Primal 21 Day Challenge: Day 2

Day 2:

How did Day 1 go for everyone? You might not feel very energetic or even may have a headache. This is normal after coming off of the american high carb/sugar diet or, as Mark Sisson refers to, the SAD (Standard American Diet).

What did you have a difficult time with on Day 1? Was it hunger? Cravings? Getting in more movement throughout the day? Turning off that TV 2 hours before bed? Decide how you can better prepare yourself for Day 2 by creating more primal snacks to help you with hunger or cravings; making the time to go for a walk during a lunch break or parking farther away from work or taking the stairs; set a curfew for your media time by setting an alarm 2 hours before bed. Think, plan, and then do!

How satisfied were you with meals? Want to try a new recipe? Get creative in the kitchen by trying different spices and herbs with your meals. Go to marksdailyapple.com to find new recipes or purchase one of his books or find a recipe online that you like and MAKE it primal! One suggestion from Mark in his 'Primal Blueprint' book is to rotate 5 of your favorite primal recipes during this lifestyle transition.

Have you noticed benefits? As I said before, you might not feel great the first few days of the challenge as you're coming off of that sugar high. But give it time and your cells will soon change into great fat burning cells instead of hungry-for-sugar-and-burning cells!

Today, for Day 2, I want you to take about 5 minutes to find your maximum repetitions of:

-Pushups (Keep body in straight line, hands shoulder width apart, hands and toes on floor, touch chest to ground. To modify, keep knees on floor along with toes.)

-Sit-ups (Put a rolled up towel lengthways or pillow beneath buttocks and back. Put bottom of your feet together to make a diamond with your legs. When you lie back, reach back as far as you can with your hands and then crunch forward reaching as far as you can with your hands to your toes.)

-Pull-Ups or Chair Dips (Unlike the above picture, grip the pull-up bar with the top of your hands facing you, wide grip, pull your body up until your chip is above the bar. For chair dips, take a chair and sit just in front of it by gripping your hands on the edge of the chair. Your body will be in a sitting position just in front of the chair. Dip down as far as you can and then push yourself back up.)

-Plank Holds (Get into the pushup position, hold this position for as long as you can.)

-Squats (Stand shoulder width or a little wider if you have long legs. Keep your arms stretched out in front of you and lower yourself down by pushing your buttocks back, keeping your back flat, and keeping your knees behind your toes and going outward rather than inward. Go as low as you can, preferably below parallel.)

Meal/Snack Ideas:

Breakfast- egg frittata with peppers, onions, and spinach; stuffed squash blossoms; baked stuffed peppers with eggs and bison meat.

Lunch- leftover dinners; cubed avocados, sweet peppers, celery, onions, tomatoes tossed as a salad with lemon juice, olive oil and sea salt.

Dinner- baked salmon with lemon and seasonings of choice (if it's a big salmon, save half and keep frozen to use later for salmon patties); bison meat patties with cooked egg on top.

Snacks- coconut milk, banana, spinach, and berry smoothie.

Don't forget to document!

-where you shopped for primal foods
-how you increased your daily movement during 3 different times in the day
-relaxation techniques tried
-energy level {POOR, AVERAGE, GREAT}
-satisfaction level with meals
-hunger level between meals
-struggles
-benefits

Let's Talk:

I have had a few people ask me about dairy within the last few days. How good is it for you? How much to eat? My answer: limit your dairy, but some high-fat, unpasteurized dairy is beneficial in moderation and if not lactose intolerant. Commercial dairy that is pasteurized and homogenized is rid of harmful bacteria, but also rid of healthy bacteria, enzymes and nutrients we need. The other downside is the amount of antibiotics, pesticides, EGF (epidural growth factor that is believed to increase cancer risk), casein (stimulates some auto-immune properties) and hormones that are found in dairy. It is also believed that dairy can worsen acne which, in my case, I believe was true. Unpasteurized, raw and fermented dairy has probiotics for a healthy immune system due to minimal processing, low levels of casein, and allows people to avoid allergic reactions with lactose. So, stick with either no dairy, raw fermented dairy, raw high-fat dairy, raw milk/cheese, or organic hormone/antibiotic free dairy. This is the best order according to Scott Kustes, friend of Mark Sisson, mentioned in 'The Primal Blueprint'! Lastly, we want to get the majority of our fats from animal fats which is what our body wants/needs, so do not solely rely on dairy for high-fat consumption. Again, no dairy or dairy in moderation.

