Looking Back

As I look back and reflect on 2012, I can't believe how far I have come!  In 2012, I discovered Paleo.  It started with food and ended up being so much more.  I started Paleo to change my body and found that my mind changed also.  What started as a diet, changed into a lifestyle.  Yes, the changes in my body were wonderful but the changes in my mind were even better.  I became happy.  It is hard to describe because I have always been an easy going happy person.  But, when I took out grains and sugar, my mood was so much better.  I found myself talking to people I didn't know (I have always been very shy), and just being more friendly and outgoing. I cared more.

I decided to take a leap and start my own Paleo page called Butterflies, Peace, Paleo.  I started this page thinking I would share with my friends what I was doing without clogging up my personal page with pictures of food and all the "crazy" stuff I was doing.  To my surprise, only a handful of my friends have liked my page.  I was a little hurt at first but decided to carry on.  As my page grew, I started getting nervous.  What if people realized I don't really know what I am doing?  Ha, ha!   What if they asked me a question I couldn't answer?  At first, I posted on my page what I thought people would like but as I grew, I realized I had to be me.  So, I post things that I like in hopes others will like it too.  I have had a few unlikes, but that's ok.  Not everyone likes the same things and I try not to take things personally.  I am really having fun with my page and never imagined it would grow to over 700 followers.  That is crazy!

I have learned so much the past year.  I attended the Balanced Bites seminar by Diane Sanfilippo and Liz Wolfe which was amazing!  I have listened to hundreds of Paleo podcasts.  Have read tons of books by various Paleo authors, and I have learned just by doing.  I have also been able to connect with other pages and found their is a whole community of us!  How cool!

So, all in all, 2012 was a great year! I am so thankful for everything and everyone in my life!   I am looking forward to an bigger and better 2013.

Happy New Year!

Doing Too Much

Back in 2008 I decided to do the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer.  This is a two-day, 39.3 mile walk where each walker raises $1800.  A good friend had recently been diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer and I wanted to do something in her honor.   I trained for it and had a great time.  Not long after, a friend told me if I could walk 26.2 miles in one day, I could run a 1/2 marathon.  It seemed like a daunting task since I was not a runner but the race was in Las Vegas so I decided to give it a go.  I started my training and ran a few short races before the big day.  The big day came and I had a blast!  No, I did not run the whole thing but I felt good for finishing.  Through my training my weight stayed the same, no loss no gain.  In the next two years, I ran 4 1/2 marathons, did the Avon Walk every year and still trained in Taekwondo.  What happened the next two years was... I gained 20 pounds.  It crept on slow and steady.  I could not figure out why.  When I look back, I realize that for two years, I was always training for something.  No rest for my body.  I finally got sidelined with plantar fasciitis and took 4 months off from running.  During those 4 months I felt better each month and the weight started to come off.  During this is when I found Paleo and that really helped me learn that my body needs rest.  I was pushing to hard for me.  Now, I have friends who are runners and they are in great shape but I have decided to hang up my hat on the long distance running. It was just too much for my body. I do have several 5k's planned for the fall (Dirty Girl Mud Run- http://www.godirtygirl.com/ and Color Me Rad) which should be a lot of fun.  I still train in Taekwondo and do Crossfit one day a week.  I usually do take off 2 days each week so my body can recover.  I feel rest and recovery do my body good!

Summer 2011-Summer 2012

It all started with a picture.  I was on vacation and used that as an excuse to eat anything and everything.  I remember feeling horrible the whole trip, bloated, fat and miserable.  When we got home, I looked through my pictures and saw one that just made me cry.  Who was this person?  This was not a healthy, happy person.  I had to do something but what?  I worked out everyday, I ate a "healthy standard american" diet.  Why was I so bloated and miserable?  One day, I came across the Paleo Diet on the internet.  Meat, veggies, healthy fats, some fruits, nuts and seeds.  It seemed so easy but where were the carbs?  How would I have energy for my workouts if I didn't eat bread and pasta?  I started eating less carbs and sugar and then Christmas came and I got lost again.  You see, I am a sugar addict.  For me, there is no such thing as one bite.  One bite turned into months of only eating sugar and feeling sick most of the time.  I finally did Diane Sanfilippo's 21 Day Sugar Detox.  The first two weeks were really hard.  It was almost like I had the flu, now I know I was detoxing from sugar.  After the first two weeks, things changed drastically.  The fog lifted.  I woke up one morning and realized, I am HAPPY!

Getting off sugar and grains was so much more than losing weight.  I feel like a new person and I want to shout it from the rooftops how wonderful I feel.  I want to help others feel the happiness that I feel.  When my 21 days were over, I continued for 90 days.  After the 90 days, I did have a paleo treat or two but I don't have them very often anymore.  I took my before and after 90 day pictures and I could not believe the difference.  I try not to weigh very often because I don't want the scale to dictate my mood.   I now workout harder than ever.  I train in Taekwondo and Crossfit and love every minute.  My energy soars!