You’ve reached the finish line of the 30-Day Paleo Plan Paleo Challenge! You’re done! It’s all over! You can finally stop eating all that disgusting prime rib, burger, bacon, and pork chops! Thank God it’s OVER. Wait.

While this 30-Day Paleo challenge is over, I’m sure many of you have realized this Paleo thing isn’t so bad after all. In fact, it’s kind of delicious, satisfying, and not bloat-provoking. You probably feel better in at least one way after doing this for a month…

To all of you who’ve made it through your first 30 days of eating Paleo, congratulations. To those who went Paleo again for these last 30 days, I congratulate you, too. I hope this was an enlightening, health-changing experience for you all, and that you’ll continue eating this health-promoting way for… well, forever.

In exchange for all your hard work, discipline, and courage, we have some fantastic prizes for you. Here are the details of the final contest.

Final Contest

I’m excited for this last one. It’s simple, really. All you have to do is tell me your results of the last 30 days. That might mean you just say in all caps I LOST 20 POUNDS AND FEEL AMAZING! or you email me your before and after pics, your blood work, your performance changes, a description of all the symptoms you no longer have, videos of your progress, measurements, fat loss, etc. I just want to hear what happened over the last 30 days, and see it if I can. So, email me at neely@paleoplan.com or comment below or put your results on our Facebook page here. Tell me your 30-Day Paleo Challenge story! The winners will be chosen on Saturday, February 11th, 2012. That’s in 3 days, so get crackin’!

The Prizes

A male and a female winner will be chosen by virtue of their amazing stories. They will both win the following.

1. US Wellness Meats – $75 Gift Certificate

2. Applegate Farms – $50 voucher

3. Year Membership at Paleo Plan worth $89

I hope to hear from you all soon. Starting tomorrow, we’ll be back to our normal blogging for a while. I have some great stuff in store for you guys. Thanks for playing and keep up the incredible work you’re doing!

The 30-day Paleo challenge is almost over, and on Friday I encouraged you all to get blood work done so you can see what eating Paleo has done for your health. Even if you’ve been on the diet for a while and took no part in the 30-day challenge, it’s something you can consider. That is, if you have something to compare it to. If you’ve done blood work in the last year (or better yet, in the last 6 months), that’s good enough. You’ll want to see what’s changing with your glucose, cholesterol, triglycerides, liver enzymes, and thyroid, at the very least. I’ll be doing a post in the near future about the significance of all those, but for now I’ll just say that just those numbers can tell you a lot about your diet and your health.

My Health Pre-Paleo
Today, I want to share with you what eating Paleo has done for me. Before I went Paleo, I had blood work done and found out the following:

- My LDL cholesterol was normal and my HDL cholesterol was too high (102 mg/dL), which is a sign of inflammation (yes, your HDL can be too high).
- My iron was low (28 ug/dL) (anemia) and my liver enzymes were either too high or too low, which is a sign of inflammation in various organs.
- My glucose was too low, at 66 mg/dl, which means I was about to pass out at the lab when I had my blood taken. Hypoglycemia was something I battled for years until recently.
- Lastly, my thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) was high (3.4 uIU/mL), which by Functional Medicine’s standards meant I was hypothyroid.

As a nutritionist, I cried when I got these results.

Over the last few years, I’ve tweaked my diet and gotten blood work done at least once per year and sometimes every 6 months in the hopes of improving things. I ordered my most recent Complete Wellness Profile, which measures about 60 health markers, this month. I was pretty happy with the results.

My Health Now
- My iron is WAY higher now – on the high side of normal at (137 ug/dL) – which means I’m not only eating enough iron (meat), but I’m also absorbing it because my digestive system is in much better shape.
- My HDL went back down to normal (69 mg/dL) and my liver enzymes are totally normal, meaning I’m not as inflamed.
- And my glucose was normal (87 mg/dL), which means I have way better energy stability. – Lastly, my thyroid was totally normal (TSH at 1.96 uIU/dL)! I changed my thyroid stimulating hormone and some other thyroid markers just through diet alone! I can’t tell you how excited I am by this! I haven’t been taking any thyroid supplements and certainly no pharmaceuticals, although I was tempted to in the beginning of my thyroid endeavor.

