CAVEMomma!

WOW! That went SO much faster than expected. I have a lot to tell you!  This is the first time I’ve gotten through 30 whole days, no Paleo “treats”, no cheat days, nothing.  Pure, perfect, clean eating. That is such an amazing victory, especially since I have had MANY dangerous opportunities to give in “just this once”. Brownie-weilding drug reps, company lunches, birthday parties…all the things I used to use as excuses…”I’ll start over after (insert ‘special’ occasion here)”.  After this month, all I can think is, “why?”  This isn’t some diet you go on and off. Vegans don’t eat meat “just this once”. People with peanut allergies don’t indulge in vats of peanut butter for just this one birthday party. Why the hell would I eat something, even just once, that I know will lead to bloating, stomach pain, and self-loathing? I won’t. That’s the greatest thing that has come of this month. I have learned my relationship with food was a crazy one, and I’m ready and ABLE to jump off that train.

I had a set of ground rules and ate accordingly. Every time I came across something that could have temped me (brownies and pizza are my biggest nemeses), I made a concious choice. I asked myself some questions. “Are you really even hungry right now?”  Most of the time the answer was no. I wasn’t hungry, but the food was whetting my APPETITE. If the answer was yes, I grabbed my lunch box and ate something -real food- that actually SATISFIED MY HUNGER and kept me full.  Victory. I have learned the difference between hunger and appetite. This is such a big deal I’m finding it hard to put into words. I truly believe with all the convenient stuff we somehow label as food surrounding us at all times, it is so easy to mistake that salivation of appetite for actual hunger, which is a built-in mechanism to tell us we need to refuel. I have also learned that this machine of mine runs much better on clean, pure, whole fuel. MUCH better. Here are some of the other ‘side effects’ of learning how to properly fuel:

I have fingernails-and I didn’t have to pay for them. I grew them all by myself. :O) This is a first for me and I’m pretty darn excited about it.

I fall asleep, stay asleep, and wake up refreshed. This helps momma function happily and properly. We all know what happens when momma aint happy…

I have my energy back. If you’re familiar with my daily routine at all, you’ll know this is vital. If you’re new here, THIS is my day to day…

My skin is clear. WOW!!! I have received so many comments about how great my skin looks. I have STOPPED WASHING IT. I lay a hot wet washcloth on my face at night and in the morning, I don’t use soap at all.It isn’t perfect, but it is 99% better in just one month of eliminating grain, sugar, and dairy.  I am stunned.

I have learned to use one of the greatest God-given gifts: The power of self-control. This is HUGE, and it has so many effects past just food consumption. It has spilled over into my daily life in things like how I choose to react to daily situations.   I could write a whole post on this….hmmmm….

My mood swings have all but left the building. Even when I do feel like getting upset, I am better able to control my responses. This has to do with the self-control, but also with the fact that I am down to one cup of coffee a day, and I don’t feel that bubbled up overwhelmed feeling anymore. What a freedom.  )

I almost don’t even feel like posting my final “stats” for the Whole30, because the other things are so much more important, so much better than weight and measurements!!  But, a promise is a promise, so here they are:

Height: 5’6″            Weight: 124.5 (-7lb)       Waist: 27″ (-2″)        Hip: 31.5″ (-2.5″)       Thigh: 20″  (-1″)   Bodyfat %  Before was 25%.  Bodyfat now is 19.9%. SCORE.   In case you didn’t see the DAY 1 Post, here  it is

Yeah, not to shabby for 30 measly days. I still think that’s beans compared to all the other amazing effects. And I don’t plan on stopping. Bring on February birthday parties, Valentine’s day and all. I’ve got this.

I’d love to hear your Whole30 success story!!  Drop me a line here or on my Facebook page!  ~Cavemomma

Ok, if you’re reading this, I swallowed really hard and hit “publish”. I am so not looking forward to this, but a promise is a promise and I’ll tell you this is one helluva way to keep myself accountable. I have taken my “before” pictures, and after letting myself completely indulge for the past 5 weeks, it is NOT  a pretty picture. I am absolutely mortified.  I was absolutely determined not to let my carb addiction beat me this holiday season, and was doing well up until “just a few slips” with treats the drug reps brought in…then I went on vacation. It is safe to say the addiction wiped the floor with me. Add to that I haven’t worked out  – maybe three times-and you have a recipe for disaster. It is my hope that by next holiday season, I’ll have gotten so far past all this I won’t have such a battle on my hands. I’ve quit smoking cold turkey, and that was hard. I can do this. So can you.

