Living Primally in a Cubicle

Ever wonder how you can make your dreary cubicle existance more primal?  Here are six tips off the top of my head.

#1 - Ergonomics
Organizations today practice terrible habits with regards to ergonomic assessments.  It's highly likely that you won't get proper equipment installed in your tiny space until you evidently suffer from severe neck strain, carpel tunnel, and a bad back.  On option (as a preventative measure!) is to ask your doctor for an ergonomic assessment requisition to provide to your employer.  Also, I've heard a lot of good things about replacing your desk chair with a large yoga ball for posture (plus, you get to bounce around your office... fun!), and standing desks are also becoming a popular option for the ergo-aware.

#2 - Move
Take the stairs.  Stretch.  Do a couple laps of your floor.  All you need is a couple minutes to move your body, to come back to your desk a little more refreshed to help with your focus and productivity.  If you can hack it, leveraging your lunch hours to go on a walk or light jog is a great option.  A few years ago, I added an hour to my workday so that I could take a two-hour lunch to go to a nearby gym.  It was a great option that my employer was happy to satisfy.

#3 - Decorate and Cleanup
This one I've learned from my boss.  As opposed to the organizational charts, diagrams, contact lists and series of post-its all over the wall, hang up some pictures that actually mean something to you, like some palm trees and ocean waves from that last trip you took, or some kind of digital art that makes you feel calm.  If you work in a stressful environment, why remind yourself of everything stressful by having is lurk in ever corner of your 8x8 box.  Take some time every week to light a match and burn the piles of paper on your desk (or just file it in the right place if fire is a safety issue).  If you like your working space and is free of clutter, I'm willing to bet that this will have a positive impact on how you feel and how you work in your cube.

#4 - Stock-up
If you spend 40 hours per week at work, you might as well practice the same primal habits that you would at home.  Right now, I have a couple cans of wild Pacific salmon in my drawer for emergergency hunger pangs, a bag of natural almonds, a box of mini 85% chocolate bars, several boxes of tea.  A pair of running shoes and extra clothes might be a good idea, too.

#5 - Lighting
Office lighting sucks, and it's even worse if you don't have have window.  However, many stores sell lamps that mimic natural outdoor light, not only for those who suffer from seasonal affective disorder.  You might not be getting a full dose of Vitamin D, but it'll help.

#6 - Eat When You're Hungry
Ya, I'm bad for this.  I'll admit that I don't think I could ever do my (current) job from home.  Too many distractions, and you know exactly where to find them.  In my office, I have noticed that at times I'll look for a distraction by looking for something to eat.  Not because I'm hungry, and not because I don't want to do my work, but rather my brain is looking for a break from staring at my screen.  If you're not hungry, but looking for some food, go back to #2 and move your butt.

Things I plan to do this year

#1: Read a book a month
For some people, this isn't a difficult task.  However, my home is likely the most connected and electronically adapted home on our street.  Two PS3s (which are networked), a PS3 Move package, two large TVs, an entertainment system, a laptop, a netbook, a tablet, an iPad, a PSP, a Nintendo DS, a PC, old-school Nintendo and N64, and of course two cell phones that each have their own mini-speakers to play streamed radio.  I should be ashamed.  In all of this, I've lost my love of reading, and how it helps me sleep.  For Christmas, I asked for a book to get me started and I was provided with Women in Love, by D. H. Lawrence.  It's good so far!

#2:  Save cash
My long-term goal is to be wealthy.  Ya, I said it.  Stinkin' rich.  No one ever admits it though because it's rude, apparently.  However, it doesn't happen overnight, and one step-at-a-time.  The obvious benefit to saving cash is to pay off wedding debt or pay into my existing mortgages before making money can make, well, more money..  As I see it, though, is that I benefit to an even greater degree by helping me continue to be primal.  If I'm bored, I can find a plethora of ways to keep me entertained instead of spending money.  Like workout in my gym, go hiking with my hubby, run around outside with my very playful dogs, make a recipe book of my favourite primal meals or just find new ones to try.  As opposed to eating at expensive restaurants (a bad habit of mine...), I can make my own fancy feast at home and invite some good friends.  Crafty projects are becoming cheaper since I have now accummulated copious amounts of materials and tools.  Oh ya, blogging comes on the cheap, too!

