1 lb Grass fed Hamburger
2 Medium or one Large Red and/or Orange Peppers (it adds a little sweet to offset the spicy) Chopped into 1/4-1/2 in pieces
1 hot pepper (I like Anaheim, Personally, but
1 medium Yellow Onion, chopped
1-2 tbsp Chili Powder
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tbsp cumin
3/4 bottle of low sodium spicy v8
1 small 6oz can organic tomato paste

Brown onion, peppers and hamburger in coconut oil (I’ve recently started saving about 1/3 of the hot pepper back to drop in after everything is combined to simmer into the chili, it changes the flavor profile), add tomato paste and V8 and bring to simmer, simmering 30-60 minutes, stirring periodically. 

To be honest, this is the chili I make about once every other week during the winter, so I pretty much eyeball the spices at this point, but this should give you a good idea of how easy it is to get a tasty pot of chili on the stove in VERY short order.  I encourage you to toy with the ingredients (my wife likes to throw in a can of organic diced tomatoes or use Organic, low sodium Tomato juice instead of V8).  If I’m making it for just myself, I’ll also use spicier chili powder as well as red pepper flakes to kick it up a notch.

As a frequent traveler, I do my research both before I travel and after I arrive,
and try to find the stores nearby where I can source good food. WholeFoods, Co-ops
and even regular grocery stores are obvious choices some even try to provide
better choices, like Florida’s Publix and Byerly’s in Minnesota.  But,
depending on the location and the season, you can even find Farmer’s Markets that
offer great opportunities for fresh, local food.

It’s all about control

Control as much of your diet as you can, within your budget.  Work with your
dorm cafeteria and tell them you can’t eat grain.  If all they can do is gluten
free, then take it.  After that, eat the freshest food that you can, made from
as little grain as possible (ie.  most animals don’t eat grain naturally, so
if it’s in their food chain, it’s a lower quality choice).   Eat from
the salad bar early and often.  If you are putting things in your fridge, buy
your food as locally as possible.  Regardless if you are buying it or picking
it up from the cafeteria, examine your food from a “Good, Better, Best perspective”.

Food is fuel, and you don’t put Diesel in a Ferrari. , so first, DON’T EAT GRAIN
(or grain oils or legumes) avoid dairy and minimize your exposure to High Fat, Corn
Fed animal products in general.  Then, take your fishoil and follow the Good/Better/Best
rules:

Eat as high on the scale as you can afford.  If all you can do is Good, then
eat good food. Higher Quality Protein is worth more to your overall health and longevity
than organic fruits and veggies (except for the “Dirty
Dozen” fruits and veggies - you’ll want to eat organic in the dirty
list if possible), so use your dimes wisely toward good health. If you have access
to a communal kitchen, then be the most common fixture in there, next to the stove
and lights.  Cook in bulk.  If you can only get in there twice a week,
make them the most productive hours you can.

I don’t live in a dorm, but I do live out of hotel rooms, and unless I happen to
be in an extended stay hotel, I typically have a mini fridge and a microwave.
If that is the case, then this is what a week might look like for me:

On Mondays, when I fly into town, I do my shopping and cook my lunches for the week.
Chicken or burgers on the foreman or the BBQ grill (I’m in tampa right now, so if
it isn’t raining, it’s grill weather year round), a dozen hardboiled eggs and I’ve
even cooked a whole chicken if I have an oven and then used it as food for a couple
meals  and then made soup with the carcass the night after, threw it in the
freezer in single serve containers and took them with me for lunch.

Then I bring EVERYTHING with me to work and put it in the fridge.  I’m the
guy people hate, moving things around and making order out of the chaos that is
a communal cold space.  For the rest of the week, I eat from my fridge at work
for snacks and lunch.