The thing is, more than the weight gain, I feel like CRAP. Moody, tired, YUCKY. I thought day one would be really hard for me, but I think I ate so much junk that I’m actually CRAVING real food. I was really geared up and ready to start today. As promised, Journal day 1:

Went to bed around 2am, so we slept until 10am. Hard. I felt ready to rock when we woke up this morning. 2 cups of coffee (normally half a pot), not at all hungry, so I decided not to eat but instead did  a 20 minute oil-pull and brushed with my homemade toothpaste. Then we went out and played in the pool for a couple of hours. Being outside in the sunshine was SO refreshing. Made lunch for the little one but still wasn’t hungry so I made our meal plans and grocery list for the week, watched the Lions beat themselves at football while folding laundry and cleaning the house, and put my gym clothes on.  David grilled some huge steaks and we ate those along with an avocado around 3pm. That was it..I wasn’t hungry the rest of the day. After running the kids everywhere they needed to go and grocery shopping at 2 stores, I got the kids settled in and hit the gym at 8pm for 30 minutes (and 3 miles) of HIIT hill sprints. I got my before pics, tried not to cry and vomit, then took my weight and measurements. Day one complete. I guess it’s time to face the music.

Day 1: Height: 5’6″.  Weight: 131.5 ; Waist: 29″;  Hip 34″ (holy hell.), Thighs 21.5″.  Biggest I’ve been since right after I had my last baby. OUT. OF. CONTROL. More importantly, this has been the moodiest, most exhausted I’ve been in months.

And now the hard part. Here you go. I can’t wait to see the progress picture January 30th. Come along with me, will you? ~Cavemomma

I promised to share my goals for 2012 for the purposes of accountability and inspiration, and I’m both excited and nervous as I sit here thinking of sharing my very personal thoughts and ideas with the world, knowing I’ll be called out if I mess up…but I guess that’s the whole point of accountability, eh? I’ll be keeping a complete online journal here if you would like to follow my journey. Only follow along if you can deal with my blatant honesty and probable fit-throwing.

So, without further stalling and procrastinating, here they are, in all their glory: (in NO specific order)

1. QUIT COFFEE. COMPLETELY.  Yeah, I know. Me, the queen of premium coffee snobbery. The 10 cups a day coffee addict.  I have begun the weaning process, and the goal is to be completely weaned by January 15th to avoid the major headaches that come along with cold turkey quitting. What finally made me decide to jump on the wagon? A really hard-hitting blog by Cheeseslave.com : http://www.cheeseslave.com/30-reasons-to-quit-coffee/. I also read parts of the book Primal Body Primal Mind and The Mood Cure, and have decided that between sugar and coffee, I’m a hot mess.  I know that a goal without a roadmap is just a dream, so the plan is to follow these tips: http://www.cheeseslave.com/how-to-quit-coffee/.

2. TRAIN 4-5 DAYS PER WEEK.  Not fly-by-the-seat, it happens if it happens training. Planned out on Sundays alongside my meals, which heavy-lifting and short sprints workouts I’ll do on which days and at exactly what time. They will be planned like appointments, and they will be 30-45 minutes long, most likely at 5am as that is what’s working for me now. I know with all my work, kid, and school obligations it is important to take time for myself, keeping my body and mind strong.  I’ll be following the Primal Blueprint’s formula of lifting heavy things and sprinting occasionally. I challenge you to challenge conventional wisdom in this area.

3. LEARN SPANISH.  I hope to be able to hold down a conversation and take a full medical history by the end of the year. The doctor for whom  I  work is fluent as is most of my office, and I would love to be able to communicate with those patients and others who have not yet mastered the English language. I had 4 years of German, so this should be a good challenge I am also looking into language learning software. I’ll be updating my progress as we go along.

4. STRENGTHEN RELATIONSHIPS. Specifically, my relationship with my husband (date night every other week) , My children (one on one time with each once per week), and my Jesus (Meditation on the Word daily). Where will I find the time? I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. Time isn’t “found”. It is made. If you want something badly enough, you’ll find a way. If not, you’ll find an excuse. We all have the same 24 hours. I choose to use mine productively. My relationships are the most important things in my life.

