Almost There

Today some of the little family that we have made with this Paleo Challenge are done there adventure. I am not I still have 1 week to go :). Tonight we are having a Paleo Potluck to share how it was and to talk about where we go from here. This is such a great improvement of health I for sure do NOT want to be done with Paleo after this challenge is over.

My Reasons for Staying Paleo

1. I have had several people in the last couple days tell me how good I am looking
2. The food tastes great and does not make me feel like junk
3. My skin is nicer and my hair is smoother/ stronger
4. I have more energy
5. and well I enjoy it!

I am excited to hear about everyone's adventure and how everyone is doing now, everyone is looking so good and everyone has been having such different results.As I was looking through Pintrest (well because I am obsessed) thinking about all of this and I found this picture

This really shows how people really need to stop being so obsessed with weight. It is only a number and there are so many other factors that we can look. Muscle weighs more than fat I am sure everyone has heard that before but it also looks leaner and nicer. Different body types weigh differently there is no way that I am going to bring myself down to weigh 110lbs, not possible and I am okay with that.This girl had gained weight but obviously lost some inches and gained some strength. So before crying while standing on the scale find some other ways to look at your progress.

Here are some ideas:

1. Measure yourself instead of weighing, use a measuring tape and measure around your arms, chest, belly, but and legs. Do this once in a while (not all the time) to see if you are getting smaller not lighter.
2. Notice how your clothes feel on you, are they looser, comfier, not fitting anymore.
3. Look at yourself in the mirror (without clothes) often, notice how you look and if you see any differences.
4. Record your workouts, keep track of every workout you do, how far you ran how fast, how much you lifted how many times, and notice strength and speed increases.

Don't let the number on your scale be something you obsess over, take it with a grain on salt and know that it is going to go up and down for no reason, and something I try to do is take pride in not looking my weight. I weigh a lot more than what people would guess and that is okay I know it is because I work on my strength, and I like being strong. So be happy with how you look not what your scale says.

Again in the last few days I have tried some new things.

Chicken with Asparagus

For this I took a chicken breast and baked it. I then Pureed tomatoes, mushrooms, green onions, salsa and some seasoning. I also boiled the asparagus for about 1 min. When the chicken was almost done I then put the asparagus on the same pan as the chicken and covered the chicken with my tomato mixture and finished cooking. This was delicious. I am really starting to enjoy asparagus and have been eating it quite often.

Steak and Cauliflower

So this is a steak that I cooked in the oven ( it was a cold night and I did not want to BBQ). I coated the steak in almond flour and spices (lots of pepper). and than cooked it. I then boiled cauliflower and pureed it with seasoning and a little bit of beef broth.

Another thing that I tried out this weekend was some Yoga. I have done yoga before but this was the first time that we had done it at the Gym. There was such a good turn out I was happy to see so many people coming in to give it a go. This is something that I think I could make into a regular thing. It is always good to try new things that keep you moving. (sports, dances, exercise classes, yoga, etc.) This keeps your body learning new movements and growing into a mean lean fitness machine.

I also had soccer on the weekend. This game was a late Friday night game it did not start until 10:00 PM. This was a little different for me as I am usually not in that kind of zone at that time of night. I was a little tired from the day. We only had 9 players show up and we were all looking a little groggy. but once the game got started everyone played so well and we had a lot of fun even though we did lose and we were all very tired by then end. Once I got home one of the down falls to this late game was I was wide awake and full of energy from all the adrenaline and running around. This did take a little bit to calm myself so that I could just relax for the evening. When I play soccer or run in general this picture depicts how I feel.

As I am always looking around the Internet for different ideas and tips I found these Paleo tips from a blog eating and other stuff that is about a couple who have finished the Whole 30. So here are their tips on staying successful.

 

-Always have some kind of salad greens on hand.  Salads are easy to make and you can load em up with anything you want (bacon, egg, veggies, leftover chicken, canned tuna, etc…).