Primal 21 Day Challenge: Day 1

Day 1:

Tomorrow you will start Day 1 of the Primal 21 Day Challenge. Decide today what you will eat tomorrow for meals and/or snacks, determine different ways to increase movement, and decide how you will relax before bed. Then tomorrow, DO those things!

Meal/Snack Ideas:

Breakfast- omelet cooked in coconut/extra virgin olive oil with veggies; eggs with sauteed kale and bacon that is uncured and without nitrates/nitrites; sunny-side-up eggs atop a green salad.

Lunch- spinach salad with boiled eggs, tomatoes, olives and an extra virgin olive oil dressing with sea salt and freshly squeezed lemon juice; (if you made a roast, pulled pork or other meat for a Sunday dinner the day before) put leftover meat atop a green salad along with avocados; pan cooked chicken thighs with oven baked vegetables in extra virgin olive oil, sea salt and pepper along with a baked sweet potato.

Dinner- baked cabbage with sausage and onions; vegetable soup with a side of meat; Crock Pot Lemon Pepper Chicken with baked asparagus.

Snacks- celery or sliced apples with almond butter; avocado with sea salt; boiled eggs; Sweet Potato Chips; macadamia nuts.

Increased Movement Ideas:
                         
Take a walk in the morning with your dog; take 30-60 min breaks from work to walk around, get a drink, etc; walk to the store; take your kids to the park; take a family stroll after dinner.
(Ensure this is happening at least 3x/day!)

Relaxation Ideas:

Dim/turn off lights as the sun goes down; light candles; read a book; put dimmers or download them to your computer (i.e. f.lux); turn off your TV/phone/tablet/computer at least a couple hours before bed; read to your children; spend time with family/friends.

Lastly, document!
-where you shopped for primal foods
-how you increased your daily movement during 3 different times in the day
-relaxation techniques tried
-energy level {POOR, AVERAGE, GREAT}
-satisfaction level with meals
-hunger level between meals
-struggles
-benefits

Let's Talk:

The purpose of this challenge is to change your body from a sugar burning body to a fat burning body!

In Mark Sisson's 'Primal Blueprint 21 Day Total Body Transformation' book he states in his key concepts that, "Even if some - or most - of your diet has been in the form of "complex" carbs, this excessive and unnecessary intake of carbs has reprogrammed your genes from an early age to make you more dependent on a regular supply of dietary carbohydrate. You are a "sugar burner" if you are trapped in this carbohydrate dependency. If you're like most people, this high intake of carbs over time has elevated your insulin levels throughout the day, and resulted in excess calories (from all foods, not just carbs) to be stored as body fat. Over the years, chronically high levels of glucose and insulin in your blood have altered your fat cells so that you can't easily burn this plentiful source of stored energy. If your body is accustomed to burning carbs as fuel instead of stored fat, your brain will crave your usual fuel source - carbs - more often. This leads to a vicious cycle of insidious weight gain over a lifetime, even if you exercise frequently." 

Once, a Nurse Practitioner that I worked with told me {after I had said it was unhealthy to eat grains}, "Briana, you NEED carbs". Our society thinks that we "NEED" carbs in order to function and they have even set a dietary requirement for carbohydrates. This is not necessary. I then explained to this woman that we can get carbs elsewhere, such as vegetables or meat. We have a fabulous body that can use protein and fat to pull out glucose to use when needed for our brains to function just right. This process is called gluconeogenesis, which is the synthesis of glucose from non-carbohyrates. So, no, we do not need to bombard our body with EXTRA glucose from grains, legumes, sugars, etc to burn for energy and to stay alert. Our body does this on its own using primal/healthy/simple foods.

I made it to the apple!

Mark's Daily Apple, that is. Check out my story posted on 'Primal Blueprint Real Life Stories' here at marksdailyapple.com.

Below is a picture of what my makeup-free face looks like today just months after my 21 day challenge! Same light, same time of day, same location.

Get Ready, Get Set...

TWO days until the Primal 21 Day Challenge starts! Which means we have some items of business:

(1) Take your before picture(s). Take a full body shot and of an area you hope to see changes in. For me, it was my medication/grain induced acne cheeks...

I still am in awe when I see these pictures and with continuing a {majority-of-the-time} primal lifestyle, my skin is even better!