5. FULL ON PALEO NUTRITION, NO EXCUSES. Hello, my name is Nichole, and I’m a carb addict. Once I let wheat, grains, or processed sugars into my brain, it’s a downhill slide. This will be the interesting part of my journal. Yes, for the most part, this is the way I always am. However, the new job and the holiday season proved to be stronger than me, and I’m going to have to claw my way back to good health. The first thirty days I’ll be doing the Whole 30 challenge. This means I’ll have to give up my beloved Paleo “treats” to rewire my carb-loaded brain and get my body and mind back to optimal health. If you like a good giggle including pointing and laughing, be sure to follow me :0)

I’ll still be making weekly meal plans, helping the kids with their homework and running them all over creation, going to school, working,  and helping David with our business, but I’m going to find a way this year to streamline a little more and make all this more efficient. Wish me luck! What are your goals this year? I would LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU!!

Happy New year!  Let’s make 2012 OURS!  ~ cm

Stories about people who have lost 50,75, and 100+ pounds are so awe-inspiring. The struggles, the overcoming of so many obstacles, that one moment where they realized they were headed for certain death and made that life altering decision to change. We all love to see the before and after pictures.  I have a few friends and family members who have undergone these amazing transformations and I am SO proud of them because I know it wasn’t easy. But I can’t relate.

I’m not overweight, and I really never have been. I gained a TON of weight with my first pregnancy but I was extremely young and it seemed to just fall off. After my third baby, I hovered at around 140-145 for a couple of years, but I’m 5’6″ and am broad-shouldered, so I carried it pretty well. So, where’s my big inspiring story? My before and after? Unfortunately, it can’t be shown in pictures. Yes, since making the decision to take better care of myself after baby #4, I have dropped that 20 extra pounds and am now “skinny” by the average person’s description. Yay, me.

So, what about US?  Those of us who are average weight, no real need for a “diet and exercise program” per se? Why should we care what we eat? We have good metabolisms, and are in decent health, right? What does any of this have to do with us?? Well, how do you FEEL? Are you experiencing the “normal” aches and pains of getting older? Do you have skin issues? Are you tired and always using caffeine as a crutch? Do you have depression or anxiety?

There was a time I was being treated for depression. With meds. It was short-lived because those meds made me into a zombie, and I wasn’t having it. I was also having nasty pain in the knee that I injured when I was 18 causing me to be in a toe-to-butt cast for 8 weeks. I had acne for the first time ever after my 3rd child.  I had insomnia. I was a ferociously moody bitch…If you caught me in a good mood, we were best buddies, if not….well, it wasn’t pretty.  You know, the ‘normal’ aches and pains and crazy hormonal changes that happen to us as we get older and have babies. NORMAL.

What does any of that have to do with food? I didn’t know it until this year, but it turns out, EVERYTHING. After reading and researching and talking with MANY people who had switched to the paleo lifestyle, I tried it for myself. I lost a few pounds. My face started to clear up. I WANTED to work out. I had energy. I felt GREAT.  Woo freaking hoo! I was EXCITED!!!  I wanted to tell the whole world – everyone I knew and everyone that they knew – that THIS was the thing to help them. But there are no before and after slideshows with dramatic music and amazing presentation. There’s just “skinny little me” preaching on about good health. What the hell do know about anything, anyway? I get a lot of “why are YOU on a diet, anyway?” I ‘m not on a di….ahh, nevermind.

Then there was this weekend – a HUGE eye-opener for me. I guess I never realized how deeply nutrition affected the whole person. I occasionally have a treat here or there, and it never really sits well, but this weekend I dove off the deep end and belly-flopped.  Friday night my husband ordered Pizza. I had 3 pieces along with 2 bread sticks, and it was freaking delicious. It’s not like one night will cause me to be overweight. My tummy hurt all night, which was completely expected. It was worth it. Sort of.  It’ll be gone by morning.  However, Saturday morning,  I woke up “on the wrong side of the bed”. I was PISSY, and for no particular reason. The sun was shining too brightly through the window. (I live in South Florida – this is not a new occurrence.) The bacon was frying too loudly. My hands and feet were so swollen they hurt. My stomach felt like someone kicked me between the ribs. I was making everyone in the house miserable with my mood, so I finally decided to get my workout in, and it SUCKED. I felt like I was in slow-motion. We went to Red Robin for lunch and I had a bunless burger and water, and I was beginning to perk up.  Then, while we were walking around the outdoor mall, I spotted a Kilwins and INSISTED we get ice cream. What the hell? I already ate pizza last night anyway.I never do this, it won’t hurt me. I’ll start over Monday. It’s Thanksgiving week anyway….all the justifications in the world. I had opened up the flood gates and my addiction to carbs was back with a BANG.  We ended the night with a nice steak and salad, but continuing on my binge, I had to add in a couple of Hornsby’s hard apple ciders. Why not? They’re gluten-free! (nevermind the 21g of sugar each). So here I sit, on Sunday morning, hands so swollen I can barely type, stomach in knots, annoyed that I’m even awake. I found out this weekend that although I didn’t gain a single pound, my poor husband is about ready to head for the hills and my body wants to leave me and go with him.

