How will you proceed?

Shades

We'll close the month of May and the week of reviewing the Clean Eating Challenge with Delia: 

I have a sweet tooth that is killer, always have. I knew going into the clean eating challenge that only 3 treats a week would be my weakness. I was so accustomed to ending each meal with something sweet. My excuse was always “something sweet tells me the meal is over.” Yep, I enabled myself! I filled my home and belly with tons of “diet,” “low fat,” and “light” products thinking that they would counter act my need for constant sugar.

The first week of clean eating, I was trying to bargain with myself as to what the BEST treats would be. I found myself looking forward to them. Alas, I learned that when you eat protein, vegetables, non- processed, filling foods, treats are over-rated and typically left me wishing that I had never had them. Larabars were my saving grace! Each day my dried fruit allotment came in their form, and each day I thought to myself, “why would anyone eat a candy bar when this is so much more delicious!?!?!”

I have never been much of a cook and I certainly never researched recipes. However, while doing the Paleo challenge I could not get enough of the recipes out there. The knowledge that healthy and great tasting were not mutually exclusive left me on a quest for more and more alternatives to unhealthy favorites. With some exceptions, paleo cooking/eating is no more difficult than popping a frozen lasagna in the oven….in my book it is even easier. Start small: make a protein and add some vegetables, replace “staple” carbs such as rice and pasta with sautéed spinach, spaghetti squash, etc., don’t eat anything with a label full of words you can’t pronounce. My go-to on hurried nights: grab a wok, throw in meat, an oil, a multitude of vegetables and stir!

I believe the real shift in the challenge comes the moment you realize that you sleep better, concentrate better, feel better, perform better, and are overall more satisfied when you eat naturally. I was able to pinpoint foods and beverages that caused my heart to race or my sleep to be intermittent. The ability to know from where your negative reactions stem is empowering and enabled me to remove them from my life altogether.

I am now following a less stringent Paleo lifestyle. I would say I eat 80/20 and try to exercise 4-5 times a week. There is no question that my body responded to removing all of the processed and artificial food in a way I could have never imagined. After years and years of chemically altered fill, my body finally feels clean and capable of anything I put before it. 

3 rounds
25 kb swing (70/53)
10 box jump (28/24)

higher and heavier than normal

rest 5 mins

3 rounds
25 ball shots 
10 pushups

Now you know the WOD
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