Peace, Karen

Fun And Sun

2011-07-16T20:20:00.012-04:00

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

2011-07-15T20:51:00.007-04:00

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

2011-07-13T20:45:00.002-04:00

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

2011-07-12T20:27:00.005-04:00

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

2011-07-11T21:42:00.005-04:00

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

2011-07-10T19:30:00.004-04:00

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

2011-07-10T15:27:00.007-04:00

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.

Evening's Dinner

2011-07-09T20:49:00.002-04:00

Two posts in one day. Am I starting to spoil you? Maybe you were just really curious to find out what I'd choose for dinner with so many tasty choices as an option. But you'll have to wait another second, because before dinner I had a snack.

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

And now, for dinner tonight, drum roll please....

DINNER
------------------
Eliza's brats (cooked in Guinness)
Served over Bubbies sauerkraut
With Coleman's mustard
With fresh sliced tomatoes, basil, grated parm and balsamic vinaigrette.
Plus.... A beer! (Smithwicks)

OK, so I know that beer is absolutely NOT part of the Primal Blueprint, but I consider the occasional beer part of my 20%. Besides, there are some things that just aren't done -- and eating a beer brat on the weekend without an accompanying glass of cold beer is one of those things.

DESSERT
--------------
3 squares (1/2 serving) of Chocolove -- Almonds & Sea Salt in Dark Chocolate

ACTIVITY
------------------
No formal exercise today. I spent an hour walking around the farmers' markets this morning, straightened and vacuumed the house and cleaned and prep'ed all those veggies. Consider it Moving Frequently at a Slow Pace or consider it a Rest day. I suppose it's all on your perspective. Either way, it was enough for me today. I'll probably use the foam roller and do some light stretches before going to bed. Aside from that, I'm calling it a day! Thanks for following along with me today.

Farmers' Market Trip

2011-07-09T15:59:00.013-04:00

Seriously? You actually checked back today? I wonder what's more surprising, that you bothered to come back here or that you actually found a new post. Well your faith has been rewarded. Here begins another day in the life of Karen.

Meet Farmer Eliza. Here she is with her helper, Brad. Eliza MacLean is one of the owners of Cane Creek Farm and one of the few farmers in the world to breed Ossabaw Island Hogs. Why does this matter? Because Eliza's Ossabaw hogs are the source of life-altering bacon! Yes, it is that good! And the pursuit of this life-altering bacon is what caused me to leave the house at 6:30am this Saturday morning and make the 30 minute drive out to the amazing Carrboro Farmers' Market.

My Saturday mornings almost always start with a trip to the farmers' market(s). I am lucky to live in an area of the country where there are several outstanding, year-round farmers' markets. The market trip is something I look forward to each week, usually sharing the experience with my 6-year-old son who took on the role of "Mommy's Farmers' Market Helper" a couple of years ago. This Saturday was no exception.

Before heading out to the markets (2 market stops planned for today), we swing by La Farm Bakery, our local artisan bakery, for one of THE BEST lattes in the world. The lattes are expertly made with locally roasted Counter Culture espresso and whole milk. I wish they'd use local / organic milk, but the fact that they use commercial milk is not enough of a deterrent to keep me from regularly treating myself to the frothy goodness of these lattes. Consider it part of my 20%.

I'm not particularly hungry this morning so the latte is all I have for breakfast. I do grab a second cup of coffee with a splash of organic half-and-half at the farmers' market later in the morning.

BREAKFAST
---------------------
small whole milk latte
second cup of coffee with half-and-half

Following breakfast we're off on our shopping adventure. First stop is the Carrboro Farmers' Market for Eliza's bacon. Yay, bacon! We also get some bratwurst, ground beef, steak and tomatoes from Eliza. Then we make the rounds and fill our basket with salad greens, collards, kale, beets, purslane, carrots, green onions, tomatoes, blueberries, blackberries, peppers, green beans, okra, basil, local cheese and fresh cut flowers.

