Thursday, December 27, 2012

Don't call it a comeback.



Even though this blog has been dark for some time, I promise that plenty has been cooking in Kenzo!  We finalized the purchase of the vacant house next door and we're working with an architect to draw up plans.  The fun surprise in all of this was that we purchased the entire block-to-block lot, which actually has two buildings - the house and a rear building, which is hopefully going to be turned into a cool modern work space for both me and the husband.  The not-so-fun surprise was a zoning issue that we have to get settled before financing can be obtained.  More to come on that.

In other news, I've dropped about 30 lbs, mostly due to an insulin resistance diagnosis which led to medication that has finally righted metabolic issues that have plagued me since high school.  Two other big factors have been my move into paleo eating and the establishment of a semi-regular yoga practice.  There is still a lot of cooking going on in our little crappy kitchen.  It's just mostly centered around meat and fresh veggies.  I'm hoping to bring you regular posts about my adventures, especially as I attempt to stay paleo while also streamlining our dinner making process so that we can eat dinner with the kiddo as many nights per week as possible.

December has been a rough month for staying on track with the whole paleo thing.  So many temptations and stresses.  So for my newest post, I am putting into writing my plan for the first 30 days of 2013, to get myself back in the groove of clean eating and regular exercise.  Don't call it a resolution, please.  We all know how those go.  I might keep this going long after January, but I'm trying to set a realistic goal that is still of a long enough duration that I'll be able to see results that might motivate me to continue.

Laura's First 30 Days of 2013

  • Eating - We're going full-throttle Paleo, people.  With a Whole30 to end all Whole30s.  I've done two of these in the past, but they've never been 100% perfect.  This time, it's on. New Year's Day = kitchen purge and restock.
  • Exercise - I'm taking on a "30 yoga sessions in 30 days" challenge.  But wait, you say, Who has money for 30 days at a yoga studio?  Not me, grasshoppers.  So I'm joining yogaglo.com.  You pay $18/month for unlimited access to online classes.  They even have mini tutorials for specific poses, which is something I was worried about since I'm still relatively new to the practice.  I have a bit of work travel in January, so it'll be awesome to to be able to take my laptop and just yoga my butt off in my hotel room.  I'll also be taking live classes at a Bikram (hot yoga) studio here in Philly and might try to hit the gym a couple times per week, too, for some weights and light cardio.
  • Sleep - This is a big one.  I've noticed that my weight loss stalls during the times that I'm most busy at work, which means I'm on the laptop after Charlie is in bed and I work until midnight, then get up at 5 am.  So my goal for January is to get at least 7 hours of sleep each night.  That seems to be my minimum set point for optimum mental health and bodily function.  If it means I DVR Top Chef and watch it later, so be it.
  • Mental health - Yogaglo also has some meditation classes.  I'm thinking of trying them.  Between weight loss stress, work stress, house-building stress, and the regular family stress we all endure, I just need an outlet.  Lately, it's been the occasional cigarette and that needs to stop RIGHT. NOW.  So meditation it is.  Say om, y'all.
What do you plan to do in the first 30 days of 2013?