Follow Up From My Integrative Health Appointment + Paleo-yea!

Hi Fitness Friends!  I hope that you are doing well today!  Like I said on Friday I have been busy and wasn't able to hop on last week and post!  So here I am today hoping to catch you up on what's been going on in my life.  Last Monday I had my follow up visit at the integrative health care practice I was telling you about in my post last month.  I got the results from my blood work...the PA I met with told me I have some of the healthiest blood work results she has ever seen!  This really makes me so happy.  Being healthy and taking care of my body is so important to me and to know that my work has been paying off makes every meal I cooked and every workout I've done worth it.  I want to live a long healthy life, and it seems like I am on the right path!  However, it still didn't give me an answer as to where the belly fat came from and what was the cause.  Christina, the PA I am working with, suggested I tried eating Paleo.  She suggested The Paleo Solution, by Robb Wolf.  That afternoon I purchased and downloaded it on my Nook.

It has been just about a week since I have started eating the Paleo way and I feel amazing.  I have finally been able to lose weight, if you remember back I have been having a hard time losing even a pound or an inch (as the scale isn't the only important measure of fat loss).  So to hop on the scale 6 days later and to be down quite a few pounds was awesome, not to mention that my stomach is finally flat and I don't look and feel so bloated!  I have found something that works with my body, allows me to eat real whole food and feel amazing.  I am doing Paleo 100% for a full 30 days, then I may (depending how my body reacts) add a little bit of cheese (once a day) and a little organic creamer to my coffee (I miss it just a little).  I have been drinking green tea in place of the coffee and will most likely rotate green tea and coffee.  The best part is that my hubby has been doing this with me and he is feeling great and losing weight too.  I will keep you posted as we continue with this lifestyle change, as I will always stay on Paleo.

If you don't know much about Paleo, as I didn't before last Monday, I will give you a brief overview.  Basically the premise is taking our eating from the Standard American Diet, SAD (and yes it is), to how our ancestors ate before the industrialization of our food.  Food processing, grains and dairy have only been around for about 10,000 years which pales in comparison to how long our ancestors ate what they could hunt and gather.  Before this time the diseases that haunt our country were nearly non-existent.  Diseases like type 2 diabetes, heart disease, auto-immune disorders and cancer are caused by foods that we are not meant to eat.  So Paleo focuses on what you can eat, lean meat, poultry and fish, all veggies with a limit on starchy veggies and squashes, fruit and nuts and seeds.  These are foods that are anti-inflammatory.  They don't torment your gut, where 70 % of your immune system is thus creating overall health and well being.  If you want more info on the can and cant's of what you can eat head over to Robb Wolf's website, there is a ton of great info.

I have been cooking a lot and I love how easy it is to create Paleo meals.  This meal is oven roasted pork with pan roasted Brussels sprouts, mandarin oranges and for "dessert" sweet potato mash with coconut oil and cinnamon. I have been trying to get creative with our meals and I love Pinterest, because there are so many great recipes and I have tried a few and love them.  I can't wait to make more! I created a Paleo Board, feel free to check it out and follow if you are thinking about trying out Paleo, which I highly recommend!

If you are eating Paleo I would love to hear from you!  Do you have any recipes you love and want to share?

 

Also last week I guest posted on Former Fitness Flunky's blog about HIIT training, titled Tell Your Fat to HIIT it.  Head over there to read the full post.  Thanks again to Alicen for having me!

Feature Fridays: Nicole Scott

Happy Friday!  I haven't been posting much because I have been so busy lately!  I promise to hop on next week and fill you in. I am excited to share Nicole's story with you today!  She is the mom of four adorable kids and is an inspirational mother and marathoner, she also blogs at My Fit Family, be sure to head over there after you read her story!

Nicole's Story:

I didn't truly start out on my health and fitness journey until about a year after my daughter was born.  In 2007, I joined a gym because I wanted to lose the last 10 pounds of baby weight I had gained and it was around that time, I discovered a passion for running.  I jumped on the treadmill and discovered I couldn't run one mile without stopping.  Something happened inside me, and I saw that mile as something I wanted to conquer.  Before I knew it, I was running one mile without stopping and I set another goal to get to two.  Within a few months I was running my first 5k and a few months later my first 10k and I realized running was something I enjoyed--not only for the physical benefits but because of how it made me feel on the inside.

The following year I got pregnant with my twins and because of two previous miscarriages, I decided to cut back on virtually all physical fitness activities.  I would walk, but anything more strenuous hurt my body too much physically. I gained over 65 pounds during my twin pregnancy, but every pound was worth it because I delivered two healthy babies!