More than all of this, though, I can feel the differences. I am happier now, I’m leaner and stronger now, I have more motivation and energy, and I don’t feel like passing out throughout every day because my blood sugar gets so low. I can maintain my weight and eat as much as I want, and my hair doesn’t fall out like it used to. My digestion is better, my skin doesn’t itch like it once did, and my skin is clearer than it used to be. And I made another change to my diet about 2 months ago: I don’t eat any nuts or seeds anymore, and I don’t know if it’s from that or what, but I don’t have heinous premenstrual symptoms like I did even two months ago. THANK YOU, Paleo.

Overall, going Paleo wasn’t a bad choice for me, to say the least. I hope you find the same satisfaction (and shock the hell out of your doctor, too) on this diet. I look forward to seeing some of your blood work in a week for the final contest. Stay tuned for more details on Wednesday!

The Winning Photo by Janet Fitzpatrick - Paleo Ice Cream!

Thank you all for submitting your delicious-looking photos of the recipes from Paleo Plan for the last contest! After reviewing them all, I chose the photo above taken by Janet Fitzpatrick. I know she’s been dedicated to eating Paleo, and trying to get all her friends and family to make the switch, too. So congrats, Janet! You’ve won a Well Fed cookbook by Melissa Joulwan, a subscription to Sarah Fragoso’s new EPLifeFit.com program, a quart of coconut oil from Tropical Traditions, and a 4-pack of Paleo granola from Paleo People. Plus, your photo is now displayed on our Paleo Ice Cream recipe page here. Thanks again!

Moving on. We are coming to the end of our 30-Day Paleo Challenge. How many are still with us!? I hope MANY. And I hope you’re all feeling the benefits of this change, now that you’re past the detox period and you’re figuring out what works for you.

Prepare Yourself For The Final Contest
The 30 days are technically up on February 7th – this coming Wednesday. The final contest is going to involve some before and afters. I’m going to want your stories. How have you changed? What benefits have you found in this way of eating? How have your blood markers changed? How’s your fitness, strength, power now? Your mood? Your relationship and sex life? How are those nasty symptoms of yours, or have you forgotten all about them? And last of all, have you lost any fat mass and traded it in for brawny muscle tone?

Give me all the details. But not yet. What I want you to start doing is preparing your story. Give yourself this last week to be strict with yourself and get the best results you possibly can. Be hard on yourself – disciplined – for the next 6 days so that after you’re done with this challenge you will know you gave it your all. Then decide if you want to keep eating like this or start eating your old favorites.

Start writing down your progress and your successes. Next week, you’ll take measurements – weight, body fat percentage at your gym, waist, hips, etc.) – and get your blood work done by a doc or some other practitioner if you’ve had it done in the last 6 months (I can order a pretty substantial blood work panel for you for $150 if you need it – just email me at neely@paleoplan.com). Start figuring out when you’re going to have all this done, and plan your workouts so you can measure your progress compared with day one.

I just wanted to give you a heads up about all of this so you can get your ducks in order. Now, I don’t need ALL of this information, but the more stats to show your progress the better. And to let you know that there will be a male and a female winner. The grand prizes will be:

1. US Wellness Meats – $75 Gift Certificate

2. Applegate Farms – $50 voucher

3. Year Membership at Paleo Plan worth $89

Here are some of Melissa's creations

When I switched to eating paleo in 2009, the food I mourned the most, ridiculous as it sounds, was my morning bowl of blueberries with cottage cheese. I’d already been grain-free for a year, so the grief over the loss of bread and rice had long passed. But that 1/2-cup serving of cottage cheese felt like the last fetters of the food world I knew falling away.

Eventually, I learned that butternut-squash-ground-beef-hash topped with a fried egg was a far tastier, far more powerful breakfast. I also came to understand the importance of keeping the kitchen stocked with go-to foods for those I-need-to-eat-right-freaking-now moments.

Here are the foods that I always have on my weekly shopping list so they’re never missing from my fridge and cabinets.

My Paleo Top 10 Kitchen Must-Haves

1. Unrefined Coconut Oil
For cooking, organic unrefined coconut oil is my first choice. It lends a somewhat buttery flavor to dishes and can be used at pretty high temperatures without oxidizing (which means it remains good for you, even if you turn up the heat). Because it’s saturated, it’s solid at cooler temperatures, so it’s a good stand in for butter in baked treats. I know lots of paleo people prefer clarified butter or ghee, but once I tried coconut oil, I was hooked.

