October is...Whole 30, Half Marathon & Halloween!

October is an exciting, and busy time for me.  I've got three planned business trips in addition to a half marathon.  I'm excited to say that this October my hunnie and I are also doing the Whole 30.  You can read about Whole 30 here.


The idea behind the Whole 30 is the "Paleo" or "Caveman" diet.  The science is long, but not really complicated--cavemen ate food purely for survival--they ate sugars for energy, fats for energy storage, and salts for hydration.  There was no such thing as a enjoying a s'more around the caveman campfire.  On the Whole 30 plan, you strip your diet completely of the complex foods that make up your daily sugar, fat and salt intake, and instead partake in a more wholesome, natural diet (free of beloved complex carbs, gluten, dairy and processed sugars).  While I can't say I 100% agree with ALL the science behind the Paleo diet, I do think eating processed foods (like my very favorite Mac n' Cheese, or Eggo waffles) makes the human body work incredibly hard just to obtain the BASIC nutrients it actually needs to SURVIVE.  The challenge for me with the Whole 30 is to find alternatives to meals such as Mac n' Cheese, which are full of empty calories and low in essential nutrients.  The challenge is to go back to basics--meats, vegetables, fruits--the cornerstone of early human nutrition.  Since I'm training for my half marathon, that gives me a little freedom to enjoy more carbs per day, but instead of enjoying them in the form of pasta and PB&J sannys, I'll have to find gluten-free, minimally processed foods to meet the bill.   

Today marks the first day of the challenge, but me and my hunnie were so eager to start that we unofficially began on Sunday night.  Here's a glance at what we ate for dinner: grilled elk tenderloin with braised okra and onions.  Meat and veggies, done simply, and yet really delicious.  Amazingly I was even able to motivate myself to get out and run last night--despite my legs feeling like lead and my thoughts centered on pizza and cheese, I was able to successfully complete my full 10 mile run.  Usually, I'd reward such a great run by eating a piece of cheese or a cookie, but last night I stuck to my plan and rewarded myself with a slice of salami and some nuts instead (it was totally not as satisfying as a cookie, but oh well, its only 30 days!).  

In case you need some motivation to accomplish your October goals, whatever they may be, here ya' go:




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