WHEN IT DOESN’T GET ANY EASIER

More than three weeks into my challenge of “Living Primal”, you’d think it would have gotten easier. Not true. This week has been particularly challenging  and I feel like I’ve gotten off track.  I was just getting ready to write about that when my friend Grace Cherian alerted me to this blog post about meeting the physical challenges of blogging. Perfect timing Grace. That reminded me how important is to keep going. So why has this week been so challenging?

First it was the holiday Monday, and no Zumba class. I made up for that by playing some tennis and going for a lovely long walk, which was more of a stroll than a walk.  Not as much cardio as there should have been.

Tuesday I must admit to spending too much time at the computer. I know I need to get up and do some exercise, but somehow that just doesn’t happen some days. On Tuesday night I felt some light-headedness coming on, which turned into full-blown vertigo on Wednesday. I missed my workout at Fitt for You, and my class at Zeal Fitness.

We also had company for dinner and that was a mixed success in terms of sticking with the challenge.

Good points: goat cheese and smoked oysters for appetizers. Not so good points—served with rice crackers. The crackers had black sesame seeds—does that get extra points? I didn’t think so.

On to the main course:  the “good” grain—quinoa, mixed with lots of vegetables, and we had some lovely asparagus and fiddleheads—two of spring’s best treats. Barbecued salmon was our main entrée.

So far, pretty good. Then came dessert. Our guests brought some lovely fresh fruit and a homemade carrot cake with cream cheese icing. How could I resist? Let’s just say I didn’t and leave it at that. I had one small piece of cake with lots of fruit on the side, and I will leave both pieces that our guests left for us for my husband. He’d better eat them quickly!

So it really has been one step forward and two steps back this week. But I’m not despairing. I’m off to a Zumba class soon, and Tricia throws in some “abs and core” work at the end.  I could think of a lot of excuses to skip the class, but I’m not making any. I could also justify eating another piece of that delicious cake—because I went out and exercised.  But I’m not doing that either.

I thought by now that I’d be at least a little trimmer than I am, and I’d have more energy—and neither of those things is happening as I thought they would. So, while the challenge may “officially” end on May 31, I’m in it for a longer haul— until it starts to get easier at least, and I start to see, and feel, the results I want.

The “side dish” challenge

Ah, the first long weekend of the summer, even though summer doesn’t “officially” start until June 21. Barbecued food will be on many menus this weekend, including mine.  Barbecuing is always a treat—because my husband  does more of the cooking, and having no pots usually makes for easy cleanup. Both of those are a bonus anytime, not just on long weekends.

I haven’t done the full meal plan for the weekend, but I know we have some salmon and chicken wings in the freezer—both definitely good on the bbq.  So those are good starts. But what about the side dishes? Grilled vegetables are great, but I think I need something else to round out the meal. Or do I just think I do?

While following the Living Primal Challenge, I have been pleasantly surprised that I haven’t really missed eating bread, pasta, and rice–which normally would make up part of a meal. For the most part staying off these carbs hasn’t been as hard as I thought it was going to be. But you know what I really miss? Potatoes.  I must admit, it is almost becoming a craving, and I’ve learned that the best way to deal with a food craving is to have a small amount. Otherwise, if you try to deny the craving all together, you wind up eating way more of what you were craving, rather than just a little to satisfy the urge.

So, I’ll admit it. I’ve had some potatoes—not a lot of them, just a few mixed in with some other grilled vegetables on a couple of days last week. That’s when I realized that I really missed potatoes.

So, I’m going to make a potato salad this weekend to go with the grilled meat or fish and vegetables.  I like the mini potatoes. So it’s not a lot of starch.  My potato salad (courtesy of Jane Brody’s Good Food Book) features a dressing made with olive oil, apple cider vinegar, and caraway seeds that is poured over the potatoes while they’re warm. Then you add some grated carrot and chopped green onion, and let the salad cool. It may not be too “primal”, but it’s one of my favourite way to eat potatoes. When you’re satistifying a craving, go for the best right?  I’ll just have to make sure to limit myself to one small-ish portion–now *that* will be a challenge!

I’m also going to get some sweet potatoes for another meal, which aren’t really potatoes, so that will help keep me on track.

Once the weekend is over, and I’ve enjoyed that potato salad and the sweet potatoes, that will be it. I likely won’t crave them again—at least not for a while, and since I will have just had some, I likely won’t even eat them.

I’m almost to the 21-day mark in the Challenge, and I’ve heard that habits start to form after three weeks. So, I think I’m in good shape for a strong finish to the Challenge, and to keep on going.

How’s everyone  doing with whatever is challenging you?

Things Work Out the Way They Need To

I firmly believe that things happen for a reason, and they happen when they are supposed to, and in the way they are supposed to. Our niece Lesley must believe the same thing, and I heard her express it well when she said (in response to my asking about how something was going to play out), “Things work out the way they need to.”