#3: Keep as much to my primal ways as possible
This means drinking booze in moderation, bringing a veggie and cheese platter to a dinner (more snacking options for me), having a box of green tea, bags of almonds, and 85% chocolate at my desk for quick snacking.  This also means moving regularly, and lifting heavy things, keeping my cupboards primal-friendly, sleeping more, and playing more.  Reading MDA daily, too.

#4: Do some do-goody things
I'm not a do-gooder.  I'm not a do-badder, but I don't go out of my way to make the world a better place.  If you give me the option to fundraise or to donate, I'll donate everytime.  So, one idea that I've had is to make a list of all my friends and relatives (including my new ones) and their birthdays so that I can send them a birthday card.  Generation X totally sucks the big one at doing this kind of thing.  It's a small gesture, but definitely a nice one to the ones who matter to me most.

#5: Stay on top of things
I got hit last night with a $110 ticket for driving with expired plates.  Why?  Because I procrastinated on getting them renewed.  My birthday is in June, by the way.  Staying on top of things will help me clear my head, and avoid clearing-out my wallet.  (Minor vent: why was there a ride program at my exit on a Monday evening...? Apparently if you live in hickville, they expect you to be bombed on a random back-to-work day after the holidays.  WTF?).

#6: Do nice things for my hubby
I've reeled him in for life.  Might as well enjoy it.  Plus, a happy hubby is a happy wife.

#7: Do things that I want to do
For example, I like spending time alone.  I love making things pretty (like my house and my cottage).  I love random trips to the dollar store (ya, I'm snob but not snobby enough to overlook scoff at dollar stores).  I should call my girlfriends more.  Is this really a goal?  I think I just want to re-assure myself that I want to make my time, my own, and say to myself, "Hey.  I've got my own time to do whatever I wanna do.  Take advantage."

Day 2: Chocolate cravings and berry binge

Quick post.  Yesterday was another success in my adherance to primal rules: I didn't cheat and I did exercise (slow pace).

I ate: Bacon and egg casserole with veggies, chicken and veggies, and then beef and pork chili (with veggies), berries, cheese and olives.

I drank: coffee, green tea and sparkling water.

I moved: by taking two walks with the three doggies (about 2x20min walks).

What is okay to do but I should NOT have: I had cream and a bit of raw sugar (Grok and I have a rule that we can do whatever we want to our coffee as our only vice), and binged at 10pm on shredded mozza cheese, berries and olives.  Meh, I don't really feel that guilty.

I suffered: massive chocolate cravings and sluggish energy and focus.

I reaffirmed rules for myself: (1) lay off the food after 8pm; (2) no more coffee after 12pm (exception - weekends).

Happy Friday!

Back to Day 1 - A butt-dragging success



Photo: Maggie Smith

 Yesterday, I did not want to be primal.  Well, I did and didn't.  I wanted to be primal, but I didn't want to live primally.

The first few days of getting back into a primal routine is always the hardest.  Your energy sucks, and you're craving your favourites.  When I got home from work, it took every ounce of my being not to open a bottle of red wine or shake myself a martini.  I'm going to admit that last week, I had a drink (or two…) every night.  Why?  I was in love with a bad routine, and I used the excuse of after-wedding slack. 

But yesterday, I made it through.  And I dragged my butt the whole day.  I ate veggies and eggs and bacon and beef and pork and nuts and more veggies.  What helped was that my sister had dinner ready on the stove (beef stew!) so my evening routine included an earlier-than-8pm workout.

Unfortunately, my workout sucked.  I just didn't want to do it.  I went downstairs to my gym and looked at my workout log (lifting): October 8th.  HOLY CRAP!  It had been a whole month and a half since I last lifted!  (Not that the date made me put any more into my workout since I still didn't wanna.) 

Here's what I did: 

• 10 minutes of sprints (5 x 20-30 seconds) on the elliptical
• 3x12 of squats at 30lbs on each dumbell (60lbs total)
• followed by 3x15 butt lifts (no weights). 

And then I quit.

I can't wait until my body is back to normal so I can actually enjoy a workout and do a lot more than I did.