2. Organic, Unsweetened Coconut Flakes
Eaten on their own as a snack (Caramelized Coconut Chips recipe here) or sprinkled into and on top of dishes, coconut flakes add another dimension of flavor and texture. They’re lovely, little wisps of good-for-you fat that can go savory or sweet. I like to toss a few on top of Thai curries or sprinkle them on a bowl of fruit and coconut milk for dessert.

3. Full-fat Coconut Milk
Equally at home in sweet and savory dishes, coconut milk is an excellent replacement for heavy cream or yogurt in curries and creamy sauces. It’s also luscious when whipped into a creamy cloud and served over fresh fruit. Organic brands are best — and definitely go for the full-fat version. It’s okay if the ingredient list includes guar gum, but avoid brands that include sulfites or added sugar.

4. Organic, Grassfed Ground Beef
If I have a few pounds of grassfed ground beef in the fridge, I know I’m only about 10 minutes away from a delicious dinner. Browned and seasoned with garlic and spices, ground beef is like a blank canvas that can be turned into just about any ethnic-inspired meal. Stir-fried with veggies and five-spice powder, it’s instantly Asian. Formed into a burger and piled on top of a big salad, it’s all-American. Wrapped in a lettuce leaf with cucumbers, jalapeno, lime, and garlic, it’s a Thai wrap. And don’t even get me started on the meatball possibilities…

5. Sardines Packed in Olive Oil
These little fish are perfect on-the-go food. My super-secret lunch weapon is a can of sardines, a red bell pepper cut into strips, a cucumber cut into coins, and a juicy pink grapefruit. Just a little oily and not too fishy, the sardines are power food — and the leftover oil is perfect for dipping raw veggies.

6. Collard Greens
Kale seems to be the superstar of the paleo world, but I’m here to make a case for collard greens. They’re a little sturdier and tenderize during steaming and sautéeing without disintegrating into mushy territory. They can be braised in a coconut milk curry, wrapped around meat fillings and baked in tomato sauce, or sautéed in oil with seasonings to make a vitamin-packed side dish. They’re also mild enough to taste great at breakfast with eggs and leftover protein.

7. Cauliflower
Cauliflower might be the most versatile vegetable in the kitchen, so I always have two heads in the fridge at all times. Grated in a food processor and sautéed with fat and spices, it’s instant “rice.” Or boiled in broth and mashed with coconut milk, it transforms into mashed “potatoes.” It also adds a big crunch when chopped raw in salads, and becomes crisp-tender when roasted in the oven.

8. Frozen, Unsweetened Blackberries
Low in fructose and high in anti-oxidants, blackberries are loaded with nutrition and flavor. I like to eat them frozen with coconut milk drizzled over the top as a go-along with eggs for breakfast, or as dessert after a paleo dinner. Because they’re not too sweet, they don’t trigger the sugar demon, but they’re sweet enough to feel like a treat.

9. Jicama
To be fair, jicama isn’t a nutrition powerhouse, but it’s not doing any harm either. I love its crisp texture and almost-sweet taste. Peeled, cut into matchsticks, and kept in the fridge, jicama is a cool addition to a crudité platter — julienned, it makes a lovely salad mixed with lime juice, diced avocado, and slivers of red bell pepper. Its mild taste makes it great at breakfast, too!

10. Free-Range, Organic Eggs
Great any time of day, eggs are great source of fast protein. I like to keep a dozen hard boiled on hand for egg salad or deviled eggs made with homemade mayo (recipe here). When my day has been long, and I want something comforting, an omelet does the trick — and gently scrambled eggs with zucchini noodles are amazing comfort food in a flash (recipe here).

BONUS: Turn It Up To 11
Spices and seasonings can transform ordinary ingredients into magical meals. I have an extensive collection of spices, but these are the ones, in addition to sea salt and black pepper, that are absolutely essential.

Ground Cinnamon: A must-have basic for sweet and savory foods in just about every ethnic cuisine. Add to Chinese stir-fry, roasted butternut squash or sweet potatoes, or beef chili.

Ground Cumin: My favorite spice, cumin adds a rich, earthiness to North African, Middle Eastern, Greek, Mexican, and some Chinese dishes. Try it with ground beef or lamb, cauliflower “rice,” mixed with chili powder in Mexican dishes, or baked sweet potatoes.