Our lil cobb

- Learn to make burgers with grass-fed beef.  A good, hot cast iron skillet, sea salt, and good meat are really all that you need.  Shoot for about ¼ to 1/3 pound per patty.  Cook em up, top them with virtually anything that sounds good and put it on top of some greens.  Good, healthy, and EXTREMELY customizable.

 - Buy a slow-cooker.  These are the BOMB.  You can cook big, cheap cuts of meat without much effort.  We do this once a week and it makes plenty of leftovers.  Try pork butt (shoulder), roasts, or short ribs.

Carnitas slow cooked

- Speaking of leftovers…when you cook, cook too much.  I almost never cook a lunch, but lunch is always homemade.  Leftovers are necessary for Paleo-survival.

- Buy tons of eggs.  Hard boil them for portable protein.

- Feed the dessert beast.  If you must have something sweet, try fruit.  If regular fruit isn’t enough, try adding heat (bake or sauté) and some cinnamon.  

Baked apples with cinnamon (dessert!)

- And finally, leverage the Pros.  If you are running out of ideas, or if you are craving some specific dish but don’t want to cheat, chances are that someone out there has an answer.  I google “Paleo (insert dish/ingredient here) recipe” almost daily.  There are TONS of resources out there. 

I am almost done this challenge but the Paleo lifestyle will not be ending and hopefully one day I will be a pro at it and maybe even get my Ryguy to join in.

Half Way!

So I am half way through my 30 days of strict Paleo. Everything is going great all of the side effects I was having at the beginning are gone, no extreme thirst or anything like that. I have been able to find lots of yummy and easy recipes, I am not eating as often or as much as I used to and I don't feel hungry because of that. My workouts are just as strong as they were before, I am also finding that I am recovering from workouts quicker and I am not getting as sore as I used to.

The last couple days I have tried a couple of new things first is that I have noticed that I have kinda been using fruit as a comfort food, when I feel snacky or like something yummy I go and grab a handful of grapes or a couple of strawberries. I read on some one's blog (I don't remember which one as I read several a day) that fruit is like Paleo candy and you wouldn't eat candy everyday before you were Paleo so you should not be eating fruit everyday.

This upset me a little because I really do enjoy my fruit, on its own, with breakfast, after a workout, in my salads, but after thinking about it maybe I do need to keep my fruit intake in check and try to limit it. So I went all day yesterday with no fruit and well it was pretty darn easy actually. I just packed yummy veggies that I like instead of an apple and when I wanted to just snack on some grapes I just didn't eat anything. I have found that when I am feeling a little snacky if I just have a glass of cold water it seems to help take it away. That is something that I have heard before that most times when people are "hungry" and feel that they need to have a snack that they are really just thirsty and confusing the sensation. So this may be some explanation.

As it is half way to the end. (of the 30 days because this Paleo will not be ending) our little group received an email from our Ring Leader B. This is the email:

Hey Paleo Pals!

Wellllllll......the good news is that our 30 day challenge is at its half way mark!  Is this a good thing?  I ask myself this question because as all great things in life, they must come to an end.  BUT do they really?  I know you guys are starting to sweat, is this crazy woman going to make me do this challenge for another 30 days, will she make it worse and make it a 3 or 6 month challenge!  What I am hoping is just that, that you have made it through something that you may not have been interesting embarking on solo and will continue.

With our comrades by our sides it makes it less scary AND we are more accountable to be apart of something.  In this case a group challenge that has everyone doing their OWN personal challenge.  Maybe it was the sugar demons that you wrestled with, coming out on top and having hog tied the little suckers!  Maybe it was becoming more conscious of where your food comes from.  Or realizing that your snacking was the brat that needed a time out.  Whatever your reason to give Paleo a go remember what you really gave yourself: "Me time", respect, health, positive energy, self discipline, accountability......oh the list goes on!!!  

So here comes the homework!  I want you to reflect on the past few wks.  Make some time to grab a cup of tea, a pad of paper and a pen.  I want you to spend some time writting a letter to your self.  Tell him/her how proud you are of the determination, amount of time spent planning meals, sticking to a plan, etc.  Remind your old self of how you used to get through your days, what your sleeping patterns where like, whatever you want to tell them.  THE point is that challenges and success in our lives teaches us and gives us hindsight.  That's what I want you to tell your old self!  Also, make a pledge to your former self that the 2 of you will never meet again!  It was fun well it lasted, but like ex's......there is a reason you moved on without 'em!  