What’s the point of sharing this with you? The point is, hormones do control just about every aspect of you. What we don’t realize is, those hormones are changed dramatically by what we stuff into our faces. Mood swings, that “PMS” effect, bloating, inflammation, depression, aches and pains are all DIRECTLY RELATED TO OUR INTAKE. So, we don’t have 50-150 pounds to lose, or some of us even 20. But those things we’ve come to accept as normal ARE NOT NORMAL, and we don’t have to put up with it. I encourage you to read “Primal Body, Primal Mind” by Nora Gedgaudas and  ”The Paleo Solution” by Robb Wolf  just to start. You will be amazed at how much our biochemistry depends on what we eat. Like momma said, “Garbage in, garbage out.” Good luck. I’d love to hear your non-dramatic “before and after” stories!

~Cavemomma

Sunday Morning Planning

I  hope that you were able to use last weeks meal plan and shopping list! I was very excited to see how many of you thought it helpful. This inspired me to keep going, as long as it’s helping you. I hope that after a few weeks, you’ll start to see it’s not hard to do, and you’ll venture out to other Paleo and Primal websites to get your own ideas about what you’d like to make and start your own plan! I’d love to hear about it if you do. One of the things I hear a lot in the Paleo newbie circle is “I need variety! This is so restrictive!!”  I can tell you that when we were eating the Standard American Diet (SAD), we ate very little variety. It was the same go-to meals week after week. Now, I am learning how to experiment a little and I’m LOVING the variety! As you’ll notice, I still have some easy fall-back meals we use every week, mostly because they’re crock pot meals and I have school some nights, it just makes it better for the hubby and kids.

Get on with it already! Ok, ok, here it is!

Mon: Breakfast-Egg muffins    Lunch-Deli rollups, salad, 1/2 avocado    Dinner- Tacos on iceberg lettuce cups

Tue: Breakfast-Egg muffins    Lunch-Leftover Taco salad or an “unwich”  (romaine wrapped deli meat and veggies, with an avocado spread), and a 1/2 avocado   Dinner-GrokPot pulled pork and sweet taters :0)

Wed: Breakfast-Smoothies (Kids love smoothies!)  Lunch-Leftover Pork    Dinner-Meatloaf and slaw

Thur: Breakfast-Hardboiled Eggs and homemade Larabars(kids)  Lunch-Leftover Meatloaf/slaw

Dinner–B.O.A.R.S stuffed chicken from Civilized Caveman Cooking, and Cauli-rice

Friday: (Again, for me Fridays are fasting Fridays. I eat dinner Thursday night and eat dinner Friday )

Dinner- Meatsa (Friday night fun with the kids!)

Saturday and Sunday: Grill BBQ Chicken and Burgers/Chicken sausages with the kids. Veggies, fruit salad, slaw… Big Breakfast and midday BBQ, then we’re good for the day!

We like coconut milk smoothies (I found Golden Star Coconut milk at Wal-Mart in the asian food section, the only ingredients are coconut and water. This is what you want – no additives or emulsifiers like Guar Gum)

Golden Star Coconut Milk

Shopping List:  3-4 cans Golden Star Coconut milk (1.39/ea.), Nitrate Free/GF/filler free deli meat (we eat Boar’s head or Applegate farms), 1 Pork loin, 4-5 Lb ground grass-fed (if you can) beef, 2 lb of free range organic chicken breasts (or a big bag of frozen. Do what you CAN.), 3 dozen cage-free organic eggs, 3-4 lb nitrate free GF uncured bacon, 1 head iceberg lettuce, 2 heads org. romaine, 1 package org. baby spinach, 2-3 not ripe avocado, One head red cabbage, 1 mango, 6 large organic apples, 1-2 large onions (I still have 1/2 a bag organic onions in my pantry), One can organic crushed tomatoes with jalapeno, or buy it fresh and crush it yourself), One can organic tomato sauce, pepperoni, shredded mozz if you do cheese, 2 zucchini, broccoli, cauliflower, assorted seasonal fruit,  extra veggies for salads (to your liking), one bag unsweetened shredded coconut, and some assorted NUTS (NOT PEANUTS.) for snacking.

