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.

Lifting Heavy Things

Grokette and her little primal family are in the process of moving to a much bigger cave... One which has yet to get Internet access so posting will be limited. 

Both Grok and I are committed to keeping up the primal lifestyle during the transition, which includes lifting many, many awkward and heavy objects.  Fun!  I'll be back!

The word is getting out?

How popular is primal becoming? Can I rank it among the many diets that are people adopt?  Or maybe this one is different since it seems to be about a certain lifestyle? (We mimic the consumption and physical activity of our paleolithic ancestors)... I'll have to do some research before I discuss this further.

Photo: FreeDigitalPhotos

One popular website that I've been consulting for years - no matter what my diet style was, is NutritionData.com.  This site lets you search countless food options to obtain the food's nutritional value and breakdown.  And not matter what your food beliefs are, if you want to achieve health and fitness goals you'll need to know what is in your food.

Grok was recently perusing the site and noticed an article posted on the front page entitled, Are we getting the whole story on grains? We were happy to see an article on a popular site that was encouraging grain awareness.

The article is a quick read and gets right to the point: We see many studies about the heart-healthy benefits of eating whole grains.  But do we ever see studies about removing grains from our diet completely?

Good point.  I think you have something there!

An indulgent day; an indulgent workout

There is nothing that starts Grokette's day off better than getting out of the shower, and being presented with a cup of fresh coffee (FYI - Starbucks' Anniversary blend that they are promoting right now is REALLY good), and a plate of perfectly prepared bacon and eggs.  Grok, I adore you.

However, I starved the rest of the day.  That's okay since the occasional short fast is physiologically acceptable.  I'm sure that the real Grokette didn't always have a victorious hunt.

I left work at lunch to accommodate a very long afternoon appointment.  By 3:30, I was on my way home and all I could think about was my next meal.  I dashed into the neighbourhood grocery store and grabbed a roasted chicken (not the cleanest, but you know...) and a few other things, and dashed out.  When I got home, I dove into that chicken.  No fork, no knife - I just ripped those wings and legs apart. 

It wasn't very graceful and I certainly wouldn't do this in front of company, but it surely was satisfying!  I then followed-up with a piece of 86% chocolate.

I've had family in town for the past couple weeks, so this evening included a farewell dinner at Red Lobster.  My order?  Half a pound of Canadian snow crab legs and some broiled scallops, with a garden salad with blue cheese dressing.  Oh, and I had a glass of red wine too (Fetzer's red zinfandel...I highly recommend!).

Do I feel guilty?  Not at all.  Aside from the fact that I didn't prepare this food myself (and therefore can't confirm that my food was prepared cleanly) this meal is as close to primal as I will get when eating out at a restaurant.  I'm stuffed, and will admit that I ate too much but that just means that I'll do an intermittent fast for the next 12 to 15 hours. 

I do feel guilty for not moving too much today.  As soon as I publish this post, I'm going to hit the weights, which I'm learning to love.  Chalene Extreme is an exercise program focused on building muscle by lifting weights at a VERY slow pace.  You're not doing set after set of exercises - you're focused on lifting a heavy amout of weight for up to a max of twelve reps, and that's it.  In the past, I did another program affiliated with the Beachbody company but the workouts were too intense and long to fit into my lifestyle long-term (and this definitely wasn't primal as it encouraged chronic cardio).  I find that Chalene Extreme is great for me because I don't have to follow the plan -- but I can use one of the program's many workouts for whatever I'm in the mood for... This makes it pretty easy to want to workout.

Everyone has a preferred workout regimen.  I'm curious: What's yours?

Primal Tip #1: Buy your meat first

I tend to get lost when I go to the grocery store.  I become over stimulated with everything going on around me.  So much to see, so many new things to try, so many labels to read... It drives Grok nuts. 

Going primal has helped quite a bit with this little fault.  Before I even enter the store, I already have my path laid out for me as I shop the perimeter, with a few exceptions (like my 86% chocolate, coconut milk and greek yogurt).  I no longer spend any time looking for grains or legumes like I did when I was eating clean (and I don't get the sugar shock that goes with them, either!).

What I have found helpful is to decide in advance how many meals I'm going shop for.  This translates into the number of packages of fresh meat that I buy.  One big package is enough for dinner and lunch the following day for Grok and I.  Once this is done, I fill the cart with veggies, fruit and nuts.  These are easy to grab and go and are versatile enough to make something more elaborate.  But without the meat, you don't really have a meal. 

And I love meals!  Much better than having to pack 5-6 small meals/snacks to eat every 2-3 hours like I used to.

Primal: +1
Clean Eating: 0

A primal pooch

There are three happy members in Grokette's primal family.

Grok is the typical alpha male.  He is strong and tall, which is often helpful for Grokette since she's 5'2, and often needs help to lift heavy things and reach top shelves.  He has also adopted a primal lifestyle and has seen great results.  Grok will talk about his experience in a future guest post!

There is, however, another member of the family who was the first to go primal.  Her name is Shmooks, and she is a mutt.

Blessed with the brain of a border collie (her dad) and the curious and loyal nature of a schnoodle (schnauzer + poodle = her mum), she is a happy atom bomb of energy all wrapped up in fluffy suckyness.  Doesn't everyone talk this way about their pets?

If Grokers go the distance to live a primal lifestyle, why shouldn't their pets also follow the same habits?  They deserve every bit of health and happiness that we want for ourselves, and so we should take a close look at what we impose upon them.  For example, have you read the ingredients in the pet food that you buy, or does pooch get enough variety of exercise?    When Shmooks first went to the veteranarian, I was told that many people who feed their dogs Kibbles 'n' Bits are poisoning their animal with the equivalent of McDonald's to humans.

Fast forward two years, and friends explained how they decided to look into independent food makers for their precious pooch.  We did some research and decided that a dog had no reason to consume large quantities of rice, corn and wheat.  Since dogs are domesticated wolves,  their physiology should be nourished with a diet rich in meat (wolves eat moose, elk and game)… not grains.  This also means that your dog's ancestors were hunters, and so your dog should be encourages to walk, chase and play.

A bonus to having Shmooks: You.  You'll get to go on a lot of walks, and you can go to the park and run around like you did when you were a kid.  Why not?  Not only is it good for pooch, but it's atop the list of things you do when you're primal.  Move frequently at a slow pace, sprint once in a while, and play (see Challenge #3, 5 and 7 of the Primal Blueprint).

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I first wrote the above and then a comment made suggested I read up on the raw canine diet.  I'm intrigued!  I don't want to lose it, so I'm adding it to my post.  Thanks anonymous!