Here are some other tips and tricks that make life much easier when it comes to

limited cook and storage space:
• Buy steam in the bag veggies.  Stores for several days, microwaves up in about
  4 minutes.
• While they’re still in season, find the local farmer’s market and get Fruits and
  veggies.  It’s almost ALWAYS cheaper than the grocery store
• There’s no shame in eating from Walmart.  They keep their prices LOW and as
  a student, that’s priority one.
• Use nuts, but don’t ABUSE nuts.  Almonds and macadamia nuts are great periodic
  fat sources.  For travel I actually use Justin’s Nut Butter packets for an
  easy to carry and contain fatty snack.
• Coconut Products are the BEST, all around, fat source for the guy on the go.
  Coconut oil to cook in, coconut flakes for a snack, coconut BUTTER is heaven on
  a spoon…true story.
• When you are cooking, use coconut oil as your first choice of oil.  NO CANOLA
  OIL, drizzle olive oil on your vieggies, but try not to cook with it too frequently.
• Avacado is tasty

Sometimes, your dorm might give you access to a stove, but no utensils or pots and
pans…Pots and Pans are simple.  I always suggest a cast iron pan…they last
forever, are multifunctional and make for tasty food.  Go to target or surf
on over to amazon and get a lodge 8″ or 10.25″ skillet (with lid if it’s in stock),
you can also get an ‘essentials‘ pots and pans set which is just the basics (though I would probably add a larger
pot for making soups and chili – you can’t live without chili).  As of this
writing, I’m staying at a Residence Inn, which means I get a stove AND a full sized
fridge (which I typically only put a weeks worth of food in anyway, but it’s good
to know I could stockpile if I wanted to, and while it does have pots and pans,
it isn’t a good selection.  I bought a new cast iron, small chefs mate fry
pan and two knives for under $50 (and I’ll ship them home to myself should this
project in hell ever end…), and I don’t even use the pans that come with in the
hotel anymore.

About the Food

I have a couple of places that I get snacks from:

My Fridge and Pantry

with real, I just (or recently) picked/bought/fixed this food

• Hardboiled Eggs
• Nitrite/-trate and Gluten free lunch meat
• Shredded Coconut
• Coconut Milk
• Left Over Anything
• Cashews/Almonds/Hazelnuts
• Carrots, Apples and Almond Butter
• My wife also makes a KILLER Paleo Crunch ‘Granola’
• Anything from the Whole9′s post What’s in your Cooler?

 But I travel a LOT (four days, and at LEAST four flights, a week), so I’m always looking for easy travel food.  I will pack my own food, and I buy food once I get to my location, but I also use a couple of different websites to provide good, Paleo approved food to put in my carry-on.

Steves Club

If you’ve been around CrossFit for more than a minute, you should be aware of Steve’s Club and the wonderful things the organization does, including making tasty, tasty snacks.

• Coconut Paleo Kit
• Paleo Kits
• Apple Pie Paleo Kit
• Grassfed Paleo Stix
• Paleo Krunch Bars (Guilty Pleasure)

Gourmet Grass fed Meats

The chef, Andy, is a friend of mine, which allows me to say that everything about this company is quality.  

• Bold Original Jerky (Whole30 Approved)

YouBar

This can be tricky as they have a lot of NON Paleo ingredients, so you need to read.  But once you get a recipe that works, you get a reorder code that will give you the same recipe every time.  I have a strict Paleo kind as well as a “Treat” that includes Coco powder

I’ve also created an egg protein based shake on their YouShake site that has come in handy in a pinch.

Why are you Snacking?

I just threw out a ton of food suggestions, but it’s important to know _why_ you are snacking.  You might actually be underfed, but if you’ve been eating your good, Paleo foods to satiety, then more than likely you’re bored or thirsty.  Have a big glass of water, make a cup of hot tea and ask yourself _why_ you’re reaching for that handful of nuts.  If you aren’t really hungry, don’t eat.  Get up, stretch and go for a walk, drink some water and ride it out.  You don’t have to give in to the gremlins of boredom that love to eat.

I have a few tweaks to make this time around, but really, I need other things to fall into line. This time I’m going to be focusing on eating for performance and spending a LOT more time in the gym. 