I also had previously started using Cecilia Wong Skincare products months before which are 100% natural and hand-crafted. I LOVE these products!

{ceciliawongskincare.com}

(2) Have you thrown out the processed foods, grains, sugar and other unhealthy choices in your fridge/pantry? Get them out and start FRESH without temptations lying around for the next 21 days.

(3) GO SHOPPING! I love when I hear those words;) but really, go shopping to find the best primal produce and animal meat selections possible. Need more tips or have questions? Leave a comment:)

Announcing my FIRST Primal 21 Day Challenge...

Starting Monday November 11th!

I have been slowly planning this since August and lately I have had people come to me interested in the Primal lifestyle and asking when I will be putting together a challenge, so I knew it was time to start :)

This is how it will work:

• Everyone will take a before and after picture. This will be for you personally and, if willing, to share with me! If you are even more willing, I will post your picture along with your story on my blog.
• Go shopping for primal approved food!
• The day before the challenge starts, everyone will clean out their kitchen of all un-primal foods. I would recommend the entire family engage in this lifestyle for your support, but for those of you with children and/or husbands who will not participate I suggest keeping their food separate and away from your reach or temptation.
• Everyday I will post the following days agenda, so that everyone can mentally and physically prepare.
• I will post everything from workouts to recipes to videos to articles to help you along the way and to increase your knowledge of they why's. 
• I encourage daily comments, or as often as possible, to ask questions, express accomplishments and express difficulties. This will make for a great support group!

Before we begin, please listen to this podcast:

This podcast is of Tom Woods interviewing 'The Primal Blueprint' author, Mark Sisson, and is what first intrigued me about this Primal lifestyle. It has literally changed my life!

Now for the TO DO LIST:

1) PURGE YOUR KITCHEN

    This is a huge and necessary task in order to do this challenge right! Go into your fridge, pantry, under your bed or wherever you are storing the goods and check those labels to determine if it needs to hit the garbage. We are tossing everything that has sugar, wheat, soy, corn syrup, grains, or any ingredient that you cannot pronounce and/or know what it is! We are going back to the basics. Ensure what you are eating has simple and fresh ingredients.

    What to throw out:

• Beverages- bottled juices and refrigerated juices; almond milk, soy milk, rice milk, flavored milks; powdered drinks (i.e. hot chocolate); powdered juices (i.e. lemonade); sodas and diet sodas; sports drinks (i.e. gatorade, vitamin water); designer coffees; energy drinks; sweetened cocktails; sweetened teas. Stick with water (which you can flavor!), herbal tea or plain coffee for you coffee lovers!
• Baking Ingredients- starches and syrups; corn meal; flours; powders (i.e. milk, gluten); yeast; sweeteners and sugars. Personally, I kept my flours and sugars due to baking for church functions and birthdays. I just kept it high up in the back of my pantry and away from my view:)
• Condiments- honey mustard; jams and jellies; ketchup; mayonnaise and light mayonnaise; salad dressings and low-fat dressings; soy/tabasco/worcestershire/barbeque sauce is okay in moderation, but stick with the highest quality with minimal sugars and PUFAs; and other cooking items containing high-fructose corn syrup, sugary sweeteners or PUFA oils. My favorite dressing to put on salads is extra virgin olive oil with fresh lemon juice and sea salt.
• Dairy- processed cheese and spreads; ice cream; nonfat and low-fat milk; frozen yogurt; sweetened non-fat or low-fat yogurts. Stick with unpasteurized or raw dairy, fermented dairy (i.e. yogurt), organic/GMO/hormone-free dairy and with the highest fat content (whole milk). I'm telling you, unpasteurized/raw milk is to die for! 
• Fats and Oils- trans and partially-hydrogenated oils; butter spreads and sprays; canola, cottonseed, corn, soybean, safflower, sunflower, and other high polyunsaturated oils; margarine; vegetable shortening. Stick with ghee, coconut oil, extra virgin olive oil, butter and other saturated animal fats.
• Fast Food- all genetically changed industrialized food, such as, burgers, chicken nuggets, french fries, hot dogs, tacos, etc.
• Fish- fish caught from polluted waters; fish caught by methods that are environmentally unpleasant; large fish (i.e. sword fish); farmed fish (except for a few). 
• Grains- ALL grains, such as, bread, pasta, flour based products, crackers, cookies, corn, cereal, rice, tortillas, breakfast foods (i.e. oatmeal and cream of wheat), chips, cooking grains (i.e. barley and rye), pretzels, donuts, pizza, and puffed snacks.  
• Legumes- peanuts and peanut products; soybeans; lentils; peas; alfalfa; beans; and tofu. Legumes, especially along with grains, contain anti-nutrients. They also stimulate high amounts of insulin.
• Meat- all pre-packaged meats processed with harmful chemicals and sweeteners (i.e. sliced lunch meat); smoked meats; cured meats; meats containing nitrites and nitrates. We don't want to eat meats from animals that ate a lot of grains! Do your best to stick with grass-fed or organic meats.
• Processed Foods- granola bars; protein bars; snack products; frozen packaged breakfast/lunch/dinner products; energy bars; fruit bars/rolls. Stay away from packaged, processed foods which are almost all full of sugar and grains!
• Sweets- sugars; cakes; cookies; brownies; donuts; pie; evaporated cane juice; honey; chocolate syrup; trail mixes; powdered sugar; raw sugar; molasses; HFCS; popsicles; frozen desserts; chocolate. This challenge will help get rid of your cravings and sugar crashes! 