Some of this stuff I still have in my pantry or fridge from last week, and you may want to look around to see what you have, then make a list working from what’s already there. Some things I ALWAYS have stocked are :

Coconut oil, EVOO, Fresh garlic, spices, Coconut flour, Almond meal, coconut vinegar.

I hope this helps you this week! Let me know what changes or additions you made! I’m looking forward to hearing from you!!

~ Cavemomma

It has come to my attention that being paleo-healthy is HARD. Too much work. Too CONFUSING. So, to take some of the guesswork out of it for you busy bees, I have decided to post a weeks worth of meal plans and grocery list. If I can make this work in my CRAZY BUSY life, so can you.  I hope this helps you figure out how to do this easily, and that it gives you some insight on how easy this really can be. It does take a little planning, but anything worth doing usually does. Feel free to mix and match and add your own ideas (please comment if you do, I’m ALWAYS looking for new things and input)..or, for you really confused types, follow it to the letter. I’ll have another week’s worth up next Sunday.

Egg Muffins

WEEK 1 MEAL PLAN:

MON: Breakfast – Egg muffins           Lunch- Deli roll ups, salad, half avocado     Dinner- Roast, red taters/carrots   (Snack : apple or almonds.)

TUES: Breakfast-Egg muffins             Lunch-Leftover roast and veggies                 Dinner-Crockpot Pork and sweet potato       (Snack-Macadamias or jerky)

WEDS:Breakfast-Baked Bacon           Lunch-Leftover Pork, Salad                            Dinner-Crockpot Meatballs over premade spaghetti squash or zucchini

THUR:Breakfast-Garbage Omelette   Lunch-Leftover Meatballs                             Dinner-Fried Chicken and sweet potato fries

FRI: “fasting Friday”…Intermittent fasting day for me – 6pm Thu – 5 pm Fri       Dinner-Meatsa and a salad                          Snack on mixed nuts or fruit.

For the rest of the family: Boiled eggs for breakfast and deli rollups with a salad for lunch..

Saturday and Sunday : Always a big bacon, Egg, and sometimes coconut flour pancake breakfast (skip those if losing weight).. Leftovers and deli rolllups/salads for lunch. Or, I’ll make a big batch of *chicken salad* and we’ll scoop that onto romaine wraps. Dinners: GRILL! Bunless burgers, steaks, italian chicken sausages, Rotisserie chickens, etc. Yes, we grill year ’round…this is S. Florida…but even if it wasn’t, I’d find a way…..

Grocery List for WEEK 1:

Zucchini (3-4), Organic spinach, organic broccoli(2 heads), green onions, 3 avocado, cauliflower, organic apples, sweet potatoes (4 lg.), raw almonds, macadamia nuts, Organic romaine lettuce, one lg. spaghetti squash, red bell peppers (2), organic fresh garlic, organic baby carrots, large white onion…3 dozen free range/pastured eggs, 4 lb. uncured nitrate/nitrite free bacon, one grassfed beef roast, one pastured pork loin, 4 lb grassfed ground beef, 2 cans organic tomato sauce, one sm. can organic tomato paste, 2 cans coconut milk (gold star. no guar gum or additives, just coconut and water.)  sliced pepperoni, 2lb deli meats (Boars head no filler/gluten free/nitrate free).   Other: seasonal fruits and veggies I can cut up and put in a veggie/fruit tray for snacking.  My grocery bill for feeding 6 people is usually right around $160-$190 (depending on how much “other” non-food stuff I need).

Preparation is key

SUNDAY PREPLANNING can be crucial to make sure you get through the week. I make the egg cupcakes Sunday night and Weds. night and put them in the fridge for easy grabbing/microwaving. Get the egg cupcake recipe *here*. I also cut up and wash my salad veggies and put them into tupperware/ziplock containers in the fridge for easy grabbing. I cook the spaghetti squash at 350° for 1 hour and scoop out the “noodles” for refrigeration. This way, when I grab the meatballs  out of the crockpot tuesday night, all I have to do is heat the “noodles” in the microwave for a few minutes. Set reminders the night before to set out meats for thawing or don’t freeze them. This avoids the excuses. Sunday evening, I season my beef roast , set it in the crockpot with cut potatoes and carrots. This way, Monday morning all there is to do is pull it out, plug it in, and set the temp/timer. Same goes for the Pork monday night/tuesday morning. Tuesday night I’ll make the meatballs (2lb ground beef, 1 egg, garlic, basil, oregano, black pepper, salt -mix with hands, make balls, set in crockpot. Yep, it’s that easy!)   and do the same thing with the crockpot..Have I mentioned how much I depend on that thing?? It’s just awesome to come home to dinner already made! Sunday night is also for cutting up the veggie/fruit/nuts for snacking. All this prep takes about 2-3 hours, but saves SO MUCH TIME during the crazy workweek.