But, at least it's a start.  Again.

Four months...

...since my last post, but that doesn't mean I haven't been primal, nor does it mean that I've lost sight of this blog.

photo credit:  Salvatore Vuono

For the past four months, I pulled off two things:
(1) the wedding of my life, for which I'll toot-my-own-horn by saying that I did one helluva job and it was my perfect memory; and,
(2) I lost 20lbs, by following my primals ways and I felt oh-so good!

Due to a summer full of weddings, parties, showers, and bachelorettes (including my own that was a full week in Cuba), I managed to only gain about 7-8lbs back from my lowest, where most of it was gained during the week of and week after the wedding.  I'm totally okay with this, and I am confident that going back to a strict primal diet will help me easily lose the weight, and hopefully more. 

In my quest to lose 20lbs, I learned some tricks that helped me:  Tracking my food and my activity was key (see previous challenge post); I learned that alcohol really does slow my weight loss; and, I don't lose weight if I don't move.

I've re-enabled this blog for the main reason that I really, REALLY, want to get back to a healthy routine after all the partying and carb-loaded fiascos, and I adore eating primally.  It's my wino pitfalls that really hurt my efforts.  And now Christmas is around the corner...

Also, a co-worker recently adopted a 30-day primal experiment that she's tracking on her blog.  After catching up on her posts, I realized how much I missed making primal a top priority, and also writing my own posts.

Here we go again!

Ya, ya. I'm still here.

Sura Nualpradid

As you can see, I'm a very inconsistent poster. I, like my future husband, have a very short attention span, so we're flakey. Well, I'm definitely flakey.

Not much is new, other than Grok has initiated a new challenge. We've continued with our primal ways, but our adherence has serously been wavering (we'd only buy primal foods, but booze and trips to the cottage has us binging on candy and bread).  So, motivated with the wedding in four months, Grok created a spreadsheet and allocated a point value to each activity to be followed daily:

• Track weight (1pt)
• Eat clean (primal) (4pts)
• Track food (2pts)
• Sprint (2pts)
• Play sports (2pts)
• Slow and steady activity (2pts)
• Lift weights (2pts)

And then there's this:

• Drink alcohol (-2pts per drink)
• Eat sugar/starchy carbs(-2pts)
• Grains (-2pts)
• Dairy (-2pts)
• No exercise at all (-2pts)

By the end, whoever has the highest score wins something.  Not quite sure what the wager is yet… I think a new wardrobe is warranted!

Ya, we'll see how this goes.

I miss things. And then they hurt me.

Carlos Porto

It has been about two weeks that Grok and I have been trying to keep ourselves in ketosis.  What is ketosos?  It's means that we've been keeping our carb count pretty low at a weight-loss level as opposed to weight maintenance mode.  For the first couple days we were counting on our respective calculators (I have a Blackberry app that I use, and he uses LiveStrong). 

It's really hard to count absolutely everything all the time.  While eating primally, you don't normally need to count a thing but for ketosis you really should count what you're feeding yourself to make sure your efforts aren't going to waste.

...KEEP READING

20-minute Salmon with Red Curried Veggies

Another ridiculous day at work.  I actually do enjoy some quiet time at home preparing a meal after a long day.  I'll normally have some smooth jazz playing in the background, and if it has been a very hard day, a glass of red wine.   Although I do tend to get a little grumpy when it comes to washing the dishes.

One of the great things about making fish is that it cooks in no time.  Grok had to run out to door tonight to go curling, so it had to be a quick dish.

I thawed some salmon, seasoned it with lemon juice, dill and some basil (ya, snooze), and put it under the low broil setting.

...KEEP READING

Oxygen Magazine: The anti-Primal Magazine



oxygenmag.com



Almost a year ago during the height of my Eat-Clean efforts, Grok bought me a subscription to Oxygen magazine and I bought him Men's Health.  We were so happy with our new reads and looked forward to getting a new publication each month.

Things have changed, however.  Now that I've committed to living primally, I've realized that this magazine is not for me.  Not only am I tired of seeing far too many one-page ads for flavoured powder supplementation and weight-loss pills, but all of the recipes have multiple non-primal components that can be quite hard to substitute.