2) SHOPPING/COOKING/BAKING/EATING OUT

    

{Picture from the 'Primal Blueprint 21 Day Total Body Transformation' by Mark Sisson}

Here is your Primal Food Pyramid:

Herbs/Spices/Extracts

Sensible Indulgences (dark chocolate 75% or higher)

Supplements (omega-3, probiotics)

Fruits (in season and locally grown)

High Fat Dairy (unpasteurized, fermented and or raw)

Starchy Tubers & Wild Rice (sweet potatoes)

Nuts, Nut Butters & Seeds

Animal Fats

Butter & Coconut oil

Avocados

Olives/EVOO

Macadamia Nuts

Vegetables (locally grown/organic)

Meat/Fish/Eggs/Fowl (stick with pastured/grass-fed/certified organic/free range)

As you can see, the bulk of your food comes from the protein and vegetables. The other spectrums of this food pyramid are with moderation. You can find the best produce and sources of animals from farmers markets, co-ops, Community Supported Agriculture, Whole Foods, or look carefully in your local grocery store. I am able to go to our BJ's Wholesale store and find certified organic and grass-fed products, as well as our local grocery stores. It's all about reading the label! Ask around and google to find stores with the best products available. Do your best with what you can find and with the financial situation you are in. If you cannot afford all grass-fed meat, then by all means, just eat the best meat you can find! Without spending so much money on bread, bagels, cereals, snacks, etc. you will come to find eating Primal is pretty cheap and especially when you plan ahead. 

Examples of staples to keep in your fridge/pantry:

• Nuts in bulk (great snack)
• Nut butters
• Eggs (hard boil some and keep separately for snacks or to put on salads)
• Vegetables (best to eat within a week and be sure to store/freeze appropriately)
• Fruits (keep apples around because they last longer and, again, store appropriately for lasting results)
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Coconut oil
• Coconut milk
• Meat, Fish, Fowl (keep stored in freezer and some in fridge a couple days before eating)
• Onions
• Sweet Potatoes

When it comes to fast food and eating out, find places that serve fresh ingredients and the best quality food. If needed, ask for your food to be cooked in olive oil or ask for lemon and olive oil as a side dressing to ensure you're sticking with the Primal challenge. Just tell them you have an allergy and they won't mind too much! Look for meats, eggs, fish, vegetables and some fruit wherever you go. You're bound to find something Primal!

3) MOVE AROUND, LIFT HEAVY THINGS, & SPRINT

    To be primal is to move A LOT. Move frequently at a low-level pace whether you're engaging in exercise or just walking to the bank down the street instead of driving. Find ways to increase movement. If you're going to work, park farthest away in the parking lot in order to walk a longer distance into work. Instead of taking the elevator, go up those stairs! Find times to take walks with your family after dinner or go on a Saturday hike. If you have a desk job, take breaks throughout the day to get up and move around. 

To be primal is also to take a couple days a week to perform high-intensity strength training sessions that last 30 minutes or less. This includes: pushups, pullups, squats, planks, situps, etc. So, NO, you don't need to go out and run 10 miles to look good! What you eat makes up most of what we look like physically and exercise is just the extra bonus. 