SO am I implying that you will NEVER EVER EEEEEEVVVVER eat shitty, processed food or booze again..........you get to decide :0)  Let me know how you do with this little task.

Cheers!

B

You can just feel the motivation pouring out of her! I love it! She really does a great job of keeping us all going! We would truely be lost without her knowledge and guidence :) But, Homework huh? she did later call it selfwork instead of homework which I enjoyed a little bit more it seemed a little less forced although I will do it as I know she could definately kick my butt so I better stay in line ;)

My Relection


Dear Self:

GOOD JOB!!!! I am so happy that you have been able to do this. I know that this is something that you have thought about doing for a long time and to finally commit to do it is great! Now for future goals I need you to stay on this road and keep not giving into temptation even when you dont have the pressure of this challlenge to help you. Stay away from all of the food you used to eat and you know makes you feel like junk. A little indulgence every now and then will be tolerated but try to keep it to a minimum okay?!

Keep up the good work and keep feeling AMAZING and more and more of your goals will be possible.

Sincerely
Jasmine




Here are some of my recent workouts that some of you may want to give a try.


WOD


100 push ups

- You can only rest in a full plank position, if you rest with your chest on the floor ( you can no longer do a push up) you immediately do 10 burpees.

Time: 5:36

WOD

5 rounds for time

- 5 Hand Stand Push Ups

- 5 Deadlifts 155lbs

Time: 3:28

* my little bother beat me at this workout and he was so darn proud of himself, he doesnt usually get that pleasure but since he does modified HSPU he had a little bit of advantage but I was still a little erked, I don't like to lose. But it is always in good fun *

I train a couple of young girls and we regularily talk about my challenge as it kinda boggles their minds a little bit on what I eat. They do not understand how I eat lunch if I cannot eat a sandwhich. This is something that comes up from a lot of people. "What can you eat? That cuts out EVERYTHING!" and as we Paleoers know that is not true in the least. You just need to start getting creative and thinking outside the box, get away from this standard meal plan of meat and potatoe or pasta thing that we all seem to be obbsessed with. This also came up today when I was listnening to the local radio Kraze 101.3. They were talking about a Paleo Restaurant (I did not hear where it was located) and they immediately were commenting on how gross that would be and criticiznig everything about is when they knew nothing about it except two dishes that they served. This upset me a little bit as they are people that people are listening to and they are giving this bad opinion about it. After I heard this I went and googled restaurants to see if I could find one as I have wished for a long time that there was one around, I would go there for sure. I did find one however it was in Berlin. A little bit of a travel for lunch.

I think that this is such a great idea and that something like this would maybe help mre people realize how good the food can be and all of the different ways you that you can cook things and make some yummy dishes and it would be great inspiration for trying things at home. So maybe one day someone will do this here. And if you know of one that is near by, somewhere in Alberta please let me know as I would love to try it out.

So while we are talking about trying new things I have tried a couple here myself. First being this Chicken and Cauliflower

This was so good I found it on a blog called "she cooks he cleans" This was a really good site, she is a mother that cooks paleo for her children and I really like children friendly recipies, they always seem less scary and definately yummy.

Almond Chicken and Cauliflower

Almond Chicken

• Chicken Breast
• Almond flour
• Garlic Powder
• Pepper
• 1 Egg
• Water 1 tbsp

- First you cut the chicken into small pieces, than you mix the egg and little bit of water (1 tbsp) in a bowl, in another bowl you mix the almond flour, garlic powder and pepper.

- Dip the chicken in the egg mixture than in the almond mixture and place on pan

- bake for about 20 min at 375 degrees

- so yummy and easy

Cauliflower

- You boil some cauliflower, and when it is all done you put it into a food processor I use my magic bullet, you add chicken, or vegetable broth, and spices. I used Garlic, pepper, a little bit of dill and tarragon. (I have no rhyme or reason to any of my spice choices) and you puree it all together and voila!