I love that expression, and use it often. It’s simple and it’s true. Things do work out the way they need to. They may not work out the way you want them to, or the way you wish they would, but they do work out. Once you get over any initial disappointment that things didn’t go the way you planned, you realize that they did work out the way they needed to. At least I come to that realization, and I come to it fairly quickly.

Case in point is this Living Primal Challenge. Do I wish that things were going a little faster—that my increased energy levels would stay high, and that more of my clothes would fit better—my two criteria for a Measure of Success? Of course. But I know that success will come, in due time, and it will be last longer, and feel sweeter, than if it happened quickly and vanished. I came to that conclusion fairly early after starting the challenge.

Tomorrow, Saturday, May 12, marks two weeks since I first heard about this particular challenge to living primal, and decided to take it on. I started slowly for a couple of days and then kicked into high gear on May 1. If you read my post on May 2, Back on the Horse, you know I didn’t get off to the strongest start, but things got better. There’s been some backsliding, which was inevitable, but there have been more good things happening too. I’m getting really good at making smoothies for breakfast that can take me through the entire morning. There is still a lot I need to learn and do if I’m going to make this way of living permanent. I have to decide which changes I can honestly stick with, and which ones I can’t. Some days have been better than others, but at the end of every day I’ve been able to say to myself, “Ok, there may have been things that didn’t work out the way you’d hoped, but it was still a good day.”

As long as I can say that, not only for the rest of this 30-day challenge, but every day, then things will work out the way they need to.

Christine’s Morning Smoothie

¼ c. kale or spinach, torn into bite-sized pieces

¼ c. goat yoghurt

2 Tbsp. almond butter

2 Tbsp. ground flax seeds

2 Tbsp. hemp seeds

1 tsp. honey

¼ to ½ c. fresh or frozen fruit (I’ve used banana, berries, mango, and pineapple)

1 c. almond milk

Blend until smooth. I usually use my hand-held immersible blender, but I use the larger blender if the fruit is especially chunky.

This might seem like an odd combination, but it gives me all a good hit of protein, calcium, and vitamins. It makes two large glasses. I sometimes drink it all at once—or I might sip on the second glass while I’m working. If I have this, I don’t need a mid-morning snack.

THE MEASURE OF SUCCESS

When you take on something new it’s good to have a base line; something to compare later. Most fitness/diet programs recommend that you take your measurements, weigh yourself, and take some “before” photos, and then do it all again along the way, and at the end. That sounds like good advice, and it might be. Kevin and Carolyn recommend it in their book, The Guide to Living Primal.  I’ve done none of that, and I’ve decided I’m not going to.

I’ve decided that I don’t need or want any of those measurements to gauge how successful, or not, this Living Primal challenge is, or will be.  So how am I going to know if it’s worked, and if it’s something I want to stick with?  I kind of already know.

I know that with the exception of the one day when I had the low carb flu, my energy levels have been good and I’ve felt better about being active. Two weeks ago, I found it a challenge to get out for a walk. Most of the time I just felt too tired. And going over to the fitness studio for a workout or the 55 Plus Activity Centre  for even a gentle exercise or yoga class? Forget it. I didn’t have either the mental or physical energy to do any of it.

I was slowly getting over those low feelings when I went to the Healthy Living Expo on April 28. I had such a good time I went back on the 29^th. That’s where I met Kevin and Carolyn and found out about the Living Primal challenge. I also took a mini-Zumba class, and spent a total of about 6 hours walking around the show site over the two days. Then, at the end of the second day, I went for a walk along the Moira River in Belleville to get some sun and fresh air.

I started eating in a healthier way, and started to look forward to planning our daily meals. I don’t do this too much ahead of time. We usually decide at breakfast what’s for dinner. But I am giving some forethought when I ‘m shopping about what I might like to cook. I’m also looking for new recipes using things like almond flour, coconut flour, and zucchini. (Did you know you could make noodles from zucchini?)

I’ve been back for two Zumba Gold class at the 55 Plus Activity Centre; back to Fitt For You for a workout, and have another one planned;  gone for a few long walks with my husband; and am generally feeling more energetic than I have in weeks.  Tomorrow I have another workout at the studio and am taking a Flow Class at Zeal Fitness, which I think combines yoga and a few other moves. The real exercise challenge will come on Thursday when I go for a full tilt Zumba class. (It’s a faster pace and a little longer than the Zumba Gold.)  That will be a good measure of my energy level.—or lack thereof.

Another way I’ll judge the success of this program is by how my clothes are fitting. There are some that are feeling a little snug, and I dare say there are likely some summer clothes that wouldn’t fit if I tried them on today.  I really like some of them so that’s motivation enough to keep going.

So if I continue to feel more energetic, and my clothes start fitting better, these will be the ways I measure how the challenge is going.  Who needs the measuring tape, scale, and camera?