To be primal is to sprint every now and then! Go out with your kids and do 20 meter sprints for about 5 times or if you're on a bike do some sprints every 20 seconds for a couple minutes. There are many benefits to performing sprint workouts about every week or week and a half, such as, muscle fiber growth. 

To be primal is to PLAY! Another great way to move around, to get in sprints, and to spend time with your family and/or friends. Go to the park and play on the playground, play tennis, participate in a basketball game, throw a baseball with your son, chase your kids around the yard, throw a frisbee, go slack lining, or go kayaking. 

4) SLOW DOWN & ENJOY LIFE

    Lastly, take time away from the craziness of daily life. Take time away from your computer, phone, TV and spend time with family and friends to build relationships. Also, too much digital stimulation is not good for our health, so put down media at least an hour or two before bed, so you ensure a better nights sleep. While we are talking about sleep now, make sure you get in plenty of sleep each night to let your body repair itself and to get your REM cycles in. It is also important to prepare for sleep. Dim lights as it gets dark, turn off the TV, and do something relaxing. This will help you have a more restful night and feel refreshed in the morning. 

Questions? Please leave a comment below :)

Adjustments

Apologies for the delay folks, but this girl just started a new job a few weeks ago as a hemodialysis nurse! There has been a lot of adjusting in our family due to this change {as you can imagine} but I am happy which makes the husband happy, so we are all a happier crowd to be around:)

A new job is not the only adjustment going on around here, this last Saturday we went to our favorite farmer's market which happened to be its last day of the season. Sad day! So, we stocked up on crisp apples, tomatoes, pumpkins, and greens.

I love fall: pumpkins, crisp air, colorful leaves, Halloween, and SOUP! That's right, it's time for homemade soup. My husband has been in the kitchen making pumpkin soups, broccoli soups, etc. In the meantime I've been trying out a new chicken recipe that I will share with you soon!

Ginger Garlic Chicken with Sesame Seeds

Have a great week!

Fit Friday

This week was numero uno of the LuRong Living Paleo Challenge and, although sick, I managed to complete it:)

This is an eight week challenge for Crossfit affiliates and their athletes. There are individual prizes, team prizes, but the main prize is overall health and fitness for the individual.

I love goals, I love crossing things off my lists, so challenges are even more fun for me:) And, hey, it wasn't until I took Mark Sisson's 21 day challenge that I became passionate {obsessed, perhaps?} about getting the word out in the name of health and happiness! My point: challenges can be life-changing.

This past week I was discussing with some Crossfit members about post-workout drinks. They were telling me about the "cleanest" ones out there and the importance of drinking high protein shakes immediately after a workout. Today, I stopped by a local GNC to check out their protein shake recommendations which all had whey protein and other dairy sources. In Paleo, whey/dairy is not approved because they believe they have anti-nutrients and compounds that cause inflammation/irritation. In Primal, it depends on how a person is able to handle/digest dairy. If you choose whey isolate, you will get more protein with less dairy, however, it will be more processed. If you choose whey concentrate, you will get less protein, but it will not be highly processed. 

Since I am taking the "Paleo" challenge, I obviously did not purchase these drinks and I also know for myself that I do better with minimal dairy, but it did get me thinking and researching about post-workouts...

We hear and learn that carbs are needed to develop muscles and that by refilling our glycogen stores with carbs immediately after a workout we will be ready for the next workout and prevent muscle loss.

Let's remember we are turning our carb burning bodies into a fat burning bodies {remember this post?}, so having all this excess carbs/glucose will ultimately turn into unwanted fat. We want to eat more protein, healthy fats {and good carbs from vegetables, etc.} so that we store and burn fat for energy. Also, we store three grams of water per gram of glycogen, gross! Who needs water weight?

I also read about occasionally fasting after a workout. By doing this, as well as working out intensely, we drive HGH {Hormone Growth Hormone} which has its own way of conserving protein along with many other health benefits. 

Lastly, protein intake after a workout is good, but this is not the only great time our body uses protein to help our muscles.

What to know is: (1) "as long as you keep your hard resistance workout at or under an hour, your body won't need a lot of glycogen to get through it, (2) "all you really need is a protein-rich snack post-workout for glycogen refueling", and (3) occasional fasting post-workout will drive HGH up.

For more information, check out marksdailyapple.com. 

And just for fun;)

WOD

10min AMRAP

5 weighted lunges {knee touching ground each time}

5 air squats

5 box jumps

Happy Friday!