Its Friday!

I must admit that when I don't write a post daily, I really miss it. Recording my experiences really helps me stay accountable, and helps me vent. It's like therapy, only not so private... But anyway, it's been a tough week in the Anderson household. Chad and I are both feeling stressed and trying to handle it the best we can. I know that in the past when I was stressed, especially after working 12 hours in the hospital, I'd experience INSANE craving for wine and chocolate. I'd rush home and immediately have 1-2 glasses and a hunk of dark chocolate, while cooking dinner. It took a great deal of mindfulness to finally recognize this unhealthy pattern, and break it. I noticed this week that I definitely had an urge to slip back into this practice, but I had an awareness of what was going on in my body that, and that made it easier to refrain. When we're stressed we often crave our comfort foods because they stimulate serotonin and dopamine release in our brains, which immediately makes us feel better. I instead reached for some of my awesome new vegan protein powder, which is of course chocolate flavored. Its nice to know I have many tools at my disposal.

This morning we got up for crossfit and faced a brutal WOD:

WARM UP – 6 TO 8 MINUTES
STRENGTH- DEADLIFT 3 SETS OF 12 REPS @ 60% 1RM
WOD- ADD ONS! YOU WILL START WITH 10 SQUATS AND THEN DO 10 CLAP PUSH UPS THEN BACK TO SQUATS, THEN YOU WILL ADD ON 10 WALL BALLS, 10 CLAP PUSH UPS, 10 SQUATS AND THEN ADD ON 10 VUPS, 10 WALL BALLS, 10 CLAP PUSH UPS, 10 SQUATS, ETC. YOU WILL CONTINUE TO ADD ON AND THEN GO BACKWARDS UNTIL YOU COMPLETE ALL ADD ONS.
10 squats – squats are below parallel
10 clap pushups – make sure chest hits the ground
10 wall balls
10 v ups
10 burpees
10 star jumps
10 pull ups
10 handstand push ups
10 jingle jangles
10 pistols to each side
STRETCH/COOL DOWN

This was my 4th WOD of the week and Chad's 3rd. I'm hoping that the weather doesn't get too bad tonight because I want to do my 5th tomorrow.

I was absolutely starving when I got home, so for convenience I made a shake with RAW protein, blueberries, coconut milk, and almond butter. I downed that puppy in about 2 minutes, and then had a cup of coffee. I have to say, this protein is awesome. I have never found a product that keeps me full for so long. I wasn't hungry again until around 1. Unfortunately I didn't get to eat til 2:30 and was ravenous by that point. Luckily I had some leftover chicken, which I tossed in with steamed kale and avocado.

I'm happy to report that after almost a week of feeling just not right, my stomach seems to be back to normal. I'm really excited to start the Virgin Diet( Paleo minus eggs) on Monday and see what I learn. I actually found some great resources for egg-free paleo recipes, so I think the only time I will struggle will be breakfast. I was able to cut out dairy without much trouble during my last challenge, but I will admit, I'll be dying for pizza by the end of 21 days. While I highly doubt I have any intolerance to eggs or dairy, I'm pretty convinced that gluten is not my friend. I can't wait to experiment with some new recipes and share. Stay tuned!