2nd Quarter, Up by 7

Whoever thought we would be so happy to see a Monday morning! Unless you spent your weekend in good, wholesome behavior (I did), than you probably are sad that it’s Back-to-Work Monday.  WEEK 1 is DOWN!!!  Even though I feel like the week ended on a relatively sour emotional and physical note for me, the slate is wiped clean, the week ahead is wide open, and I feel ready.

This is where the longing for all things temporarily lost will more than likely set in.  In other words, you might get sick of being in the kitchen and chopping yet another zucchini.  You will wish you could just have a regular meal, like the regular folks.  But, those regular folks didn’t take on this challenge for themselves, and they aren’t interested in drastic measures to improve their health and wellbeing at this particular point in time.  This is called a Challenge for a reason.  When I say my kids are being “Challenging,” it really means they are being horrible, they are making my life momentarily difficult and uncomfortable.  The same goes with for a food Challenge.  It’s momentarily difficult and rather uncomfortable to eat large and frequent amounts of the foods you might not receive pleasure from (brussel sprouts), and not nearly enough of the ones that send 4^th of July fireworks through the pleasure centers of your brain (bacon and chocolate). 

But think of the tough workouts, the ones that say on the board 6 Rounds of: followed by a long list of constantly varied, high-intensity functional movements. Round 1 is tough, because you’re getting used to whatever it is you are supposed to be doing.  Round 2 is tough because you’ve just realized how tough the whole shebang is going to be.  Round 3 is grueling, but you realize you are halfway there when completed, you’re at the top of the hill ready to cruise down.  Rounds 4 and 5 are still ridiculously hard, because now you’re flat-out exhausted from the thing.  Round 6 is all of the above, but crazy good because you know you’re almost done.  It’s going to be the same bell curve with this challenge, but we’ve hit a landmark – the first of only 4 landmarks. 

I had a really happy moment yesterday, and a really sad moment.  Happy moment: I went for a run, and I felt strong, my stamina was good, nothing hurt while I was running, and my dog actually got out of the way of cars so I didn’t have to stop running.  Sad moment: As I was running, I saw a bit of trash on the side of the picturesque country road.  It was a Tupperware container, a nice one, which made me think some other Paleo Zone Challenger had given up and committed Paleo Zone Challenge Suicide at the end of their first week.  They were probably biting into their Boston Creme at Dunkin Donuts as I was rounding Mile 3.  Just remember, this is where people will give up.  They will tell you all kinds of reasons why they had to, from the flamboyant high-drama “My doctor said I would be dead in 9 days if I don’t have dairy for the Calcium” to the weak “I got sick so I had to eat toast and rice.”  Separate yourself, don’t give up all the hard work from the past 7 days – instead wonder where this can take you.  Wonder what you will look and feel like on the other side of this challenge.

Now, here’s my product endorsement of the day:  Cactus Joe’s Guacamole starter at Costco.  All natural ingredients, completely Paleo, and ¼ cup is 1 block.  It’s a delicious salsa-like condiment, full of tomatoes, peppers, seasoning, and lime.  The only Paleo question I had was Xantham Gum, the last ingredient, but I found out it’s okay with the Paleo lawmakers and with the Paleo Zone Challenge.  Xantham Gum, in case you’ve ever wondered, is a bacteria that works as an emlusifier.  Please don’t make that face, they’re everywhere.  It’s a microorganism produced from the fermentation of corn, wheat, and grains, but it is most definitely not those plants of origin.  So, on your next trip to Costco, head down the aisle where the jarred artichokes, capers, peppers, etc. are, and try Cactus Joe’s.  1/4 c. = 1 block, I already did the calculation.  Chris and I are already in need of round 2.  My non-food product endorsement comes from veteran commenter, Geoff, which is The Well-Fed Cookbook, by Melissa Joulwan.  This is Paleo Zone friendly, and full of great seasonings and flavors.  If you order it right from her website, you can order the cool Well-Fed compression knee socks too. I will of course be modeling those in the gym when the man in brown brings mine in a few days.  Thanks, Geoff!

Make the challenge work for you.  I had a bit of an ongoing meltdown yesterday when I reviewed my week’s journal.  Most days, I didn’t make it to my 6^th block, even though, I Know, I know, I wrote a post earlier in the week about managing your blocks.   I talked to Cindi, and I’m starting my new week with a 3-2-3-2-2 block schedule for my Zone daily requirement, instead of 2-2-2-2-2-2.  Now, my learning curve is thrown off just a bit, but I think this will work better for me.  Adapt.  If something isn’t working for you, first examine why, then come up with a solution.  There are many ways to accomplish the goal, just pick the route that works best for you.

Happy Monday!