...KEEP READING

Steak with a Spicy Creamy Coconut Pepper Sauté

It was a very looooooong day at the office.  I came home and plopped myself on the couch to relax before coming up with some sort of dinner to celebrate my surviving a gruelling work week. 

This was another very quick meal, and I couldn`t help but savour every bite.  Do you remember that steak you had where it virtually melted in your mouth?  Ya, this was it.  Lucky me!

I peeked in the fridge, and pulled out some cremini mushrooms, baby spinach and some chopped onions and put it all in a pan with some coconut oil, coconut milk and some almond milk - enough to serve as a side for two. 

...KEEP READING

To tell you the truth...

If you take a peek at my blog posts, you'll notice a rather large gap between November and March.  Similar to some of my earlier posts about lack of consistency with my primal efforts, this gap of time was not my shiniest moment. 

The Christmas holidays were really great, but full of everything bad for me.  Up until that time I was doing really well with eating better and moving my body enough, and I had shed some fat.  However, I made the trek up north for Grok's family festivities and I ate and drank everything in sight.  And then I had my family Christmas.  And then I went and had another one.  Grok and I were served a total of 59lbs of turkey... and all the fixins.  I figured that my body could handle it, and I could afford to some time off from Primal.

Sharron Goodyear



By the time I was back into my routine in early January, all my work clothes had become tight again.  What an awful feeling.  But that's what the holidays do for many of us -- I know I'm not alone.  My mood, my cravings, my lethargic-ness was rampant. 

Since then, Grok and I decided that we would get married (we've been engaged for over a year) in our current city as opposed to the whimsickle beach wedding that we were hoping for.  Logistically, it didn't make sense for us to go south, so here we are, amidst lots of planning for our big day in November.

So there's our motivation.  For Grok, he's almost at his goal weight but would like to gain some muscle to look more cut.  For me, I have my eyes set on looking like every bride-to-be wishes to look on her wedding day in a gorgeous gown, amongst those who will be part of the biggest day in her life. 

So there.  I've admitted where my recent motivation has come from.  I guess a wedding is just what I needed.

Primal sole and Bacon-wrapped asparagus with tartar sauce

I wanted some fish for dinner tonight, so here is what I came up with:

 This dinner was easy and tasted super-good! 

I put sole filets in a casserole dish after spraying it with olive oil.  I cut some onion and sprinked atop the fish with some lemon juice.  I then wrapped two sprigs of aspargus with a half of a piece of thick bacon, and pepper to taste.  I popped it all in the oven at 375*C for about 20-25 minutes.  While it was baking, I whipped some olive oil-based mayo with lemon and dill, basil and cumin (I have no idea what's in real tartar sauce).  Once out of the oven, I sprinkled the fish with some fresh chopped cilantro.

  

Et voilà!

And if you're wondering what we were drinking -- Club soda (it's water with bubbles!) with some frozen berries and a lemon wedge.

Now it's time for my date with Ellie (my elliptical machine).  I'm currently watching Inception during my workouts... Oh, Leo...

Dumbells that Make my Butt Ache

In my effort to lift heavy things three times a week (as recommended by the Primal Blueprint), yesterday was a leg-day and I LOVE leg-day.  I think it's the girl in me that really wants a nice tush, and I also feel that I get more for my money if I work out my bigger muscle groups.

I'm really sore... and it's only the day after (I find that the soreness reaches its pique after two days).  I like the feeling of having put my body through a good workout, but I had to ask Grok to give me a butt massage this morning (dirty minds!).

In my gym, I have minimal equipment but does the trick for my routine.  I have my giant elliptical machine that has an incline and resistance option (I call her Ellie, and as the second machine I've owned I treated myself to a gym-quality product).  I have a flat-bench that raises to an incline, and it has that piece on the end that I can do my isolated bicep or hammer curls on.  I have a series of workout DVD's that entertain me and keep me moving depending on what my mood desires (think yoga, plyometrics or lifting).  In addition, I have a thigh-toner and two stretch bands that really help with my back work, a yoga mat, a giant workout ball and 10lb wraps. Last but certainly not leaqst, the best workout piece own is: My PowerBlock dumbells (note that other than the loose dumbells you'd get in a gym, I haven't bought or tried anything else).