Our second stop is the Western Wake Famers' Market, because we're running low on eggs and need to visit Farmer Gary from Two Bridges Farm for the perfect accompaniment to Eliza's bacon. If you've never had eggs fresh from a farm where the chickens run around all day and scratch for their food, you've never had *real* eggs. The yolks are an amazing orange color and the taste is incredible. I've been buying eggs like this from several area farms for years and they're all wonderful, but I've recently started only buying from Gary when possible. The eggs from his farm are the best I've ever had and well worth a second stop this morning on the way home.

All of this is way more effort than a quick trip to the corner grocery store for a bunch of packaged items, but I don't remember ever coming home from the grocery store inspired to take a picture of the day's shopping.

There was enough time after our shopping trip to quickly stash the food in the fridge before heading out for the kids' tennis practice and T-ball game. Both kids did great in their sports and had a good time. After all that, I fed the kids and started washing the veggies from today's shopping. I find that if I don't wash and store the veggies on Saturday so they're easy to grab and eat throughout the week, there's a higher likelihood that they'll never get eaten. After all of that, around 2pm, I'm hungry and ready for a big market salad for lunch.

LUNCH
------------
Salad made with mixed baby lettuce, kale, purslane, carrots, cucumbers, avocado, tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, green onions and some Fra'Mani ham, dressed with a balsamic vinaigrette and served with some sparkling water.

No plan yet for dinner. I need to go take something out of the freezer. Check back later to see what I selected.

A Day In The Life...

2011-07-08T19:07:00.006-04:00

"It's been about 2 weeks since I started this experiment and so far, so good. I plan to share more about the Primal Blueprint, my implementation and the effects in future posts. With any luck, they'll come more frequently than once every 6 months." (February 2, 2011)

Yeah, right.

In my defense, it hasn't actually been 6 months, yet. OK, so it HAS been over 5 months. But it's not 6! So there! The good news is that if you're a regular follower of my blog (chirping crickets), it doesn't take too much time out of your busy schedule to keep up with me.

I know you've all been waiting with great anticipation to learn how things are going for me with the Primal Blueprint. (more chirping crickets) Perhaps not, but I'm going to tell you anyway.

Fantastic!

What started as an experiment has quickly turned into a lifestyle. And not just for me. Ski (the hubby) hopped on the Primal bandwagon with me in March and we've both been amazed at the changes. We've both effortlessly lost 20 pounds so far this year! All with no hunger and no calorie counting.

We've had several friends and family ask about our food and activity choices. I've directed them to Mark Sisson's web site, but some have still asked for more specifics. Earlier this year Mark posted A Week in the Life of Mark Sisson to his blog. I'm going to attempt to do something similar, but not all in one post. For a while on a daily(ish) basis (or maybe once every 6 months, no promises) I'll blog about my food and activity choices and note how they fit in with the Primal Blueprint. The idea is to have someplace to point folks when they ask for more specifics about what I'm doing.

Today went like this:

EXERCISE
--------------
Woke at 6am without the alarm.
Rewarded myself with a morning run.
2.5 miles of barefoot walk/run intervals at sunrise. Ahhh!

BREAKFAST
--------------
Refreshing glass of coconut water after my run.
I wasn't hungry for breakfast so I opted to skip the meal.
I did, however, stop for a small whole-milk latte on my way to the office.

LUNCH
--------------
Went out with coworkers to a typical American eatery (unusual for me). I ordered a large salad topped with shrimp but didn't realize that the shrimp would be breaded. I ate the salad veggies (it was a big salad and very yummy) and I ate a few of the small shrimp, picking off as much of the breading as I could manage politely with my fork.

SNACK
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Small handful (about 6) dark chocolate covered almonds
Cup of coffee with a splash of whole milk

PLAY
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Some storms rolled through in the early afternoon. Once the sun came back out I took a 10 minute break from work, went outside and splashed barefoot in some rain puddles. (Seriously!) I came back into the office feeling refreshed and better focused.