- I really love doing things like this with cauliflower because it is easy and yummy and gives you that side that we all love, and I definitely get sick of salads. Cauliflower does not have a strong taste so it really tastes like whatever you put into it and when it was like this it has the same consistency as whipped potatoes.

Another thing that I gave a try was something that I found on Pintrest. I absolutely love this site! so for this you take your green onions (which I also love) and cut them up. you then place them into a clean water bottle. Put the water bottle in the freezer. you than have pre-cut onions whenever you need them that are not going to go bad as fast. you can just "pour" them out of the bottle whenever you need them. Brilliant. I can always use a time saver!

I was talking to a fellow Paleo Challenge goer at the gym last night and we were talking about how even though we have not weighed ourselves it definitely feels like we are losing weight. I really think I am but we will see at the end of this. This does go back to what I have said before and you can not out exercise a bad diet. Neither of us have changed out workout regime at all if anything I do less now than I have previously. This is just something to think about is you are thinking about doing this diet and need some more incentive.

Half way has brought us here and we will keep on going and I am excited to find more new things to try! I am REALLY excited for these next two weeks to be done so that I can make some Paleo cookies! At a photo shoot a while ago at the gym one of the ladies who has been eating Paleo with her family for some time made this amazing Paleo chocolate chip cookies and I can not wait to have some like that when I am done this!

Weekend Number 2- Halloween

This was Halloween weekend and that means, candy, party treats, and alcohol. Lots of yummy things that I am not indulging in right now. I love Halloween so I did still want to get dressed up and go out so I did just that. I dressed up as Freddie Kruger and went out to a dance on Friday night with some friends and then headed down to Calgary to have another night out with some other friends. I still followed my rules over the weekend keeping to the good stuff and drinking water. I still had a lot of fun. And Tonight I will be handing out Halloween Candy with no worry of eating it before any of the children show up.

I was getting headaches more than I am used to (I don't usually ever get them) and I was kinda worried that I was missing something in my new diet and that was causing it. But after going to see my new massage therapist (who is amazing) for my shoulder that has been giving me some grief for some time now he informed me that it was due to my back and shoulder being such a mess that was I was getting my headaches. So that was some good news in the fact that it was not the diet that was causing them. So if something is coming up make sure you are looking at all the possibilities before giving up.

WOD

50 Double Unders
30 Kettlebell Swings (16 kg)
40 Double Unders
25 Kettlebell Swings
30 Double Unders
20 Kettlebell Swings
20 Double Unders
15Kettlebell Swings
10 Double Unders
10 Kettlebell Swings

Time: 7:56

Some new things I did try this weekend was a burger (from Boston Pizza) with no bun and just got it wrapped in lettuce. This was good the burger wasn't the greatest quality but that was expected. I also tried a new recipe from "Daily Paleo" which was chicken breast stuffed with Asparagus and Ham. I did not use the ham.



Sorry for the sideways Picture



Asparagus Stuffed Chicken

- First have defrosted chicken breast and then cut it in half but not all the way through just so you can open it up.

- Boil the Asparagus ( I used 4 pieces for one) for about 1 min.

- add all of the ingredients into the chicken with 1 tbsp of EVOO.

- bake for 20 min.

- I also fried up some mushrooms, onion and garlic and had it on top of my cooked chicken.

For my other meals I ate the normal stuff

Breakfasts

- Probable the best fried eggs I have ever made the turned out perfect :)

- eggs, peppers, onion, mushroom, bacon, Kiwi

Lunch

Taco Salad-ish

- Romain lettuce, hamburger, salsa

- I love taco salads and so this is what I came up with due to my restrictions and I have to say that I really enjoyed it!

One thing that I do quite often is skip meals, this is either because I am too busy to make something healthy so I opt out of eating, I am busy and forget to eat, or I am not hungry. Some people would say that this is very unhealthy and that you should eat a million times a day. Well I eat when I am hungry as that seems to make sense to me. Fasting gives your body time to relax and recover allowing your digestive system to take a break. It is not going to cause our bodies to start gaining weight. Mark Sisson has several articles on this and they are a good read there are health benefits to this.