Garlic: Put garlic in everything you eat. The end.

Ground Ginger: Ginger adds a warm, spicy bite to coconut milk curries and stir-fries. Scrambled with eggs, it’s a paleo home remedy for a cough.

Dried Mint: Fresh and tangy, mint adds sunshine to Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cooking. Try it on roasted carrots, tossed with raw onions, or stirred into tuna salad with lemon juice.

Dried Oregano: The “pizza herb” for everything Italian, oregano is great with tomatoes, green beans, and zucchini. Mix it into ground meat with garlic for instant Italian sausage.

Ground Paprika: Paprika is another equal-opportunity spice that adds zing and rich color to Moroccan, Middle Eastern, and Eastern European dishes. Sprinkle it on fresh melon for a treat.

Chili Powder: Used in Tex-Mex, Indian, Chinese, and Thai foods, chili powder is a blend of peppers, cumin, oregano, garlic, and salt. Mixed with paprika and salt, it transforms into BBQ seasoning.

So there you have it: the foods I need to keep my paleo kitchen stocked so it’s easy to keep saying “yes” to the good stuff and “who needs you?!” to sugar, grains, legumes, and dairy.

MELISSA’S BIO
Melissa “Melicious” Joulwan is the author of the popular paleo recipe and lifestyle blog The Clothes Make The Girl (www.theclothesmakethegirl.com) and the cookbook Well Fed: Paleo Recipes For People Who Love To Eat. She CrossFits, practices yoga and meditation, eats paleo, and loves Prague, Jane Eyre, and lifting heavy things. After a thyroidectomy in 2009, she became particularly interested in how diet affects hormones, body composition, and mood, and motivation. She is also a retired Rollergirl and the author of the memoir Rollergirl: Totally True Tales From The Track.

You can find her at:

Blog: http://www.theclothesmakethegirl.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Clothes-Make-The-Girl/200689133301047
Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/melicious11
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/melissajoulwan/

We’re getting down to the last days of the 30-Day Paleo Challenge. In fact, it ends on February 7th. I hope that it doesn’t actually end for any of you, though. I hope you realize in these 30 days that it’s worth it to change so drastically and continue the diet as a lifestyle.

Now onto the next contest!
It’s very simple.

1. You make a recipe from Paleo Plan, all of which can be found at www.paleoplan.com/recipes.
2. Then, take a pretty picture of that creation, even if you’ve modified it a bit (let’s not go crazy here and add spaghetti noodles to the “Spaghetti” recipe, though, ok?).
3. Then send the picture to neely@paleoplan.com. Do that by the evening of Thursday, February 2nd, 2012, and you’ll be automatically entered to win the following.

The Prizes
1. A new Paleo diet cookbook called Well Fed by Melissa Joulwan of www.theclothesmakethegirl.com. Check it out here! She’ll be writing a guest post tomorrow, so stay tuned for that…
2. A 4-Pack of Paleo People Granola
3. And a one-month subscription to Sarah Fragoso’s new EPLifeFit Program!
4. A quart of Tropical Traditions Organic Coconut Oil

I look forward to your pictures! The best one will be displayed on the site and will win you the prizes. May the best photog win!

The winner of the caffeine challenge is “mlou”, who commented in the first post announcing the challenge, “Give Caffeine The Boot And Win Some Jerky”.

Congrats to you! I’ll be emailing you today to set up your Private Paleo Coaching session and to get your shipping info so that Caveman Fuel can send you your $75 gift certificate to buy some awesome, Paleo friendly, grass-fed beef jerky. Enjoy!

Q:

One thing that I keep bumping up against in the quest for Grass-fed meat is that question of Chicken and Pigs. I grew up on and around farms and I never recall seeing either one of these two animals graze on grass. In looking at chicken and pork in the grocery stores, even the organic type stores, I don’t see any reference on these items regarding grain/grass fed animals. Only Free Range Chicken Eggs. So my question is, do chicken and pigs eat grass or is this more of a cow thing? If it is more to cows, is it necessary to then buy organic chicken/pork or is it more important to make sure that they do not have hormones and antibiotics?