DINNER
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Scrambled farm fresh eggs with Fra'Mani Rosemary ham
Kale sauteed in bacon fat mixed with spinach and garlic sauteed in olive oil
Caprese salad (tomatoes, mozzarella, basil, garlic, olives with balsamic vinaigrette)
Glass of red wine (Evodia)

Sadly, I'm not much of a food photographer. Dinner was a lot more tasty than the picture suggests. It was a mix of home cooked food and take out from a local pizza place. The base of the caprese came from the restaurant to which I added sliced cherry tomatoes. The restaurant also provided the sauteed spinach and garlic. I cooked the kale and added it to the spinach. I also cooked the eggs and ham. The ham (and wine) came from Whole Foods. The other ingredients I prepared came from local, organic farms. (And, yes, red wine goes well with scrambled eggs -- but only at dinner, not breakfast!)

Getting Back At It

2011-02-02T20:50:00.005-05:00

Wow! I knew I had been away for a while, but I'm surprised to realize it's been nearly 6 months! I suppose that makes sense. That's right about the time my job took over my life and I was working seriously crazy hours. I'm back to something more manageable now.

As my job took over, my healthy habits took a dive. I quit exercising regularly, quit planning meals, gained 10 pounds and constantly felt sluggish. Once the New Year arrived I found myself finally finished with that project at work, refreshed from some time off over the holidays and ready to return to my healthy habits.

For nearly 10 years (the last 6 months notwithstanding) I have been following (more or less) the healthy lifestyle suggestions recommended by Dr. Andrew Weil. I've had great success following his advice and have experienced many health improvements as a result. I plan to share more details on that in a future post.

However, something interesting happened as I prepared to resume eating and living the Weil way. I stumbled across Mark Sisson's blog, Mark's Daily Apple. As I started reading through his blog entries I became more and more intrigued by what he calls the Primal Blueprint. Much of it falls in line with the lifestyle recommendations of Dr. Weil. The main difference is in the dietary recommendations. Dr. Weil makes whole grains and legumes a staple in his eating plan. Mark recommends avoiding them completely.

Mark presents a lot of good reasons for that advice and I found the logic compelling enough to give Primal Blueprint a trial run. I'm sure Weil would approve. He recommends experimenting (within reason) to see what effects dietary, supplement or lifestyle changes might have.

It's been about 2 weeks since I started this experiment and so far, so good. I plan to share more about the Primal Blueprint, my implementation and the effects in future posts. With any luck, they'll come more frequently than once every 6 months.

Experiment #2 - Barefoot Sandals For Guys

2010-08-13T11:32:00.003-04:00

Actually, I don't plan to make these. But several of the guys on the Barefoot Runners' Society forum have asked if I could do the same kind of thing for guys. OK, gents, here's my $0.02. It's up to you to make a pair. If you do, please post a link to pictures of your creation in the comments.

1) Buy this pair of $20 sandals from K-Mart.
http://www.kmart.com/shc/s/p_10151_10104_035B015762000001P?vName=Shoes&sName=Sandals&cName=Mens&blockNo=8&blockType=G8&prdNo=8

2) Cut where indicated by the red lines below (both sides). You might choose to seal the edges with some glue and use a permanent marker to fill in the areas where the trim would be. (Or not.)

(Alternatively, you could leave the side straps (along the 'tongue' of the shoe) long and cut them off at the base of the shoe instead of where shown. Then you could glue 2 pieces of flat elastic cord to the straps so that the elastic cord would fit across the bottom of your foot and hold the side straps to your foot. The finished product would look more "shoe-like," but it would take more tools and time and mean that the bottom of your foot wouldn't be completely bare -- there would be 2 parallel elastic straps across the sole of your foot.)

Assuming you're going with the quick and easy method (and, hey, you're guys -- so of course you are!) let's continue...

3) Now loosen the laces all the way and extend the cord out at the toe end. (You'll need a bit more imagination with this image, but hopefully you get the idea.)

