A-ADD

So I had what one might call an epiphany not to long ago.  I got on this kick that I was going to do a triathlon, and keep doing crossfit at the same time (it's doable).  But then I wasn't working out at all.... I knew something was off, but I couldn't put my finger on it, I kept looking for new, bigger, faster, fancier...  Then it dawned on me, I was suffering from some serious Athletic Attention Deficit Disorder (A-ADD).  I didn't have a focus in my crossfit training, and I had a new fancy road bike.  So I got into cycling.  I finished a 100km bike ride.  That was great, I was certainly proud of myself.  I'm not sure what clicked, but I realized I don't want to do a triathlon.... I love crossfit, and to do triathlon justice I would have to back way off of the crossfit and spend lots of time running and learning to swim again, and that did not excite me.  If I'm not excited I'll never get it done....  Also,  I've been wanting to get my level 1 crossfit certification for a long time now, and just wasn't able to put it together (time and money). I was getting frustrated not seeing my crossfit goal come together.  Frankly, I was lost.

So I spent some time re-evaluating my goals.  I was awarded a grant from Team Racing 4 Veterans to cover the expenses of getting my level 1 certification. I really LOVE crossfit, I want to be good at it.  I get that I'll never be a Crossfit Games competitor and that's ok!  I can love it, and I can share my love coaching it.  I love being strong, and I'm coming to terms with the fact that I'm not much of a runner/endurance type athlete, again totally ok.  I realized I do need a goal to keep me focused though, so I'm looking for new goals.  Getting my level 1 is goal #1!  Now I think goal number 2 (and 3) are a Spartan Sprint and a GoRuck Light Challenge in May 2014.  I'm definitely signing up for Spartan (when we get a little closer).  I've been advise that GoRuck is way better with a team you trust, so my buddy Karl and I have started talking about finding a few more folks  to build a team and train for GoRuck together.

In addition to that I've started my own business as a Beachbody coach called Whole Body Health (or find me here on facebook).  I love fitness, I love helping others, and I really do believe in Beachbody products, so it's an amazing opportunity to help others get healthy.  I'm hoping somewhere along the way I get the chance to combine crossfit and Whole Body Health as a career as I moved forward in married life and having kids.

So yeah, I've kind of been all over the map.  But I feel like I am getting back on top now.  I've been killing my work outs the last few weeks, and I am getting married in less than 2 weeks.  All new things lay on my horizon and it is scary and amazing!

Been a while

Guess I better update!

I've been a bit lazy about exercise, no good excuses just lame justifications....  But I did participate in my first ever Dirty Dash and it was a blast!  My friend Errin had the idea months ago and supposedly we had a big group of gals signing up.  When it came to the day it was just Errin and me, and we did it!    We walked pretty much the whole course, but we took on and completed every muddy obstacle they threw at us.  I had sworn to myself I'd never do the mud run/obstacle course events cause they make me so anxious (you really can't know what you've gotten yourself into til your there...).  But I'm glad I did, and I will do more.

Also, we had our annual NAMI Bike Ride.  It was fabulous!  Great weather, lots of riders, and a great BBQ afterward.  I rode the 20 mile route and raised about $700 for our office.  Next years event is going to be even bigger and better!

I was thinking about a duathlon in fall, but the company that hosts it closed.  There doesn't seem to be any word of whether it will still happen or not.  I should start taking training a bit more seriously just in case it still is on.  But we'll see.  It's on the same day as my gym's big competition and I love reffing for that event.  Either way I need to figure out my slump and get to working out...

One Helena Hundred Ride Report

Turns out this was the truth.

I got a road bike in February, fell in love with it, and signed up for a Century ride...  Fortunately for me the event I signed up for had metric century, 100k or 62 miles.  Saturday was the day.  I was super nervous and maybe a little undertrained.  PJ was originally signed up to ride with me, but because of the details of life he wasn't able to train at all so he decided not to ride and worked as my awesome sherpa.

Sherpa #1

Sherpa #2

We headed up to Cascade around 7:00am, got signed in, and hit the road.   There was no start time, just a rough start point to roll out from.  I kind of liked not starting with a group, it allowed me to pick my pace, but also freaked me out because I was totally afraid of getting lost the entire time...

Before

The weather was absolutely perfect, the first 20 miles felt pretty great.  There were rest stops every 10ish miles and after stop one I got roped in by 3 people from Helena.  I told them this was all brand new to me, and they spent some time teaching my how to draft and running in my first ever pace line.  It was a blast, but unfortunately they were moving a bit fast for me so I dropped off after a few miles.

