Cultivating a Fresh Crop of Happiness

Phew...it's been a long time since I've written. And for those paying attention, I took a long break from Paleo for a few reasons - mostly due to the stress/lack of time/lack of finances associated with finishing 3rd year of Medical school and beginning my 4th. Not an excuse...I know. 

So...I'm beginning at the beginning. :)

To cultivate a fresh crop of happiness, you have to start with a good soil.

1. INTENT: I spent three weeks doing a meditation challenge to remember Who I am, What I want, and What is my dharma. (I came up with some wonderful, and surprising, answers)
2. NUTRITION: I've cleaned out my cabinets (once again) of all things processed. 
3. ACTIVITY: I joined a gym - not a hit-the-elliptical-for-an-hour gym, but a Brazilian Jiujitsu gym!  And I joined Fitocracy.com where I can log all my exercises, earn points and 'level up' - hooray for motivation!
4. SLEEP: I blacked out my room, and I go to bed 10 hours before I absolutely must get up.

One step at a time. We're building a healthy life! The sleep has been amazing - occasionally I sleep all ten hours, but in general I've been waking up well before that last minute alarm goes off. Beneficial because I get up on a natural sleep cycle (not rudely interrupted in the middle of REM) and I get extra sleep if my body needs it.


The jiujitsu has been an amazing change for me. I'm a very social being so I love meeting up with the same group of people every week, and it's keeping me honest! If I don't show up, people notice and ask about me. If I don't exercise and stretch on the off days...well let's just say practice isn't nearly as fun, and I end up with a lot more bruises :p


Now that I've been working these changes for a few weeks and really keeping up with them, I'm ready to fix the diet again. So...Day 1 of another 30 day Paleo challenge!


Exercise: 1 hour BJJ, 1.2 mile run, 30 min walk


Breakfast: omelet with spinach, tomato, and bacon, and some pan-fried potatoes.
Snack: Fresh pineapple
Lunch:  Chicken chili - crockpot x12 hours on low: chicken breast, kidney beans, green chiles, onion, potato, spices
Dinner: Spanish-style mussels