I remembered the feeling running gave me, and as soon as I got clearance, I slowly eased back into running and training for my first half marathon at 7 weeks postpartum.  When my twins were 7 months old, I ran my first 13.1 miles and never felt so happy to see my husband and three children waiting for me at the finish line.  By that time, I realized that not only was it important to MOVE my body but to FUEL my body with healthy foods.  

In 2013 I had my fourth baby and even though I gained 45 pounds, I bounced back very quickly to my pre-pregnancy weight and fitness level. I attribute it to making good food choices (for the most part ;)) throughout my pregnancy, continuing with weight training and running all the way up until my due date.  I had a great pregnancy and delivered a healthy 9 lb 3 oz baby boy.  3 weeks later, I was back to running and a few months later, I decided to act on a dream, and I started training for my first ultra-marathon.  I am training my heart out to run a 50 mile race in May and also a  Double Marathon in July, while fundraising for a charity dear to my heart (The Bonnie J Addario Lung Cancer Foundation)

It was a long journey--from the  moment I stepped into the gym in 2007 for the first time to where I'm at today--a marathoner, someone who loves weight training, and feeding myself and my family delicious and healthy foods. We love to indulge in things like pizza and burgers at our favorite restaurants, but on a daily basis, our family is nourished with healthy foods meant to support our active lifestyle.

I believe in chasing after dreams and that our bodies and minds are capable of amazing things.  I believe in the importance of moms taking care of themselves, both physically and emotionally--we constantly give and serve, and it gets easy to forget about our own needs and well-being.  I believe in eating for nourishment and health but also in living life and enjoying foods and not living solely off of plain chicken and brown rice.  I believe that women should be each other's biggest cheerleaders and we should stop comparing, gossiping, and tearing each other down because of our own insecurities.  I believe in the power of moving your body and finding your passion--whether it's running, cycling, yoga, pilates--whatever it is, there is something that will help add to your life--that will enhance it in a healthy and happy way.  I believe that life can be incredibly beautiful and yet sometimes so difficult it will take your breath away.  I believe my family and Faith are the two things I will always lean on, love and value most in life.

 About Nicole:

Born and raised in California, I'm currently living in Austin, TX with my superman husband, a quirky 7-year-old daughter, hilarious and sweet 4-year-old boy and girl twins, and the happiest 1-year-old baby boy on the planet. I'm a marathoner, health and fitness enthusiast, wanna-be ultra-marathoner, a cautious writer, former teacher and currently a stay at home mom. I'm wordy on paper but never in person. And I'm unapologetically raising my kids to be my mini-me's: big dreamers and hard workers. You can find me blogging my heart out at My Fit Family and at The Huffington Post

Connect with Nicole:

Facebook
Twitter
Instagram

Thanks to Nicole for taking the time to share her motivating and inspiring story with us today!  You are a wonderful example for your children! 

Feature Friday: Robin Einhorn

 Hello and Happy Friday!  I hope that you have been having a great week so far.  I have been staying on track with all my workouts and have been feeling quite sore, and loving it!  Do you love feeling sore from your workouts?  I have been keeping consistent with my weight training schedule and I'm seeing results, whoop!  I will post a recap on Sunday about my week.  On with today's Feature Friday...I am really excited to share Robin's story with you.  She has totally transformed her life with exercise and clean eating and has a truly inspiring message to share!  She blogs about her journey at Hammi: Bacon-Fueled Fitness, so be sure to head over and check it out.  

Robin's Story

I have loved food for as long as I can remember.  Family meals, eating at restaurants with friends, holiday specials are all treasured memories in my mind.  Unfortunately, my love of food put me in a position that I never imagined.  At 26 years old and 270 pounds (5"3") I stood in a hospital by my dad's bed and said goodbye.  He had just turned 51 and he was just as unhealthy as me.  Leading up to that day I wasn't totally unaware that what I was giving my body for fuel wasn't working.  I knew that something was up and had to change, I just didn't have the follow through and knowledge needed to really do anything about it.  I became a yo-yo'er and I used diet as a verb.  Pills, hours of cardio, fads- I would try just about anything and have some small wins, but I would always so back to the way things were, and I would always get sicker than the time before.

In 2012 I discovered Paleo and the idea of clean eating.  To say this rocked my world would be an understatement.  I started to use the word "diet" the way it was intended- as a noun.  My diet started to consist of whole real foods that nourished me.  They were foods with ingredients that I could actually pronounce!  Each month I made great strides in health- I was starting to look awesome and feel awesome.  I had gone from being someone who couldn't walk around the block to a runner.  In 2013 I ran a marathon.  My great food choices propelled me to places I never would've imagined I could go.