My number one, most important focus during this Whole30, however, will be SLEEP!!! Oh, how my sleep has suffered over the last four or five months and before my health will REALLY improve, I need more ZZZzzs. Sleep quality is good, but VOLUME is way too low.

So, while I’m only loose around a couple of food edges (mostly due to lazy eating while I’m traveling – still sticking to the letter of the law, but not too strict about what my food is cooked in or near), I’m going to be REALLY focusing on my sleep schedule.

The good news is that I still have travel snacks left over from vacation, including some tasty, tasty Gourmet Grassfed meat sticks that will be going into my bag.

If you’re interested in joining me in this journey I would be honored to guide you through it.  I’ve helped several others successfully complete a Whole30 program, and consider it one of the smartest thing I have done for my health and fitness since losing sixty pounds (which is why I do one or two a year).

More than likely, you’ve also not made that goal.   Only 8% of Americans successfully achieve their New Year’s resolutions and 80% of those who make New Year resolutions have failed or given up by Jan. 20.

We dream too big.  We try to take on too much at one time, and fail to break the dream down into easily managed, attainable goals that have small, accomplishable steps that fit into a plan.

Without a plan, your goals are only dreams

Eventually we wake up, ‘reality’ sets in, and the dreams fade.  To stop the dreams from fading, the important step that most people fail to take is to actually make the dream their reality.  Attainable goals are dreams with a Plan; complete with small, detailed, incremental steps.

How do you eat an elephant?

Identify the steps necessary to accomplish this goal.  Decompose the goal down to granular tasks and ideas against which success/completeness can be easily measured; pieces that you can assign steps, actions, names, dates, costs and real, measurable data to. You don’t have to know everything.  You might only be able to flesh out a fragment of the entire plan because you don’t know enough, and that’s ok.  If that is the case, add a research step in there and get cracking.

For instance:  You’re an average Joe sitting on his couch with his laptop, reading this while watching CSI:BFE and making snarky comments on Twitter.   You look down at the bowl of Haagen Dazs balancing on your ample stomach and you make a decision; you decide (like 80% of all other Americans) to make a serious effort to get yourself closer to the ‘healthy’ side of the bell curve this coming year.  This is awesome!

For the sake of this exercise (pun intended), we’ll assume that you don’t have a gym membership, have perhaps seen a treadmill (but make no claims to having every used one) and think that eating healthy means ordering a large Diet coke with your Double Quarter Pounder with Cheese Meal.  What would your plan look like?  If you are an average American, it would probably look like this

Getting Healthy “Plan”

1. Go to Gym
1. Work out Like a Boss
2. Eat Healthy
3. Look Awesome

As a trainer and coach, I have some serious concerns about your ability to deliver this plan as there are some significant gaps.  There are some specific things that you should be taking into consideration if you truly want to succeed.

1. Sleep
2. Food
3. Stress Management
4. Exercise

Great, so my list is (arguably) one longer than yours, so what? As humans, to have an effect on our behavior, we actually need to first identify the behaviors we want to effect.   These four things (in order) are the most important items when it comes to our health and fitness.   We just need to break them down into goals, tasks and ideas that we can act on, either immediately, or over time.

To make more sense of them, I like to think about these four items as a pyramid, each layer supporting the layer above it; and each layer made up of several key ingredients.  With a strong base, you can take it as high as you want.
Sleep and Stress Management
Sleep is the keystone to good health and recovery.  Almost all of the regeneration and healing that happens in our bodies happens while we’re asleep.  You DON’T get strong from a killer workout, you get strong from the recovery.  If you don’t recover, you don’t get strong.   With that in mind, try to get 7-9 Hours a night of uninterrupted sleep in a fully darkened room (set the alarm and then put tape over the readout).  Prepare for bed by turning off unnecessary lights and turning OFF your computers and electronic items 30-60 minutes before bed.  Yes, that’s right, TURN OFF THE DAMN COMPUTER, iPhone, and tablet, and relax your brain from light stimulus.  Read a book (I have several suggestions at the end of this article as a matter of fact), talk with your significant other, become better acquainted with a foam roller and a couple of lacrosse balls or maybe take up a relaxing craft.