I hope you found this helpful! Let me know how I can improve this list for next week! I’m always listening *      ~Cavemomma

Remember Aaron? My awesome brother who took on the 30 day Paleo challenge at my request even though he was extremely skeptical? If not, I encourage you to read his story here. Aaron has gone from being skeptical to being one of the biggest proponents of the Paleo lifestyle and one of my best cheerleaders.  He even now admits his addiction to Paleo in his video “Cavebrother admits paleo addiction”. <– That will make you giggle.

Now that you’ve done your reading and watching, here’s Aaron’s 90 day Progress pictures. You tell me why he’s no longer skeptical

Play.  The dictionary defines it as n. ”exercise or activity for amusement or recreation” or v. “to do something in sport not to be taken seriously. To amuse oneself. To take part or engage in a game”…Simple right?  Then why don’t we do more of it? Do we even know how anymore? It seems to me that play has become something kids do, mostly on electronic devices, and usually away from adult activities. But why? OHHH here we go: the list of a thousand ‘reasons’ why we can’t play.  “I don’t have time.  I don’t know how. I’m an ADULT.”   One of my favorite quotes is “We don’t stop playing because we grow old. We grow old because we stop playing.”  Truth.

So about this time issue: I have four children, ages 4, 9, 11, and 12. They are involved in clubs and sports. I own and operate a very busy commercial cleaning business. I attend nursing school full time (12 credit hrs per semester).  I TOTALLY get it that we can’t just drop our responsibilities and just go out and run around like fools. There’s a time and place for all things. Just like everything else, schedule a few times a week to unplug-set down that cell phone or laptop, turn off the t.v. I’m not trying to be all “holy” here…I have an iPhone that I use to check my blog, Facebook, and Twitter waaaay too often.  However, I do not watch TV. It wasn’t always that way, I had shows that I liked, but I found that the time I wanted to hang out with the kids or get stuff done was being mindlessly wasted while sitting on the couch munching on God only knows what. When I made the decision to get healthy, that was just about the only thing I could see cutting out in order to reclaim my life. Work? Nope, gotta pay those darn bills. School? Well, I could, but that would be the opposite of reclaiming my WHOLE health. Sleep? UM, NO. If you know me at all, this is a BAD idea. No sleep makes momma impossible to be around. Plus, it breaks the Paleo rule of getting enough quality sleep Working out? I did cut that down a bit…I am lifting more heavily and doing at-home body weight exercises so I don’t have to spend a whole lot of time gymming. But eliminating it all together would be a major seback to the goal of longevity, balance, strength and health.  My children need me to be able to be present while looking over their homework, talking to them about their day, etc. Doing that over a blaring TV lessens the value of conversations in a big way. You have to find little places here and there where you could fit it in, but I’ll bet if you look hard at your whole week, you’ll find it. IT IS OF LIFE SAVING IMPORTANCE. In all the super-person madness we encounter every day, we NEED playtime more than ever. Once you try it, you’ll be hooked. Pinky promise

 How?? How do I play?? I haven’t done that since….I don’t even remember! Well..grab your kids, dogs, spouse, or anyone in the general vicinity who won’t call the police, and do something fun.  Fun in the healthy life is no longer hanging out at your local watering hole….Go to the park and climb the monkey bars and swing and play tag in the sunshine. Go skating,  for a bike ride, or stand up in the middle of your living room, turn up the radio and have an impromptu dance party. Just today when I left class, it was POURING. Not raining. Monsoon rain, wind, RAINING. I watched as people huddled under the overhangs “waiting it out”, texting and calling for someone to come pick them up. I wrapped my phone in my sweater, threw it in my bag, took off my shoes, and jumped through every. single. puddle.  I had a blast!! Little opportunities like that can change your whole perspective on life. Now, dig way back in your past and recall some of the things you did in your childhood which made you smile and make some of those memories. Get a fresh 64-count box of crayons and color on a rainy afternoon or take a snuggle nap. Then, when you’re all outta breath and giggling til you pee yourself, drop me a line and tell me all about it. I can’t wait!   ~Cavemomma