Paleo Style

I am not proud of who I once was. Nine years of my life were consumed with an addiction to Anorexia. At my worst I weighed 89 lbs. Speaking of this is hard for me and honestly I do not talk about it openly, typically only to those close to me but I felt it important for my followers to know because struggles are what make us or break us.Going into Crossfit I knew this struggle would come back to haunt me in some way. Something I am proud of is that I have been in recovery for almost 6 years and although, as with any addiction, it is a daily struggle, it no longer consumes my life. 
So you can imagine my hesitation when the term "Paleo Diet" was introduced.Thinking about food on a daily basis is not what I call an "easy task" for myself but we all know that Crossfitters don't get their physic and abilities just by working out alone, what they consume plays a big role. Since my recovery I have been an avid reader and follower of clean eating. I believe eating natural is good for your body and mind.But I dont allow myself to write down everything I eat or think to much about what I consume.Also, I am 28 years old, I like to have a cocktail or two on the weekends and have Friday night pizza with my family. 
Two weeks ago North Country Crossfit introduced the "Paleo Challenge" to their Crossfit members. My immediate thought is "Do I do it?". I love Crossfit and I want to be all I can be doing it. My ultimate goal is to peak at my performance. Will I be able to do so eating the way I currently am or is it time for a change? Will getting consumed in a diet lead me back down that destructive path of my old addiction?

Let me tell you a little about what the "Paleo Diet" is, but before I do I want you to know I am NOT a nutritionist nor do I plan to ever become one. I am like any other person, I read about things and before North Country Crossfit encouraged any of us to do the Paleo Challenge they made sure to hold a seminar about what it was, what to expect and the do's and dont's of the Paleo Diet. So the following info I am giving you is pulled from different sites and I will be sure to reference that site. 

Paleo Diet is what some people refer to as the "cave man diet".It cconsists mainly of fish, grass-fed pasture raised meats, eggs, vegetables, fruit, fungi, roots, and nuts. All excluded from the Paleo Diet are grains, legumes, dairy products, potatoes, refined salt, refined sugar, processed oils, and alcohol. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paleolithic_diet
That is a VERY short version of what it is, please follow the above site for more info.

At first glance I think "Atkins Diet" but looking into it closer I realize its nothing like that. The difference is that you can eat veggies and fruit.Unlike Atkins, Paleo excludes all dairy products. When I saw this I thought "WHAT? what about my calcium?" But think about this, almost ALL cheeses are processed and when you hear the word processed  think "chemicals". Also, did you know that we are the only animal on the planet that drinks another animals milk?? GROSS!! Plus believe it or not we get enough calcium without milk, read the site I reference below. With the "Paleo Diet" all your fats come from good places like Avocado's, unprocessed  oils and animal meats. 
http://paleodietlifestyle.com/place-of-dairy-on-paleo-diet/

http://www.eat-real-food-paleodietitian.com/paleo-diet-and-calcium.html

I will not call it "Paleo Diet" from here on out. I find the word "diet" very distracting of what it actually is. To me it is a way of living, a lifestyle. So from here on out I will refer to it as simply eating "Paleo style".:)

After research and discussing it with my coaches, I wanted to try it.I know that if I never try, I will never know what the potential outcome could be, that is why I have decided to do it. Now it was time to convince my husband. So I told him what I know, and after a little bit of whinnying (because how else do us woman get what we want) my husband, hesitantly, agreed to support me on this new journey. 

My Crossfit family has been doing the Paleo challenge for about two weeks now. I have toyed around with it for two weeks, indecisive if I wanted to do it.After long consideration, TODAY marks day one of my 6 week journey into the Paleo world. Last night I found myself in my kitchen,my last glass of wine in hand, prepping all my foods for the week. 

This is what my eating today will look like:

Breakfast- 3eggs with half and avocado, red peppers and 2 slices bacon with a half cup honeydew melon....

Snack 1- cashews,almonds and macadamia nuts and an apple

Lunch- Chicken breast and shrimp on spinach leaves and romaine lettuce with cucumbers, red peppers, extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Also 1 whole sweet potato

Snack 2- baby carrots with almond butter

Dinner- 1/4 pound of hamburger with tomatoes and onions. On the side some Butternut squash.

Keep in mind this is A LOT of food for me. I typically eat smaller portions and A LOT of carbs. My body has always needed carbs for all the cardio I was doing. This is going against all that I am used to. I am excited for this new journey and looking forward to tell you all about the struggles and the outcomes.

I leave you with this, something I live by daily--

"In these bodies we will live, and in these bodies we will die. How you invest your love, is how you invest your life" --Mumford and Sons

Yours Truly living it "Paleo Style"
Samantha

The beginning of the obsession

I have always been an avid runner/triathlete. I was always skeptical of the Crossfit world. Mostly because I was afraid of lifting. Honestly I hardly did it, my focus has always been cardio cardio cardio, as a mother it was the only thing I  had time to fit in and I thought that cardio was the most important part of all workouts considering it was the focus of my sprint tri's and running races. But like all things repetitive I got a little bored. I was intrigued by what the people of Crossfit could do. They truly are amazing, the dynamics of Crossfit are interesting. Crossfit is high intensity with numerous functional movements. Your body is getting all it needs for a workout in a short time frame with a fast passed focus. As someone who has been part of the fitness world for many years I worried that the fast passed focus would cause some injuries because your form would  most likely be compromised. Also, the Crossfit world seemed to me almost like a cult. LOL! I know that is a harsh word but it seemed like the people that started doing it got obsessed with doing it. I was curious WHY?  

When North Country Crossfit opened in my town of Plattsburgh NY, I just had to check it out, what have I got to lose, right? Apparently that was an understatement. Before walking into North Country Crossfit I had to pump myself up, I thought "I am going to walk into some muscle head gym with a crap load of equipment I have no idea how to use, what the hell am I doing". When I opened the doors and walked in I was shocked by what I saw. No huge pieces of equipment, no big muscle head guys, no rack of supplements and protein shakes, just a big open space with a rig and some kettle bells. When I was approached by coach Ben, he didn't intimidate me at all. He was obviously in great shape but wasn't steroid huge just simply in awesome shape. I told him my experience and he stated "Anyone can do this and anyone is welcome." I felt excited as he explained what it was about and what it had to offer. When leaving that day the last words out of my mouth were "where do I sign up"! I almost felt like I got bitten by the Crossfit bug right then and there, it has started, I have officially gotten the itch! That night its all I could talk about, I couldn't wait to start in a few days.

Of course my excitement wore a little and the nervousness set in. The great thing is you are required to attend all three of the Crossfit 101 classes before even signing up. So you get a small taste of what you are getting yourself into plus you learn form and movements. So how bad could it be. :/

The first day, I walked in nervous but curious. I left sore but wanting more!!! Obsession set in, I couldn't wait for the next class. This is how I have been ever since starting Crossfit. I have now been doing it for a month and a half. I LOVE IT!  
The best part is that I feel like I have a new group of friends or family. I like to call my Crossfit Family. I have never been a part of something where if you are the last one still chugging along trying to finish your workout, that is when everyone is cheering the loudest encouraging you not to give up! Our group is made up of all different shapes and sizes. All of us working toward the same goal. There are days that I dont feel like doing anything, but the moment I walk in to the gym and see my family getting ready for that days workout my mood changes. 
If you have the chance to even just try Crossfit I highly recommend it to ANYONE! 

Tune in tomorrow, for "Starting the journey of PALEO"

Thanks for reading
Yours Truly "Crossfit Crazed"
Samantha :)