It’s not just a lack of sleep, however, that can derail our recovery.  Too much stress can raise specific hormones in our bodies that cause us to retain fat, upset our digestion and wreak havoc on our recovery.  It’s important to help manage our daily stress levels, and simple choices throughout our day can help.  Take a daily 5-10 Minute walk (preferably in the sunshine, sun exposure is another important ingredient to good health and recovery).  Listen to some relaxing music or, this might get a little weird… just silence.  Another great stress reliever is meditation, and if you are looking for an activity to (eventually) fill those thirty minutes before bedtime, meditation is an excellent choice.  Allowing your mind and body to completely calm itself before bed can have a dramatic effect on sleep quality.  Finally, if you have the kind of schedule that allows for it, Nap (I know this is stretching it for some people, but look for the opportunities).  A short nap has proven to have positive psycho- and physiological effects on the body.

Food
If sleep and recovery are the foundation, what we eat is the material (building blocks, if you will) that builds the body we want to have.  For the first 30 days, cut out all processed foods and sugars. Remove all Grains, Legumes and Dairy from your diet, DO NOT turn to Artificial Sweeteners.  We’re trying to get the poisons out of your system.  Eat Meats, Vegetables, Fruits, some nuts and seeds, and a little starch (roots and tubers) from time-to-time.

Exercise and Recovery
First, don’t forget that recovery is as important as your work out.  More work isn’t always better, and a well-timed recovery day can have a more positive overall impact than the hardest workout you do.  The goal is to get highly varied, functional movement done at high intensity 3-6 times a week.  To make sure it happens, put it on your schedule.  Mark yourself as busy, and don’t compromise.  Respect yourself and your health enough to give yourself an hour a day to achieve your goals.

Include in your workouts both warm up and cool-down/mobility.  These two things alone will decrease your recovery time, improve your flexibility and decrease your potential for injury.

ALL THAT?!?
Well, yes, eventually all that; but not all at once.  Remember, we are going to make a collection of granular tasks that we can take IMMEDIATE action on.  We can take small, incremental steps toward each of these four items, and we can do it intelligently and with success in mind.

The Plan

What follows is an example of the start of a plan.  Since I suggest eating Paleo and doing CrossFit (or CrossFit-like workouts), I will include a plan that assumes this is your goal as well.
Paleo/CrossFit (The First 30 Days)

1. Exercise and Recovery
1. Find local Gym(s)
1. http://map.crossfit.com/
2. Investigate costs (If Listed)
3. Schedule free intro
1. ASK QUESTIONS! If the people at the gym don’t ask you YOUR goals, talk to you about YOUR fitness level and seem generally interested in your story, move on.
2. If the gym doesn’t have an intro or on-ramp class, be wary. A good CrossFit gym will have a system for on-boarding you that slowly increases your capacity and skills so that you can effectively and safely do the work outs.
4. Follow the gyms programming for 30 days.
1. A good gym will scale your workouts (movement, weight, time) to make them challenging but safe. If you aren’t getting good direction on scaling ask (or potentially find a new gym).
2. Get two lacrosse Balls
1. Watch the mobility WOD
2. Sleep and Stress Management
1. Sleep
1. Make your room dark
1. Get rid of night lights, bright clocks or gadgets
2. Go to bed an hour earlier
3. Turn off unnecessary lights and electronics 30 – 60 minutes before bed
2. Stress
1. Take a walk tomorrow
2. Sit quietly tonight
3. Food
1. Purge your kitchen and Pantry
1. i. Remove processed foods and sugars
2. Go Shopping
1. i. By whole, natural, unprocessed foods to fill now-empty pantry
3. Cook for yourself

Not CrossFit (The First 30 Days)

