Since last week, I have:
- Done a little bit of reading about the Primal Blueprint diet. Even if I don't agree with 100% of Mark Sisson's guidelines, I'm intrigued. Actually, I agree with most of what he says, and I love the way he presents his thoughts. First he tells you what he thinks and why, then he opens up his blog posts and forums to readers to discuss and debate. He also makes clear his idea that the plan is adaptable to each person's needs and pace. In my brief reading, nothing is set in stone. I find that refreshing. (I apologize for not having links. I am unable to get to those pages right now...will add them later when I'm able.)
- Been eating a good deal of good meat, both venison Shane hunted last fall and quality pork that we bought directly from the farmer last August.
- Reduced our consumption of granulated white sugar and high-fructose corn syrup. I've been using cane juice crystals in our drinks, and have reduced the amount of sweetener I've been using in hot tea by half and in iced tea by a third. I've used honey in baked goods. I bought ketchup that's free of HFCS and we've had no soda at all in the past week.
- Consumed probiotics in the form of kombucha every day this week.
- Used coconut oil almost exclusively in cooking and baking. I have also used a little bit of butter and a little bit of peanut oil.
- Reduced the amount of grains we consumed, but have not eliminated them (and currently have no plans to).
- Tried to be more active. Nothing formal, but I've managed to do more walking this week and made sure to take the stairs when I went to my 4th Floor doctor appointment on Wednesday.
- Attempted to eat breakfast more often. I'm not a breakfast fan, and I don't like traditional breakfast foods in the morning (but love them later in the day). I've been trying to eat at least a an orange or an avocado within in the first couple hours of my day.
- Managed to stay on a regular sleep schedule of roughly 11:00 p.m. to 6 a.m., even on the weekend.
As you can see, I'm not being very strict about this. I'm just learning and trying a few things out. Do I notice anything different yet? No, not really, but it's only been a week. If anything at all, I've not had the "afternoon slump" that I sometimes get around 2:00 or 3:00 in the afternoon. That's a good thing.
I also think there's a certain amount of well-being that comes simply from paying attention to my body and what I'm putting into it.
Stay tuned for another update next Friday.