Mark,s Daily Apple - Benefits to Fasting



• Longevity

• Blood Lipids

• Compliance

• Cancer

• Growth Hormone

• Neurological Health

• Autophagy

• Fitness

• Mental Well-being and Clarity

There are different ways you can fast as well. Intermittent fasting is switching back and forth from eating and not instead of going through a long spurt of not eating. I also think if you are fasting you should do it with only drinking water and not on a juice fast. If you are still drinking juice your digestive system is still working.

Ways to Fast - Mark Simmon

Skipped Meal:

As Mark alludes to in his comment in the 1/3 meals post, he likes to miss meals naturally or on an unplanned basis. When we listen to our bodies rather than blindly follow routine we find we’re not always hungry when mealtime comes around. Let yourself skip a meal when this happens, or plan a meal skip during a convenient time.

(I do this one A Lot, more unplanned than planned)

Condensed Eating Window:
The day’s food intake is condensed within a set number of hours, often somewhere between four and seven hours. The timing of this window varies depending on the individual’s schedule and preferences. The time since you prior meal or until you next day’s meal becomes the fasting period.
Early and Late:
For some, this option is more easily managed than the condensed eating window. The day’s food intake and nutrients are balanced between an early meal and later afternoon/early evening meal.
Single Twenty-Four Fast:
Most people choose to have a normal dinner and then fast until the following evening. Others choose to extend the fast until the following morning. For many people, this can be a weekly routine. Others may integrate it on a monthly basis or as an occasional event based on their sense of progress/plateau.

(I have tried this one and I have trouble with it I get really hungry and I am not a big fan of that feeling)

Alternating Day Fast for Week (or more):

This approach is often credited with a deeper “cleansing” character. Some people do it once or twice a year. Others make a seasonal commitment. You can choose to drink only water or include teas/small amounts of juices during fasting days. On the alternate days, some people choose to eat normally, and some opt for reduced caloric intakes.

One tip: During your “window of eating,” however long or brief it is, don’t feel that you should eat more than you might be hungry for. It’s a unique opportunity to listen to your body’s signals. It also serves as a way to “prove” to your conscious brain that you can survive quite nicely on smaller amounts of food and that you don’t need to “make up” for those temporarily lost calories. Of course, eating according to the Primal Blueprint at all times whether fasting or not means that you are constantly refining your fat-burning skills. This, in turn, means that you are not so dependent upon regular meals to sustain normal blood sugar levels, physical energy and mental acuity.

Interested in trying IF for the first time? We’ll highlight the “condensed eating window” approach (one option among many) to get you started. This approach, particularly with a fairly extended window, is very doable and can seem less daunting as you get started. Choose your own timing and length of window based on your schedule and preferences. If you can’t decide, you can consider condensing your eating between the hours of eleven and 5:00 p.m. Look for a corresponding IF menu in this week’s installment of “Eat This Today, Feel Good Tomorrow” later on today.

So there is no need to get stressed if you miss a meal or you get a little hungry now and then that is O.K. There is also no need to constantly eating all day when you are not hungry, for me that just makes me feel worse. So look into it and see if it is for you. Fasting can help detox your body and let it recover. So why not give it a try I know I do it all the time without even meaning to and most people probably do. Does anyone else have any tips or ideas on this? Does anyone fast regularly? I'd love to hear about it.

Day 8 and 9

The last couple of days I have been eating nothing special, no new recipes to tell you about. I did have a turkey dinner at Ryguys parents house on Tues night. They do know that I am doing this challenge and that makes going there for a meal quite a bit easier they had made all the normal stuff they all eat like buns, potatoes, stuffing and desserts. Ryguy's mother also made sure there was lots of different veggies too, like beats, beans, carrots and salad. They always make Caesar Salad and they did this time too they just left the dressing off of it and everyone added it themselves which I could add my own home made salad dressing and then I just picked out the croutons. It was a very good meal and it was very nice for them to be so accommodating. It is not that hard to just skip the bad stuff you don't want to eat even if you are at someone's house for dinner, it is the same as not liking something, people understand why you are not eating it. Yesterday was also the day Ryguy went back up to work so I am now back on my own. I find it difficult to only cook for one person all the time, especially since with him gone it means that I am back training at the gym which takes up a lot of my evenings and makes my meal planning hit the way-side.