4) Attach the back strap around your ankle and loop the cord around your toe. Voilà! Just enough shoe to pass the glance test and keep under the radar of the shoe police. And it's yours for just $20 and about 5 minutes of effort.

Good luck with it! Let me know how it goes.

How To Make Barefoot Sandals

2010-08-06T13:29:00.000-04:00

This is experiment number 1. I'll let you know how well they wear after this weekend.

An Ah-Ha Moment!

2010-08-04T20:52:00.001-04:00

Earlier today, thanks to a link posted on the Barefoot Runners Society forum, I read a great article by Steve Magness: The Biomechanics of Running.

When I was done I thought, "I finally get it! It's all about the hip extension!"

All along I've been equating hip extension with pushing off (pushing off = bad). As a result, I've been limiting the range of motion at my hip joint. But hip extension isn't pushing off -- it's pushing back -- and that makes all the difference!

I went out for a trail run at lunch today and focused on hip extension. I let the leg extend back and didn't try to pull the leg in too early (as it seems I've been doing all along). I ended up with a faster, easier run. And I *finally* understand a few other things that Barefoot Ken Bob suggests that just never really clicked for me.

- Let the hips rotate -- Previously, in my attempt to lift the foot I was actually pulling the leg forward too early. There was very minimal hip rotation. With my focus on the hip extension, the hip joint relaxes and rotates naturally.

- Relax, relax, relax -- I could never figure out how I was supposed to relax AND hold myself up AND propel forward. Now I understand that's just another way to say let the stretch reflex do the work (as described in Magness' article). Now it makes sense to me!

As Magness points out, "All runners will respond to a cue slightly differently, that is why it is important to come up with several different ways to say the same thing." Seems that's exactly what I needed.

My hope is that this adjustment to my form will help prevent my recurring TOFP and, as a bonus, will also make me a faster runner.

Tonight's Trail Run

2010-07-28T21:18:00.000-04:00

I did 3 miles of barefoot run/walk intervals tonight on the trails. Then I grabbed my camera from the car and went back for a 1.5 mile barefoot hike to get some photos on the trails. This is my 3rd run since recovering from tendonitis (TOFP) and my foot is still feeling good. Keep thinking those good thoughts for me!

The path leading up to one of my favorite trails.

The sun setting behind the trees.

My first thought is, "OK, then I'll run, instead." The sign might as well say, "I dare you!" Don't ya think?

I saw a baby snake here when I went running through the first pass. I was hoping he'd still be around when I came back with the camera, but he had moved on.

I found this guy, instead. He was moving along at a pretty good clip. I guess he didn't give much heed to the sign, either.

Oh, look! A puddle. Only one thing to do...

Ahhh!

The smooth river rocks by the boat house are always a nice place for a cool down walk after a run.

I like to wrap my feet around the rocks. It's very soothing.

Time to kick back on the boat house deck and watch the sunset.

Footwear

2010-07-25T12:57:00.000-04:00

A common question asked by new barefoot runners is, "What shoes do you wear when you're not running?"

My answer is, "Barefoot whenever possible, otherwise as little shoe as possible."

When I started out barefoot running last year, the thought of barefoot living didn't even cross my mind. What I found is that the more time I spent barefoot, the more time I wanted to spend barefoot and the more I disliked the feeling of shoes. It's now been over a year since I've worn any kind of elevated heel, not even a regular tennis shoe. My comfort and balance are now noticeably affected by even the smallest heel elevation.

Today I spent some time cleaning out my closet and pulled out all my old shoes from the back. Before donating and/or consigning them I thought I'd take some before and after photos to show what has happened to my shoe wardrobe over the last year.

Here are some of the shoes that I wore before June 2009. Look at those heels!

Here is my current selection of footwear.

