Suspension

I will be suspending writing on the blog, because I will now be blogging on CrossFit Portland Girls new blog. Check it out!

Ay! Cindy!

Getting back into the swing of things this weekend took it’s toll. I am so sore. We deadlifted heavy on Wednesday and then it was time for a nice romp with Cindy on Friday. But I did pretty well, I got 16 rounds.

My main accomplishment this week was 20 kip swings in a row. Definitely a sign that my shoulder is almost 100%. Woohoo!

Detoxing After the Fun

Detoxing

If you do go a little overboard, by accident or by choice, you may feel like you’re ready for a purge. I often feel like I’m ready for a detox after I get back from trips, and it feels like a good time to do it. How you detox could be a totally seperate conversation. I personally like to fast a little, but mostly just get back to my regular schedule of food.

Conference/Work Eating

The best tip for conference eating? See what they are serving ahead of time. The conference staff provided a list of meals ahead of time, so I knew going in I would be able to salvage something from each of the main meals (snacks not included). However, even if you are not provided with a list of meals, I’m sure you could ask for it and they would glady let you know. It would be highly possible that there would not be anything salvagable from a conference meal.

I was at our annual staff conference in Orlando for three days. It was a golf resort hotel with very few things around it, so we were pretty much confined to the hotel. I was able to make a grocery run beforehand and pick up a couple of things. I got some larabars, carrots, apples, and pineapple. These helped with snacks and dessert alternatives. The snack options this year were worse than previous conferences. Usually there would be cookies or doughnuts and some assortment of fruit. This year we had no fruit available, only cookies, cupcakes, and ice cream. Great. Those are fabulous treats for fueling yourself through a meeting. Ha. Thank goodness for the grocery run. Pineapple is something I’ve always felt is a good alternative to dessert. I could salvage something from each of the meals provided.

Breakfasts included pastries, pancakes and cereal, but also some form of bacon and eggs. The second day we had breakfast sandwiches of a bagel, cheese, eggs, and bacon. So I piled my plate with three sandwiches, ditched the bagels and got scrambled eggs and bacon. The third day they provided some nasty looking sausage instead of bacon, so I piled my plate high with eggs. I normally stay away from cheese, but some was provided, and I have to say, it was the only thing that made the runny, buffet eggs edible. Lunch and dinner were pretty much alright. Some sort of meat and other options you can work around. We had hamburgers and hot dogs one day for lunch, so I got a weiner and a patty, and again, ditched the bread. Fortunately they had salad to go along with it, even though the dressing was a little unrecognizable.

I definitely got some looks while I was scrapping sandwich contents. Or when I had more eggs than I think I’ve ever had, and of course not partaking in the festive desserts. But, I felt pretty decent throughout the three days. I could have used some more protein, but generally felt fine. One tip for any kind of hotel stays, call ahead to see if they have a fridge in the room. Ours did not, so I didn’t get any meaty snacks. However I did use the ice bucket to rig up something to keep my pineapple in.

Good Traveling Food

Larabars – The best “bar” I have found. They don’t have practically anything in them! Most bars you’ll find, even the organic ones, use evaporated can juice or brown rice syrap, aka sugar. Larabars use dates and almonds for the basis of the bar, and then a few other ingredients to make different flavors. I woudn’t eat them all the time, but they are an excellent travel option. They’re even kosher for crying out loud!

Pork Rinds – Gotta love them! They aren’t necessarily “good” for you, but pork rinds are an excellent choice and can be found in convenience stores and grocery stores. You will get looks from people, but pork rinds are better than chips or cookies or even most “health” bars. Pork Rinds are great to bring if you’re going to a party. You can dip them and get your munch on.

Jerky – Check the ingredients. If you’re on the go, unless you find a roadside jerky stand with natural, heavenly supplies, the jerky selections can be full of nitrites and sugar. I was able to find a convenience store brand without too much sugar, and it was a better option than cookies or candy bars.

V8 – Vegetable juice and tomatoe juices are life savers! Particularly on planes. Anymore, you can find V8 in most convenience and gas stores, or even Starbucks and similar eateries. And airlines will offer tomatoe juice during their beverage service. Tomatoe juice helps you feel full, and settles your stomach. For those of you with motion sickness or vertigo (me), plane rides or car rides are often jarring. Put me in the car, and the excitement never ends! It’s a game of rouellete whether I will vomit or not. I have found tomatoe juice helps with this. Which is good for all parties involved. Particular my nieghbors on a plane.