A:

Well-raised pigs and chickens are called “Pasture Raised”.
The term grass-fed generally refers to cows because their natural diet is pretty much exclusively grass and other weeds. You can find grass-fed beef or buffalo at many health food stores now. Pigs and chickens are different. They eat some grass, and it’s becoming more popular again to feed them grass, but they’re both opportunistic and they’ll eat a lot of different foods: vegetables, bugs, weeds, fruit, corn, etc… So they’re not called “grass-fed” – they’re called “pasture-raised” when they’re allowed to roam around a pasture and eat their natural diet. For more info on their natural diets, here’s a great blog post on pigs and one on chickens here.

Finding pasture-raised meats in the store is rare
I have yet to see any pasture-raised chicken in my Whole Foods. That’s not to say it’s not at Vitamin Cottage or other health food stores around the country (probably not at Trader Joe’s, though). I have seen it at my farmer’s market in Boulder, Colorado, and I know it’s available from local farms around the country and world. You can find more info on your local sources of all pasture-raised/grass-fed meats at www.eatwild.com. I have found local, pasture raised pork chops at my Whole Foods (just recently added to their selection), but I’ve never found pasture-raised bacon or sausage. I bought half a pasture-raised pig from a local farm this year because there was no option for it at Whole Foods at the time, and I wanted to save money. I bought mine for about $4/lb (all cuts), whereas I think the pasture-raised pork chops at Whole Foods go for about $8/lb.

What you’re buying at the store when you buy “Free Range Chicken Eggs” is perhaps nothing more than eggs from chickens who were not confined to cages. They could still have been in an overcrowded barn with no natural light, very poor air quality, being overfed GMO corn with no access to the outdoors. Same with “free range chicken” breasts or other cuts. You’re looking for “pasture-raised” and it’s hard to come by.

Except maybe pasture-raised eggs.
It’s now becoming more common to find pasture-raised eggs in the supermarket. We have at least 2 different brands that are local at Whole Foods and they’re organic, too, meaning whatever food they were fed was organic and not GMO. Those eggs are much more expensive than conventional eggs, but you have to put it in perspective. Even if you’re paying $5 per dozen and eating 2 eggs per meal, that’s still only $.83 per meal.

Is antibiotic and hormone free enough?
As for your question about whether it’s more important to buy “antibiotic and hormone free” animal products or “organic”, I think if the option is there, buy organic. Organic implies that it’s antibiotic and hormone free, plus the animals were only fed organic feed. That means no antibiotics, no hormones, and no pesticides for you. If the option for organic is not there, then yes, antibiotic and hormone free are worth something.

Do your best.
What troubles me about this whole thing is that every Paleo promoter out there is encouraging you to eat pasture-raised this and grass-fed that, including myself. I’ve tried to tell people how to go about buying and storing bulk, pasture-raised and grass-fed meats here: http://www.paleoplan.com/2011/09-26/how-to-buy-and-store-local-bulk-meat/. But other than that, most of the meat you’re getting at the health food stores is corn and grain-fed. I don’t like it. Buying grain-fed sausage and bacon is a concession I make in my diet because I currently don’t have any of my local, pasture-raised bacon or sausage, and it’s not like I can just go to the farmer and ask for a pound of bacon. You have to order it in bulk and only at certain times of the year. I make that concession because I think sausage and bacon are delicious and I want to eat it. And I think that eating meat of any kind is better than eating cereal or bread or tofu. As for other meats, I choose to just not eat chicken because I can’t find any that’s pasture-raised right now. I eat only pasture-raised eggs and grass-fed beef (I have a quarter of a cow in my freezer), but sometimes I make even more concessions and eat organic Applegate turkey (grain-fed) or grain-fed turkey breast cutlets.

I live in an epicenter of health food, and I still have trouble finding certain species of properly raised animal products in my stores. I can only imagine it’s even more difficult for everyone else in the country to do the same. My advice is to do your best. Order as much local, pasture-raised meat in bulk as you can afford. Ask your butcher where their meat comes from, or look up the brand of meat yourself. They all have websites and you can always call to find out what their animals eat and where they live. I do it, and if more people did, more meat producers might feel pressure to raise their animals better.

Please let me know if you have any other questions about this. There’s a lot more to say on the topic, but I’d hate to ramble on and bore you. Thanks again for the question! Anyone else have any comments or questions about this?

Neely

“So, I just do one burpee today?”

“Yup, then two tomorrow. Three the next day, and so on. Don’t quit till you get to 100″

“Until I get to 100?”

“Yup.”

“That doesn’t seem so bad.”