DOWN AND UP

I’m really glad that Carolyn Coffin and Kevin Beatty talked about “low carb flu” in their book, The Guide to Living Primal, because I’m pretty sure that’s what I had yesterday, and it was good to be forewarned.  ”As our bodies adjust from burning sugar to relying on more fat, there is sometimes a temporary lag before all systems align themselves and function efficiently. This can lead to symptoms of mental fog, fatigue, irritability, and headaches, which are collectively referred to as ‘low carb flu.” Think of this as our bodies’ withdrawal period as we kick our carbohydrate addiction.” (The Guide to Living Primal, Page 34)

Fortunately, I think I’m over it. Getting out of the house helped and I’ll admit to a little cheating with what I ate.

I took advantage of the sunshine by hanging some clothes on the line and getting out for a walk with my husband.  That definitely helped battle the low feeling, but I think what also helped was having a little bit of carbs from a few crackers and some pea soup. So maybe, while I was in the “withdrawal” phase and feeling down, that helped me to get up. I’m hoping I won’t have to use that little “cheat” again—at least for the next few weeks of the challenge.

I’m back on track today, not craving carbs at all. Of course it’s only mid-morning as I write this. But I have meals planned for the day, and it’s a Zumba day–Zumba is a dance/exercise program done to upbeat music, mostly Latin and is done in a group. So I’m off to a good start.

Whether it’s for the exercise or taking on this challenge, I am blessed to have support from my husband, my family, friends, and other Zumba class members. When I’m down, knowing that I have that support helps me get back up.

I’m reminded of a song line–”I get knocked down, but I get back up again; you’re never gonna keep me down.” It’s from a song ’Tubthumping” by the band Chumba Wumba. Here they are performing it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hDkVQvhZx04   I know, it’s an English football drinking song, but I like it. (Sorry, I know I’ve planted that earworm and you’ll have that song in your head for a while.)

I like this song not only for its uptempo beat, but for its message that while we get knocked down we can get right back up again.

Music can lift me up when I’m feeling down. When you get down, what gets you back up?

FIRST DAYS, OKAY. NOW ON TO BETTER ONES

The first few days of this 30 Day Living Primal Challenge were, well, challenging, but I’m getting into a groove now and expect the next ones to be even better. Not that there won’t be more setbacks, but I’m feeling more confident that I’ll know how to handle them.

Handling the challenge of the birthday dinner turned out to be really easy. Yes, there was tempting chocolate on the menu for dessert, but since it was made with milk chocolate, and of course, wheat flour, it was easy to resist. I was thinking about ordering biscotti, and had it been covered with dark chocolate it might have been more tempting.  My entrée was a lovely serving of Ontario Perch served on a bed of butter lettuce and tasty green vegetables. So, that was all good.

Today was a little harder, and temptation won. I had two delicious mini butter tarts brought to the pot-luck lunch for our writing group. We were celebrating the end of a very good season, and getting ready for our four “bonus” classes to start next week.  There were two vegetable salads, and a vegetable soup, so we definitely filled that quota. We ended with the butter tarts and some clementines—all in all a lovely lunch.

Dinner was easy—turkey meat loaf, and some steamed cauliflower and broccoli in a light hollandaise sauce. Did you know that cauliflower makes a good substitute for potatoes? Apparently you can even make pizza crust with cauliflower. I’ll have to check the Living Primal website to see if that recipe gets posted.

As I didn’t fit in a walk yesterday, I made sure to get out for a nice long one today—so, one step back and two (a lot more actually) steps forward.

While the first days were a little shaky, the week got better and as I head into Week 2, things are looking good.

I hope you continue with me on this journey. It’s not too late to take up the challenge yourself.

 

DON’T TEMPT ME

As we all know, temptations are all around us, and they seem to jump out at us when we’re trying to change our habits.
Old habits are hard to break, and the older you are, or the more connected you are to those habits, the harder it is to resist temptation.

I’m going to be tempted today as I help celebrate my mother-in-law’s 96th birthday. There will be 11 of us–her five children, their spouses, and of course, Bessie, my wonderful mother-in-law. Getting all of us together is reason enough for celebration.

People will be having drinks before and with  dinner. There might be cake. How can I refuse? She’s 96! I don’t drink alcohol, so that’s easy–mineral water with some lemon or lime. When it comes to tempting sweets, that’s trickier for me. So, whatever dessert is offered, I’l have a small piece. Did I mention we’re celebrating her 96th birthday? I’d say that calls for a small sweet.
I’m not sure what else is on the menu or what options I’ll have that will fit with primal living. All I can do is make the best choice I can and not be tempted by  other delicious, but likely not so good for me, options.
I’ll let you know tomorrow how it all went. Meanwhile, I wish you good luck at staying away from your temptations.