Lessons Learned from the Paleo Challenge

As the Paleo Challenge is coming to an end, I reflect back on what I have learned over the course of this "experience":

1. Some people are blessed with the ability to cook - the rest of us should become really good friends with those people.
2. I am terrified to eat anything I cook, but after I get over that first bite, I can handle the rest.
3. Seafood for breakfast 7 days in a row isn't that bad.
4. A craving can last for 29 days. On day 30, you look at your accomplishment and wonder if you want to give up everything you just gained.
5. Eating out is difficult - not because of the choices available, but because ordering requires a lot of special requests and you get a lot of weird looks.
6. "Season to taste" means you better put something else in this because cheese is not considered a seasoning.
7. Cinnamon goes with EVERYTHING.
8. Your coworkers used to think you were crazy. Doing a Paleo Challenge during the holiday season confirmed it for them.
9. Nothing served at a bowling alley resembles paleo...except the bacon and eggs.
10. You look at people eating fries and cheese balls differently. First, you wonder if you can get over the table fast enough to get the basket out of their hands - which, of course you can, you do CrossFit. But then you realize you don't NEED to have them...but you can almost taste the gooey battered goodness while you stare at your chicken salad.
11. Buying jeans right before the challenge was a mistake. A big mistake.
12. Eating clean may not mean you can eat as much as you want, but, hey, as long as it's within the rules, why not?

So - after 30 days, I've dropped 11 pounds and 1.5% body fat. Pretty happy with the successes and I'm going to keep going. Although I don't really care about the weight loss (or at least it's not a major concern), it feels good to know I'm healthy and that I had the willpower to do it.

This proves, with exercise and proper nutrition, that a person can reach their goals and make the changes they want to in life. Dieting is overrated, eating clean and healthy will come naturally. Honestly, after 30 days of no sugar, I'm not really even that excited to dig into a caramel roll. Now, I'm not saying I won't indulge every once in a while, but, for right now, I'm going to buy new jeans!

Congrats to all of my fellow Paleo Challenge contestants - GOOD WORK!

When "good enough" just isn't enough...

When I was a kid, your parents expected the world from you. You were expected to give everything you had on the T-Ball League and to run your little legs off during Track and Field Day in elementary school. Those blue ribbons meant everything when you were seven years old.
Times have changed. Now, as long as you "try" everything is going to be okay. But nothing defines "trying". You can try a new food and if you don't like it, spit it out. But did you really try it? Or did you just go through the motions so you can say you tried it? Slogans like "it's not if you win or lose that matters, it's how you play the game" have allowed people to live with good enough. As long as you make an attempt at doing something, the world is happy. What are we saying when we take the losing team out for pizza just because they tried? They lost - do they really deserve a celebration? Sure, they tried and did a good job, but we are teaching those people that it's okay not to succeed or reach your goal. Is that really the message we want to teach? If you are always getting a reward - win or lose - then what's the point in putting forth the extra "umph" to be successful? 
In a society where mediocrity is par, we look up to those who have achieved greatness. People who have reached their goals are put on pedestals and idolized by the rest of America. But why? It's not only because they put their heart into their goal and did everything they needed to achieved it, but because so few people are putting themselves out there and actually doing. If succeeding at your goals became the norm, then more people would climb the tallest peaks across the world, write the novel they've always wanted to write, become a great baseball player and the "elite status" would then be raised to the next level. 
The point is to keep raising the bar and to reach that bar in everything you do.  Instead, we continually lower the status quo so more people can feel successful. Trying is not getting by. You can try with all your heart, but when you actually get out and do it with all your heart until you succeed, you will feel true accomplishment and become an elite.
Pave the way for yourself. Continually exceed your own expectations, raise that bar, and learn to live with everything you have. 

