One Week In: Insanity and Whole30

A few reflections on Insanity one week in:

It's so much easier now. Muscle memory helps, and I can definitely feel myself lasting longer and pushing harder, though perhaps a bit too hard today. I like Sean T as an instructor. He thinks everything is "very important" which can get to me, but overall he cues at just the right time to remember to keep your core tight and things like that.

Whole30 has been tough. I felt ill this weekend but I think it was coconut related. Too much coconut can really do a number on the digestive system. I've dialed it back significantly and felt much better. I'm not weighing until the Whole30 is over but I feel like I've already lost some weight. I definitely have had less headaches.

Breakfast: uncured sausage with sauteed bell peppers and mushrooms
Snack: Trailmix
Lunch: Thai Chicken Coconut Soup from Pre-Made Paleo
Dinner: Chicken with steamed veggies

Improvements to the House

Moving to Oregon cost a lot of money. I don't recommend moving across the country with a family of six unless it's absolutely necessary. But the amazing thing is that once you move into a new house, there's more things to spend your money on. Not being made of money, we're making changes bit by bit. Two weeks ago we put up curtains in the two bedrooms (yes, we have two bedrooms for six people at the moment). Last night and this morning we put up shades on our skylights and on our french doors. It made a huge difference.

These doors go from our living room into the kids room. We previously had an old sheet blocking the windows. Classy, I know. So this look is much improved.

We're hoping to transform our 10 x 13 bathroom/laundry room into two bathrooms. One will be a 3-piece bathroom with a new vanity, mirror, and toilet but utilizing the existing shower. That bathroom will be approximately 5 x 10. The larger bathroom will use the existing toilet and vanity, but we'll have to install a bathtub and plumbing for the sink. It'll be a good bit of work, but 2 bathrooms is a necessity.

The other major project will be out in the garage. We have what amounts to a 2+ car garage. On the + side, we'll add a utility/laundry room (about 5 x 9.5) and a bedroom (there is an existing window). The finished bedroom will be about 11 x 12. It will serve as Alex's bedroom. He's going to share but we haven't determined which sibling he'll share with. That bedroom will also be our guest bedroom. For now we plan to keep the rest of the garage so we'll be able to park two car inside for the winter.

Speaking of winter, the other major addition we need to make is to purchase a pellet stove. Since we have cold, wet winters, the stove is a great economical choice as it naturally dehumidifies as it heats. 

Other than that, we need to stain and seal the deck and fence, repaint the guide rail along the deck, weed the yard... yeah there's a lot to do. 

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

Update On The Real Emily - 4 Months

Emily is doing well and growing like a weed. Her outfit today expresses it well:

She is 90th percentile in height, weight AND head size as of her last doctor appointment (and you better believe that episode is going to make a great story!). She is also chilling out on a beautiful quilted sit-upon made by my mother. Those triangles are flaps that little fingers can grab, and some of those squares are as small as 1cm! This quilt was a lot of work, and we are so appreciative. Emily says, Thank you Gigi!

Adventures of Emily part 3

Day 136: My mission of observation and sabotage is going better than we anticipated. As my body grows acclimated to this new environment, I can feel my strength growing. A key component of my observation tactic is to take full advantage of meal times. My captors foolishly lift me to a higher elevation while they administer the nectar. Though initially I can only focus on the delicious food, as I become less starved, I utilize every muscle in my body to gain a 360 degree observational area. This activity greatly displeases my jailer (indeed she cries out as if in pain), but I doubt she can fully comprehend the significance of my endeavors. Please annotate our manuals so that our trainees can be sure to follow my lead in this area.