Things starting getting a bit hotter and the negative thoughts started to creep in around the 30 mile turn around.  I knew physically I could do this, but my brain would be my demise if I let it.  I was slow, I got passed A LOT.  By mile 40 I was the LAST person, not by far though, every time I pulled into a rest stop there were a handful of folks there.  The last 20 miles were pretty brutal both physically and emotionally.  Before Saturday the longest I had ever ridden was 40 miles.  I kept reminding myself I'm brand new to road biking, it was my ride and it didn't matter where I finished simply that I finished, and to be grateful to have a body that let me move along such a beautiful road.

Over all it was probably the slowest Metric Century in US history, 5:36:30 was my total time for the day.  When I finally saw PJ at the very end I broke down in tears, I was so happy and proud that I had set this goal, and finished it.  I also was ready to be off that bike! My bum, hips, and shoulders were done with me and done with being on the bike, but I did it!  

I am pleasantly surprised that I am not sore today.  I'm tired (very tired!) and I feel there is no gas in the tank, but I was bracing myself for pain when I got up and there was none.  (I swear EnduroPacks is part of that!)

I learned:

• I really needed more hours on the bike.  It's not just being fit, it's being used to having my butt in that saddle.
• Being a good squatter and having big thighs (thanks crossfit) helps make those hills happen.
• Positive self-talk is really real.  Everytime I let the bad crap in I started to hate the ride and think about quitting, but I'd start the cheesy positive self talk, and I'd be moving right along again.
• I'm pretty dialed on fueling, but I need to drink more water, I let me self dehydrate a bit early on I think.
• My fiance and puppy make amazing sherpas.
• And lastly, I learned I'm pretty freaking awesome if I set my mind to it.

The very last photo snapped before I crawled off of the bike.

First ever "race" report

About a month ago I got a wild hair to sign up for a 5k.  So I signed up for the 4th of July Freedom Run.  Not a big deal in the grand scheme of things.  But this is the farther I've run since getting out of the military over 5 years ago.  And I've never ran in an organized event like this.  I went into it with no running specific training, just my usual crossfit training.  Basically my goal was to not stop moving forward.  So, I did not run the whole thing, there was walking.  But I finished it.  My goal was 45 minutes.  I finished in 43:40.  It's a start :)  I've changed my training schedule, and plan on doing another 5k in October, so we'll see...

Either way, I got out there on the 4th of July wearing my Team RWB shirt, and finished my first ever 5k.  I'm proud.

Team Red, White, & Blue Functional Fitness Camp

A week or so ago I got the amazing opportunity to travel to Virgina for a functional fitness camp with Team Red, White, & Blue.  There were 50 veterans from all over the US and a bunch of phenomenal coaches.  I was super excited before even flying out because I knew I would be training at Crossfit Rubicon which is one of those gyms you always see in crossfit news, and I knew I was going to get the chance to meet a crossfitter that inspires me on a regular basis (Jason Sturm).  What I didn't expect was how much I would learn, and how many other amazing individuals I would meet.

Team RWB Funtional Fitness Camp 2013 at Crossfit Rubicon

I flew in Thursday evening, my shy side got the better of me and I hung to the back at dinner.  I found my roommate who had zero functional fitness experience but was a super excited and outgoing former Marine, and we hit it off right away.

Friday we headed over to Crossfit Rubicon for camp to really begin.  We had classes on squatting, goal setting, mobility, and dead lift.  We finished the day with a team workout (which team 4, my team, dominated).  Saturday was overhead progression (press, push press, push jerk, overhead squat), more mobility with Dr. Larson, the clean, and wrapped the day up with the "21 Gun Salute" workout. 

On one hand I would say I didn't learn a lot that was new to me, but on the other hand I learned so much and haven't really stopped thinking about it all.  It was great to train with different coaches and to better understand the how and why's about their gyms.  I got to watch new athletes discover crossfit, I got to see people without limbs adapt and overcome, I got to see veterans come together and cheer on every last individual through their workouts.

Dale and Derick were the coaches I primarily worked with.  They challenged me, a lot (and yes, I was listening even if it didn't seem like it).  I realized it's been a long time since I focused on the basics.  I can squat and I can clean, but what happens if I move my feet in an inch? or pull myself 2 degrees further over the bar?  I realized that my technique has gotten sloppy and it's no one's fault but my own.  I have learned to just survive my workouts, but not to be conscious or to push myself through them. I've just been going through the motions.  I've been stuck on my plateau for a while, and now I see why.

