Fun And Sun

For the last week I've been highlighting how I put the Primal Blueprint into practice in my life in regard to diet and exercise. While it is true that the base of the Primal Blueprint is the diet, that is only the first of Mark's 10 Primal Rules of Living:

1. Eat lots of animals, insects and plants.
2. Move around a lot at a slow pace.
3. Lift heavy things.
4. Run really fast every once in a while.
5. Get lots of sleep.
6. Play.
7. Get some sunlight every day.
8. Avoid trauma.
9. Avoid poisonous things.
10. Use your mind.

Today I'm going to focus on my practice of rules #6 and 7 -- play and get some sunlight every day.

Growing up I spent nearly every day of the summer outside, usually on or in the water. "Tan" was the word most often used to describe me by my classmates. As I moved into adulthood I spent less and less time in the sun, partly due to the demands of adulthood (work, etc) and partly due to rising awareness and concerns for skin cancer in relation to sun exposure. It got to the point where even my weekends were spent mostly indoors (except walking to and from my car).

Then 2 years ago I took up running (barefoot running, in fact) and I started to rediscover the joys of spending time outside. Hello sunshine! At the same time I started reading more and more about the concerns of lack of Vitamin D and the cancer risks associated with LACK of sun exposure. So when I first read Primal Blueprint Rule #7 (get some sunlight every day) it made sense to me.

This summer, for the first time since I was in my 20s, I've been spending time outside intentionally soaking up some rays. The image above shows today's beautiful mid-day sky as I saw it from my deck while working on my tan.

As Mark Sisson points out in this post, play, long walks and spending time outdoors is not optional stuff, it's essential to our health. With that in mind, I had planned a long hike for late in the afternoon. As I was getting ready to go, Kathryn, my 10 year old daughter, asked to join me. Taking her meant an abbreviated hike for me, but we turned the entire event into play. Hiking with her included stopping to feel the coolness of the dirt under our feet, giggling at silly jokes and ending the hike by dangling our feet over the edge of the boat dock and wading in the lake. It was a lot of fun!

Here we are getting ready to head out on our hike. This is my new favorite picture of the 2 of us together. Some nice stranger offered to take it for us when he saw us trying to set up the camera.



We leave the lake side for a trail hike through the woods. This is the start of the path.



Kathryn walking barefoot along a rocky section of the path. No problem!



Our dusty, dirty feet at the end of the trail.



The view over the lake nearing sunset, after the hike.



Dangling our (still dusty) feet over the edge of the boat dock.



Wading in the lake at sunset.



And in case you really wanted to read about my food choices for today, I'll summarize here.

BREAKFAST
------------------
(Stopped at the bakery with Evan before a brief trip to the Farmers' Market this morning.)
Omelet with cheddar, tomatoes and avocado.
Small side of fruit.
Small whole-milk latte.

LUNCH
-------------------
(Local restaurant after Evan's T-Ball game this morning.)
Seared tuna topping a salad of Napa cabbage, mixed salad greens, cucumbers, bean sprouts, tomatoes and carrots in a ginger soy dressing.

DINNER
--------------------
Ski planned to make sloppy joes but discovered we didn't have all the necessary ingredients. He ended up making a meat sauce instead, similar to what we stuffed in the peppers Wednesday night...
-- Meat sauce made with local grass-fed ground beef, local pasture-raised pork breakfast sausage and Thomas Pasta Sauce (simply dished up in a bowl).
-- Salad with mixed baby lettuce, purslane, kale, carrots, sungold tomatoes, avocado, purple bell pepper and champagne vinaigrette.
-- Smithwicks beer

TWO-FER

I started writing a post yesterday, but then I got sucked into a "making of Harry Potter" program on TV last night and never finished. So today you get a twofer. Two days, one post. I'll go in reverse order starting with today.

===========================
Friday, July 15, 2011

BREAKFAST
--------------------
I stopped at the bakery for a small whole-milk latte this morning after dropping the kids off at camp. That was enough for breakfast for today. (Notice a trend?)

I worked from home today and dashed out to a nearby cafe to grab a take-out lunch. Martin's Curry Rice offers a build-your-own curry bowl that is made with fresh ingredients, many sourced from local farms through the Western Wake Farmers' Market. It was quicker than making my own lunch and full of the same quality ingredients that I use in my own cooking.


