Hello Hello! Happy Labor Day by the way! Well it’s finally September :) My this year seems to be flying by! I can’t wait for fall as it is by far my favorite season. I’m a scarf-a-holic. I buy them in every color, shape and size. This September is going to be hilariously fun! My parents have been skeptical about my Paleo lifestyle for the past couple of months. Yet after seeing how much better I feel, and stronger I am they have been asking me questions. I’ve been gradually getting them to move to Paleo over the past few weeks. Finally challenging them to a 30 challenge. (They tried it for 3 days last week just to see if they liked it.) Now anyone knows when you tell 2 people they “can’t” do something (especially if said people are extremely competitive) that it only makes them want to do it more. (Thank you reverse psychology!) So of course after mentioning a few times that I didn’t think they’d make it 30 days…they said: “Oh yeah! You just watch us!”.
Meet the contenders :)
In corner #1 weighing in at 165 lbs at 5’8″ is Billy Bob the “Buddha Belly”. A former marathon runner, Billy Bob is now a little slower. His average mile time is a 10 minute mile. We’ll be tracking this to see if it improves.
In corner #2 weighing in at smhhhhh at 5’3″ is the Queen B. A school teacher, former basketball player and mom of 3 crazy college kids. Her average mile time is a 15 minute mile. We’ll be looking to see if the Queen can speed it up a little bit.
In corner #3, weighing in at 174 lbs at 5’8″ is the one and only Lemon Raindrop. Her average mile time is a 8:15 mile for a distance of 5K. We’ll be looking to see if her speed increases or if she can maintain that pace for a longer stretch of 10K.
In corner #4, you if you want to be!
Over the next 4 weeks, these guys will be battling it out to see how much difference a healthy lifestyle will make.
Hold up..So what is Paleo?? Well let me explain : )
Paleo in a Nutshell: Meat, vegetables, nuts and seeds, some fruit, little starch, and NO sugar, dairy, beans/legumes or grains!
The Ground Rules for the 30 Day Challenge:
1. All the lean meats, fish, and seafood you can eat (i.e. skinless turkey breast, shrimp, salmon, crab, lean pork tenderloin, sirloin, chicken breast, flank steak, pork chops) Side note: We don’t eat red meat so these will be excluded :)
2. All the fruits (limit fruit if you are looking to lose weight) and non-starchy vegetables you can eat
3. No cereals
4. No legumes or white potatoes (NO beans, peanuts, peanut butter)
5. No dairy products
6. No processed foods…. ewwww..like seriously research your favorite processed food and tell me you weren’t grossed out..
It’s Only 30 Days – No Cheating! Can it be done?
During the 30-day challenge, the goal is to stay focused and strong. How are we going to do this? We are all recording what we eat via MyFitnessPal and pre-planning our meals. For about 85% of the time we will all be eating the same thing. Since dad and I both run our intake is a little higher than mom’s on run days.
What about if we have intense cravings? My battle plan for that is this: Try not to cheat. Instead of going for a cookie when I’m having cravings, I have an apple, celery, trail mix..something that involved chewing and a glass of water. I find that most of the time when I think I’m hungry, I’m really thirsty. But sometimes you fall off the band wagon..that’s where the food log comes into play. If we fall off, we log and move on. But!! We can all see each others logs and that is enough to make me want to stay on the band wagon..aside from the fact that I want to “beat” both of them.
After the 30 days, we’ll add in allotted “cheat” meals. But I’ve found (after doing this for about 6 months) what I want to cheat on doesn’t ever taste as good as I think it will. Now I’d rather just eat carrots :)
So here we go! Paleo Challenge Week 1 is under way..May we all be healthier at the end :)
XoXo ~ One Ready to Rock and Roll Lemon :)
PS My lovelies! Here’s some great Paleo resources if you want more details :)
Candian Paleo Athelte (one hilariously funny, ultra athlete dad doing his Paleo thing!)
Adventures with Kat 