1. Exercise and Recovery
1. Find local Gym(s)
1. Suggestions:
1. YMCA
2. Bally’s
3. Snap Fitness
4. 24 Hour Fitness
5. Gold’s, Powerhouse, etc.
1. Call and Investigate costs
2. Schedule intro
2. b.    Find a Personal Trainer
1. ASK QUESTIONS! If the trainer doesn’t ask you YOUR goals, talk to you about YOUR fitness level and seem generally interested in your story, move on.
2. Sleep and Stress Management
   1. Sleep
   1. Make your room dark
   1. Get rid of night lights, bright clocks or gadgets
   2. Go to bed an hour earlier
   3. Turn off unnecessary lights and electronics 30 – 60 minutes before bed
   2. Stress
   1. Take a walk tomorrow
   2. Sit quietly tonight
   1. Food
   1. Purge your kitchen and Pantry
   1. i. Remove processed foods and sugars
   2. Go Shopping
   1. i. By whole, natural, unprocessed foods to fill now-empty pantry
   3. Cook for yourself

Plans are not Action!

Plan the work, work the plan!
What?  Those lists are big and scary?  You’re right.  They’re big and long and not immediate.  We need to focus on what you can do today.  Without action your plans get you nowhere.  All these lists are one thing, but action is what counts.  Go and DO these things.

Today
1. Call a gym, Make an appointment
2. Darken your room
3. Go for a 5-10 minute walk to break up your day
4. Make your shopping list

Tomorrow
1. Assuming you didn’t rush out and go yesterday, Go to your appointment at the gym
2. Go to bed 30 Minutes early tonight (You’ll probably need it after your work out)
3. Go for a 5-10 minute walk
4. Clean out your pantry and refrigerator
5. Go Shopping and refill your pantry

The Next day
1. Go to the gym, do what your trainer tells you
2. Go to bed 30 minutes earlier, turn off the electronics at least 30 mins before bedtime
3. Go for a 5-15 minute walk today
4. Prepare your own food

After a couple weeks of “The Next Day”

1.   Re-evaluate.
1. What needs Changing?
1. Change it.
2. What’s Working
1. Keep doing it
3. What MORE can I do, now that these other things are just my normal habit?
1. Do them.
2. Lather Rinse Repeat.

Why Re-evaluate?  If you stick with this and continue to break things down, you will eventually find that your original goals aren’t relevant any more.   That’s ok.  Re-evaluation is an important piece of self-improvement, and adjusting your goals, plans and actions to coincide is a healthy and positive response.

Get Educated

It’s important to exercise your mind as well as your body during this journey.  I’ve listed here just a few things to get you started on, what I hope, will be a significant part of your overall process of re-evaluation; the gathering of new data and applying it to what you know, to how you are approaching your goals and to your success.

A little Light Reading

Exercise and Recovery

• Olympic Weightlifting: A Complete Guide for Athletes & Coaches
• CrossFit.com (Main Site)
• What is CrossFit
• CrossFit Lisbeth
• The Mobility WOD

Rest and Stress management

• Lights Out: Sleep, Sugar and Survival

Food

• My post on Paleo
• The Paleo Solution, by Robb Wolf

The class covered some Y specific content, but mostly it looked at general training principals, the structuring of a group class, and some specific content around aerobic activity based classes (not _really_ my cup of tea – more on this later). We (13 women and I), as a class, also had the opportunity to “audit” a live group class through participation. It just so happened that there was a Y-instructor lead group exercise class taking place across the hall right in the middle of our morning class time.

The class that was going on across the hall was Zumba.

Yes…Zumba. And, before the jokes fly you should know that (if there even _was_ any question) I AM the whitest white guy you know. So, get it all out..go ahead..I’ve already heard a couple of good ones. Done? Ok, moving on.