I am renewed.  I have changed my training schedule to include time for warm ups, mobility, technique, and my wod.  I owe it to myself. I realized that I need to be more present and conscious both in the gym and in my life, and to keep attacking.

So thank you to Team RWB for giving me this opportunity.  Thank you to all the coaches for giving your time and energy to teach. Thank you to all the friends I made, you remind me why being around other veterans is important, and that we all have garbage to over come, I'm not alone in that.

Yes!

In 27 days I am doing a metric century (100km or 62 miles).  Couple weeks ago I did a 35 mile ride that ended in a horrid experience of bonking and really made me question my ability to do the up coming century.

Today all that doubt was cleared up. I'd been having quite a bit of pain in my hand and shoulder (on my injured side).  Everyone kept telling me it was part of getting use to being on a road bike.  My friend Jillian had recently posted in her blog about bike fit and pain.  So I followed her lead and took my bike in to the shop.  The mechanic and I chatted, I sat on my bike, we tried a new stem extension, and chatted some more.  We made a plan for getting my bike adjusted.  As the mechanic sat on my bike he finally said something was wrong with my set up, but he couldn't put a finger on it.  He looked and looked, and finally realized that my handlebars and the gear/brake mechanism had been installed wrong so my handlebars and hoods were in a catiwampus angle.  He fixed that.

Today I road 40 mile (longest ride to date!) and NO pain!!!  On top of the good news of no pain I felt so much more stable on my bike, especially as I got going fast.  I also nailed my nutrition and hydration.  Today gave me the confidence that I am completely capable of doing a 62 mile ride in a few weeks.  I also finally had one of those rides that reminded me of being a kid on my bike.  It was fun and freeing!  I'm tired, but I feel fabulous and I am so freaking proud of myself at this moment for continuing to push myself to train and to get so far out of my comfort zone.

Looking forward to my next ride already!

The Rims - Getting close to home

Lessons in bonking and sunscreen

Today I learned: Don't bonk and Do wear sunscreen

I ventured out for what is my longest ride to date.  My mission was to get a good long training ride in preparation for my upcoming metric century.  I didn't care so much what the mileage was, but more that I spent 3 hours in the saddle with pedals turning. And I accomplished that over the course of 35 miles.

I've never done endurance sports til now, so it's interesting to have so much time alone in my head.  3 hours of riding is a very different beast then 15 minutes of Crossfit (and I love them both for that).  I've gotten a little frustrated with myself my last few rides, so I decided I needed a different mind set for this one, than something dawned on me.  I've spent many hours on a bike in the course of my life. But only in the last couple months have I been on a road bike.  Maybe I'm the only one that feels this way, but too me I feel like I am learning to ride all over again.  The bike responds to differently (and more dramatically) than a mountain bike and that has been intimidating.  So today instead of watching speed, cadence, and distance I road what felt safe and comfortable and practice things like getting my water bottle and looking back to check traffic.  I didn't push myself to go fast, I just let myself get cozy with my bike. It was the ride I've needed for awhile, and the mentality I need to maintain for a while longer while I keep learning.

I love riding if only so I can justify snacking on these delicious vanilla Honey Stinger waffles.

Unfortunately I shorted myself on fuel (snacks) and bonked in the last few miles before the house.  I made it home, but I thought I was going to be sick when I got home.  That was icky and no fun.  But a banana, gatorade, protein shake, and a nap and I'm feeling much better.

Endurance is a whole new beast, and I will not let it intimidate me.  I just need more snacks and some sunblock, then the world is mine!

The PTSD still lurks

Post Traumatic Stress is a fluid part of my life.  I am at a place where some days I can forget about it for a time, and other days it sneaks up on me.  A couple of days ago was the horrific bombing in Boston at the finish line of the Boston Marathon.  I watch the news for hours.  I looked through tons of photos on the internet, taking in the aftermath.  I even chatted for a while with a law enforcement friend about the device used, and what that likely says about the perpetrator.  Use to be that kind of media, violence, and graphic footage would put me in a tail spin and ultimately trigger a panic attack.  This time it didn't.   I marveled at the human spirit of those that ran into the chaos to provide care, and I shuttered at the devastation of life and limb and blood in the streets. 