SugarSnaps – A good stand alone veggie. Even raw, most people should find sugarsnaps tolerable. Just throw some in a baggie and you’re good to go.

Sweet Potato Cubes – This takes some planning, but is a great snack. Cut up a sweet potatoe or yam into tiny cubes. Drizzle a little olive oil and add some cinnamon and paprika. Coat the cubes well, and then put into a 400 degree oven for 45-60 minutes. Throw them in a baggie and you’re ready to go!

Other Options – If you have any kind of coolage available this greatly expands your options. You can bring chicken, salad, or any other dish that you can throw into a tubberware and don’t mind eating cold.

Paleo Travel Series

Eating Clean and Traveling

Traveling can be hard on a person’s diet even if they aren’t trying to live well. It takes some planning, but eating paleo and/or well is totally possible. Before you go, it depends on what you want to do while you’re away. You can be strictly paleo, or allow yourself some leeway. Either way, it’s good to decide before you go what you want to do. The more strict you want to stay, the more planning involved. If you’re gone for any length of time, you really need to stay on some sort of regimine. We took a week long trip to the Bay area once, and by the end of the week I was sluggish and tired and generally felt awful. I couldn’t wait to get back home to vegetables and good protein. We recently took a two week trip home to visit family and for work. A work conference presents different challenges in trying to eat paleo. During this trip, I was trying to enjoy some good food, while at the same time maintaining a mostly Paleo diet. I only had one day of feeling like crap, which is a big improvement. Each time I take a trip I feel I do a little bit better with managing everything.

The logging Begins

Lots of people have questions about eating well and exercising while on vacation. Today we start our two week odyssey vacation. We’ll be in Seattle for three days and then we go to Florida for 15 days. In the middle of that somewhere I have a work conference where I’ll be at a hotel subjected to bad conference meals and snacks.

I’ll be logging my food and training schedule so you can get ideas of what to do for yourself.  If you click on the log links to the right ——> you can see how everything goes. It will be interesting. I hope to also add some La Florida restaurants to my Paleo Friendly Dining List. And maybe even something from the airport.

Very Important Weightlifting Advice

“I strongly advise against intentionally farting whilst moving heavy weights. Sometimes — especially under those circumstances — farts have a solid center.” ~ Mark Ripptoe

Just another golden gem from Rip. You can find more here.

Water or Coke?

Water

1. 75% of people are chronically dehydrated.

2. In 37% of people the thirst mechanism is so weak it is mistaken for hunger,

3. Even mild dehyrdration will slow down your metabolism by as much as 3%.

4. Lack of water is the the #1 trigger of daytime fatigue.

Coke

1. In many states the highway patrol carries two gallons of coke to remove blood on the pavement after an accident.

2. You can put a T-bone steak in a bowl of coke and it will be gone in two days.

3. To remove rust spots from chrome car bumpers: Rub the bumper with a piece of aluminum foil dipped in coke.

4. To clean corrosion from car battery terminals: Pour a can of Coke over the terminals to bubble away the corrosion.

For Your Information

1. The active ingredient in Coke is phosphoric acid. It will disolve a nail in about four days. Phosphoric acid also leaches calcium from bones, and is a major contributor to the increase in osteoporosis.

2. To carry the Coca-Cola Syrup, trucks must use a hazardous material place card reserved for highly corrosive materials.

3. The distributors of Coke have been using it to clean their trucks for the past 20 years.

If Coke can dissolve a nail, what is it doing to your inside? So the question is, would you rather have water, or coke?

Paleo Friendly Dining

This is something I have wanted to do for a while. We are foodies. And we are paleo. A contradiction? No. There are tons of options!

There are a couple of requirements for a Paleo Friendly Restaurant.

• They have good choices.
• They have good alternatives.
• They will make substitutions.
• They will offer items a la carte.

I started a new page with my list. I’m still working on Portland options because there are way more. But I will continue to compile as we travel. If you have any establishments you want to add to the list, comment away! Email me, too! I’d love to hear your suggestions!

Click on the Paleo Friendly Dining Page to see the list. Happy eating!