Day 28 of the Whole30 - DONE!

So I went to the Little Yoga Studio for their 4:30pm class. I've never been there before, but have only heard good things so I decided to check it out. Sammy, the instructor, just took over teaching this class so she introduced herself by telling her story on how and why she began practicing...

She was a dancer and about 10 years ago she somehow broke her back and had to have a rod put in her spine and couldn't dance anymore. In an effort to heal and 'prove her doctors wrong' she turned to yoga. A few months ago her significant other suddenly died of a heart attack and again turned to yoga for healing. 'In life there are highs and there are lows and yoga has helped me stay grounded,' she said with a soft smile. 'When I'm high, it brings me back down. And when I'm low it brings me up. So wherever you are in your life during your practice allow yourself to breathe deep and stay grounded.'

'Make your way into child's pose and take a few deep breathes' she said as she turned the music up.  Take a few breathes?!?! Her story left me breathless. I couldn't imagine going through what she went through and being able to share it with a room full of strangers. 

A tear ran down my cheek as I laid my forward on my matt and pushed my hips towards the back room. It took me a few moments, but finally found my breathe. As we flowed through class I paid close attention to my breathe and grounded my feet into the earth (thanks to Dr. G's foot specific mobility movements). Focusing on my breathe and feet made me feel stronger in my mind and body especially when balancing (i.e. headstands). It's amazing how totally grounding it can be if you let you mind go.

As we "Namaste'd" after class I found myself having complete admiration for Sammy, the new yoga instructor at the Little Yoga Studio. Her strength, vulnerability, and honesty came from heart. I walked out of there yearning to be more like Sammy...

Today's Stats

Water Consumption

90 ounces

(Oopsies, I need to drink much more water tomorrow)

Sleep

7 hours

(And I need to get more sleep)

Today's Meals

8:30am - Morning Beverage : Coconut Milk Latte with MCT Oil

1:30pm - Leftover Hash

4pm - Sweet Treat : Frozen Blueberries, Cashews & Coconut Milk  

6pm - Appetizer : Homemade Bake Plantain Chips for Super Bowl

8pm - Dinner : Veggie Noodles & Meatballs

I bought a Spiral Slicer at Sur la Table (because it was on sale). Although a little flimsy it evenly and easily spiral slices all kinds of veggies. I sliced yellow squash, zucchini, and sweet potatoes.

I sautéed the veggie noodles in a big pot with coconut oil.  

I served them with leftover bison and lamb meatballs.

These veggie noodles where not only delicious, but texturely different than spaghetti squash. I totally recommend investing in a spiral sliver, but you might want to get one that's more stable then the Sur la Table brand. 

Thanks for the idea Christine!)

Day 27 on the Whole30 - DONE & Truebility Movements to be More Stable and Mobile

Thank you Dr. G, owner & found of Truebility, for all your tips on how to get stronger and be more stable by getting your feet mobile and grounded to floor.  

If you missed the clinic or need a refresher, below are foot-specific, 'hurt-so-good exercises' you can do whenever and wherever you are (watching TV, at your desk, on the phone, brushing your teeth)...

Next time your running errands, get some golf balls...

Next time your at the computer or watching TV roll a golf ball on your foot rainbow. 

So, I sat in the steam room at the CAC doing the modified version of the TOE-GA (Toe - Yoga). Yes, I was completely naked facing the wall and breathing really deep trying to hold that pose for 5 really long breathes. By the third round I felt a little better in that pose, but I need much more work. BTW, I had a towel around my booty so I didn't offend anybody in there...I know I really didn't have to share that visual with you, but this is what I do in my free time when I'm on the Whole30:-)

Anyhow, Dr. Garrett's will be doing another Truebility clinic at Boulder CrossFit at the end of Feb. Stay tuned for more details.

NOTE: All Boulder CrossFit members and women in the Ladies Program get a discount when seeing Dr. G. 

He is located at 2883 28th St Boulder, 80301. 

