About this blog

In other words, the Zone + Crossfit = Optimal Heath!
This blog focuses on nutrition, using the Zone Diet as the basis. However, I often eat Paleo foods in Zone proportions.
I love to investigate anything having to do with food- what we eat and why. And what happens within our bodies, our organs, our brain, when we do? My precious mother struggled with eating disorders. I want to avoid this delimma based on research, common sense, and the natural consequences on my body. The Zone shows me where the balance lies between eating too much and eating too little.
My husband runs a Crossfit gym. Exercise and choosing the right foods have become a mission for ourselves and our children. We don't want to be nerds about it, we just want to be healthy.
I have been asked by several friends what I feed our family, especially our kids. My husband and I follow the Crossfit prescription to nutrition (meat and vegetables, nuts and seeds, some fruit, little starch, and no sugar). If you know me, you know that the sugar part of this equation will be a life long struggle given my love for chocolate! Evan adheres to the stricter version known as the Paleo-Zone diet (and I do on my good days!) which requires the same foods in a ratio of 40% protein, 30% carb, and 30% fat. Children require 50% carbs, 30% fat, and 20% protein. If you're wondering how to figure this out, I do it on a per meal basis and I have a "block" chart from the Zone website.
It seems like a headache at first, but if you're interested, just know that it is not that bad once you practice it for a couple of weeks. All you need is a $10 scale and some determination. It really is quite simple and makes my life easier at the grocery store and when cooking dinner. Most of all, I feel great when I eat well- mentally and physically, and we all know that the physical can affect the mental and visa versa!
Evan and I are hunter/gatherer wanna-be's! This blog will track my journey of health as it should be, and the honest reality of living in a sugar fried culture. When it comes down to it, I get excited to talk about nutrition, but I am definitely not perfect at it! If you have the desire to eat well, but it is often a challenge to overcome the temptations along the way, then you are in the right company!
I hope you leave this blog feeling enlightened and encouraged as you go throughout your day!

Monday, December 28, 2009

Whatever happened to 10 weeks of Zone?

So, back in September, I started this blog to record my full 10 weeks of zoning ( i.e. weighing and measuring...). Did I do it? Obviously I let some of you down by not continuing to blog about it. But here is what really happened:

August 31, started the Zone and went strict for almost two weeks. I was at my cousins wedding and gave into the wedding cake (thinking I could handle a cheat)! I was off the Zone for a week and a half and then started back on Wednesday the 23rd. At that point, I stayed strong for 4 weeks! Then off 5 days. Guilt kicked in sooner and I was back at it, but only for one day. So, 8 weeks of shocking my body and then I decided that I was developing an eating disorder (but not truly) and quit focusing on food. I wanted to be normal,...but not really. I mean, I want to eat without thinking about it so much, but I don't want to eat like everyone else. The norm these days is not good. I still desire to be "healthy", but I still love foods that are not good for me. So, I am striving for more of a mental balance. I would like to be at a place of total self control, but this may never happen (just being realistic). I don't mean that I want to be in control, but that I consider the food I eat with knowledge of how it will travel through and effect my body and my mind. I am grasping this frame of mind and love learning about the digestive tract, but sometimes i just throw it all to the wind! The heck with "eating right"! But I truly do desire to treat my body well and take care of it for the future years when it will matter more, and I do love to feel good. So, I will continue to give updates on my success and failures only as long as it may be helpful to anyone who reads this blog. I am imperfect, striving for perfection. Two steps forward, one step back. Little by little, I mold myself into better health and work with what I've been given!
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Christmas bingeing: It's finally over...almost

Ok, Christmas is finally past. It was great fun to not think about the effects of food on my body. So, I ate and enjoyed! And now, the side effects begin. Hey self, I told you so- I told you that bad mood and bloating would follow. And I am here to say that I was right! Here is the delimma: I want to feel better, so I want to eat better, but I have successfully trained my body to want sugar! So now, I am slave to my desires. I keep giving in and continue to feel worse. Am I complaining? No! Just stating the facts. So, new year here I come! Cold turkey it will have to be, for me, anyway. To all of you who can relate- good luck! We're in this together! To all of you who can't- good for you!
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Tuesday, December 22, 2009

The "Good" Stuff

Being Christmas time and all, I thought I would just address the "good stuff" from my quote at the top of the page from Ratatouille. In my opinion, the good stuff also includes sweets. There are sweets worth the splurge and then there are snickers bars. There is plenty of junk to eat, but there is nothing like homemade "badness". I'm sure we will all have our fair share of sugary sweets over the holidays, (unless you are Matt Hughey and you are tough as nails!) and so I declare that we should enjoy those things that we deem special and say no to the junk that is available every day of the year! Yes, sluggishness will occur and bad moods may arise. But remember! We are all in charge of what we put into our bodies! So eat, drink, and be merry! And just don't complain if you make yourself miserable! Remember- you can always start a new day and a new WOD! Merry Christmas!

P.S. Many thanks to Stacy Beam and wife, Amanda, for the homemade marshmallows! :)

See you at the new box!
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