put on those screen dimmers/filters, such as f.lux, if not done so already to protect your eyes.

{This is from when my husband and I avoided labels by going apple picking!}

Meal/Snack Ideas:

Breakfast- crack in egg in each half of a pitted avocado, sprinkle a favorite fermented cheese or pieces of bacon and bake in the oven until egg is cooked.

Lunch- fry/grill some ground beef or bison patties and add a fried egg on top with tomatoes or avocados. 

Dinner- make a ratatouille dish from online with fresh ingredients and fermented cheese. 

Snack- make your own primal trailmix!

Document:

-how you increased your daily movement
-how you did with avoiding food labels and media
-relaxation techniques tried
-energy level {POOR, AVERAGE, GREAT}
-satisfaction level with meals
-hunger level between meals
-struggles
-benefits

Good luck tomorrow! Especially with limiting the media ;)

Sunday, December 8, 2013

Mark in the News


Here is a quick little video of Mark telling the world that grains are not good for you!

Round 2: Day 8

Day 8:

Are you ready to start week 2 tomorrow?!

For Day 8 you will complete a very short, yet intense, tabata air squat workouttabata workout is usually 8 sets of a specified movement being performed for 20 seconds with 10 seconds of rest in between. It is an amazing workout that you can get done in just minutes! Below is a large group of people performing this tabata style workout, so feel free to do it along with them or you may do it on your own:) Count your total reps and document.


Meal/Snack Ideas:

Breakfast- mixed eggs, spinach, mushrooms, tomatoes poured in cupcake pan(s) and baked.

Lunch- find hot dogs/sausage that are antibiotic/nitrite/nitrate free and dab primal approved condiments on top {read those labels if not making your own condiment!} Add a side of greens.

Dinner- a couple nights ago we had a big salad with homemade pickled radishes {never been a fan of radishes, but pickled are delicious!} along with baked chicken and ate remaining fried plantains.


Dessert- have you made/tried coconut milk ice-cream? Literally, just coconut milk and coconut pieces. Check your labels, or better yet, make your own!


Document:

-how you increased your daily movement
-tabata air squats total reps
-relaxation techniques tried
-energy level {POOR, AVERAGE, GREAT}
-satisfaction level with meals
-hunger level between meals
-struggles
-benefits

Let's Talk:

What are your week 1 results? Comment below or contact me:)