PowerBlock.com

  I love these dumbells!  They look a little bulky but they don't really get in the way of any of the exercises or routines that I've been trying out.  They go up to 50lbs with the option of 2.5lb increments.  However (and this is a big HOWEVER), I'm a girl and not as strong as Grok.  So the only downside I find is the fact that there is a gap between 10lbs and 15lbs.  When I'm working on my curls, 10lb is too little and 15lb is too much until I get a little stronger.

I'm sure that in the future I'll want to grow my gym.  For now, all of this works great and I'm super happy.

Here was my workout, three sets of each:

 



Ambro


• Squats (12 reps of 35lbs each dumbell)
• Sumo squats (12 reps of one 45lb dumbell)
• Lunges (12 reps of 25lbs each dumbell, each leg)
• Stiff-legged deadlifts (12 reps of 25lbs each dumbell)
• Inner leg lifts (I used 10lb wraps)
• Bouncing calf raises on the edge of a step (20 reps of one 25lb dumbell, each side)

Happy training!

Today's Feasts

Sual Nualpradid

Today was a very primal day, and it was all thanks to my wonderful Grok.  I love you honey!

My feasting was a little low in overall calorie count, but my proportion of fat-protein-carbs was optimal for ketosis.  I had three large meals yesterday so it took some time for hunger to set in.

I woke up to the wonderful scent of coffee and breakfast being prepared by Grok (actually, it was the sound of the fire alarm that woke me, but it's the thought that matters!).  On my morning menu was a 2-egg omelette, fried in coconut oil with mushrooms and onions, and a 1/2 of a top sirloin steak on the side.

After cleaning the house, I kindly asked Grok to assemble my elliptical machine that had been collecting dust since September.  The monster-sized clothes rack was missing a washer, so Grok and I decided to give assembly a whirl without the missing piece.

I had a 30-minute workout of light walking on an incline with resistance.  I was also very happy to find out that my little netbook fits perfectly on the holder so I can watch something entertaining as I walk miles in the same spot.  I don't know how people read and workout at the same time... I honestly think they just look at the pictures!

When I was finished, I had a pork back ribs and a spinach salad waiting for me. 

Besides the wonky almost-cold that my body is fighting, it was a GREAT, relaxing Sunday.  I only need the summer weather to hit for the day to be a perfect one.

Here's a breakdown of today's feasts:

Breakfast
3.5oz Beef top sirloin
1tbsp Coconut oil
2 large Eggs\
30g of Mushrooms
20g of Onions
Salt and pepper to taste

1.5 cups of Coffee
44g Coconut milk (with my coffee)

Dinner
200g of Pork back ribs
40g of Baby spinach
65g of Tomatoes
8g of Green onions
10g of Extra virgin olive oil
A squirt of lemon juice
Salt and pepper to taste

Breakdown
Fat - 101.45g
Protein - 69.35g
Carbs - 10.63g
Calories - 1234
Workout - 218cals

This is NOT an average day.  I'd normally have three full meals (as breakfast would be earlier during the work week).  However, I'm very happy with this for a very relaxing day.

My Meat Locker

As stored in my garage.

Three weeks ago, the Grok household received a giant delivery.  A 17.5 cubic foot freezer full of meat to feed a family of 3-4 for a year.

Lamb, chicken, beef, pork, turkey and a variety of wild fish.  All free-range and organically-fed (as much as possible).

A primal dream.

Since that day, I've enjoyed many delicious and satisfying meals.  The leftovers make the next-day lunches a breeze, and what's fabulous is that having a meat locker makes it difficult to deviate from my primal goals.

I highly recommend searching for a local distributor that provides this type of product.  I will, however, admit that it's a little pricey.  The cost of the meat is higher than that which you would get at Costco, yet cheaper than buying the organic and free-range meat from your neighbourhood grocery store.  I make bi-weekly payments, and they threw in the freezer for free.  FREE!  The meat is all flash-frozen and put in substantial vac-packing that keeps the meat for up to a year and a half.