Click here more info on Truebility.

Todays' Stats

Water Consumption

100 ounces

(I need to drink more water tomorrow)

Sleep

8 hours

Daily Meals

7:30am - Morning Beverage : Coconut Milk Latte with MCT oil

12pm - Brunch : Leftover Hash

3pm - Snack : Snack Peas, Carrots with Pesto Sauce, Handful of nuts

7pm - Dinner : Spaghetti Squash, Bison & Lamb Meatballs, and sautéd veggies (onions, mushrooms, kale and bell peppers)

Day 26 on the Whole30 - DONE!

Each day on the Whole30 gets easier than the day before especially when I think about how much better I've been sleeping, feeling, eating and accomplishing.   

Anyhow, It's been awhile since I felt like I was waking-up to chase my dreams. Being on the Whole30 has reignited a motivational spark to dream (set goals) again. I know they won't happen overnight, but if I'm diligent, patient and do a little something everyday I know dreams do come true.

Today's Stats:

Water Consumption

120 ounces

Sleep

8 hours

Daily Meals

5:30am - Morning Beverage : Coconut Milk Latte

9am - Breakfast : Hard Boiled Eggs, Cucumbers, Tomatoes, Tomatillos, Olives, Avocado

1pm - Lunch : Chicken Salad Wraps

7pm - Dinner : Grilled Hanger Steak, Roasted Trumpet Mushrooms, Grilled Asparagus, Mixed Green

What dreams make you wake up in the morning...???

Day 25 on the Whole30 - DONE!

Do you ever have any thoughts that don't serve you? 

'I'm not good enough.'

'I'm so stupid.'

'I'm fat.'

'I look hideous.'

'I can't.'

'What if people don't like me?'

'What if I fail?'

The list can go on and on...

When the voice in my head, aka my chatty doll, floods my brain with negative thoughts I redirect my attention to my breathe. Breathing grounds me. For some reason I feel like I'm mentally and physically exhaling negativity and inhaling positivity. Whether it takes 3 or 30 deep breathes I feel like the new oxygen cleanses my mind and body bringing in thoughts that serve me, not destroy me.

'I'm good enough.'

'I'm smart.'

'I can.'

'I'm sexy.'

'I love myself.'

'Failing means I'm trying.'

'I'm strong.'

This list can go on and on too, but at least thoughts like these make me stronger...

Today's Stats

Water Consumption

95 ounces

Sleep

7 hours

Daily Meals

5:30am - Morning Beverage : Coconut Latte with MCT Oil

8am - Morning Beverage : Coconut Latte #2 

9am - Breakfast : 3 Hard-Boil Eggs, Avocado & Olives

12:30pm - Lunch : COBB Salad with Steak (instead chicken) & Pico de Gallo Salsa

6:30pm - Dinner : Pan Seared Split Chicken Breast, Mashed Sweet Potatoes, and Sautéed Spinach

Next time you have thoughts that don't serve you...try breathing!!!

Day 24 of the Whole30 - DONE!

Everyday I get through a day on the Whole30 I realize I'm becoming more of the person I want to be... 

- I have more energy. 

- I'm stronger mentally & physically.

- I'm thinking clearer.

- I have more confidence.

- For the first time ever I have a healthy relationship with food.

- I'm not working out to burn calories, maintain or loose weight...Instead, I'm having fun & doing things outside my confront zone as I work-out... 

- I'm not fat-phobic.

- I'm really starting to love myself because I know I'm worth it.

I used to 'just get through the day', but now I'm growing & thriving everyday and it's because I'm drinking more water, getting more sleep, eating cleaner and CrossFiting!!! 