The Driving Conundrum

South Dakota has some of the worst drivers of any state I have driven in. It's almost like drivers here are not aggressive enough and are just on the road for a Sunday drive. As a former parts runner, I spent hundreds of hours on the road during high school and in my first few years of college. This not only gives you a LOT of time to think and many opportunities to critique other people's driving skills. One of my duties was to train new people. Maybe this is where I get my stellar backseat driving skills (or maybe they come from my father...), but it absolutely amazes me how people do not get in wrecks almost every day. I've ridden with some pretty horrific drivers, and some pretty good ones, but don't be offended if I always offer to drive when we go out. It's not that I don't trust your skills, it's just that, well, I trust mine a lot more.
So, here are some random thoughts about driving....
My Baby
My pickup is one of the few possessions in my life that I don't mess around with. Now, it may not be the nicest one around, but it's part of me, it's mine, it's like my first child. Don't ask to drive it. If you need to go somewhere, I'd be more than happy to take you. If I REALLY feel like I can trust you or I'm just in a really caring mood, you might get the keys, but that only happens once a year, and, well, I've let a few people drive her already this year, so it might be a few years until I'm feeling generous again. 
Parking
If you ride with me, you have two choices - I will either drop you off at the door or you can walk from the absolute back of the parking lot with me, regardless of the weather. I have two very capable legs (some may argue with that) and don't really want to park next to the rusty Metro with two huge dents down the side and a missing headlight or the lady with a purse, diaper bag, and two screaming kids. There are way too many bad things that can happen. So, I am perfectly content taking up two parking spots (more if necessary) in the back of the lot. What really gets me is when some guy with a beater pulls up and parks right next to me. Uhhh...sorry sir, there are several other spots for that you can park in. Maybe he does it just to tick me off or maybe he's just not all there up top, but really? Don't mess with the Ford.
There are also some parking strategies known by few:

• Don't park close to entrances, especially during crappy weather because people will slide into the side of your vehicle. 
• Pulling all the way through so you have a quick exit plan is a good idea, until someone pulls up so close behind you the tailgate won't open, so park strategically.
• Park near shopping cart returns - there is less of a chance of a cart-car accident in these locations. 
• Parking where only one person can park next to you limits the chances of getting a door ding.

Waving
I usually have a thousand things on my mind when I am driving. It drives me crazy when you see someone you know and they walk up to you and say "Geez, didn't you see me at the (Insert name of place here), I was waving at you!" I really, REALLY want to respond with "No, I saw you" and just walk away. I apologize for not seeing you, but if I did, I surly would have waved to you. I had a voicemail on my phone one day that I still don't understand...."Hey, it's me. I just saw you sitting at the stoplight talking on the phone. I waved but you didn't wave back so I figured I'd call and say Hi since I haven't seen you in a while. Well, guess I'll talk to you later!" HHmmmmmmm...
Keys
I don't know exactly how it happens. I am right handed. The ignition switch is on the right side of the steering column. But whenever I am looking for my keys, they are in my left pocket. 
Four-Way Stops
Drivers in this town are not nearly aggressive enough, or they just aren't in a big enough hurry. I avoid four-way stop signs as much as I can because I usually wind up making someone mad. Is it really that hard to figure out who's turn it is to go? I'm all about the honor system, but really, if you are going straight north and the car headed the other way is going straight south, you have every right to go when they do, even if you just pulled up. If no one is going, don't get mad at me when I do, because I'm not going to sit there and wait for everyone else to make up their minds. Politeness gets you nowhere at four-ways...
Ice and Snow
I love driving in the winter. Partially because there are fewer cars on the road and partially because it's fun. I have four-wheel drive and my pickup loves the snow. A common fact is that you don't put it in four-wheel drive until you need it. If you get into trouble when you're in four-wheel drive, well then, someone's gonna have to come get you. But, if you have a reserve after you've gotten into trouble, you can usually get yourself out of it. I know how to get myself out of most winter driving situations, with only the occasional pucker factor. 
If you are only going 20 mph in a 45, I will pass you, probably at 35. Don't get mad. Don't assume I am overdriving conditions. Just assume I know what I am doing and don't want to get rear-ended by the semi that's doing 45 and coming up behind you. 


Happy Driving!

Challenging the Paleo Challenge

If you know me, you know I like to eat. Not really eat a lot, but eat all the time (which, over the course of a day can constitute a lot...). I can't really say I'm a horrible eater - as in eating a ton of junk food - but I'm not the best eater in the world. I've been trying to grasp the whole primal/paleo lifestyle and working towards eating better, but I just can't quite get there. So, when Black Hills CrossFit decided to do a 30-day Paleo Challenge, I thought "here's my chance to finally take the plunge!"

