The Buddy System

As I work through the Insanity fitness program and eat through the Whole30 program, I am reminded again and again of the importance of the buddy system. When we were little, the buddy system helped ensure we didn't get lost or stolen, but as an adult, the buddy system helps us reach our goals and have more fun doing it!

Jason is doing the fitness program with me. It's hilarious because we are so different. He's 6'2, at or below his recommended weight, but he really struggles with the cardio aspects of the program and always complains about his quads burning. I, on the other hand, am 5'4, always above my recommended weight, and struggle most with my calves burning and holding in my core. The juxtaposition of our weaknesses is very helpful and motivating.

I have a friend in Atlanta who is accompanying me on the Whole30 program. I'm so thankful to have her support via email. She has young kids to feed too, and we face many of the same struggles. She's also a great cook and has wonderful ideas for meals!


Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up!
(Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 ESV)

P.S. Next week I'll be starting the Hello Mornings Challenge. We'll be studying 1 Peter. Go here to learn more. :)

Insanity and Whole30 - Day 5

We did Insanity this morning, and then I painted for 4 hours at a friend's house. My body is shot!

Here's the day's meals:

Breakfast - coconut milk, blueberries, and protein shake = smoothie
Snacks - clementines, almonds, "ice cream" = frozen banana with almond butter
Lunch - pot roast leftovers with salad
Dinner - grilled chicken, burst tomatoes, and roasted rutabaga - Courtesy of PreMade Paleo

Whole30 and Insanity Day 4

Cardio Recovery is totally my speed. :) Insanity still pushed us but nothing like previous days. Tomorrow it'll up the ante again though.

As to the Whole 30, here's the breakdown:

Breakfast - coconut cream (YUM), banana, almond butter, and protein powder = smoothie
Snacks - trail mix (Whole30 safe), almond butter, clementines, blueberries
Lunch - sausage, salad, blueberries (our neighbor brought us a huge amount of fresh picked ones!)
Dinner - pot roast, onions, carrots.

The roast was a heart of shoulder roast from US Wellness. Best ever! Super tender. Here's a pic from lunch:

Whole 30 and Insanity Day 3

Well we survived another workout. My nutrition is following the Whole30 plan but man, I'm a moron. I put dinner in the crockpot... and then forgot to plug it in. Doh! Thankfully I have some leftovers for me, and we can make sandwiches for the family. Today I just haven't eaten very much, which is probably okay.

Breakfast - coffee with coconut milk [Yes, I know this isn't a real meal!]
Snack - almond butter, clementines
Lunch - Uncured sausage with a cucumber, tomato and onion salad
Dinner - Leftovers again! Stew beef with onion and tomatoes

Whole30 and Insanity Day 2

Well we survived Insanity this morning but I know that I am nowhere near the intensity that I need to be at to benefit maximally from the program. The issue is twofold: I am nursing. Nursing + jumping = PAIN. Also I am just plain out of shape.

So the Whole30 meal plan of the day:

Breakfast: Egg scramble (eggs, onions, broccoli)
Snack: Almonds and raisins, Grassfed jerky
Lunch: Uncured sausage, onions and cabbage
Dinner: Sauteed zucchini with the crockpot leftovers (beef, onion, tomato, garlic) seasoned with Italian seasoning

Getting It Together

So today we started the official changes outlined here:

Jason picked up the Insanity DVDs from a craigslist seller yesterday, and we did the fit test this morning.

I was planning to start the Whole30 eating plan August 1st, but I figured I might as well start on a Monday! Breakfast this morning was a coconut milk smoothie and coffee with coconut milk in it. Coconut milk is nothing like half and half but loads better than black coffee.

So we woke up before the kids this morning, exercised, did family worship, and ate according to the Whole30 plan. Now to get to the FlyLady/housekeeping goals... not my favorite but necessary.

One final note, we did get on the scale (scary!) but we won't do it again for a full month. I'll let you know how it goes.

Edit: Food for Day 1:

Breakfast: Coconut milk smoothie (milk, ice, protein powder)
Snack: Sliced almonds with raisins
Lunch: Grassfed beef hamburger with chopped cucumber and grape tomatoes
Dinner: Crockpot -> stew beef (grassfed), tomatoes, onions, and garlic

Whole30 Meal Idea: Sausage and Green Beans

One of the challenges of eating clean is providing food that works for the needs of the whole family. I tend to be easy to cook for; I simply cook what I like to eat or whatever I'm in the mood for that day. The kids are not especially picky, but they do have strong opinions about what they eat.

Last week, I hit a home run with an extremely simple idea. I browned uncured sausage until it was nearly done; then I added a full bag of frozen french cut green beans to the same skillet. By the time the beans were ready, they had taken on a wonderful flavor from the sausage. I served the sausage and green beans over roasted Yukon gold potatoes to the kiddos. I did use some awesome olive oil Mom brought back from Italy on the potatoes. There's nothing like fresh olive oil!

For the perfectly Whole30 version, you could serve it with onions and cabbage, riced cauliflower, or on top of a fresh green salad.

The dish harkens back to a favorite dish from our time in China: Gan Bian Su Ji Dou. Maybe next time I fix it for Jason and me I'll bring the Sichuan heat!

Making Some Changes

My talents lie in creating, planning, and not so much in execution, so here I am at the age of 32 with many, many areas of my life that need improvement. Accountability is a key component of my successes. I don't know if I was born that way or trained to it by school report cards, but regardless of the reasons why, I seem to be unable to sustain changes in my life on my own. The internet is providing many resources to help me grow in areas of current weakness.

Starting August 1st, I'll be doing a Whole30. I've eaten this way off and on for a couple of years. I've never been dairy-free for a month though, so I'll have to get creative on that front. I'll be sharing some of my meal planning efforts as well. I have a good friend on-board with me, so she'll get all the nitty gritty details that may not make it to the public sphere. :)

I just signed up for a Hello Mornings group, an accountability group to help motivate me to spend time reading the Bible in the morning before the kids get up. I've been following Inspired to Action for a few years but I've never joined up. 

I read Mark's Daily Apple for inspirational stories of people changing their diets and lives for the better through food and exercise. 

I've been getting FlyLady emails for YEARS, as in 8 or more years, but I've never been consistent in following her plans. Since we'll be opening our home up more often, I am hoping to establish a better cleaning routine going forward.

Jason and I did p90X together before I was pregnant with Emily and before my dad passed away last year. Doing it together was great because usually one of us wanted to do the workout, even if the other didn't. Eventually the results were enticing enough to keep us on track. I don't think that I have time to do p90X these days; Emily is still very tiny. But I'm going to incorporate some of this workout into my life.

So that's where I am at. May the Lord bless my plans and efforts!