WE DID IT!

Yesterday was the last day of the Paleo Challenge! :) Aaron and I officially went 30 days without eating any processed food (except for Aaron's salad dressing haha). Let me start by thanking everyone for your continuous support and kind words: thanks for cheering me on, talking me out of eating cake, and allowing me to smell your food! Furthermore, let me say this: if I can go 30 days without eating one bite of garbage food, you can make some improvement to your nutrition. There is always room for improvement. 

Who's ready to see how we did? I am :) 
Shelby:
Starting weight: ~148 lbs.
Post-Paleo: ~143 lbs.
Starting body fat: 23.4%
Post-Paleo: 21.7%

Unfortunately neither of us improved on the workout portion of the challenge. We were both about 10 seconds slower than our starting time.

Aaron:

Starting weight: 173 lbs.

Post-Paleo: 167 lbs.

Starting body fat: 10.7%

Post-Paleo: 8.1% 

Here are a few things we accomplished, on top of having excellent commitment to nutrition!

• My first unassisted pullup!
• My first full rope climbs (3 of them!)
• My first double unders!
• PR'd my mile run by 1:30 (new time 8:20)
• PR'd my back squat (135#)
• I learned how to grill! 
• Aaron got handstand pushups! 
• He also learned how to do double unders...very well. 
• I did my first handstand!

Obviously improving your nutrition makes a huge difference for your mental and physical health! The Paleo lifestyle is definitely something that I plan on continuing for a very long time. So many people are concerned with the cost of eating a healthful diet, but I only spent about $30/week on my groceries...much less than I did when I was eating processed food. When you aren't paying for packaging or the manufacturers' marketing, you save a lot of money! As far as discipline and commitment goes, you can do anything you set your mind to. If you never wanted to eat processed food again, you could! Physically, I feel better than I've ever felt. My body craves and appreciates the nourishment I provide it, and in turn I have high energy levels, improved performance, and better overall well-being. This is the way people were meant to eat and how I feel everyday is just further proof of that. 

Workout wise, this challenge made me realize how far I can push myself. If I am completely avoiding foods that I [used to] like for 30 days, I better work out hard to make the most of this. That's exactly what I did. Following my gym's programming everyday made such a difference! I've noticed that a lot of CrossFit athletes are pick-and-choose with the wod's that they do; they'll look at their gym's wod, deem it too hard, too running intensive, or unappealing and call a rest day. I was this way before the challenge. Now, I show up whether I want to do the workout or not. Doing the things you are uncomfortable with will make you a better, stronger athlete. If you're going to call yourself an athlete, you better be ready to live up to that title. Don't be scared of a little hard work, a lot of sweat, and maybe a few tears. 

Happy Thanksgiving to you all! This is has been such a wonderful 30 days...I'm so thankful for my discipline and commitment to creating a healthier lifestyle for myself. A special thanks to Aaron for doing this Paleo Challenge with me...having a solid support system makes a world of difference. Thanks to my wonderful coaches at Progressive Fitness CrossFit for pushing me to my limits everyday, encouraging constant improvement, and providing me with a little bit of that "healthy fear" we always talk about. I have so much appreciation for everyone that has supported me throughout the Challenge and my entire weight loss journey; know that the day you decide to make life changes, I'll be here for you, as well. With that said, I think I hear the mating call of a pumpkin pie...

(...goals are still goals, even on holidays. Don't get to crazy. Eat pie, but not an entire one. And you should probably try to get a workout in...I did!)