But here, 2 days later, I feel the PTSD lurking, even peeking over my shoulder today.  I spent too much time looking at the news on Monday, and today the subject still hasn't gone away.  I'm edgy, overwhelmed, and tired.  I've been in the blast radius before.  And my heart aches for every person that was in that blast radius on Monday.  I feel for their families, knowing the road that lies ahead of them.  I want to reach out to everyone of them.  Hug them and tell them it will be okay.

The victims and families of Monday's attack have a long journey ahead. With both physical and emotional wounds deeper than they may even realize yet.  I want to say it's all ok and it all goes away.  But that's a lie in a way.  It doesn't go away.  It gets easy, more manageable, and not so in-your-face.  But I find that to this day, 9 years after I was caught in the blast radius, that the PTSD still lurks ever so often peeking over my shoulder to remind me of its presence.  And I still have hope that someday it will truly be gone.

What's Next?

I definitely learned a lot about myself during that sugar detox.  So I'm trying to keep some of that in mind as the weeks go on.  I've looked for some less sugar sweets in the evening (dark chocolate!)  And try hard to avoid treats during the day as well.  I'm still toying with gluten, and so far gluten seems to win ever time.  I had gluten-free mac & cheese, no problem.  I had a regular pasta dinner from my favorite restaurant and felt super sick after dinner.  I am slowly coming to terms with the idea that I should just stay gluten-free.  After many years of being a baked-goods-aholic this is a scary notion to me.

As for the rest of it.  I am making a commitment to myself that I am going to do the One Helena Hundred Century Ride in July.  It will be my first century, so I have a few months to get ready.  Two weeks after that is the NAMI Ride which I've supported for a few years now at the 5 or 10 mile ride.  This year I'm doing the 33 mile loop.  Those are my big goals for this summer.  I'd look at more, but with the wedding in September I don't want to put to much on my plate.  

And I know it's kind of far out to be planning, but that's how I role, I definitely want to stay up with training through the winter so I can either do several centuries next summer, or MAYBE even try my hand at triathlons (gasp!).  We'll see as we get through this summer, but I am friends with some amazingly inspiring people (one in particular) and I find myself drawn to the challenge of a triathlon.

So tonight I get my new bike computer set up and a few tweets to my fit on the bike.  And tomorrow it's game on!

21 Day Sugar Detox - Mission Accomplished!

Today is day 21, and I am done!  I did have a few slips/cheats through out the weeks, and by the last week I went back to having a glass of red wine in the evening, and I won't lie I am looking forward to a sweet treat tonight, but I definitely learned a lot:  

• I learned that I feel better emotionally and physically without grain or sugar.  
• I better tolerate being tired.
• I don't have blood sugar crashes that leave me starving, shaky, and annoyed.  
• I sleep great (though that wasn't a huge issue before)
• I feel that I have more stamina for my workouts, and am getting better performance.
• I am an emotional eater.  When I was tired, upset, or just kind of blue I wanted junk food, especially bakery type goods.

I lost 5 pounds, 2 inches off my waist and 1/2 inch off my hips.  I definitely feel leaner and closer to where I like to be aesthetically.  I didn't have any bloated or "fat" days which was very nice.  The photo differences aren't huge, but considering it was only 21 days, I can't complain.

 

Going forward my goal is to stay more on the paleo end of things (90/10), and to stay away from wheat/gluten.  I'm also going to look into some allergy testing out of curiosity sake.  I had allergy attacks on days that I had slip ups which makes me curious if I have more of an allergy issue.  But I concluded that regardless I definitely am gluten intolerant.  When I want to eat for emotional reasons I need to pick fats and proteins instead of donuts and cupcakes, and I need to be more aware of the temptations and mindless eating throughout the day.  

It's not a surprise to most people that the standard American diet isn't very good for us, I just don't think many folks really see how bad things are, and the unhealthy habits and emotions we have around food and our bodies.  All-in-all it was a worth while experience that I would recommend to everyone and I'm glad I stuck it out.

 

Two Weeks DONE!

Ops, didn't realize I'd gone all week without a post…  Well, I'm 2/3 of the way through my detox and feeling good.  I haven't weighed myself, going to wait til the very end.  But I can tell I am leaning back out, especially in the tummy region.  My skin is healthier looking and feeling.  And my energy is great.  It's been a demanding and emotional week at work, and I've been tired, but I still feel like I can think straight and keep moving forward.  Used to be a week like this and I'd be so overwhelmed I'd cry myself to sleep every night.  I've managed to get in a crossfit workout and a bike ride.  Both were tough, but felt good, and my recovery/next day sore was much less than I expected.