Some of my meals  the last couple of days:


Steak and Coleslaw(without the dressing)





Eggs and Turkey Bacon





Egg Scramble



Me and Ryguy got a room mate over the weekend. He is a very nice guy going to school and likes going to the gym, I am going to see if he will come down to Ignite Fitness with me but I am skeptical. He has P90X. . . So as we were home the other night he comes in and this is what he has with him! and man did it look good!!!



Black Forest Cake

I have to say that I am feeling really good, I my constant thirst has receded and I am feeling more alert and over all just more pleasant. There was one day that I did get a really wicked headache. I have started drinking coffee again (black) and it is not so bad I actually like it. I have cravings less and less and I am enjoying almost everything that  I am eating. I do have a couple of go to foods when I need a snack (ususally at night) and they are grapes, or some kind of berry depends on what I have, and eggs if I dont really feel like cooking a meal.

Last night when I was at the gym I was talking to one of my fellow trainers (who is not on the 30 day challenge) but he does believe in Paleo. We were talking about Paleo eating and all the differences and such and he brought up a really good point. All the time we hear people say how Paleo is not a good diet how its not good to be cutting all of these things (grains, and dairy) out of your diet and its stupid and so on. Well if you look at most health books and diets those things are rarely in there. For example the book 150 Healthiest Foods On Earth  by Jonny Bowden Ph.D (which is on my next purchase list) not a single one of those foods is a grain.  I also found this list:

Top Brain Foods

1.Cucumber
2.Celery
3.Eggplant
4.Lettuce
5.Avocado
6.Apples
7.Banana’s
8.Goji Berry
9.Pomegranates
10.Blueberries

. . . and no grains or dairy. Even in Men's Health (yes I read Men's Health) the October 2011 issue has an article on "All Star Entrees" and in this it includes

1. Olive Oil
2. Almonds
3. Salmon
4. Farro
5. Chickpeas

Farro is the only grain in there and they tell you to chew on it raw, so not in a grain product and there is again no dairy. So there must be something to this (not that I never thought there wasn't) if more than one diet stems off the same concept. So all the people who think Paleo is stupid or unhealthy or just another fad diet should maybe look more into it. There is more to it there is A LOT of science, and research behind the idea and even more stories about the wonders it does for people. Paleo is a lifestyle not just a diet, so give it a try, try all of it, try some of it. Don't bash it unless you try it. and if a healthy life is what you are looking for this is a good place to start.



Day 7

One week is gone and I am feeling great. I have more energy and my stomach is a lot more stable than is usually is. I am really enjoying the finding new recipes, I do feel like I spend a lot more time in the kitchen than I used to though. There are some things that I still need to work on too:

1. Shopping- Planning ahead with my shopping, watching for sales on vegetables and increasing my spice collection.
2. Organization - pre-making meals for lunches and snacks

There is always going to be ways to improve and make this as best for me as I can so that just means to learn to keep trying new things. Is anyone finding any tricks to help with these?

One thing that I wanted to talk about today was sleep/ rest. These are both very important. I was listening to Rob Wolf's Podcast and he had Mark Simmon on there as his guest and Mark brought up the importance of sleeping and resting. Sleep is when our body recovers and grows. Not allowing our bodies to do this can have negative affects, we will not get the results we are seeking. Just as important is rest in between our workouts. Our bodies need time to recover so that we can get stronger, and faster. It is important to take days off even when you feel fine your body is still recovering. Mark did make a stab at crossfitters in this instance that we tend to go go go everyday into the gym breaking ourselves down and that does happen a lot I have done it/ do it, and so so do many others. We need to think about how much rest we are actually giving our bodies to recover and is it enough. If it isn't we could be getting injuries, or even over training.

