Hello World . . . Again!

I am well aware that it’s been a little bit over 3.5 months since my last blog post, in which I proclaimed to “have my routine back”. . . but I guess I spoke a bit to soon! To anyone and everyone out there following my blog – I really am sorry to have been MIA for so long!

Over the last few months, I’ve been on a bit of a roller coaster – one that I know I haven’t been riding alone. I would eat really well for a few weeks, and then get sucked back under by one of many different “justifiable reasons” (insert sarcastic tone here!). Among the things that have derailed my good intentions – high-stress periods at work, business trips, birthday parties, summer bbq’s, and a plain old-fashion lack of will-power. I temporarily lost sight of the REAL reasons behind my decision to stick to a Paleo “diet”, and without those reasons as motivation, I “fell off the wagon” repeatedly.

On a positive note, I have managed to stick to my training, but on the flip side, my nutrition has definitely been lacking.

But, I’ve finally come to the point where enough is enough. I need to get back on the right track, and I’ve recently been reminded of exactly why it is that I decided this path in the first place. The primary reason that I have chosen to follow the Paleo “diet” principles for life is that I want to live a long and healthy life, as free from illness as possible. As many of us have a tendency to do, I’ve taken my health for granted to date. Up until about a year ago, I’d always been very healthy, and the most severe ailment I’d ever had was a case of appendicitis. This has made it easy to ignore the fact that some of the things that I’ve chosen to put into my body very likely could contribute to health problems in the not-so-distant future, especially if I continue to consume them on a regular basis. It’s so easy to ignore the facts about gluten’s involvement in auto-immune disease, among other things, when there isn’t much of an immediate consequence upon consuming it (other than maybe some gut discomfort which can easily be chalked up to overeating, and over time is barely even noticed as anything outside of “normal”).

So I’m making my good intentions public once again. Beginning right now, this minute – I plan to clean up my act and eliminate all gluten, grains, dairy, soy, legumes, and processed foods. I’ve got a fridge full of veggies, chicken, fish, and Grass Fed Beef. Food Prep for the week (Spinach muffins, guacamole, etc) is done. My Meal plan for the week is complete, and I’m ready to go 🙂

This week’s meal plan includes:

Omletes stuffed w/ tons of veggies and homemade guacamole

Salads w/ wild tuna, tons of veggies, avocado, HB eggs, homemade may dressings

Leftovers from previous nights dinners

Spinach Muffins w/ Guacamole

Limited fresh fruit & raw almonds

Raw veggies & Paleo Hummus (zucchini & tahini based rather than chick pea)

Crock Pot (Grass Fed) Meatballs & Roasted Brussel Sprouts

Wild King Salmon w/ Tomato Basil Relish and a salad of field greens

Chicken & Broccoli Coconut Curry Stirfry (From Paleo Recipe Book by Sébastien Noël)

Curry Shrimp over Zucchini noodles

“Salsa Chicken” over Shredded Cabbage topped w/ Avocado

I’m not starting another Whole30 just yet, but plan to do so within the next few weeks. I’m working to get back into the routine of planning and prepping all of my meals first. After a week or two of 95%, I’ll be jumping back into another Whole30 head first!

Training is going to stay about the same. I’m going into my second cycle of Wendler 5-3-1 Training, which I’m combining w/ bodyweight assistance exercises and complimentary CrossFit WODs. I’m also really focusing on my “goats”. I got my first HSPU about a month ago (BIG happy dance!!), and have been working them regularly ever since to increase the # that I can do in a row, and decrease the amount of rest that I need in between sets. I’m also working on improving my ring dips (I can still only do 2-3 in a row, and after a few sets of 2-3, I’m done. . . I’m still working on my Olympic Lifts also, but not as regularly. I’m really focusing on increasing my strength first and foremost. Once I get some of my baseline #’s up a bit (squat, shoulder press, deadlift), I’ll switch my focus back over to improving my technique and form on the Olympic Lifts – I truly enjoy training the Olympic Lifts more than just about anything . . . but I feel that I’ve hit a wall and won’t break through it until I increase my strength.

I’m really going to try to check back in regularly in the upcoming weeks and months to share my successes & struggles, ask for advice, and maybe even give a little from time to time 😉 If all goes according to plan, I’ll also be sharing some new Paleo Recipes as I get back into the routine of “playing w/ my food”.

One last thing that I have to share – and this little bit of news has got me grinning from ear to ear – we’re talking Cheshire cat grin here. . . My wonderful Hubby has decided to give CrossFit a try! He started about a week ago, and so far he loves it. I am so very proud of him and excited for him, and it is SO wonderful to be able to share something with him that has become such a large part of my life.

Well, I’m signing off for now – but will do my best to post again before another 3 months roll by!