Day 7--Mental Clarity Day

As I was driving home from a new baby visit, I realized that my mental clarity was really good. I felt good driving and not "foggy" as I sometimes feel when I'm tired. It was glorious! I also have a lot more energy today and noticed that my cheek bones were coming back into sight. :)

I FINALLY made it to the gym this morning for the first time since I started this cleanse. The workout was right up my alley with rowing, box jumps, and burpees.  I attempted to do this workout "prescribed" (Crossfit's way of doing a workout without any modifications). My rowing was ridiculously slow and I biffed it once on the box jumps, but I completed the workout and tried to keep as steady of a pace as I could. It felt good to move again, even if it was much slower. 

Our meals for the day were pretty standard, except I invented another NEW recipe! So exciting! 

Here's what we ate:

Breakfast: cottage cheese, "real" oatmeal, egg whites, veggies

Lunch: Cottage cheese, salad, left over chili, green beans, tomatoes

Dinner: Shredded Chicken, squash, green beans, fruit

Snacks & Supplements: Fresh Fruit blended with UltraClear, AdvaClear, UltraFlora, Green Tea, Pomegranate Juice + Colon Cleanse

NEW Recipe! Buffalo Chicken Salad

1 cup cooked chicken, shredded

3T Plain Greek Yogurt

1tsp Frank's Red Hot Sauce or Buffalo Sauce

1 stalk celery, diced (optional)

Mix all ingredients together and enjoy! I cannot believe how good this tasted. I've never used plain yogurt in place of mayo before and I will certainly keep trying new creations with the yogurt. If you are eating grains, some Gluten Free Sweet Potato chips would be a great dipping tool with this salad. Or you could roll it up in a piece of Romaine lettuce with veggies for a healthy wrap. 

If you are interested in doing a Metagencis cleanse through our office, talk to Dr. Wes or Dr. Jason at your next appointment and they will get you going! Waukee Wellness: (515) 978-6661

Patience Paid Off

So many people in our culture are looking for the "quick fix" to their problems. We hear commercials for "Make Money Fast!" or "Lose 10lbs in 3 days!" and we become intrigued. And I'd be lying if I said I wasn't completely thrilled when I lost 20lbs in 8 weeks through our 8 Weeks to Wellness program. 

However, the bigger health benefits come over time. We hear people in our office say that they tried a program for a month and "it just didn't work for them". When we've spent a lifetime repeatedly doing a bad habit (like not exercising or eating poorly), it's going to take much longer than a month to make a change in your overall health. 

I had a personal success today that was eye-opening. One year ago (4/30/12) I did a workout at Crossfit called "Diane". It's a benchmark workout of deadlifts and handstand push-ups (which I modified). I did the same weights and same push-ups from last year, and cut my time in almost half! I was so excited that this workout not only improved for me, but it was easy. I could have/should have done more weight and I'm excited to tackle this one again in the future.

My patience and dedication to exercising is making a healthy difference in my life. I'm stronger and healthier because of  steady diligence to exercising. 

PS...If you haven't heard it from our office before...women--go lift some weights!! If you need help getting started, sign up for a class or training session with us! 

Paleo Week 1 Update

It's officially been one week of pretty strict Paleo eating for Dr. Wes and myself. I think the first week was really successful and we have some good motivation to keep going. Here are a few highlights:

1) I lost 5lbs. (Pretty sure that was just water weight, but I'll take it!) Good-bye holiday weight!

2) Dr. Wes lost his bloated feeling and said he feels a lot more "lean". 

3) We tried a lot of new recipes with our favorites being Barbecue Chicken from Paleo Comfort Foods and sauteed zucchini with marinara. 

4) We found some breakfast ideas that don't include eggs or nuts for Dr. Wes. From that same cookbook, he's been enjoying Berry Cobbler made with coconut flour instead of "regular" white flour. (I didn't care for that too much.)

5) I think we've overcome the Sugar Crash that made us both tired and a little nauseous all weekend. I had the blessing of knowing the great feeling that was to come, but this was Dr. Wes' first Paleo experience. 

6) I made really good Ranch Dressing and Paleo Mayo for the first time. 

7) Tough Crossfit workouts at Crossfit 515 were great and we were so thankful to be fueled by clean eating.

Returning to the gym. Not good.

I took a few weeks off from going to the gym (Crossfit 515) for a few weeks over winter break while the boys were home. Between bad weather, new babies, and kids at home, I decided home workouts would be the way to go. I tried a few of the workouts on our Pinterest Page and decided that was good enough. Yesterday I returned to the gym for the infamous Crossfit workout called Fran.

The fastest Fran times are under 3 minutes for the entire workout. It's a seemingly simple workout of 21-15-9 Thrusters and pull-ups. And it's fast and short for a workout. I was a WRECK. I tore open my hand, had to use more help with pull-up bands than I've used in a LONG time, and am incredibly sore today. I'm a pretty optimistic person, but that workout was really tough for me and I hated it. My time--10:21. Ick! 

This seemed to fit my feelings of the workout.

However, here's why I vowed to go back to the gym and not workout at home:

• I work harder and push myself more at the gym. 
• I like the challenge of a different workout at the gym. 
• I can lift weights at the gym. Heavy weights. Over my head. I LOVE that! 
• Not making any excuses. At home--lots of reasons/excuses to not work hard. At the gym--none. 
• Motivation from my fellow Crossfitters. 
• RESULTS. Big time results & improvement in overall strength & endurance. 
• Talking to other people besides my kids.
• Being motivated to eat healthy by healthier people than me. 
• Seeing a really cute baby there. I was his doula. :) 

This is why I go back to the gym. I still gained muscle strength and had a great workout. 

I wish I was a person that could workout really hard at home religiously. I'm not that kind of person (I don't know many people who are). I like short, intense workouts and I've found a place that works for me. I need to go to a gym and have accountability from others. I need to have motivation from others to keep me going. Most important, I NEED results. 

Did you know that YOU can workout at Waukee Wellness--even if you're not a current patient? Check out our info on fitness classes, personal training, and 8 Weeks to Wellness! We'd love to help you with your fitness goals, provide a supportive exercise environment, and set you up for impressive RESULTS too! 

Walking/Running at home is not enough. Men AND Women need resistance and weight training. (Another blog post for another day.)  What are YOU doing to get your exercise in regularly? What is working for you? I'd love to hear your ideas too!

--Katie