Primal 21 Day Challenge: 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 {try resting for no longer than 60 seconds or until your breathing is back to normal} doing any cardio activity: running, rowing, bicycling, stationary bike, etc.

Yesterday, I completed a sprint session on our rowing machine. I did 8 sets of 30 seconds of work with 30 seconds of rest. I went ALL out!

Meal/Snack Ideas:

Breakfast- make a big, green smoothie: spinach, kale, cucumber, coconut/almond milk, berries, bananas, and some ice.

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.  

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

Let's Talk:

Check out the new book/ebook from 'Against All Grain' and try some Thanksgiving dishes! Remember, stay away from all grains, wheat, legumes, sugar... Just because someone says their food/recipe is "all natural" or "all organic" or "paleo" doesn't necessarily mean it is. Take a look at that ingredients list! But, I think I might have to try this pudding from another source this holiday season here! You can also follow me on Pinterest here to check out my primal recipe board. 

Get cooking!

Primal 21 Day Challenge: Day 16

Day 16:

For Day 16 tomorrow your challenge is to take 3-5 PLAY BREAKS throughout 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 to marksdailyapple.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.}

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}.

Don't forget to document for today {Day 15} and tomorrow!:

-forage

-moderate aerobic exercise

-play breaks tried

-new primal recipe tried

-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 wonderful Monday and get ready for your challenge tomorrow by deciding play breaks/looking for a new recipe :)

Primal 21 Day Challenge: 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.}

How is everyone doing with the challenge so far? Any new results or increased results? Please share!

Primal 21 Day Challenge: 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 going to a park to read. 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!

Primal 21 Day Challenge: 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

Have a wonderful Friday!

Primal 21 Day Challenge: 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:

Today in my nursing 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 things, which reminds me of why it is the biggest section of the primal food pyramid. 

Good luck tomorrow:)

Primal 21 Day Challenge: Day 11

Day 11:

It has been a looong week {here you are thinking..."What is she talking about? It's been a long WEEK AND A HALF!"} Well, I am doing my week long, in-class hemodialysis training and not only is it making my brain hurt, but it has made me think a LOT about the primal diet. I really believe dialysis patients would have less complications and a healthier life if they incorporated a primal lifestyle. I am sure I'll get word around soon enough, as I have already talked the ears off of most of my coworkers, one of the doctors, and a couple of patients since I've started my dialysis career ;)

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- this week at my hemodialysis training we have been provided with 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 will need to be tossed soon and add meat on the side {this is what I did tonight for dinner;)}

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

Tomorrow we are halfway done with this challenge AND closer to the weekend! So, be happy, be primal!