Today's Stats

Water Consumption

90 ounces

I need to drink more tomorrow

Sleep

6 1/2 hours

I need more sleep tonight

Daily Meals

5:30am - Morning Beverage : Coconut Milk Latte

8:30am Breakfast : Chicken & Egg Salad

10am - Snack : Nuts & Jerky

1pm - Lunch : Chicken & Egg Salad

6:30pm - Dinner : Pan Seared Chicken Thighs, Chopped Veggies on Top of a Mixed Greens and my 'almost confiscated cilantro/coconut milk/jalapeno pesto sauce

The question I'm going to ask myself every night is what am I going to do tomorrow to make myself better than who I was today...???

Day 23 on the Whole30 - DONE & Back from Austin...

So as soon as I checked into my hotel I ordered a refrigerator. It's actually a standard accommodation in most hotels nowadays. I stocked it with all my food and made sure the cooler wasn't too high so my food wouldn't freeze overnight like the last time.

I woke up at 7am and felt pretty good so I had a little frittata and few supplements and headed to CrossFit Central  to take the 7:45am class. 

1 Pull Clean & 1 Thruster, EMOM x 10, followed by a mini metcon. Afterwards, feeling good, I headed to Whole Foods to get coconut milk and an americano. I couldn't wait to get back to my room to make my coconut milk latte. Although a little tricky to figure out I finally opened the can opener with my traveling can opener.

I poured the coconut milk into the americano, turned on the frother and dipped it slowly in...NOTE: Turn the frother on after you've immersed the end into the coffee or it will spray everywhere!!! OOPSIES:-(

The frother worked OK, but my morning Pick-Me-Up was just not the same as the one I can make at home with my Nutri-Bullet:-( Either way, it was better than nothing.

After some computer work, I met my brokers at Whole Foods for a meeting and to my surprise their salad bar was labeled the way it should be labeled...the way they make us (as suppliers/vendors) label things. I voiced my concerns to them over a year ago and although nothing has changed yet in our region (Rocky Mountain) I've seen changes in the Southwest region (where global is located) which means there should be changes in other regions soon which makes me so very excited.

What changes am I talking? 

Well, many of the Whole Foods salad bars don't include the finer print. For example, the hard-boiled eggs...are they organic, free range, pastured raised, conventional? You might assume they are organic because it's Whole Foods, but I think they are probably conventional because it's not labeled. It's a marketing thing, right. Well, the question has finally been answered since they've decided to label it.

Cage-Free Organic eggs...Well, they aren't pastured raised, but who's really keeping track...Now, if they could only start using coconut oil instead of canola oil in some of their prepared foods, that would be amazing...I might not cook as much...???

After my meeting I went to my table top where I met all the SW GTL (Southwest Grocery Team Leads). These are the guys that make execution at their store happen which means better sales and team loyalty for our brand. In order to get their buy-in and create a buzz for them to bring back their store I had to give out tons of FREE SWAG (shirts, cooler gloves, stickers, buttons, free tea). 

After the show I headed to a few stores to check product then I went to the airport. And guess what? Yep, TSA wanted to confiscate my pesto sauce and chicken salad again. Well, my little white lie worked again. So if you are ever get in that situation (Christine) just tell them you have severe food allergies and you won't eat for days if they take your food away from you. 

Blogged on the plane ride back as I ate my 'almost confiscated two-time homemade chicken salad'...

Today's Stats

Water Consumption

125 ounces

Sleep 

7 1/2 hours

Daily Meals

7am : Breakfast - Frittata

9am : Coconut Milk Latte

12pm : Salmon Sashimi & Salad with Avocado, Pico de Gallo, Shredded Carrots & Squash

4pm : Snack - Homemade Jerky & Nuts

6pm : Snack - 2 Hard Boiled Eggs

8am : Dinner - Homemade Chicken Salad 

Day 22 on the Whole30 - Austin Bound...

So I'm heading out of town again on a business trip. This time to Austin for a Whole Foods meeting and regional table top show...

I planned and prepped all day Sunday to ensure I had another successful trip on the Whole03. I even went to Sur la Table and bought a can opener and frother for my Coconut Latte.