Let me start at the beginning...Over the last nine months of my CrossFit Journey, I've learned a lot about myself and what I can (and can't) do. I'm not really one who's had many "life changing" moments, but CrossFit has definitely been one of the best things I've ever done for myself. Through CrossFit, I've learned that you can wake up sore seven days a week, yet still make it to the gym and (wobble) through a workout because, after round three, you just don't feel anything anymore. I've learned that, after doing 150 lunges and 150 squats, it hurts really, really bad to stand up after sitting for any period of time - therefore, it is important to time your bathroom breaks so you are ensured access to the handicap stall. I've also learned that, even if I don't think I can do something, but someone else tells me I can, I will do it. One of the biggest strengths I have is my stubbornness, I do not enjoy being the last one to finish a WOD, but even worse than that would be failing to finish it. In the gym, you are competing against other athletes and just going through the motions would be letting them down as competitors - CrossFit has taught me that "just doing" a task is not acceptable. When you show up, the trainers and other CrossFitters expect 100% from you. And when you leave, you feel ashamed of yourself if you have not given 110%.

December is going to be a difficult month, on many counts. First, it's holiday season, which says enough in itself. Second, it's winter and cold as ever out, which makes it hard to get outside and do long hikes with the pup. Third, it's the first ever 30-Day Paleo Challenge at the gym. I'm not going to go into details, but I'm excitedly nervous to embark on my next journey. I'm not saying it won't be hard or that I am 100% certain I will never fall off the wagon, but I am going to give it my all to be successful.

So, where does what I have learned at CrossFit fit in with the Paleo Challenge? Some of it is the pride I've learned through CrossFit and wanting to be part of something not everyone does. Some of it is actually having a solid reason to start my primal journey. But most of it is because I want to prove to myself that I can. I can have self restraint (not eating a donut when someone brings them into the office). I can cook (not start the grill on fire and having my steak well-done on the outside and rare in the middle). I can improve. But most important...I can be happy with who I am and where I am going. Because wherever I wind up in life, I want to say I did everything I had to do to get there. And I'm happy.

Realization is Like a Slap in the Face

I have always been a positive person until recently (recently being the last few years). Something happened and my life went from 100% optimistic to 100% uncertain. I can't call myself a pessimist, but I am definitely not the happy-go-lucky person I used to be. They say you don't notice changes when you are around someone all the time, which proves to be the case here. I never realized how much of a party-pooper I have become and how negative I have turned out to be until I was reading about the primal lifestyle and surrounding yourself with positive people to make yourself a positive person. As all great things happen and realization sets in, this became a stout reality when this really great guy decided I wasn't the one for him. I have been kicking myself for weeks trying to figure out what happened. And then it hit me. Like a slap in the face by a wet snowball on a cold day.


I was sort of seeing this guy; he was everything I was looking for and had a completely laid back lifestyle, something I am completely jealous of. I am the kind of person who is busy during almost every waking moment and he is the same way. But what I realize now, our definitions of busy are two completely different things...his busy was doing what he loved because he loved to do it. My busy was doing what I loved because it was what was needed to get the job done. I realize now that, what I loved has become work and the fun gets taken away when it becomes work. And that is why he didn't want to hang out with me anymore...because my lack of fun is contagious and, like anyone with some sense, he didn't want to catch it. I don't blame him. Just call me Negative Nancy.


I teach survival skills as part of a new recruit orientation. The number one necessity for survival? Ranking above air, water, and food? Positive Mental Attitude. It even deserves a TLA (three letter acronym) like all good things that need to be remembered. PMA is the utmost important thing to survival in any situation. "Think and therefore you are" has never made more sense than it does right now. If you think positive, you will be a positive person. If you think happy, then you will be happy. Likewise, if you think negative, then you will be a negative person. This is something we preach in survival, but why don't we practice it in real life, in everyday situations? You are more proficient at what you have practiced, so do it every day and enjoy the naturalness of being a positive person.


So, here is to a good PMA. Next time that snowball is coming my way, it's going to be because there is 12" of snow on the ground and I'm ready to fire back.


TsS

Irrational Fears

Shortly after I moved into my new house, I found a bunny rabbit in the window well. My father, being the loving, compassionate man he is, told me to jump in there and get it out. After I looked at him like he was crazy, I reluctantly climbed down in the well and started doing one of my first "homeowner duties". While I was down there, I found three mice. I was terrified the mice were going to run up my pant leg and the bunny was going to jump out of my hands into my face.  As Dad and Koda stood on the outside looking in, I grabbed the bunny and half tossed/half catapulted the poor thing out, then got the mice out. Dad stood at the top and laughed at me the whole time while I was shrieking and squealing. After my daring rescue, I climbed out of the hole and preceded to haul butt into the house and wash my hands and arms although I had thick leather gloves on.


