Well hey there! Welcome to the first Random Ramble of 2015! If you’re new here you probably haven’t read a random ramble yet — in which case you’re in luck! They’re pretty much boss!
This one is kind of important because it’s got to do with the different programs, courses and schedules you’ve set for yourself health and workout wise for 2015. Ok I lied, this can actually apply to all areas of life but for now our focus is going to be on Eats + Workouts!
By now most of you are almost if not already half way through your intended programs – but what does that mean? The half way point is a huge milestone for many reasons.
The first being that you’ve seen this through for a while now – you’re half way there and you should be oh so very proud of yourself! Because hi – you rock and you should be using the hashtag #rockstar in reference to yourself daily at least. But mainly because your body is or has changed. By now you’re over the case of the sleepies or the cravings are starting to lessen and you’re starting to hear what your body wants. Which is why this is so big.
What is your body telling you right now? Is it just telling you more detox symptoms or is it really not helping or even hurting you in some way? And is it making you happy?Let me go into that a little more in detail…
Listening to Symptoms:
My first Whole 30 I noticed that I felt a little funky, I didn’t have the same results as other people despite my vigorous attempts to follow the program. Don’t get me wrong, I still felt great and clear headed after but something felt “off”. You know what I mean, that nagging feeling in the back of your head and then you see that your body isn’t getting the same results as everyone else. I figured hey maybe I need to do another, just to see what happens!
So low and behold I did my second one a few months later and I got pretty sick. Like the I’m never moving again, there’s a fire in my tummy, I’m never eating again, someone just make it stop kind of sick. I realized then it was because for both of them I switched from butter to coconut oil and my coconut consumption was through. the. roof. For most people that’s perfect + amazing! For me? Yeaaaaaaa no – turns out I have a huge intolerance for it and can’t have it, unless it’s in small doses and very infrequently.
So what did I do? I adjusted my Whole 30, to fit me. Meaning, I took out the coconut products and cooked with butter + ghee for the remaining time! I then took that information and applied it to my everyday life. I no longer cook with Coconut Oil or bake with it {which is why a lot my recipes say either Fat of Choice or Butter or Coconut Oil}. Because I did the Whole 30 I learned I had an intolerance for a major ingredient and am now able to avoid it! So for me in the end it was a success!
So now I’m asking you to check in with your body – how do you feel after different meals? Are you feeling off in a non-detox kind of way? Are you still way too sluggish? Foggy? Do you think you’re consuming too many carbs however healthy they are – do you maybe need more of a keto-based diet or are you not eating enough fat? Have you added a new food in that might be making you feel off? Are you having symptoms whenever you eat a particular food? If so you need to start figuring out what food{s} might be doing this to you and find a way to either eliminate or balance it out! Because I realize how important these 30 days are to you, but it’s more important that you stay healthy and adjust as needed so you can keep going even after the 30 days are over!
Have you started a new workout routine? Are you eating some kind of new permanent diet? Are you happy now? And I’m not about talking the aches and pains from squats aren’t making you unhappy — I mean are dreading your workouts? Are they giving you anxiety or making you just super moody before they happen and even after?
Right I’ve been there and done that — It’s no secret that I have zero attention span for repetitive workouts – but even with my million free workouts online and what I own I can’t seem to get into weight lifting as a full time gig. I dread those workouts when I was trying to schedule them in. It gets to the point where I’ll do whatever I can to get out of it and find a million different ways to justify that to myself. But then … I feel guilty, and get down on myself and then it snowballs.
And then I finally made the decision to stop – to stop being unhappy even though this is what I was “supposed to do” and find what made me happy. So what makes me happy? YOGA. I Loovveeee yoga. I have a huge crush on it and I can’t imagine my life without it. One of my favorite Yogi’s Leslie Fightmaster is doing a Yoga Fix 90 – 90 Days of Yoga and I’m proud to say that despite starting a day late I haven’t missed a day! And what’s more is that I look forward to yoga every day. I’m even starting to add it in, in the morning when I wake up and before bed.
In the end I might not being do what’s expected of a Paleo Blogger — but oh well, I’m me and that means I like yoga and drinking coffee! One day I’ll find a way to do both at the same time 😉
So now I’m asking you to check in with your mind and body this time. Are you happy? Do your workouts make you happy? Is the schedule manageable or do you find yourself more miserable on it than happy? Can you make adjustments or change something? Have you checked in alternative ways to work out?
Now to clarify – I’m in no way telling you to be a quitter or giving you a reason to give up. I’m asking you to check in with your body and make sure you’re being healthy and that you’re happy. Because I’ll type this until my fingers get cramps and say this till I’m blue in the face but Paleo is PERSONAL. This is all. about. you.
My paleo and your paleo are two different paleos and that’s fine and awesome. Just make sure you’re not trying to mimic someone else’s paleo and hurting yourself in the process. So check in, evaluate and make adjustments as needed – and if you have questions or need help weeding through symptoms and mindsets email me or leave a comment! You know I’ve got your back {on this and when it comes to the Paleo Police!}
So true. I think I try to stick myself in this mold of what I am “supposed” to do or what everyone else is doing despite whether or not it may work for me. As if everyone is looking at me and judging (and in reality I am 1000% certain they are not…). I was thinking about this yesterday. What works for everyone else may not work for me. Just focus on overall healthy (paleo) eating and don’t beat myself up if I don’t see weight melting off, better skin, etc. etc. It will come in time if I just stay the course.
Same experience here with the coconut! Right now I am detoxing sugar and feeling sick. But I don’t know if it’s a cold or a sugar reaction. Trying not to fall off the wagon. Also developing a serious allergy to something! So I’m sticking to my elimination till I feel better so I can figure out what it is. Thanks for the encouragement.