Jokes aside. I’m an improviser, a CrossFitter and all-in-all, am pretty fearless – I’ll pretty much try anything (within reason) once. Too, I feel that this falls into the CrossFit motto of ‘try and learn new sports’ (well, maybe not a sport, but…). Finally, I don’t think I, as a trainer, I have the right to turn my nose up at one activity or another, just because I don’t personally enjoy it. There were some seriously fit women (and one OTHER dude) who were regular attendees of that class, so, if Zumba is keeping them active, motivated and moving… Zumba away.

What I learned

I didn’t just (re?)learn the dance steps to Michael Jackson’s Thriller (I kid you not…), there _were_ several important take-aways for me as an aspiring trainer.

- Every Class you teach could be someone’s first

Although ALL group classes at the YMCA are considered “Drop In” classes, that is, appropriate for anyone/everyone, this was obviously NOT a Zumba 101 class – the people who were here specifically to do Zumba were here to do it with THIS trainer, it was obvious. Unfortunately, there was a SIGNIFICANT ammount of assumed knowledge that attendees were expected to have coming into the class, and very little communication from the trainer about what was going to happen and what to expect, even though I’m assuming she knew that there were a significant number (better than 50% of the class) new to the class.

It was like the Actor’s Nightmare when you show up to opening night of the musical and don’t know any of your music or dance steps. It was that bad – or, _I_ was that bad anyway.

And complex? Yeah. One of our class members actually walked out, she was so overwhelmed and lost.

Take the time at the top of your class to check in with your athletes. Know who is there, and what they’re capable of _that day_. Be out on the floor before class, as people are warming up and be ready to point out the appropriate scaling if necessary and any necessary notes on the workout.

- Teach, Lead, Watch, Listen

The instructor in this class was VERY teacher centric. It was all “WATCH ME” with no (that I saw) coaching of individuals that were having issues.

As a coach, be prepared to move throughout the class and help those having issues. An individual word, a simple cue – ANYTHING to support the floundering masses. I was impressed by the instructor’s ability to communicate a LOT of information with very few words, using her body to demonstrate and move through the choreography.

Zumba is a VERY visual cue oriented activity with a “Let the Music Move You”, “If You’re moving and Smiling, You’re Doing it Right” attitude, but if you actually want to follow along with any kind of accuracy, some _slower_ instruction would make things go a little smoother, and probably give folks a better chance at a more intense workout.

I’m sure THOSE Zumba classes exist…this just wasnt one of them. Also, I was REALLY impressed with this coach’s ability to lead such a large class at all. The room was packed (>30 people) and she still kept things moving. She was OBVIOUSLY a popular instructor and good at what she teaching, I just think the mixture of people (a large portion of whom had no idea what to expect) cramped the flow and pattern of her typical class. *shrug* I’d be interested to know her feedback on the class.

The Cult of [INSERTPASTIMEHERE]

We’ve all heard it. “CrossFit is a cult.” And then people smile and act like they’re making a joke. Listening to the ladies that were there for the Zumba class (wth their Zumba pants – complete with tassles and bells - Zumba headbands, wristbands, shirts and specialized Zumba shoes) I thought “Jesus, CrossFit has NOTHING on Zumba as far as cult status.” But that’s not funny, and it’s true about neither. People who are passionate about something, dedicate themselves to it and it’s (sub) culture. I have my CrossFit shirts, shorts and shoes (granted, they lack tassles and bells – No, Kevin Oie, you CAN’T sew some on for me, thank you), but they are no less indicative of my dedication to my chosen activity.

I think it’s great that people have that kind of conviction about physical activity. Do I think they could be doing more? Sure, if they are ONLY doing Zumba, then there is a strength component that is definitely missing, and they need to spend some time lifting heavy things. Also, some intervals in the less than 20 minute time domain will help with Anaerobic conditioning, but if it’s Zumba or the couch…”Join the party.”

Final Impressions

Zumba definitely isn’t the workout for me – and not just because I dance like a drugged bear. It could actually be an intense workout, once you actually learn all the steps to the different songs and how to modify them (depth, complexity, pace, etc). I prefer simple movements like running, push ups and, complex of the complex – The Snatch and the Clean and Jerk. But, hey, if you do it, keep on doing it. Do it as intensely as you can and make every spin, step and hip shake matter.