“Easy now, this is day one!”

Moving a little more each day.

You’ve started the new year off well, accepting the 30-Day Paleo Challenge here at Paleo Plan, and maybe even made it into the gym consistently the past three weeks. Well done! For those of you who haven’t made it into your favorite place of sweat yet, and even for those who have, I have something for you. It’s called Burpees +1. Some call it 100 Days of Burpees. Either way, you’re about to do a lot of burpees. And by the end of our little experiment, you’re going to have a healthy respect for the awesome-ness this bodyweight movement can offer to both your strength and conditioning.

Why Burpees?

thank you to CrossFit Engage for the sweet pic!

Burpees are one of the best overall bodyweight conditioning tools available anytime, anywhere. Got a body? You got burpees. I don’t think any other bodyweight movement gets your heart rate cranked quite as fast or as hard as the good old standby burpee. Rumor has it that a Lieutenant (Burpee of course) used this movement to condition his troops during the Civil War, where it may have gotten its name. In places where you have a lot of time, but not a lot of space (read: prison) there are stories of guys doing 1000 of them a day to keep themselves in top fighting condition. I just know they suck, and I have yet to find someone who disagrees

What’s so awesome about the burpee, besides its amazing power to crumble you? Well for starters it can be done just about anywhere. All you need is enough space to do a push up, and enough room for your hands to clap over your head. You need absolutely no gear. No running shoes, no wrist wraps, no nothing. All you need is the floor or the ground, and I understand that both of these things are quite plentiful throughout the terrestrial sphere. Best of all, you get to battle that weird voice in your head that wants you to quit (more about this strange voice in a later post).

The Assignment/Challenge

Do one burpee today. Do two tomorrow, and keep adding one each day until you get all the way to 100 burpees on the 100th day. So simple. Sooo effective.

It’s really that simple. I know, I know, you’re already training for a marathon. Consider this sprint work. You’re already working out pretty hard – consider this a finisher. You’re already CrossFitting. Awesome! You now have a cash out each day. Get them done!

How to perform a burpee

-Feet under your hips standing straight up.
-Bend down and place your hands 12-24 inches in front of your feet.
-Kick back your feet simultaneously all the way back to a push-up position.
-Do a push up.
-Jump your feet back to where they began (back to in front of your hands).
-Stand & jump while clapping overhead.
-The clap is the count.
(sweet video at the end of this post)

The fine print

If you miss a day, you must do the day you missed, as well as the current day’s number; not a big deal if you miss day 5 (you’d do 11 on day 6 – the 6 for the current day, plus the 5 you missed), but really crappy if you miss day 80 (you’d do 161, as in 81 for the current day, plus the 80 you missed).
You may break the burpees up throughtout the day. As it gets more involved, spread them out.
You may include burpees that happen to be in a workout that you are already doing. If you’re doing the Filthy Fifty, the 50 in the workout count.

However, for best results –

Do them first thing in the morning, maybe even before you eat breakfast (although Neely isn’t a huge fan of this idea for everyone, especially if you have low blood sugar in the morning. She says you should eat a little something before you burpee if that’s the case). Nothing will get your metabolism cranked up better, and you can even keep your pj’s on
Don’t scale them. Do them all in a row, each time. Make sure your chest touches the ground!
Don’t skip a day. You know right now what your workout is going to be for the next 100 days. You REALLY don’t have any excuses now, do you?

If you are already doing intense workouts (CrossFit, or some other HIIT) or are doing a lot of volume (something like marathon training), there’s no need to worry. This should be supplemental training. If you’re doing some big strength work, like bench press or heavy squats, save these for after. Even as you approach the 100th day, this shouldn’t take you more than 10 minutes, so you’ll always have time to do them. If you’re worried about a rest day, you can do one day in the morning, and the next in the evening, giving yourself a good 36 hours in between.

Burpees +1 is going to have a positive effect on your training, whatever it may be, so there is no reason you shouldn’t/can’t do this!

Report Back

Time yourself on each tenth day and post it to the comments here, we want to see you killing it & inspiring each other!

And when it’s starting to get hard, in a month or two, just remind yourself that it’s only 1 more burpee than yesterday! So stand up out of your chair, drop down, and do your first one…go on DO IT!! Only 99 days to go!

Burpees progression from CrossFit HAX on Vimeo.

