Speaking of 100 day challenges. . .

this girl is about to start one of her own.  It's high time to get back into gear. While moving, I tried to eat paleo, but I was nowhere near the 80/20 mark.  This means my poor little stomach is very very SAD, and now that I'm in a new place, with a new job, meeting new folks, it's time to kick it into high gear on getting back into fighting shape.

Because living paleo means making it work for you, this challenge is less strict than the Whole 30.  But the point of it is to solidify this as a lifestyle, and I think the rule changes get me on that path. So here goes.

The 100 Day Challenge

The Food:

• Basics: Eat meat, fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, fat, no sugar.  (No grains, legumes, or dairy.) Nut and dairy disclaimer -- I'll be cutting dairy except for heavy cream in my coffee. This challenge is about solidifying the lifestyle. And that's part of it for me.  I'm also going to restrict nuts as much as possible.  They upset my stomach, and I need to find more reliable snack options.  I may still use some almond butter here and there, but no more buying of nuts for nuts' sake. 

• Special Occasion Meals: Out of 100 days, you may eat 20 "special occasion meals."  No more, no exceptions. This is less than the infamous "80/20" rule.  By that rule, you'd get up to 4 non-paleo meals a week (assuming you eat 3 meals a day.) That's too much.  I figure 20 meals over 100 days (300 meals) is much better, and fairly realistic.  Personally, I'm going to make a point of not wasting any SOMs on processed foods.  If it's a special occasion, it had better be celebrated as such. 

The Workouts:

• Short and Fast: Workout hard 5 times a week. While I won't have crossfit here anymore (though locals tell me they know some folks. . . ), I'm going to shoot for 5 days a week of lifting/muay thai workouts. 

•  Long and Slow:  Build long, slow-paced walks into your routine. Following Mark Sisson's advice on low level aerobic activity, my daily commute is going to become integral to my well-being.  Currently, I live about 2 miles from my new job.  So far, I've been walking to work, though I intend to start biking.  In the winters, I'll take the bus. My commute, plus all the walking that comes with living in a real city is bound to add up. Unless it's a dire storm, there's no excuse for me to drive anywhere now. 

• 100 Burpee Challenge: Complete the 100 burpee challenge. You may have remembered Meagan's successful completion of the 100 burpee challenge.  Watching her rock it for 100 days straight makes me wonder if I, too, could exhibit that amount of perseverance.  From Unfit to Crossfit is also planning on starting on June 1, so I'm on board.  Rumor also has it that Crossfit Genius may be starting something soon. . . 

The Community:

• Recipes: Try 1 new recipe per week. Per Meagan's suggestion, we will be creating and posting a new recipe each week.  We're still posting on the Crossfit Genius Paleo Cookbook, but we'll link here.  (Also, can I tell you how much I love the fact that googling "generally badass paleo" brings that up?)

• Social events: Attend (or host) 1 social event each week.  Humans are social creatures.  We need social interaction to thrive. Or at the very least, to help reduce stress.  Because I've moved, and because it's easy to just throw myself into my work and ignore the world around me, I'm building a social component into this challenge.

• Blogging:  Post or check in once a week.  I've been derelict in my blogging duties.  Because this challenge, the move, and the new environment should be giving me plenty of fodder for new blogging goodness, I'm aiming for a new post every week.

So that's it.  The 100 day challenge.  Perfectly reasonable, and definitely do-able. While I'm starting to eat paleo again immediately, challenge officially starts on June 1.  Who's with me?