This week was mostly uneventful, I didn't prep very good at the beginning of the week, so I was scrambling a bit every day which may things difficult.  Ended up eating lots of yogurt, almond butter, and eggs….  On Wednesday I had an interesting experience.  My whole day was completely thrown out of whack by a kiddo in crisis (as to be expected working in counseling with teenagers)  But the time I got them taken care of and got to my evening class I had not had a chance to get food (as I had previous planned to do) so I ate what was there, and it was all wheat based stuff.  About an hour after eating I had a huge allergy attack: itchy eyes and skin, sneezing, running nose, etc.  It got so bad I had to take some Benadryl to keep from clawing my eyes out.  I know I'm allergic to a bunch of things, but I can't think of any of those things that I was exposed to in that time frame…  So I'm wonder if now that my system is clear of wheat/gluten that's what triggered the reaction.  I'm going to test this theory again in a week or so.  Or maybe get the allergy testing that I've been planning on getting for the last 2 years...

Yesterday morning I flat out cheated and had some syrup on my detox friendly pumpkin spice pancakes.  I won't lie, it was so delicious!  And I don't feel guilty about it.  :)

The biggest realization I've had over the last week is just really how much crap I use to eat.  Every where I turn at work is a bucket of candy or a box of donuts, and I'd eat them. If I'm in a hurry or tired, I resort to junk food.  I am an emotional eater more than I truly realized.  When I'm dragging ass tired, or feeling depressed and frustrated, I grab a donut and a bottle of juice.  The sugar rush makes everything feel better for a minute, but ultimately I'm still exhausted and depressed at the end of the day.  But when I took the 2 extra seconds to stuff my face with protein and healthy fats, I felt better at that moment and had to energy to keep moving forward.  Water and good fat (mostly avocado's this week) almost always cleared up my headaches.

I am an impulsive and emotional eater and I am going to have to move forward being much more aware of that.

The only chocolate I need in life
....that's a lie, I need dark chocolate....
My favorite bit of milk chocolate!

One Week DONE!

I am just about finished with week one of my 21 day sugar detox.  Things are continually getting better.  My energy is great, my brain feels clear, all-in-all I just feel like things are working better.  Last night was a girl's night out with the ladies from the gym.  Before heading out for the night I made a conscious, pre-planned decision about how to get through the night.  I decided that I would stick with a good clean dinner (steak, broccolini, and a potato), but I would allow myself 1 drink (gin and tonic).  That way I wasn't trying to make decisions on the fly with temptations sitting right in front of me.  It worked perfect!  I decided not to go with the ladies for more drinks after dinner since I wasn't drinking, I felt that would totally push my limits on temptation at this point.  I am still craving junk food, it's getting less, but this morning I was dreaming about a maple bar….

There is a part of me that is saying "hey, you proved you can live without sugar.  Have a treat."  I find myself trying to talk myself out of finishing the detox, which is exactly why I needed to do the detox.  I can too easily cave and justify bad food choices.  I think physically this next week will go much better, but emotionally may be tougher.  Got to see it through, only 14 days left.

 

In other news, I have been wanting to get into road biking for quite sometime.  PJ is big into it, and I'd love to share some riding time with him.  So we've talked for sometime about getting me a road bike.  Yesterday we bit the bullet and I got a new bike.  It is so fabulous!!  I got a Trek Madone 3.1 WSD.  Unfortunately yesterday it was snowing and crappy so I couldn't take it for a ride.  But today was beautiful; 45 degrees and sunny, so I suited up and hit the road.  Wow! The road bike is so responsive and light compared to years on a mountain bike.  It will take a little getting use to, but I loved it.  I can see myself putting a lot of miles on that bike.  PJ and I are still debating on signing up for either a metric century in Helena or the Bike MS ride this year.  I'm ready for some real spring weather so I can really go!

Day 3 and 4… Starting the up swing.

I've made it through 2 more days successfully.  Yesterday I struggled with my stomach really aching after every meal, Kombucha settled it down, so I'm thinking it was gut bacteria's die-off (common when people get away from the standard American diet).  Stomach's feeling better today, but sticking with Kombucha and some plain yogurt with a dash of cinnamon, all things to help heal a leaky gut.  On top of the stomach pain, I was pretty dang tired all day and went to bed early, but slept great.  And I've been freezing cold….

