Tag: movement

Healthy Living, Low Carb, Paleo, Primal, Real Food, Whole 30

When a Whole 30 Isn’t Enough

Starting your journey to health with a Whole 30  is a brilliant idea. The information and community support is tremendous. You will feel better and understand the power of eating REAL food. What I’ve learned though is sometimes it isn’t enough. What? Giving up all the food that makes you joyful isn’t enough? That’s crazy talk! Well, it is my truth. Would I go back to eating processed food and too much sugar? No way.

My “only” lingering health issue after several years of real food eating is migraines. I have abnormal ones. They come on first with a visual aura and last 2-4 hours. Occasionally I will go months without one. Sometimes I get a couple a month. If I had to guess, I’d say they have something to do with my hormones as I’ve addressed diet & lifestyle. However I haven’t had to take antibiotics for five years and I cannot remember the last time I was really sick. Oh wait I do remember; it was when the hospital made me get a flu shot before I could see my new granddaughter four years ago. I felt crappy for a few days, but was not bed ridden.

My point of writing this is to say even though your health might not be perfect after you clean up your diet, it will be improved in noticeable ways. The bottom line is you can’t take a pill or supplement and keep making poor food choices if you want to improve your health, lose weight or feel better long term. For improvement in your health to need to heal your gut. And for healing to occur in your gut, you have to eat real food, have good sleep and stress relief hygiene (yoga, meditation), and move. Walk outdoors and lift heavy things and surround yourself with good people. You have to do this for a long time before you “cheat.” Maybe a year, maybe two, maybe three. I was forty when I found out I was gluten and dairy intolerant and had what I now know was the beginnings of autoimmune issues. Real food, real activity, real sleep is a lifestyle, not a diet. You are kidding yourself if you think one Whole 30 is going to fix you forever. It is a stepping stone to get you on track for having a better quality of life. You have damaged your gut over a lot of years and you need to honor yourself enough to give it time to heal. Use the wealth of free information on sites like www.Robbwolf.com , www.thepaleomom.com, www.marksdailyapple.com, www.everydaypaleo.com, and www.radicatamedicine.com to get started. Check out the books links in my resource section for help too. You don’t have to pay for meal plans or shopping lists, because people who live this way (like me) want to help you. Recruit family and friends to do it with you and have planning dates and batch cooking parties. It is work, but it is beyond worth it. If you put in the work, down the road you can have some of the celebratory treats on special occasions, but you might not want them.

Breakfast

Leftover Scramble

What are you doing for your health today? I’m going to sit less, walk more, make some real food and start a health challenge at my gym. Being mindful of having healthy habits can be difficult and I have fallen into a pattern of only getting my three weekly dance fitness classes in. Three hours a week of aerobic activity is better than doing nothing, but still inadequate for real health. Eight hours or more of inactivity cannot be undone by an hour at the gym. Build more movement into your day. Get a standing desk if you have an office job. Get on the floor during TV time and stretch, roll out with mobility tools or just practice good posture. Take the stairs, park at the far end of the parking lot, walk during breaks even if it is only ten minutes. Make a list of the places you can build in movement throughout your day and check them off as you do them. Katy Bowman, a bio mechanist of the website http://www.katysays.com/ has some great ideas and resources if you truly want to add movement to your life and learn why it matters.

Here is a recipe for that “Ack! I have no bacon” moment that can happen in the morning. Here is an easy leftover scramble that you can make with whatever you have in your fridge.

Leftoverleftover2

Leftover Scramble

  • Meat (I had ham)
  • Eggs
  • Veggies (I had cooked sweet potato, kale, broccoli & green onions)
  • 2 tbls fat for cooking (I used ghee)
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 tsp cumin if you want some additional flavor
  • 1 tsp granulated garlic

Dice meat and sauté in fat until nearly cooked. Add chopped vegetables and cook. Scramble the eggs with the spices and add to the cooked meat and veggies. Cook until eggs are blended with the meat and vegetables and firm.

Use what you have in your fridge! Most of what I cook has no recipe. You learn through practice what works and what doesn’t. Don’t be afraid to experiment in your kitchen.