Dairy vs. My Skin

My Skin is Freaking Out 

Ugh!!!!!   That should actually be the title of this post, but no one would know what it was about...for some reason my skin has an absolutely horrible reaction to Dairy (just cow dairy).  I break out in direct response to any dairy in my diet.

This might seem like a very simple thing to avoid and usually I do a good job (although I love cheese I just switched to Goat Cheeses, problem solved).  However, it has been increasingly difficult I have realized to give up my Venti Iced Americano with Half and Half and One Sugar.  I love this treat during a sunny day!!!!  I can sometimes find Almond Milk to take the place of half and half, however that is tricky when I am traveling and since Starbucks only has Coconut milk and Soy Milk I am usually out of luck there.

I have tried Soy milk and I don't like it, plus I have been hearing more and more that women are sometimes getting way too much soy.  (I eat a lot of soy beans so I try and avoid it everywhere else).  I have tried coconut milk and I don't like that either...not thick enough.  I also have thought about non-dairy creamers but they seem highly processed and not very healthy.  

• Do I just give up the drink completely?  
• Do I find a replacement...Berry Refresher (I like those)...they are not the same as a yummy iced coffee tho?
• Do I just deal with the skin reaction and try to keep it under control with topical treatments (so expensive)?

Still trying to decide what to do...what are your treats that you refuse to give up no matter the consequence?

Well since it has been sunny I have had the worst skin and that is the ONLY dairy I have added back into my diet:(  It is so frustrating!!!!!  I am now completely convinced that a lot of our 'ailments' and 'annoyances' are directly related to what we put in our bodies.  

I recently spent a couple days as a guest and of course eat what they had made and prepared for me...it was way off from my usual restrictions, but I would never refuse a meal that someone else has taken the time to put together.  The food was delicious, but my body was not the same afterwards.  I have been sluggish and my skin is breaking out like crazy.  I feel puffy and bloated, I cant wait for those things to get out of my system and feed my body the fresh whole foods it is used to.  Its like I put molasses in the engine of my car and went for a long drive.  UGH!!!!

All the food was filled with meat that wasn't fish, wheat, and dairy.  It is a constant struggle to just live a normal life and also be good to your body and brain.  It explains a lot of what is wrong with Americans and how hard it is for us to make good decisions with what we are surrounded with.

I am going to spend this week trying to clean my eating and add a little more water and tea to my day and make sure I go to my workouts each day.  That should get my skin back on track soon.

Workout Routines

Crossfit Workout Routine

I have been doing Crossfit for about a year now...but I have been serious and consistent with it for about 6 months.

I started out with individual training sessions twice a week.  This allowed me to get stronger without hurting myself and learning proper technique.  It was definitely a financial commitment, but your health is priceless and so that was my decision.

The classes are intense and I am competitive so I got sick of being last every single time...going more then 3 times a week made the biggest difference.  I was able to recover quicker each time so I was less sore and could continue to work those muscles the very next day.  I also started to stay after and choose one exercises that was particularly difficult for me, and I would do it after the workout to get better at it.

For example I was terrible at Double Unders, so after each workout I would commit to doing 50 no matter how long it took me.  Then I would commit to doing 100.  Then I would try to do 20 in a row, then 30 in a row and so on.  It helped tremendously.

I noticed a difference in my body after just 3 months and it continues to feel stronger and better definition.  Strength is so important for women over 30, and I didn't want to wait to long to make it a habit.

I have found my favorite workout, and I actually really really enjoy going so its not hard to work it into my day and week.

The best part for me has been the small accomplishments along the way.  Doing your first unassisted pull up, first handstand push up, 10 chest to ground push ups in a row, faster times on my 400 meter run.  All of those things written in my journal so I can go back and look at them and see how much I have improved.  Very helpful and motivating.

Crossfit Regionals are this weekend so I will have a blog about that too.  Gonna be some bad ass chics there!!!  So fun.

6 Month Update

My 6 Month Update 

So I haven't blogged about my nutrition challenge in a long long time, and I think it is time to start up again.  I have been asked what I do for my workouts and what I eat, so it seemed like a good time to start sharing again.

I started changing my diet in late December 2012 and so it has now been 6 months of tyring new things.

1.) Juicing

• I really did want to incorporate juicing into my diet, and I completely failed at that.  I was really only able to do it a couple times...I never developed a taste for it or a routine so it never really stuck. 

2.) No meat, poultry, or pork...fish only.  

• I cut out all meats except for fish.  I do still eat egg whites.  That has been very very easy.   I don't really miss anything.  There have been a few times when I have eaten what someone has made for me so that I am not rude, but I really haven't had a hard time with this new routine at all.

3.) No dairy

• I have tried this one before to help improve my skin. and it works really really well.  There are only a few things that tempt me....cupcakes...cookies....half and half in my iced americano.  Whenever I have one of these items I notice it in my complexion and energy level right away!  It is enough to discourage me about 90% of the time.  

4.) No wheat

• I cut out all wheat (not gluten) just wheat...(not carbs).  I still eat red potatoes and sweet potatoes, I eat rice and oats  and corn or corn chips.  The only thing that made this part challenging was eating things on the go, like in the car.  I had a really hard time finding foods that I could eat when I was in a really big hurry and walking or driving somewhere.  Otherwise I have noticed a huge difference in my energy level and I sleep better without a lot of wheat in my diet.

Side effects of this diet change.  I lost 10 lbs immediately and kept it off all 6 months:)

I will continue my food diary as part of this blog as well as my daily crossfit log in case anyone wants to know about my workouts.  My 'after' pics will be posted by the end of the week as well.  

I still plan on finding a way to incorporate a wider variety of veggies and fruit into my day thru juicing.