Back to Primal

My biggest regret of my pregnancy was how quickly and easily I abandoned my primal eating habits.  (Check out Mark's Daily Apple for more information about a primal lifestyle).  It was a slippery downward slide.  During my first trimester, I didn't gain any weight and easily fell into the "I'm pregnant, so I can eat whatever I want!" mindset.  I never had morning sickness or any real food aversions, and I gave into those sugar cravings.  Those around me kept on commenting on my tiny size, and I constantly heard about how pregnancy was the time in my life to embrace eating whatever I wanted to.  I lost a lot of will power, and I gave in.  Big mistake.  And the holiday season has only exacerbated the problem.

While I realize my eating habits are probably healthier than most, I miss primal eating.  I'm currently struggling through another cold and have had my fair share of GI problems since slipping on my primal principles.  I should iterate here, that while eating primal last year, I never really got sick and I was able to ditch my Allegra and survive the spring allergy season much easier than in the past.  I'm convinced that clean eating boosts our immune system and I'm certain that CrossFitting and healthy eating habits allowed me to easily get pregnant.

So now, it's time for me to get back to it, stop making excuses, and take back control of all my dietary choices.  It will only be harder to stay on track once the baby's here, so there's no time like the present, right?
To get back on track, I'm doing the following:
1. Cleaning out our pantry and ditching toxic foods.
2. Throwing out all the Christmas cookies we were given as gifts.
3. Enlisting my husband's support to hold me accountable.
4. Making primal meals and freezing them for when the baby comes (more on this later).
5.  Creating food menus of primal foods that I love, and buying in season foods, which just taste better.
6.  Focusing on being healthy for labor and delivery.  This is a huge motivating factor to help me get back on track.  And I hope that primal eating and continuing with some exercise will help me bounce back from labor even faster.

I wouldn't necessarily call this my "New Year's Resolution," since I don't really believe in those, but it's a pretty convenient time to make some positive changes.  Any positive changes that you are committed to making in 2012?

A step back

My ankle is coming along, although it still has a ways to go.  I decided to see my general practitioner on Friday to seek her counsel on my ankle.  She told me I could ditch the crutches, encouraged me to walk on it, but also said I needed to keep it elevated with ice at night and the air cast while I sleep.  It's been immensely liberating being off crutches, and I'm grateful to keep on healing.  Hopefully the soreness will fade soon, and I'll be back to my old self.
It's been quite an experience to have an injury in my third trimester.  While I miss my energy and my "go-go-go" ability, there is something slightly liberating about being forced to be on the couch with my feet up.  At night, I get to stare at our Christmas tree, listen to Christmas music or watch some television, and just be at peace, enjoying the calm and quiet.  I've also taken baths instead of showers lately, and there's nothing quite like soaking in warm water with lavender bath salts and sometimes getting the treat of seeing my lil' peanut wiggle and squirm.  At such a busy time of year, I've been able to find a sense of calm.  With just over four weeks until I'm full term and a little more than seven weeks to go, I'll embrace slowing down, centering myself, and getting ready for this one to make her entrance into the world.  With that said, I do hope to get back to some very modified workouts next week.  But for now, I'll take a good book, my cats, and a quiet evening.

Ankle follow up

On Monday, I went to see one of my midwives who made me laugh as I recounted our ER story.  She was particularly disgusted with the ER nurse who couldn't find the baby's heartbeat and exclaimed in exasperation, "you should have yelled at her that you wanted a new, competent nurse!"  I appreciated her candor.
What was hard to hear, however, is that she thinks the sprain will take a long time to heal.  Since I can't take any anti-inflammatory medication because of the pregnancy, I won't have medication to help me speed up the healing process.  She wants me to take it easy and to take my time.  "That means no aerobics," she sternly decreed.  OK, aerobics is not CrossFit, but point taken.  My hope is that in a couple weeks I can get back to CF to work on some upper body strength and to see my friends and coaches -- and just get out of the house.  But my dream of being the awesome CrossFitting pregnant momma who would WOD up until labor has been shattered, so I have to adjust to slowing down.

