Spotlight!

I wanted to spotlight one of my friends who has been doing Paleo & Crossfit for about a month. Keep in mind she was already eating healthy & working out so going Paleo helped her drop some body fat & the Crossfit helped tone her muscles even more. Here are her results:

*Permission to use this photo from the owner was obtained & was solely given to Paleo Lifestyle DFW. Any misuse or duplication of this picture can result in legal action.*

There are tons of Crossfit gyms across the nation. Crossfit itself was started by Greg Glassman in 2000. I personally have not tried it, but my friend loves it. She says it's a great way to meet like-minded fitness people and it helps keep her motivated. Crossfit can be done in group classes or individually. From what I've seen the prices are much more expensive than an ordinary gym membership, but the results are in and Crossfit is great for strength training. It is based off of High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) mentality where you are doing as many reps as fast as possible. The only downside I could see to this is possible injury, but the exercises can be scaled to any age/fitness level/resistance (as seen on the websites).

Just thought I'd throw it out there for anyone who wants to try something different than the ordinary gym!

Paleo Fever!

As more and more people find out about my Paleo ways or have seen my results first hand, they are starting to give Paleo a try themselves. This was my sole purpose for starting this blog, and I must say I'm proud of each and every one of you for taking control of your health and fitness! For quick and easy access to getting started with the Paleo lifestyle I have added the "How To Start Paleo" page (located at the top of the blog).

Being healthy and fit is starting to catch on especially with the growing interest in the obesity population these days. Just remember starting something new is a big step and you don't have to be great to start, but you do have to start to become great at it! It takes 21 days to make a habit. Do you think you can start a new habit this week?

Now for some updates:

• I am currently changing up my workouts. Instead of getting 20-30 minutes of cardio in right away I'm splitting my time. 10 minutes to start my workout then 10-15 minutes after weight lifting to bring it home! This method is supposed to throw your metabolism into super drive since you're elevating your heart rate again by doing more cardio once you've pumped blood/nutrients/etc. to your muscles by lifting weights. Keep in mind weight lifting is important because muscle burns more calories, even at rest, than fat! *Ladies* Unless you have an unnatural amount of testosterone coursing through your body you're not going to get "huge" or "professional wrestler" status just by lifting weights. Our hormones tell our body when building muscle that it will be long and lean, not bulky like men.

• I'm also working on an all natural Paleo pre-workout smoothie/shake/drink. So far it's a little too chunky for most people I would say... so we'll see what I can do with it. I'm using almonds as the protein source (and added in some flaxseed for an Omega-3 boost!). 

Don't forget: the Paleo Lifestyle DFW 5K Team is running next month, March 29th, at the Firefly Run in DFW. Please visit our donation site to sign up or donate to Children's Medical Centers of Texas.