LUNCH
-------------------
Sunfish, kale, zucchini, squash, onions and broccoli with just a splash of curry sauce (half sweet and half hot) all cooked up in a skillet with ghee (they usually cook without added fat -- I have to ask for the ghee). I skipped the rice, but doubled up on the delicious raita (yogurt cucumber sauce).

SNACK
---------------------
Large mug of French Press coffee with a splash of organic whole milk
1 square (10g) 88% dark chocolate

After a full day of work we picked up the kids from camp. The plan was to have a snack and go on a family bike ride. My snack was a small salad.

SNACK
---------------------
Small salad: mixed baby lettuce, purslane, crumbled bacon, sungold tomatoes, avocado, fresh herbs, carrots, champagne vinaigrette.

Kathryn (10 year old daughter) decided she was too tired from a full day of summer camp for a bike ride. Evan was pretty tuckered out too, but he still wanted to ride, so it turned out to be just the 2 of us. Evan has a bit of a disadvantage: shorter legs, smaller bike wheels and only one gear. He can manage the downhills like nobody's business (in fact, he makes me a bit nervous considering he's only been riding for a few short weeks), but the uphills, well, they're not really his thing. In fact, his bike is a pretty hefty weight for its size and he struggles just to walk the bike up the hills. The end result is I end up walking 2 bikes up the hills and then chase after him on the downhills. We managed to get in a good 30 mins together (which was impressive considering how tired he obviously was) before I made him call it a day. I went back out for another 30 mins on my own just so I could actually ride a while.

We've had the most incredibly beautiful weather the last couple of days (low humidity with highs in the 80s) and it's supposed to continue throughout the weekend. It makes it so easy to want to get outside to move and play. I'd complain about work getting in the way, but with the job market and economy what it is, I think I'll just grateful to have a good and enjoyable job where I can reasonably balance my time between work and play.

MOVE / PLAY
----------------------
30 min bike ride with son (lots of walking 2 bikes up hills)
30 min bike ride on my own (finally got to ride a bit!)

I cooked up some easy lemon and basil chicken drumsticks for dinner. Coat chicken skin in bacon fat, sprinkle on course sea salt and fresh basil, place in baking dish with lemon quarters, bake at 450 until done (internal temperature is 165° F). The crispy, lemony skin is so yummy!


DINNER
---------------------
Lemon and Basil Chicken Drumsticks (I had 2 -- too yummy not to have seconds)
Kale sauteed in bacon fat and dressed with tamari and toasted sesame oil
Fresh organic cherries
Heirloom tomato slices
Dry vodka martini with 3 olives

===========================
Thursday, July 14, 2011:

BREAKFAST
-------------------
Stopped for a small whole-milk latte at LaFarm this morning on the way into the office.

Stand: work, work, work.

LUNCH
------------------
Take-out from Earth Fare prepared foods:
Herb crusted beef tenderloin (organic, but not necessarily grass-fed)
Broccoli salad with bell peppers, cranberries and a very little bit of mayo
Cucumber dill salad with onions in olive oil and vinegar


SNACK
--------------------
1 serving of dark chocolate with almonds & sea salt

Stand: work, work, work.
Sit for meeting.

SNACK
--------------------------
Fresh berries with creme fraiche

Stand: work, work, work.
Go home, change clothes, hit the trails for a hike/run on this amazingly beautiful 85° F day!

MOVE / PLAY
-------------------
Really amazing trail run today (same location where I took these pictures last year)! I ditched my usual hand-held items for this run so I had less gear with me. The air felt wonderful and I felt light and free! This is one of those dangerous runs when it all feels so good that I'm tempted to do way more than I should. Having learned this lesson the hard way several times in the past, I stuck with a single 3 mile loop (though I was seriously tempted to do a second loop)!

We had breakfast for dinner (bacon and eggs). I followed that up with a salad and then some wine and chocolate for dessert. I don't have a picture to share; you'll have to use your imagination.

DINNER
---------------------
Cane Creek Farm Life-Altering Ossabaw Hog Bacon
Two Bridges Farm Incredible Eggs (fried in bacon fat)
Salad made with mixed baby lettuce, purslane, carrots, sungold tomatoes, avocado, green onions, champagne vinaigrette.

DESSERT
---------------------
7 Deadly Zins red wine
1 serving dark chocolate with almonds and sea salt

Fast Food

BREAKFAST
-----------------------------
No breakfast today. Just a cup of coffee brewed in the French Press with a splash of organic whole milk, then off to the office.