My food choices now keep me healthy, alert, and focused.  I can sleep at night and in the morning I wake up refreshed (provided my dogs let me sleep, haha!)  It is not always easy and I'm not going to pretend that it is.  Through all of this I discovered I have an intolerance (not an allergy) to gluten and that dairy and sugar really mess me up.  I use my body as its own experiment- I try things constantly to see what it needs and what keeps it performing its best.  

I'm training now for a Spartan Military Sprint, a slew of 14ers, and a GORUCK- I am a machine.  A properly fueled machine!  The biggest thing I have learned in my journey so far is not to be so hard on myself and to remember that I need to own my choices.  No one else is living in your body.  YOU get to decide.  

I love sharing my story now with others- not because I like to talk about myself (it's actually kind of embarrassing that I got as unhealthy as I was), but because I want to give back to a community that gave me so much.  I want to give hope to other women who are struggling and don't think its possible to find joy and happiness.  It's been almost 2 years since I've started my clean eating and the proof of my progress stares back at me every morning.  I haven't fully arrived to where I am headed- I have some goals that I still want to accomplish, but I have never been as hopeful as I am now.  My dad would be proud.

About Robin:  Robin is a 31 year old newlywed from Denver, CO.  She enjoys hiking, spending time outdoors, and walking with her husband and dogs.

Connect with Robin:

Blog

Twitter

Thanks so much to Robin for sharing her story and for being so inspirational!  You truly live the message of how taking care of your body with exercise and clean eating can change your life.  I really enjoyed reading and sharing your story as I know you will inspire someone to get up and get moving!

Chocolate-y No Bake Energy Balls Recipe

If you love chocolate as much as I do, you are going to love these Chocolate-y No Bake Energy Balls!  This recipe was shared with me by my client Amy, and she even gave me the low-down on the "secret ingredient".  She added Spectrum Chocolate Decadent Chia & Flax Seed Coconut Chocolate mix which adds healthy fats and makes these balls the ultimate chocolate lovers dream!  My 2 year old loves chocolate too, wonder where she gets that from, and she loves these and since they are filled with only whole real ingredients I feel good giving them to her!  I have fallen in love with this mix and have added it to my post workout protein shakes and even my oatmeal!

The Secret Ingredient 

 A huge thanks to Amy for sharing this with me, it's amazing!  The original recipe was adapted from the one she found here.

Chocolate-y No Bake Energy Balls
1 cup old fashioned oats (dry)
2/3 cup decadent blend mix
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips (I used semi-sweet 60%)
1/3 cup raw honey
1 tsp vanilla extract

Mix all ingredients together and place in fridge for 1/2 hour to set.  Then roll into 1 inch balls (I got 12 total).
Store in air-tight container in the fridge.  Enjoy!
 *Nutritional information (used my fitness pal to calculate): Calories: 192, Fat 11.4, Carbs: 21.3, Fiber 3.5, Sugar 12, Protein 4.6

 

Another great find this week was this Vega Sport Chocolate Vegan Protein powder.  I have my friend Joe to thank for this find!  I have been trying to find a great tasting, non-chalky, vegan protein powder...and I finally have!  This protein is so great tasting that I had no problem chugging it right after my killer leg workout yesterday.  It was developed by a vegan athlete and has all the essential amino acids needed for muscle recovery.  I had been adding some whey protein in, but it started to hurt my stomach again, so back to vegan it is!  I highly recommended this one if you love chocolate protein, which I do, and add in 2 tbsp of the Chocolate Decadent Blend to this with half a banana and it is the perfect post-workout shake.  It has 25g of protein which is great to start repairing your muscles after your weight training session.  Did you know that you need to get protein and carbs within 45 minutes of your workout to start the repair process of the muscles you worked?  You do!  Protein powder is a great way to optimize this because it is quick and will digest quickly and start getting to your muscles.  It is also easy to take with you in your gym bag.  Do you have a favorite post workout shake? 

If you love yoga and want a cute bag to tote your mat around in...make sure to enter to win this cute Yoga Mat Bag that Goodmarvin has generously offered for this giveaway!  I own one and I love it!  I take it to class with me and its cute and functional!

Also, today I am being featured on Sorey Fitness, remember Kalee Sorey from Feature Fridays?  She is on a cruise, lucky girl, and had me guest post.  Head over and check out my post about The Benefits of Strength Training.  Thanks Kalee for having me!

And last, but not least I am linking up with the Any Thing Goes Linky Party, head over and check out some great blogs!