Since then, whenever I get my mail, I check the window well to see if anything has fallen in (I have yet to get window well covers, which would solve the majority of the problem). When I look in, I stand about three feet away from the edge and peer into it with one foot in front of the other, so, if necessary, I can make a quick retreat. I have this horrible fear that there will be a mad bunny rabbit in there and it will (somehow) jump out at me when I look in. As irrational as it is, I am fairly certain the family of the bunny who fell in there last year is out for revenge. 


Where do these fears come from? Is it something in our past that triggers an alarm reaction and, from that point forward, we just associate that reaction with a situation? I've never actually had a bunny jump out at me, but the possibility is very real in my head. I'm sure I could get some kind of therapy to make my "condition" go away, but I'd rather just peer over the edge and keep my neighbors wondering what is so interesting in my window wells.

Not JUST a Volunteer...

I was in Nevada last summer visiting some fellow firefighters. We did the customary fire station tour and I met their Operations Chief. We chatted about the differences in fire departments throughout the region. I told him a little about our area and that I was with a rural fire department near Rapid City. He asked how many calls we did in a year and I answered with “right around 100, we’re just a volunteer department.” He looked at me with his eyebrows raised. “Just a volunteer department?”

At the time, it didn’t mean much to me, but then I started thinking about my response. Why are we just a volunteer department? When people introduce me as a “firefighter,” I usually follow it with the same statement: “I’m just a volunteer.” Why is that? Am I being modest? Well, very few firefighters I know are modest, so I ruled that out right away. Am I ashamed to be a firefighter? No, it’s just the opposite. So what is the deal?

I started looking at our training and the time volunteers put into the fire department. Most volunteers spend nearly five hours a week at the fire station, which may not sound like much, but that is in addition to the 40-some hours worked during the week and spending time with family and friends; going to concerts and ball games, picking up groceries, cooking dinner. Between business meetings, trainings, calls, other meetings, going to classes, and the time spent at the station, one would assume we get paid to do what we do. But, we don’t. So why is it that we are just volunteers?

 The majority of the country is protected by volunteers, which is evident in South Dakota. We leave dinner with our family to go take a sick neighbor to the hospital; miss a birthday party to go fight a fire in the next county; spend Christmas in a blizzard rescuing people who ignored the road closures. We also use our weekends to take classes to further our knowledge and better ourselves as firefighters. Our training is top notch; we go through the South Dakota Certified Firefighter Course, complete NWCG wildland classes and task books, take National Fire Academy classes, and we travel around the state going to district fire schools.

We wear our department “colors” with pride (aka, jackets, shirts, hats), drive our trucks in parades, support local community events, and have open houses where we let kids climb in our trucks and turn on the lights. We defend our neighboring department when someone says it took them 20 minutes to get on scene. Most importantly, we stand beside what we believe in. Not in front of it, not behind it, but beside it. Whatever it is that drives us to do what we do – we stand beside it; because it is what makes us not a volunteer, but a firefighter. It is what makes us a team, provides that common link between all firefighters – regardless of your colors, your status, or your position on the department. When we respond to emergencies as firefighters, not just as volunteers. People do not care what you are called, as long as you are there to help them get through their emergency. Firefighters are a public icon – heroes in the American world. So, next time someone introduces me as a firefighter, I will respond with a smile, and proudly say “Yes, I am a firefighter.”

As the saying goes…fire does not care if your truck is red or yellow, if you are male or female, if you are career or volunteer. It’s how you fight the battle that determines victory in the war. 

Who I am...

I'd like to say I'm a unique person with many wild and crazy interests leading some NCIS-style life, but, in reality, I am a small town girl growing up in a small town world.
My dad always said I have the gift of gab and, those of you who personally know me, know he is right on. I will talk to pretty much anyone about pretty much anything, except about myself (which is somewhat counterintuitive, considering most bloggers talk about themselves). That being said, I'm sure, in the coming months, you'll recognize I talk more about "stuff" than myself. I'd like to be that person who says "if you want to know anything about me, just ask!" but that would be leading you astray. So, as boring as it is, this is the first of many ramblings....welcome to my life!