LIFT HEAVY THINGS
------------------------------
I hit the home gym during my lunch break and went through two sets of the Essential 5 Moves (pull-up, push-up, squat, overhead press, plank). (Details in free Primal Fitness e-book.)

After my work-out I stopped at Earth Fare on the way back to the office to grab lunch. I boxed up a few selections to-go from their prepared foods bar and ate it back at my desk. The entire delicious lunch was only $6.87, not a bad deal for such a yummy and Primal-approved healthy lunch! That's my kind of fast food!


LUNCH
---------------------
Ginger White Fish
Asparagus
Sauteed Squash
Small Salad (lettuce, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, celery, cucumbers, tomatoes with champagne vinaigrette)

SNACK
---------------------
About a dozen fresh organic cherries (I bought these while I was Earth Fare today)
3 oz Fage Total (full fat) Greek yogurt
1 square (10g) of 88% dark chocolate (Endangered Species brand)
1 square (10g) of 72% dark chocolate (Endangered Species brand)

I made some quick and easy stuffed peppers for dinner tonight. I added Thomas Pasta Sauce (jar sauce full of only good stuff and no added sugar) to browned ground beef (from Cane Creek Farm). I then sliced a bell pepper in half lengthwise and filled each half with the meat sauce. I topped them with tomato slices, garlic slices, basil and grated cheese and baked them until the peppers were toasty and the cheese was bubbly. The kids ate the sauce over pasta because 1) I've been unsuccessful at converting them to Primal, 2) spaghetti with sauce is something they'll actually eat, 3) bell peppers are NOT something they'll eat and 4) I only had 1 bell pepper left , anyway. Dinner was served with a salad and leftover roasted okra. I had actually planned to have a martini with dinner tonight, but as I was cooking the aromas made me want a nice bold red wine, instead. I opted for my favorite old vine Lodi Zinfandel, 7 Deadly Zins.


DINNER
---------------------
Stuffed bell pepper
Roast okra
Salad made with mixed baby lettuce, purslane, carrots, sungold tomatoes, green onions, basil and champagne vinaigrette.
Red wine

After dinner I topped off my wine glass and enjoyed the remaining wine with some cheese for dessert.

DESSERT
-----------------------
Slice of double cream Brie topped with fig spread.
The fig spread is basically fig jelly and contains sugar, so it's not really Primal but such a small portion fits in my 20%.

Work Posture

I didn't have to drop the kids at camp this morning which meant I could get to the office a bit earlier than usual. For that reason, I decided to just pack up the leftover ribs as today's lunch and stopped to get take-out for breakfast instead of eating breakfast at home. If you've been following along with me this week, you probably have a good guess as to where I might go for take-out. Yep, LaFarm Bakery for a repeat of Sunday's breakfast (minus the prosciutto this morning). The latte was gone before I got to the office. I enjoyed my breakfast with another cup of coffee while checking my morning e-mail at the office. No picture of breakfast this morning. It looks just like it did Sunday and tastes just as good.

BREAKFAST
--------------------
Cheddar omelet with tomato and avocado
Small side of fruit (orange slices and honeydew melon)
Small whole milk latte
Second cup of coffee with organic half-and-half

Once I finished breakfast seated at my desk (I prefer to eat sitting down), I converted my desk to it's usual configuration: a standing workstation. A few years ago I suddenly realized how bad my posture had become and I set out on an on-going quest for improved posture with the hope that doing so would reduce my chances (or at least delay the onset) of osteoarthritis, a condition that effects many members of my extended family. That quest has led me to adopt two habits that I believe have been very beneficial to my health: regularly going barefoot and working as much as possible in a standing posture (with regular movement and stretching throughout the day).

It turns out that these are two practices that Mark Sisson also recommends. When I first started reading his blog earlier this year it resonated well with me because I was already following many of his lifestyle recommendations and I knew first-hand the benefits of those choices. It's the reason I was motivated to experiment with full Primal Blueprint. If I was already following most of Sisson's recommendations to great success, how might following his entire plan work for me? Turns out, it works quite well.

Anyway, several years ago when I was first motivated to try a standing workstation I was lucky enough to work in an office where pneumatic height adjustable desks were standard issue for each employee. With the push of a lever I could quickly adjust the height of the entire desk for either sitting or standing. (Oh, how I miss that desk!) I've changed employers twice since then and neither has provided adjustable desks. For good reason, they're not exactly a dime a dozen. But no worry.