So on that note, anyone have any good movies/TV shows on Netflix/books to recommend?  I'm currently finishing up "Animal, Vegetable Miracle" and I got to read a lot of the New York Times on Sunday.  I guess I might as well embrace my mandatory couch "stay-cation!"

And random side note: I never realized how hard it was to use crutches.  Between the crutches and my belly, balance is quite challenging these days!

Slow down, you move too fast...

As a pregnant, CrossFitting mama to be, I sometimes feel pretty invincible.  Up until two weeks ago, I was still doing 20 inch box jumps and only switched to step ups at the request of one of the coaches.  I still use the barbell (albeit lighter weights and I'll take oly lifts from the hang, not the floor).  And I get pretty awesome pictures taken that look like this:

This is 29 weeks, practicing my snatch balance.  I mean, if I can still work on snatch balances and overhead squats, I've got to be pretty stable, right?  I despise taking help from people who feel like I can't complete simple tasks like carrying a bag of groceries because I'm pregnant.  I pooh-poohed all talk of how my center of gravity is shifting, because honestly, I never felt that my body was changing like that.  Just because my belly is expanded doesn't mean my balance is off.  I'm a strong girl, and a shifting center of gravity clearly didn't apply to me.

Until I tripped and fell right in my own house, slammed my stomach into the ground and somehow landed on my right ankle on Saturday night.  I don't remember that much about my tumble, other then it hurt.  The pain in my right ankle was so shocking, it took me a long time to realize that I also hit my stomach.  It took some cajoling to convince me to go to the ER -- I didn't want to be that pregnant woman who panicked over a fall, but what if something was truly wrong?  I didn't want to take a risk, and my lovely husband coaxed me into the car to head to the hospital.

And that's when I started crying.  I strive not to be the paranoid, over-analytical/hysterical pregnant lady, but the mere thought that my own stupidity could harm my little one was alarming and overwhelming.  Once we got to the ER and my husband wheeled me in (far more anti-climatic than I would have anticipated; I can safely say there's nothing enjoyable about being wheeled around in a wheelchair), it was obvious that the ER was a bit overwhelmed to have a pregnant woman to treat.  The hospital didn't have a maternity ward, and the nurse was nervous about finding the baby's heartbeat and kept trying to tell me that if she couldn't hear it, it didn't mean that it wasn't there.  In the meantime, I sat there sobbing and apologizing for my blubbering nature.  Finally, another nurse found the heartbeat, and eventually, my little one decided to move for me and say hello.  Reassuring.  (She's a good girl).

The doctor had to convince me to get my foot x-rayed as I was nervous about having any radiation near my body.  (At first, he was determined there was a break, and when there wasn't, he claimed that he had always known it was a sprain.  Hmm).  I was told to stay off my foot, and hopefully all would be well within a week. They gave me Tylenol and told me that they were going to send me to another hospital to have the baby monitored and to make sure I didn't start having contractions.  I was given an air cast for my sprain and then waited an hour and a half to be discharged.  I don't know if they forgot about me or what, but it was clearly a slow night, and I was annoyed, bored, and hungry.

When my husband and I got to the second hospital, the ER seemed confused about what to do with me, but the receptionist finally called up to Labor and Delivery, and thus all was right with the world.  "Where have you been?  We've been waiting for you!" the nurses and doctor on call all exclaimed, and I was whisked into a very nice birthing room (although the television reception was iffy), and was told that I would be hooked up to two monitors -- one to record her heartbeat and one to check and see if I was having contractions.  A doctor came in and did an ultrasound to check my placenta, but my husband and I got to see our beautiful little girl.  While I don't believe in having too much medical intervention, it was so wonderful to see that she was there, moving around, seemingly content (although that's me projecting my own feelings onto our baby, but clearly I'm allowed to).  I asked the doctor to reconfirm her gender, and yes, my daughter was spread eagle, clearly a girl.  Seeing her legs, I'm convinced she has my chunky thighs and will obviously be able to squat 200 pounds by her tenth birthday.  The best part, though, was that a medical student was shadowing the doctor, and the doctor pointed out to him that our girl was practicing breathing on her own.  And I could see it.  I started crying all over again, so comforted in the fact that if something did happen, and I sudden went into preterm labor, she'd be able to breathe.