Sleep is key, essential, absolutely downright necessary for our basic physiological operations – with special support for neurological performance, endocrine balance, immune system functioning, and musculoskeletal growth and repair. For one, you wouldn’t be half the man or woman you are without the physiological feats sleep achieves. I mean that both literally and figuratively, since sleep spurs the release of human growth hormone (HGH), an essential player in cellular regeneration. - Mark Slimmon

I think that a lot of people take sleep for granted or just don't have time to get the proper amount of sleep that we need. This is caused by our lack of organization causing us to stay up late before our early mornings, and from not being able to get a good nights sleep (solid REM sleep). There are a lot of possible reasons to why people do not sleep well stress, distraction, poor diet, and many others but here is a help full list from Mark Slimmon to help get some better sleep. "5 tips to Get a Great Nights Sleep Tonight!"

1. Eat a light dinner tonight.

Keep the portions small this evening. Going to bed on a full stomach is not healthy, and it also keeps you from getting the deepest possible sleep. You don’t have to go to bed hungry. But do not stuff yourself simply because it is now the weekend

2. Have a glass of wine.
One fine glass will relax you and help you unwind from the week’s pressures. More than that may cause you to have intermittent sleep at best. It’s tempting to go out and let loose a bit on Friday, but practice moderation so you’ll feel your freshest tomorrow. If you’re typically a Friday night reveler, just try this – it will change your whole weekend.

3. Toss back a handful of nuts.
The magnesium and tryptophan in nuts – just before bed – can help you get to sleep faster. Just a small handful, though, and choose salt-free.

4. Write it out.

By Fridays many of us are frazzled and stressed out. We want to relax and sleep peacefully, but we’re still wired and thus wake up feeling crabby Saturday morning. Take just five or 10 minutes to write out everything from your week – the accomplishments, the tasks, the stress, the worries, the pressing concerns. It’s easier to arrive at solutions if you don’t try to consciously force them. Get them down on paper. Let your sleeping mind do the work for you. You’ll wake up feeling clearer and more positive.

5. Watch instead of read.

Reading is better for your mind than watching television. But sometimes it’s a wise idea to intentionally do something mindless. So tonight, if you were planning to dig into that new book or finish up paperwork, maybe a movie rental is in order. Of course, if reading helps you fall asleep, do what works for you.

You can also check out his post on "17 Ways To Improve Your Sleep"

My day

Breakfast:

The usual Scramble of eggs turkey bacon and green onions.

Lunch:

Chicken Salad

- fried chicken (that I did the night before yay me!)

Shredded cabbage, lettuce, and carrots

Dinner:

For dinner we tried a new recipe that I had found it was Strawberry stuffed Chicken. It was a marinated chicken breast rolled around cooked (all fried together) strawberries, spinach, and onions. We then made mashed cauliflower to eat with it. I did not like this chicken so I then made myself a couple of fried eggs and bacon. But My boyfriend definitely did like this so it is not that it wasn't a good recipe it was just me that didn't like this one and this is going to happen sometimes. Trial and error and that one was an error for me so note to self.

After Dinner I made a Crumble that was in my newest purchase "Everyday Paleo" by Sarah Frgosco. This is a great book. She has lots of good recipes that are quick, and kid friendly and really if kids will eat it than its gotta be good. There is also some added bonuses to this book it has some exercises in the back that are perfect for beginners, some exercises that can be dome with your children or with your partner, there are kids exercises and even meal plans and shopping lists. This is a perfect buy for anyone looking into getting into the Paleo world I highly recommend it.

The recipe I tried was easy and yummy.

- First take 3 cups of fresh or frozen berries and put them into the bottom of a baking dish

- Than take 2 cups almond meal, 1 egg, and cinnamon and mix together until crumbles

- by hand crumble the almond mixture on top and bake at 350 degrees for 35 mins. 

Top with Coconut milk and serve. This was a great and easy dessert. 

So that is all for today. Let me know your thoughts :)