If, like me, you're not lucky enough to have an adjustable desk, don't fret. As you can see in my picture, it's not that difficult or expensive to make your own modifications, especially these days with the ultra-light flat panel computer monitors. I use an upside-down, inexpensive plastic storage box to lift my primary monitor to standing height. I leave my secondary monitor on the desk and just tilt it up toward me. It's sufficient for my needs. I could always get a second box for the other monitor if I needed it at standing height. My keyboard and mouse live on a lap desk that I use for both sitting and standing posture. When standing, the lap desk rests on a short stack of empty boxes that lifts the keyboard to the perfect height for me so my shoulders stay back and relaxed.

It takes just a few seconds to switch between a standing and sitting work station. When sitting, I use the lap desk, as the name suggests, in my lap. To facilitate this, I removed the arms from my chair. Using the lap desk allows me to keep my shoulders back and down as I type on the keyboard in my lap instead of rounding my shoulders to reach out in front of me as I would be doing if the keyboard and mouse were on my desk. The lap desk measures 22" across which is comfortably wide, but still not ideal with a standard keyboard. The solution for me was the Microsoft Arc keyboard which provides full-size keys and all the functions of a standard keyboard but a reduced overall width due to the lack of a number pad. I find it a perfect solution.

I worked straight through the morning into the early afternoon and finally stopped for lunch around 1pm. I had some dark chocolate as a snack shortly thereafter.

LUNCH
-----------
Leftover pork ribs (sadly, there were only 2 ribs left)
Big salad: mixed baby lettuce, purslane, sungold tomatoes, avocado, green onion, blue cheese, dressed with champagne vinaigrette



SNACK
------------
Dark chocolate

It was just too hot for a long mid-afternoon walk break today. Actual temps were at 100°F with the heat index upwards of 107°F. I took a 2 minute stroll around the outside of the building and decided that was enough.

When I got home from work, my darling husband had already cooked up a mess o' greens for dinner. I love that man! I roasted some okra and whipped up a shrimp scampi to go with it and served it all with some fresh sliced tomatoes. Delish!



DINNER
------------
Shrimp scampi
Collards and Beet Greens with Smoked Turkey
Roasted Okra
Tomato Slices with Balsamic and grated Parmesan

Monday At The Office

I started my morning at home with some freshly ground coffee in the French Press. I'm a serious coffee lover and very picky about the quality of my coffee. There are several excellent local roasters in my area and I tend to keep a variety of coffee beans on hand. This morning I select my very favorite beans which come, surprisingly, by way of my local wine shop. It is a custom blend of beans created especially for Sip, A Wine Store by local coffee roaster Carrboro Coffee Company. I enjoy the coffee at home while getting ready for the day and wait until I'm at the office later in the morning to have a small breakfast of Greek yogurt with fresh berries.

BREAKFAST
-------------------
Large cup of coffee with organic half-and-half
Fage Total Greek yogurt with fresh blueberries and blackberries


Later in the afternoon I fix a large green salad with veggies that I brought to the office from home. I mix some canned salmon with organic mayo and serve it on the side. Organic or not, the store bought mayo still contains vegetable oil (soy and/or canola, in this case) which is NOT part of the Primal diet, but I count this small serving as part of my 20% and don't worry about it. The rest of the meal is high in omega-3s which will balance out the omega-6s in the mayo.

LUNCH
---------------------
-- Large can of Vital Choice sockeye salmon (skinless, boneless) mixed with Spectrum organic mayo. (Yes, I know Grok would eat the skin and bones, but it's just not my thing.)
-- Salad made with mixed baby lettuce, purslane, sungold tomatoes, purple bell pepper, carrots, avocado, basil, green onion and local semi-ripened cheese (similar to brie) all dressed with a champagne vinaigrette.


I took a 10 minute break from work in the afternoon and went out for a short barefoot walk. I came back in and treated myself to some dark chocolate as an afternoon pick-me-up. An hour later I brewed a cup of tea.

SNACK
--------------------
dark chocolate
iced Darjeeling tea

SPRINT
--------------------
I got home with just enough time to change clothes and dash out the door for a short sunset run. 2.5 miles of walk/run/sprint intervals. It started out as one of the best runs I've had in a long time, effortless and fun, so I opted to add in some short sprints. Just before the 2 mile mark I noticed I was getting a small blister between my toes. Must have been the sprints. I opted to walk the last 1/2 mile, smiling the whole way, watching the sun set behind the trees. Oh, and for what it's worth, my sprints are probably slower than most runners' easy runs, but that's fine. I may not run far or fast, but I always run happy!