How amazing is it that the hospital bed controls show a pregnant body!!!!!  I totally got a kick out of it and decided it was a photo worthy moment.

And it was a long four hours that I sat in a hospital bed.  One nurse sat with me while my husband ran out to buy us dinner, and I learned that she actually works full time at the hospital where I'll be delivering.  She was charming, sweet, and lovely, and I know that the baby and I will be in good hands in ten (give or take) weeks!  And thankfully, the baby's heartbeat was wonderful, I never had a contraction, and at midnight, the nurse bid me farewell ("Good-bye, Cinderella!") to then notice that I had never received crutches from the first hospital.  So, the nurse tracked down a pair, walked us out, and sent us on our merry way.  The whole ordeal lasted over eight hours and it was so nice to finally make it home.

Perhaps the most difficult part of the evening, though, was hearing another woman in labor.  It sounded somewhat inhuman, primitive, miserable.  My husband squeezed my hand while I sat in horror, wondering how I'd be able to handle it.  I later found out from the doctor on call that it was a very difficult, very pre-term labor.  Of course, she couldn't provide any details, and a million thoughts raced through my brain.  I felt so unbelievable lucky that my little one was safe, and so saddened that another one is not.  There's so much out of our control with pregnancy, and while I'm generally very accepting of it, it's hard not to worry or be concerned.  

So, I have to stay off my ankle, and it's off to the midwives tomorrow.  That means no CrossFitting any time soon, and I'm forced to take a step back and slow down.  (It was fun for a couple hours; now I find it grating).  But, I'm learning that I need to be a bit more accepting of my body's limitations while still being in awe of what it can do (like grow a really amazing person).  Right now, I'm just trying to enjoy her movement and I love when I can actually feel and see her moving -- so bizarre, but so awesome!  And maybe, perhaps, this is my body's way of forcing me to slow down.  I think this time, I'll actually listen (at least for the next few days).

A Thanksgiving dish to try...

This year, I helped make several side dishes for our family Thanksgiving dinner and decided I would throw in a "Paleo-esque" dish to see if any noticed.  After searching online, I stumbled upon The Primal Palate Thanksgiving recipes and decided to give the carrot souffle a try.  It looked pretty tasty, and I figured it would at least be an experience.  Let me preface this by saying that I happily cook with some milk and butter -- I do eat dairy, but I wanted to see what happened when I stepped outside my comfort zone and cooked with coconut.
I always hated coconut as a kid.  There was nothing creepier to me than a cake covered in that horrible shredded coconut, and eating an Almond Joy was out of the question.  So, I've been wary of coconut, although I'm learning as an adult that I think I have greater issues with the texture of shredded coconut rather than the taste of coconut itself.  So, I went to Whole Foods and joined the rest of the holiday crowds to buy coconut flour and oil, and made the dish (along with butternut squash, mashed sweet potatoes, and cranberry sauce) for our celebratory meal.
The squash was technically paleo, but the sweet potatoes were made with organic milk and butter and the cranberry sauce with organic cane sugar.  And out of all the dishes that were eaten, guess which one was gobbled up?  The carrot souffle!  I revealed my paleo secrets to my family, and I'm quite proud of my sneaky dish.  It was delicious, and I highly recommend it for the holidays!

Some Articles to Check Out!

Just because you should...