From left to right:
Footzyrolls - Limited Edition Collection, Gold Gator
Footzyrolls - Everyday Collection, Black as Night
Target gladiator sandals, resoled by a local cobbler
My favorite footwear option of all -- none! :)
Footzyrolls - Summer Snake Skin Collection - Wonderous White
Converse One-Star (from Target)
Vibram FiveFingers KSO, brown/brown

I curled up the gold and white Footzyrolls in the photo to show how light and flexible they are. They are not durable (I wore out my first pair in a few months), but they are the most minimal shoe I've ever worn and I find them a reasonable option for dress clothes.

I bought the gladiator sandals this summer at Target. These images are from Target showing how they looked when I bought them.

As I noted at the beginning of this post, I'm not fond of even the slightest heel elevation. I bought these with the intent of taking them to my local cobbler to see what he could do to make them more minimal. He resoled them with his most minimal sole material. They're nice. A bit thicker than I'd prefer (~5mm), but much better than when I bought them.

Here are a couple of close ups showing how they look now. You can see that the sole is completely flat now, no heel elevation at all.

Next time I think I'll make a few more calls and see if there are any other cobblers in town who can get things a little thinner. The good news is that if I come across a cute pair of kitten heels or flats with a wide enough toe box, I know I can get them resoled to a more minimal option. It's not an inexpensive option, but it's one that I hope will help me better balance the fashion and function aspect of shoes for those occasions when a shoe is necessary.

One thing I've really started enjoying since moving to a barefoot lifestyle is dressing up my feet without using a shoe. My toe nails are almost always polished and occasionally decorated with nail art. I have a growing collection of toe rings and ankle bracelets. And I make my own foot jewelry which proves to be the ultimate in minimal footwear. (Sorry, no, I'm not planning to sell any. :) I don't have the time to handle orders.)

Getting Back At It

2010-07-22T22:05:00.000-04:00

Yay! My first run in 3 weeks! I'm so happy to be back at it. There's nothing quite like the feeling of getting my feet in the dirt on a barefoot trail run! I'm keeping my fingers (and toes) crossed that that's the end of the tendonitis!

Considering this is my first post, perhaps I should give a little background. I've been a barefoot runner for just over a year. I started in June 2009. Before that I wasn't a runner at all. I didn't set out to be a runner and I certainly didn't plan to be a barefoot runner. I simply tried a short barefoot run (just a few yards) out of curiosity, discovered that it's incredibly FUN and have been hooked ever since.

Some people transition to barefoot running quickly. I'm not one of those people. The process of becoming a barefoot runner has had its ups and downs for me. On the plus side, the knee, shin and hip pain I would experience any time I tried running in shoes is completely nonexistent for me running barefoot. On the minus side, it is taking a long time (read, over a year) to properly condition the tendons and muscles in my feet and ankles. Twice in the last year I've done too much too soon and I've paid the price in the form of tendonitis.

The latest bout has been extensor tendonitis in my left foot, commonly referred to as Top Of the Foot Pain (TOFP). From what I can tell, it may be one of the most common issues for barefoot runners. From others' reports, it's usually mild and goes away quickly. In my case, I ended up with a pretty serious case that came on suddenly as a result of sprinting during a 1 mile fun run. Slowly but steadily it got much better, but never completely went away.

I finally went to the doctor 3 weeks ago. He confirmed my self-diagnosis of extensor tendonitis. He noted that my calf muscles were exceptionally tight and I had a limited range of ankle dorsiflexion. Since tight calf muscles pull on the opposing extensor tendons, he prescribed stretching and massage to relax the calves. He suggested no running for 3 weeks to allow the tendons to rest.

I have followed the doctor's advice for the last 3 weeks and have noted significant improvement in my range of motion. I finally went out for my first run yesterday afternoon. I'm taking a conservative approach and only went for a short 1 mile run/walk on the trails (less than 1/2 of it was actual running). It felt great and my foot feels fine today, a little tight but no pain. I'm going to take 2 rest days between runs and ramp back up slowly while continuing with the stretching and massage. I'm hoping this does the trick. We'll see.