I rarely have an appetite after a run and tonight was no exception. I had been looking forward to some leftover ribs for dinner, but it looks like they'll be my breakfast. I did have a cold glass of coconut water after the run. That seems to be enough for now, so consider this some unplanned intermittent fasting. It's all good. I'll likely make up the calories tomorrow or the next day.

One of the things that has really surprised me about this change in diet is that when I'm not hungry, I'm REALLY not hungry. There are hardly ever any food cravings and there are times when I simply don't feel like eating. You always hear about only eating when you feel hungry, but I don't think I ever knew what that meant until now. My hunger cues have been very different for me since going Primal. It seems that what I used to consider "hunger" was either a food craving or a shakiness due to a sudden drop in blood sugar. Now that I hardly ever experience either of those sensations I have a completely different (better?) sense of hunger. It's not something I expected when I started this experiment and it's one of the main reasons why this eating style seems to work so well for me.

DINNER
----------------------
Coconut water after my run
No dinner (Intermittent Fasting)

My Husband Has Started Smoking Again

And I'm so glad! We used to own a smoker (cooker) many years ago when we ate meat before we went vegetarian. We got rid of it once we realized we had little use for it. Now that we're meat eaters again (nearly a decade later), Ski went out recently and bought a new smoker. Tonight's dinner is thanks to his cooking efforts: smoked pork ribs and turkey legs!


DINNER
--------------
Smoked pork ribs from Cane Creek Farm
(Just a bite of the turkey, but not worth missing out on the ribs for more turkey.)
Heirloom tomato (also from Cane Creek Farm) with basil, balsamic vinaigrette and grated Parmesan cheese
Farm fresh green beans cooked with bacon fat
Just a bite of scalloped potatoes
Evodia red wine

Just a Sunday

My day started before 6am today. That's when my 6 year old son climbed into my bed and asked if it was time to go, yet. "Ahhhh, no son, go back to sleep." But he'd have none of that. There were plans to meet with his school friend for breakfast and a fun morning at the park, so sleep was now out of the question. I was able to put him off long enough to get about 15 more minutes of rest then I was up loading his bike in the car and getting ready to go.

The plan was to meet his friend and friend's mom at our local bakery for breakfast at 8am. If you think a bakery sounds like a poor choice for a Primal breakfast, you might be right. But this is LaFarm bakery (I mentioned them yesterday) and the siren song of their amazing lattes calls to me. Besides, they also serve wonderful omelets that fit well within the Primal Blueprint.

We arrived a bit early and our food got to our table before our guests, but we trusted that they'd forgive us for starting without them. Evan had already been awake 2 hours and was hungry for breakfast. As you can tell, Evan is NOT following the Primal Blueprint diet since French Toast with maple syrup doesn't fit in the plan. We've been slowly reducing the carbs in the kids' diets, but they're not yet fully on board and restaurant breakfasts will likely be the last place the carbs get cut. In any case, my omelet was fabulous and the latte was outstanding as usual.

BREAKFAST
-----------------
3 egg cheddar omelet topped with tomatoes, avocado and prosciutto
Small side of fruit
Small whole milk latte

PLAY
-----------------
The morning was spent on foot chasing two 6-year-old boys on bikes. Evan's friend learned how to ride his 2 wheeler during our morning outing, so there was a lot of stop and go. He did great! Evan, who recently learned to ride his 2 wheeler, would ride out and back while the rest of us slowly made our way along the paths. I covered around 2 miles on foot (barefoot, of course).

LIFT HEAVY THINGS
---------------------------
Early in the afternoon I spent about 20 minutes in the home gym working on the Essential 5 Moves from the Primal Fitness ebook (free download available). The routine is to do 2 sets of pull-ups, push-ups, squats, overhead presses and plank -- each exercise done to exhaustion. There are progressive levels for each exercise so you're always working hard and the routine only takes about 20 minutes, whether you're a beginner or an athlete.

I had a refreshing glass of coconut water after my workout and then finally got around to lunch at 2:30 pm. (That omelet was very filling this morning.)



LUNCH
--------------------------
Big salad made with mixed baby lettuce, purslane, tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots, green onions, purple pepper, local semi-ripened cheese, dressed with balsamic vinaigrette and topped with leftover bratwurst. Served with sparkling water.