But now that I’ve dipped my toe into YOUR pool, I want to encourage you to c’mon out for a CrossFit class or two. While there will definitely be music, you won’t ever have to do the steps to “Thriller.” You will, however, probably meet my friends “The Squat”, “The Pull Up” or “The Burpee” in your first class; run further after a set of situps than you thought possible and maybe even catch a glimmer of why Mark Rippetoe says “The Olympic Snatch is gymnastics with a bar[bell].”

But either way, we can all learn something from doing something outside of our comfort zone, even if we only do it once…poorly, and with little rhythm or grace…

- http://www.robbwolf.com/
- http://robbwolf.com/book-resources/
- http://robbwolf.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/thePaleoSolution_QuickStart.pdf

If you read the quick start and you think “Yeah, this is cool.” Definitely pick up and read Robb’s book. It’s the go-to resource.

- http://www.amazon.com/Paleo-Solution-Original-Human-Diet/dp/0982565844

If Rob’s book tickles your inner nerd, also read his mentor, Loren Cordain’s, Book.

- http://www.amazon.com/Paleo-Diet-Weight-Healthy-Designed/dp/0470913029

If you REALLY like the technical / research side of this, you can see and read all the published research on the Paleo diet specifically (and all of the studies they reference).

- http://thepaleodiet.com/published-research/

Melissa and Dallas Hartwig of Whole9 are the people that I go to for some of my harder questions, and I have taken their seminar twice (once to do the Whole30 and once to be able to teach it to others) and they have some great articles, ideas and support for people who want to go all the way with the Paleo / Anti-inflammatory diet.

- http://www.whole9life.com/

Chrissy (Growing Up Paleo) and Sarah (Every Day Paleo) work for Robb at his Gym and have an excellent Podcast together that you should check out, along with their individual websites (as well as Sarah’s Book – Which is GREAT for an everyday, “I have Kids, too” point of view):

- http://www.growinguppaleo.com/
- http://everydaypaleo.com/
- http://www.amazon.com/Everyday-Paleo-Sarah-Fragoso/dp/098256581X

Mark’s Daily Apple (MDA) is not strictly Paleo (he likes to be called ‘Primal’) and while he doesn’t cut out all the same foods (He still allows for Grassfed Dairy), he has some great recipes and a ton of great info.

- http://www.marksdailyapple.com/

And finally, my wife recently finished her 30 day challenge , so it might be worthwhile to read her blog as she posts her thoughts and some great recipes as well.

- http://sara-thismomloves.blogspot.com/

Tomorrow the family and I pile into the car and head for Michigan for a few days of visiting.  Some would call it vacation, but those are only the people who have never gotten into the car to drive 12 hours with two children under the age of five, so we forgive them their ignorance and explain that the real vacation begins upon return, when I have another full week off to spend at home, playing with my kids and spending quality time with my wife.

Almost as important to your health as sleep, exercise and a healthy diet is family and belonging to a community.  As I’ve worked harder on this new project at work, I’ve had to be a lot farther away from my family.  Even though my time away is about the same (only a couple of hours difference, really), the stress of travel and that extra distance adds a psychic weight multiplier that makes the stress feel disproportionate to the reality.

Couple this with leaving my CrossFit family behind to travel to Florida for work, and I’ve felt several things slip.  My exercise levels have dropped significantly and my sleep lately has been suffering because of it.

It took a long time to finally feel like I was “fitting in” with the CrossFit Minnesota community (not that the people were a problem, but because I was disconnected from many of the activities, I felt welcome in the gym, but disconnected from the ‘community’ aspect at times…it’s hard to describe) and with the stress of my current role and the stress it puts on my family, the task of reintegrating to a new CrossFit community is daunting.

Interestingly enough, my diet is still pretty darn tight.  I owe my steady weight to that alone, and I don’t think it’s going to hold out much longer.