Max’s Bio

Max Shippee grew up in a very small town in northern Maine, minutes from the Canadian border. Growing up in the woods, and being the son of a dance teacher, he’s been physically active his entire life. He has embraced health & fitness philosophies ranging from body building to endurance training, before finding CrossFit and its performance-based approach to lifelong fitness. Before finding a fit with the Paleo approach to nutrition, Max had also tried numerous nutritional practices, including raw flood, veganism, and Atkins. A father of three, he’s as proud of his family as he is of his business, CrossFit HAX (now CrossFit 1440) in suburban Los Angeles. Max has Level 1, Kids, and Mobility Certifications from CrossFit. He likes the geeky things in life, including Legos, lasers, and computer operating systems named after cats.

Please comment in one of three places in order to be automatically entered to win:
1) below this post OR
2) on our Facebook page here OR
3) below last week’s post here.

I’ll be choosing a winner on Sunday, so get your comments in by Saturday night.

Jerky Update
I realized after I posted our jerky supplier, Slant Shack Jerky, that while they use grass-fed beef and all natural ingredients (very cool), all of their jerky is made with soy sauce or Worcestershire sauce, both of which contain wheat and/or soy. I’m not about to give you guys $75 worth of something that contains wheat or soy, so I sourced (with the help of Slant Shack Jerky – thanks, guys) a more Paleo friendly jerky from Caveman Fuel. They’ll be providing the winner with a $75 gift certificate to buy some amazing jerky. Actually, I haven’t tried it, so you guys should order some up and let me know how it is.

That’s it for today. Hope to hear some life changing stories about how you ditched caffeine and now feel like a different person (or how not drinking caffeine sucks and you hate me for even suggesting you do it). I want to hear it all…

I told you in this blog post that I wasn’t doing the 30-day Paleo challenge, but that my New Year’s resolution was committing to training my ass off for rock climbing. Well, I have been doing that. In fact, I did everything my coach told me to do (and then some), and it turned out to be too much. I’m now nursing an inflamed forearm and two creaky fingers, waiting impatiently to climb again. I realized that what my coach told me to do was too much – it just didn’t fit my body. I need more rest and fewer days in a row working my fingers and hands than what he wanted me to do. I need to modify the plan and make it my own.

The point of this is that some of you guys have probably modified the Paleo diet plan (whether you’re on our meal plan or not) to fit your own lives. You’ve likely figured out a couple things that DO work and a couple things that DON’T work for you. Well, I want to hear about all the things you’ve changed to make this diet your own so far.

I’ve talked before about The Importance of Cheating. Are you “cheating” and having conventional meat, dairy, sugar, beans, whey protein powder, or other foods that technically aren’t Paleo because it just makes your life easier? Are you drinking coffee during this challenge because you’re really not ready to cut it out yet? (Coffee is technically not NOT Paleo, but during this challenge I’ve asked you to cut it out). Is there anything else you’re doing or eating that some Paleo narcs would call you out on? Tell me about it in the comments.

Here, I’ll start. I feel like I’m in a confession booth… I eat Daiya (fake) cheese sometimes, ginger chews with sugar (gasp!) in them, and probably way too much coconut milk ice cream for my own good. I also don’t go to bed early when it gets dark, I spend way too much time with my Apple contraptions, and not enough time sprinting. The thing is, I still feel pretty awesome, and I think that people make concessions all the time that work for them, even though they’re not perfectly Paleo things to do. Tell us about it and win the following:

Prizes
1. Paleo People Granola 4-Pack
2. A $50 voucher from Applegate Farms (meat!).
3. A Variety Pack from Tanka Bar, including Tanka Bars, Tanka Bites and Tanka Sticks. Have you guys ever tasted a Tanka Bar? Oh my. It is wonderfully sweet and savory, and it’s made with buffalo, cranberries, and spices. They’re one of my favorite meat products ever, and that’s saying a lot. Check them out here.

How To Enter
Just tell us in the comments below how you’re cheating, er, modifying the diet to make it your own. You don’t need to be doing the 30-day challenge to enter in this contest. Let’s be real here and come down off our Paleo high horses. Submit a comment by Thursday evening and you’ll be automatically entered to win. I’ll pick the winner on Friday and tell you all in the comments who the winner is.

Pick up a copy of the Quickstart Guide and Paleo Challenge eBook today!