The initial consultation was great.  A very nice gentleman arrived at my house and provided an overview of the family-owned company.  He wasn't pushy and he was up-front about costs and rules, and he didn't give fluffy answers to my questions.  After browsing through a binder full of the different cuts that I could choose from, Grok and I selected what was most to our taste. After the delivery, we had the opportunity to look through the meat and decide if we wanted to make any exchanges within the first six weeks.  It has been a great experience so far.

Out of the many meals I've had, there has only been one that was just average, but I think I screwed up how I cooked it.  The meat theremometre I put in the pork roast was broken, so when I unwrapped the twine the uncooked meat fell to pieces and had to be cooked further.  The presentation was severly off, and the fat distribution wasn't even so it threw of the taste and the texture.  Oops.

Daniel St. Pierre

Every other meal has been great.  Even the beef, which up until now I haven't been able to eat because it hurt my stomach for days.  I'm not saying that the quality of the meat or my primal ways have changed my ailment, but something has happened over the past 5 months that has enabled me to digest beef properly.  I first discovered that I couldn't consume beef after eating a giant burger on a camping trip 6 years ago, and subsequent tests of eating steak proved true. 

Oh, prime rib, how I've missed you.

A Tidbit on Sticking to It

I came upon this article during my Google adventure for goal- and committment-related reads:

Motivation to Goal Adherence

It's a short article that suggests that one's focus is a key factor in achieving goals.  Specifically, the article illustrates focusing on previous achievements is more motivating than focusing on future ones.   I guess it makes sense to qualify or quantify successes to make your future goals more realistic and achievable. 

Just and interesting tidbit that I wanted to share.

Consistently Inconsistent

Last night after a long day at work, I came home to Grok who had made me a nice primal meal for dinner.  We then got comfortable on the couch to watch some downloaded shows, while browsing through our freshly-delivered Oxygen and Men’s Health magazines.  I eventually got up to change and have a little workout.

I had a good workout.  I felt good and not exhausted like some of the older workouts I used to put myself through.  But it definitely got me thinking: If I worked so hard in the past at eating clean and working out, then does my body look virtually the same that it did?  (Granted, I’m sure that internally I’m much healthier).

Last week, I went to the doctor for my annual physical.  It had been a year and a half since my last one, which would have put me at the time I started eating clean.  The doctor was enthusiastic at my weight loss, as most of her clients tend to have a weight gain year after year.  The loss: 3 pounds.  I wasn’t so enthusiastic.

A year and a half of eating clean, loads of cardio workouts, softball, volleyball, dodgeball, and lots of walks, equated to 3 pounds.  What I’m not including in the list are the long bouts of falling off the wagon - bingeing on dirty foods, drinking loads of alcohol and making excuses to not workout.

In my case, success isn’t measured by cumulative effort.  If it were, I’d be an Oxygen model.  Success is measured by consistency, and my consistency has been lacking.  This is not a grand realization on my part, I semi-knew that this was my problem.  Heck, I even quit all of my winter sports to accommodate a more routine workout schedule and balanced lifestyle (like not having to do groceries at 11pm after all my sports were done).

It sucks.  It’s hard to move beyond that feeling of defeat when you recognize that you’ve failed.  However, I’m sure I would be worse off should I not be able to reflect on the experience, and do something about it.  Every effort gets you one step closer [enter fluffy uplifting music].

My efforts weren't a complete waste - I'll admit that I learned a LOT.  I've learned about what my body needs in terms of nutrition and exercise.  I've learned many new recipe favourites, and what workouts make me come back for more.  I know that health and happiness is a lifetime journey and not a quick-fix.

Now that I know I’ve had a hard time committing to commitment in the past, I’m going to change my approach.  I can commit to finding new commitment strategies… Google is such a nice thing to help me start my search.

I look forward to reporting back on this.

Going to Primal Rehab

Grokette spoke too soon.  Her routine went through the spin cycle.

For the past month, life has been fun but full of unhealthy habits.  With the new house came parties.  With parties come booze and non-primal eating.  Throw in Hallowe'en and extra hours of work, and you end up with a grumpy Grokette who charges to the wine bottle when she walks in the door.  Grok hasn't been any better -- as I type this, I'm surrounded by his empty beer bottles and wine glasses (that I refuse to clean up... because I'm nice like that!).