So, as I said…Mental Bullshit. 

I ordered a ton of Paleo-Road food from Steve’s Club and Amazon this week, and Sara is busy at home prepping food from our CSA, etc. for storage and to bring with us.  She really is a Hero this week.  It’s her Birthday today and she has been getting the family ready to travel single-handedly this week (hug your wives, gentlemen, they are the heroes).

I tried to get us into the Residence Inn while staying in Michigan, but they were booked solid (even with a platinum Override, I couldn’t get a room for all the nights we are going to be there) so that is going to limit a few of our food options.  The good news is, that because we’ll have family around, we’ll have access to kitchens while we’re on the road, so it’s not AS inconvenient as my current travel situation (mini-fridge and access to an old, poorly maintained gas grill).

All this being said (whined?), it will be nice to have some time away from the office to recharge and rethink my current trajectory.  It will be nice to spend some quality time with my wife, my children and the rest of my Michigan family and hopefully I can come back with a new focus, a happier wife and kids and a trucker tan.

We are driving, of course…

Look, feed your children.  Feed them the BEST food that you _can_.  Feed them the freshest food that you can, made from as little grain as possible.   Buy it as locally as possible, even grow your own.   Examine your food from a Good, Better, Best perspective. 

First, DON’T EAT GRAIN (or grain oils or legumes) avoid dairy and minimize your exposure to High Fat, Corn Fed animal products in general.  Then, take your fishoil and follow the G<B<B rules:

Good < Better < Best
Frozen (Fruits) Veggies < (Well, Marginally <) Non-Organic Fresh < Organic
Lean Corn Fed < Grass Fed < Grass Fed and Finished
Normal Eggs < Free Range < Cage Free, Free Range, NOT Vegetarian Eggs

Food is fuel, and you don’t put Diesel in a Ferrari.  If all you can do is Good, then eat good food.  Eat as high on the scale as you can afford.  Higher Quality Protein is worth more to your overall health and longevity than fruits and veggies, so use your dimes wisely toward good health.  We distribute costs by buying good food in bulk.  CSAs, cow shares and local farmer’s markets.  Through these practices we have made friends with local farmers and artisans and started to take a hand in how that food is grown and delivered.

Cost is relative.  If paying a little more money in food meant that my child didn’t have to take an inhaler anymore, I’d do it.  If it meant that I got off Lipitor, Zantac, Prednisone, RA Meds or whatever, I’d be all over it and happily spend every dime saved NOT buying drugs on more Grassfed beef, wild caught fish and local, organic produce.  If it meant that I will live longer, got to play with my kids more and play with them in sport, then it’s worth it. 

Sure, it takes longer to cook food.  We see it as an opportunity to involve our children in the rhythm of our home.  We believe that it is important for them to see the care we take in feeding them so that they will consider food with the same respect and understanding when they AREN’T in our home and make healthy decisions because of it. 

I WON’T feed my children things that I believe to be poison; things that I KNOW to have a negative impact on their behavior and health, and that I know cause them physical distress.  I won’t suggest that you to do it for my reasons.  I typically suggest that people try it for thirty days.  REALLY try it, and if it doesn’t work; if you aren’t healthier (that is, your bio-markers of health aren’t improved), go back and eat grains, legumes and dairy and forget my suggestion.  But I’ll tell you this.  My children’s behavior and health are improved, my wife’s addiction to eating is broken, her mental health improved and everything about my health is improved.  Everything.

The food might cost more in the short run (I don’t buy the argument), but the the savings speak for themselves.

More Resources
• Paleo is EXPENSIVE!!! by Robb Wolf
• Cost Effective Shopping at WholeFoods Market by Robb Wolf
• Paleo Poor: Your Guide to the Grocery Store from Whole9
• How to Eat Wild on the Cheap from Hunter-Gather
• Best [Paleo] Strategies on a budget on Paleo Hacks
• Is Junk Food Really Cheaper?, NyTimes