Did you know that pizza is a vegetable?  I certainly didn't.  But it's considered a vegetable in our schools because of the minuscule tomato paste content, and Congress wants to keep it that way.  My question: how can we teach children to make smart food choices if we tell them such misguided information about the food they are served at school lunch?


A wheat-free diet is definitely getting more medical attention.  I'm excited to check out Wheat Belly and see what else William Davis says about the harmful effects of processed grains.  Big points go to the fact that he points out that the way wheat is now bred and grown is particularly harmful: "This isn’t your great grandmother’s wheat—or waistline—we’re talking about. Amounts of wheat’s destructive compounds have increased over the past 50 years as the grain has been hybridized and crossbred to be resistant to drought and fungi, produce higher yields per acre, result in better baking consistency, and cost less to produce. Not surprisingly, the increase in wheat in the American diet parallels obesity rates that have nearly tripled since 1960."


According to the USDA, sales of locally grown foods are up!  Local foods are healthier for our  bodies and for the environment since they leave a smaller carbon footprint -- a win/win situation.  And it's so nice to have a personal relationship with the person who sells you your vegetables.   Jump on the bandwagon and find a local farmers market or CSA here.


And finally, it's about time we bring back the local butcher and learn to savor truly excellent cuts of meat.


What have you checked out in the news lately?

Guest Post -- Journal Menu

Check out my guest post over at Journal Menu!

9NOV/11Off

Lindsey Galvao is a pregnant crossfitter who has agreed to share her experience with us. She is currently ~6 months pregnant and still going strong. Within the past year or so, there have become many more forums and websites dedicated to the pregnant crossfitter, even with that said, the information is somewhat scare, so feel free to ask Lindsey any questions that you may have (if you are or are thinking of being pregnant). She will be guest blogging once or twice a trimester and will answer all your questions in her posts! Pregnant crossfitters make crossfit babies 

It’s hard for me to believe that I’m almost in my third trimester! The last few weeks of the second trimester has treated me well overall. It’s been a blast feeling the baby move and I’m still able to be fairly active. While I’ve lost my diligent Primal eating habits (Cheerios and hot chocolate cravings have been hard to kick lately), I’ve still managed to make it to CrossFit. In the past four weeks, my body has changed from a miniscule bump that only I noticed to a bona fide pregnant belly that gets smiles from strangers on the street. With my growing belly, anything on my back is out of the question. Instead of sit-ups, I do knee raises, and I’ll usually find something else to sub in for hollow body holds, like planks. I’ve also had to be careful with my lower back. Even though I’ve made sure I have solid form, I’ve had to lighten up my deadlifts and take extra time with my kettlebell swings to make sure I don’t have any soreness (I made this mistake when I did low rep kettlebell swings with 1.5 pood at 24 weeks— while it felt fine at the time, my back killed for the next couple days). For this same reason, handstand push ups are now out of the question, so I’ve just done regular push ups as a modification. I’ve also switched from pull ups to inverted rows. During each WOD, I find a steady rhythm and periodically complete the “talking test,” where I make sure I can say a sentence without being winded. It’s worked well and I’ve kept my pacing in check. At the same time, I’m still able to do box jumps, I can whip out some double unders, and I have a pretty mean front and back squat. I also use the barbell, although I keep the weight light (usually 65 pounds or less, depending on the lift). I’ve managed some decent Rx WODs lately, which is a great confidence booster, and when I know I won’t be able to complete a WOD Rx, I find a reasonable substitution, which usually means lowering my weight. So far, my little girl is growing right on target and measuring perfectly for her gestational age. All signs point to a healthy baby, and I’m grateful. I also know that pregnancy would have been a lot harder if I hadn’t been in shape and didn’t keep up with exercise. I’m sure it’s partly luck, but I’m also convinced that the food and exercise choices I made before getting pregnant have had nothing but a positive affect on my pregnancy. We’ll see what new CrossFit adventures the third trimester brings!