Today all of that is getting better.  No stomach pain today, still really tired, but my brain feels more clear.  And I managed to stay warm with a little effort.  Although today I was craving some junk food bad!  It hit me hard about 1:00, I was dragging ass and just kept thinking about how peppy a candy bar or soda would make me feel…. I had some black tea and yogurt instead.  Oh, and a fabulous trip to the chiropractor made me feel so fresh and new.  Also I even got a workout tonight (workouts having been suffering the last few weeks).  PJ and I got a bike trainer for Christmas, so I finally got around to my first ride on the trainer, just a short 35 minutes, but it's a start.  Feeling good now and looking forward to curling up in bed soon.

 

So in case you're still wondering what the heck this Kombucha is that I keep talking about..  It's fermented tea.  Fermented foods of all types have lots of great bacteria in it.  Kombucha has a bit of a rough smell to it, but is actually really yummy and comes in a wide variety of flavors.  Fermented foods help heal our guts, which is good for our energy, our immune system, and our overall wellbeing, (Here's a list of good things it can do) so I can have my tea and feel good too.  So the next time you can't shake that icky tummy feeling I would highly recommend you grab a bottle to sip.

 

17 Days to Go!  Bring it on!

Day 2: Bone broth FAIL

I made a big pot of bone broth last night with the intention of having a cup of the wholesomeness every morning with breakfast.  It turned out awful….  Flavor was ok, but it was like drinking hot coconut oil…  all slimy/oily.  I couldn't drink it.  I talked to some folks on various paleo website to confirm that's not right, it should be broth-like when warmed. So I may try again, may not.  I mostly was going to drink it for the benefits in healing the gut.  Instead today I got some Kombucha.

Day 2 of my 21 day sugar detox:  As for today I was starting to feel the lack of sugar.  I was super tired most of the day.  I expect the next day or two to be kind of rough as my body stops having sugar to burn and starts burning fat.  But I've got lots of good food around, so there are no excuses not to stay on course.  

*Photo doesn't show everything I ate, but most of it.  Not included in the photo is a paleo muffin, Kombucha, and plain yogurt with cinnamon and vanilla.

Day 1 of the 21 Day Sugar Detox

1 day down of the 21 Day Sugar Detox (level 3).  Ate lots of yummy food, prepped shredded chicken, bacon, and eggs for the week.  And have a pot of bone broth cooking.  Feeling like this is doable, but prepping is going to be the key.  I feel good today, which I figured day 1 wouldn't be too tough.  A bit of a headache this afternoon, but I drank a bunch of water and laid down with the puppy and that solved it.

I am making a slight modification (cheat?) for the first few days.  Level 3 allows for a green apple or green tipped banana per day, but I have a pint of GORGEOUS fresh blueberries that I didn't get finished this weekend and a couple kiwi's.  So I'm going to stick with 1 serving of fruit still, but enjoy what I have til it's gone.

Did you miss why I started this craziness? See the first post here.

Food photomontage!  (Haven't had dinner yet, leftover stir fry from last night)

 

21 Day Sugar Detox

It's time for me to admit that I have a problem.  I am addicted to sugar.  There I said it.  I love everything sweet, I love breads, pastas, pastries, all that refined sugar carb-y goodness.  

But I also know it's not good for me.  I mean that not in the sense that it's unhealthy (which most of it is) I mean that in the sense that the more sugar, carbs, grains I eat the crappier I feel.  My joints hurt, I get headaches, foggy brained, and sooo tired and grumpy.  My blood sugar crashes and all the sudden I am starving, weak, nauseous, and shaky.  And I don't like the soft spots on my body.  I've played some with paleo nutrition and gluten-free nutrition.  Both did good things for the way I felt physically and in my brain.  And yet I continue to eat the crap food that I know is bad.

So I've decided that starting February 18th, 1 week from today, I am going to try a 21 Day Sugar Detox challenge.  NO sugar for 21 days, including fruit, grains, artificial sweeteners, none of it.  Getting clean of sugar is something I've wanted to do for a long time, but I'm always scared and make excuses. So now I'm putting it on the Interwebs for everyone to see, so I have to hold myself accountable.  ekk!  I'm hoping this gives me a great break/jumping off point for maintaining a good clean paleo lifestyle afterwards.

I want more out of myself, so it's time to stop cheating myself for instant (and short lived) satisfaction.