I brought my homemade beef jerky, raw/unsalted mixed nuts, figs, homemade chicken/egg/olive salad in a cilantro/coconut milk/jalapeno/lime pesto sauce (cabbage wraps), side of pesto sauce, lamb/veggie frittata and supplements...

I had over two hours to get to the airport, plenty of time, I thought... until I hit Route 36. It was a parking lot going eastbound. After traveling 1 mile in 20 minutes a cop car parted the double lanes and I realized I was going to miss my flight. A burst of anxiety rushed over me and for some reason I screamed at the top of my lungs while hitting the driving wheel. My dad used to do this all time when he was stuck in traffic (which was everyday to and from work  as he crossed the GW bridge between NJ & NYC - a 12 mile trip took him 2 hours on a good day). 

Anyhow, I've never reacted this way to traffic before, but for some reason that scream calmed my nerves and I began thinking straight again. I followed a few cars who jumped on a construction ramp to exit and made my way over to Table Mesa, bypassing the traffic. YEAH! I was out of that mess, but I still needed to get to the airport on time.

As I hit the toll road I also hit the pedal. I finally slowed down to 50 mph as I exited Pena Boulevard. NOTE: that spot is the biggest speed trap in Colorado...And sure enough, a cop was gunning cars down at the exact same place I got a speeding ticket about a year ago... 

By the time I got to the airport I was exhausted from all the adrenal racing through my body, but there was no time to spare, I had to rush to make my flight...

No lines at security, awesome! I walked through seamlessly until a TSA guy said he needed to check my bag. I pulled the liquid tea samples from my bags at my car since I knew I had no time to check my bag. 'What else could be in there?'... 

Well, it turns out that they considered my chicken salad and pesto sauce a liquid and they wanted to confiscate it. I wish I had my reaction on video...what a sight!!! There was NO WAY I was going to let them do that, so I quickly made-up a little white lie. I had to, you have no idea how much time and love I put into making that chicken salad and pesto sauce. 

"I have really bad food allergies. I'm lactose and gluten intolerant, among other things, so I have to travel with my food. If you take it I won't have anything to eat for a couple of days." 

Well, after a few minutes of him getting approval from his manager, he gave it back to me and I headed to my gate.

Note to self: don't make such a soupy sauce next time or maybe freeze it and also use it as a ice pack to chill my food.

After my Whole Foods meeting, I checked into my hotel exhausted, but I mustered up just energy and to go to CrossFit Central. I mean what else was I going to do, hit the hotel bar and order a burger and fries...

The WOD and the community was just what I needed to get me through that Happy Hour urge I was feeling. CrossFit Central is my go-to box when I'm in Austin. I would recommend it to anybody. 

For some reason, I was thinking about during the workout was where I was going to get a big, fat, juicy Texas steak. I hadn't really eaten all day. I think that adrenal rush left my stomach unsettled.

Anyhow, after CrossFit, I walked aimlessly downtown while yelping steakhouses. After about 20 minutes, I stumbled into Fleming's Steakhouse. I usually try and stay away from the chains, but it was close and I was hungry. 

I informed the waiter that I was allergic to gluten and dairy. He said no worries, he'll tell the cooks to use oil instead of butter. 'Great, I'll have the Bone-In NY Ribeye and grilled asparagus.' Ordering was easy and although I sat at the bar, I didn't even crave a glass of wine. All I was craving was a piece of meat.

After dinner I made my way back to the hotel, took a hot bath and blogged. I turned my lights out around 11pm with the 'intention' of going to CrossFit Central for the 7:45am class...

Today's Stats

Water Consumption

135 ounces

Sleep

  7 hours

Daily Meals

5:30am - Morning Beverage : Coconut Milk Latte with MCT oil

7am - Morning Beverage : Homemade Bone Broth

7:30am - Breakfast : Fritatta

4pm - Snack : Nuts & Beef Jerky

7pm - Dinner : Bone-In NY Ribeye & Grilled Asparagus