The Paleo Challenge, is just that... a challenge to eat Paleo. The people at the gym who are participating start the day with 4 points. If they eat something not Paleo they loose a point, eat another thing, that's another point and so on. You can get 1 bonus point for getting 8 hours of sleep and another for attending a crossfit class. You tally your points at the end of the week and track them on the board at Crossfit Route 1. The person with the highest points at the end of the 30 days wins! People can win in two other categories as well. The first is the most weight lost and the second is most improved WOD (workout of the day) performance.
Good news is that I'm a competitive person so these challenges really motivate me to stick to the program! The toughest part of this challenge was heading to Chicago for a week for Pampered Chef National Conference. This is my favorite time of year with PC because I get to hang out with all the great consultants I talk to through email year round. The Pampered Chef also makes you feel so loved and that your potential is endless! Along with the amazing friends and recognition comes many opportunities to stray from the Paleo Life Style, but I was prepared!
The first thing I did was bring food with me. I made my Carrot Banana Muffins and froze them so they would keep for the whole week. I packed protein powder, nuts, and almond butter as well. When I arrived in Chicago, I hit up a store to get some blue berries and raspberries. I was now ready for the week. Every day I knew that I would be able to have Paleo friendly snacks throughout the day, so I wouldn't get starving and make bad choices. I opted for the Gluten Free buffet option which was perfect. I was able to get plenty of meat and veggies for breakfast and lunch. Lunch time was hard because they leave a plate of desserts in front of you... in comes my Paleo muffins! I got my dessert fix in and didn't mind not eating what was provided.
There are some amazing restaurants in Chicago. I did allow myself to have some Chicago Pizza... felt gross after. The rest of the time I enjoyed Fillet Minion & broccoli... Apricot Glazed Pork... a bacon burger with lettuce as the bun :) My biggest down fall was coming back to the room where there was sweets. I definitely need to tackle my sweet addiction because I gave in a couple times when I wasn't even hungry. All in all though I was mighty proud of myself :)
I did make time to go to Atlas Crossfit the first day I was there. It was cool checking out a different box and getting a great workout in before joining my PC ladies. I was super pumped to PR (personal record) my max Press by 10lbs!!!
My most favorite thing about this year, is not only getting motivated to grow my Pampered Chef business, but also to return to conference next year even healthier. I received many compliments on my weight loss from other consultants and even friends on facebook after posting my pictures. Thank you so much for your support and kind words!
