In Pursuit of Healthfulness

Hi Grateful Lifers! My name is Shannon and I blog over at A Pinch of Ginger about my adventures in leading a healthy lifestyle. I’m honored to be able to guest post for Trish while she is enjoying her trip to Costa Rica.

Now I know there are a lot of healthy living blogs out there that offer great advice, but today I’m hoping that you’ll learn a little about an alternative healthy lifestyle I have recently taken to, with a little Ginger sass thrown in.

Let me give you a little background about myself and this healthy lifestyle journey I have embarked upon the last few years. I met Trish (and guest blogger Courtney W.) many moons ago during our college years in Happy Valley. During that time, I was conscious about my health, but only enough to make sure I wasn’t going up a jean size per semester. Exercise? It was a pre-emptive strike to hit the bars hard and sleep was something I didn’t concern myself with until a rainy weekend rolled around.

Fast forward 3 years later (and only 5 pounds lighter) I found myself going through vicious cycles of dieting and exercise binges that would only lead to burnout and frustration. After one particularly stressful work day, I decided to lace up my shoes and head over to the local junior high to ‘run laps’.  Once I sufficiently wore myself out (the ginger rage takes time to settle and laps are the perfect remedy) I realized running was a great and healthy stress reliever. And so... a health-nut was born. I began to look forward to my sweat time pushed myself to run a little further each time. I signed up for 5ks, then a team relay and finally a half marathon. The only problem with my running habit was that I was still eating unhealthily. I would have a handful of M&M’s before a race to get a quick burst of energy only to putter out 40 minutes later. Pizza and beer were totally acceptable Friday night traditions if a few miles were on the calendar the next day.

I have been living this way for  past 2 years. It was a constant pattern of eat whatever I want and run it off. Only recently have I taken on an alternative lifestyle known as Paleo. Often referred to as the ‘caveman diet’ this lifestyle beckons followers to eat lean meats, vegetables, fruits, nuts and seeds (I also eat a little dairy from time to time.) I do not eat grains (I haven’t had cereal or a bagel since January), I have worked hard to cut out sugar and limit the amount of cheese I consume. (If you want to drive a girl crazy, get between her and her cheese)

Paleo-ites also discuss the importance of 8 hours of sleep every.single.night. and exercising in moderation (I haven’t quite mastered this one as I signed up for my first full marathon). The idea is that eating naturally, sleeping for hours that have been determined by our ancestors and exercising with quick short bursts of energy (Hello CrossFit!) are going to have you in optimal health.

Now I am enrolled in a 30 day Paleo Challenge with my local CrossFit box (CrossFit is my new running high). This requires I cut out (in addition to grains) all dairy, sugar and ALCOHOL.  I’ll admit that adopting a Paleo ‘diet’ isn’t easy- in fact, I’ve thrown internal temper tantrums when I see others enjoying a piece of cake or WINE! What I can say is I believe it’s worth it for anyone to give it a try for one month. You may be surprised in the changes you notice in your body.

In my first two weeks of not eating processed foods, grains and sugar I have become more creative with cooking than ever before. There’s no more calorie counting, weighing and measuring food, and instead I am making informed, choices about how to fuel my body.

A typical Paleo dinner of steak on the grill, grilled zucchini and a brussel sprout and kale salad!

"Giving up' delicious food sounds a little bit crazy right? Maybe so, but if you want a little inspiration for delicious health recipes, or follow my Paleo progress, head on over to A Pinch of Ginger.

A big thanks to Trish for having me on The Grateful Life!