No one makes a change unless they see that change is needed.  I need a change.

I've missed making primal a priority.  I was happy in my routine and the changes I was seeing, and I want that again.  I haven't been working out; having been eating very cleanly; haven't been getting enough sleep; and I haven't been playing enough (by this I mean doing anything active beyond binge-drinking!).  But that's okay!  I would be in a far worse state if I didn't recognize my rut.  The dreary month of November seems like a good time to try to get back into that happy place... The quiet before the holiday storm.

I'm going to pen-in an after-work trip to the grocery store tomorrow to stock up on the basics: fish, meat, eggs, loads of veggies and fruit, and some nuts.  I've both ate well and worked out for the past two days, and it feels nice.  I also commit to drinking more water in lieu of the copious amounts of coffee and wine I have been consuming.

Here's to another go at it!

Oh, and just for the record -- I never got sick (see my last post).  I felt off, but it didn't turn into a full flu or cold, but I know that my body was fighting something.  I still haven't been sick since starting primal.

Getting sick?

Grokette is getting sick.  So she thinks...

I woke up this morning with what felt like a softball in my stomach.  Once I arrived at my work cave, I was suffering from a bad headache.  Later, I become feverish and my throat a little hoarse.  Call me Ms. Grokette Grumpersons.

I had a fun weekend, full of relaxation and a little partying.  I attended a wedding and therefore had more than my limit of alcohol, but I kept to eating primally until Sunday night when I was served a piece of homemade strawberry apple pie.  But that's it - I wouldn't call this a recipe for getting sick... But 'tis the season for the ill as there is less sunlight (need some D's!), and the weather is becoming more extreme (...cold and damp).

At present, I'm not sure how my ailment will progress.  Most people do their best to take care of themselves when their sick and not necessarily when their healthy.    Hopefully being primal might fight it off better than I otherwise would have.  I'll count this as my first cold/flu as a primal girl.  I just hope it's a short one.

Take care!

Keeping things going

As mentioned in my last post, I'm moving.  Grok, Schmooks and I have moved out of the city into a new shiny development.  I'm happy to report that I think I'll enjoy my new routine.

Realization #1 - Need for sleep
I now have quite the commute to work, which means that I have to be on the ball in the morning to get to my work cave on time.  This means that I need to get to bed by 10:30pm to keep tiredness at bay.  If I'm forced to be in bed on time as I no longer have a sleep-in option, I'm happy to comply if it ensures a restful me.

Realization #2 - Primal Space
I have a big walk-in pantry off of my kitchen - perfect for stalking up on everything primal, and fun gadgets to make a variety of meals.  I also have a bedroom as a dedicated gym so all my equipment is organized and ready-to-use (8.5' ceilings make it easy for squat jumps!).  I have greenspace in my area for primal playtime with Grok and Schmooks.  I have a big cozy bedroom which makes it easy to settle in for the evening.  Perfect.  I'm trying dedicate space to supporting a primal lifestyle…but it could just be in my head... 

Realization #3 - Transition can be Primal
I had assumed that I was going to have a hard time committing to a primal lifestyle while my routine and schedule were thrown off.  I've had to eat out a lot (which I love to do anyways) but I selected places where I would be able to find a relatively clean primal meal.  At Moxie's, I had a glass of wine with a salad covered in feta cheese and dried cranberries, and then a crab avocado dish but stayed away from the bread.  I had shawarma plates and omitted the rice, potatoes, pita and hummus.  I had big breakfasts of bacon, eggs and tomatoes which kept me satisfied all day.  I even ate McDonalds -- I ordered two grilled southwestern chicken sandwiches, but only ate the innerds (lettuce, mayo, tomatoes and seasoned chicken).  Not all of this was 100% clean of course, but that's why Mark promotes eating primal 80% of the time - it's as realistic as this Grokette is going to get.  Especially when she's moving into a new cave.

On another happy note, I've noticed that my body is changing.  I can see a bit more muscle definition in my arms and some of my pants are becoming a little saggy below the bum.  My skin also feels different - as though the fat it a little less dense than it was before.  I can't quantify my results since both my scale and my measurements are packed in some unknown box.  I hope in time I'll be able to share my results with you.