Please read this great article if you are still undecided about the benefits of going Paleo.  

The Paleo diet helps you:

• stay focused
• become mentally sharper
• feel better about yourself
• It can even help with anxiety and depression

http://practicalpaleolithic.com/paleolithic-diet-blog/a-mind-for-the-paleo-diet

Last night I made you a paleo snack bag full of great snacking choices.  My friend Kelli Hornback helped me with the homemade beef jerky, you should have found dried fruit, walnuts, and almonds.  Sometimes snacking is the hardest part for people to figure out.  Should I snack or not????  Yes, you need to fuel your body throughout the day especially in preparation for a tough Boot Camp workout at night.  Click on the link below for more snacking ideas and recipes.  If you dive in deeper you will also find recipes for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

http://everydaypaleo.com/tag/paleo-snacks/

As the end of the four week Boot Camp comes near I have noticed that you guys are being very relaxed with your journals.  Does that mean that you have fallen off the wagon? You are bored with writing in it?  You have met your goals and have no room to improve?

I found this article on keeping a fitness and food journal.  It is not just me that recommends keeping a journal.  Thousands of fitness experts believe in the power of journaling.  Learn what your body can handle, how it reacts to food and exercise and how you can reach your goals faster by keeping one.

Don’t stop.  I know you can do it.  Keep writing in that journal.  You will be happy that you got into the habit.

http://www.fitness-tips-online.com/articles/permalink/keep-a-fitness-journal-to-track-your-progress/

The benefits of foam rolling is immense.  Check out this article.  http://www.performbetter.com/catalog/matriarch/MultiPiecePage.asp_Q_PageID_E_91_A_PageName_E_ArticleMyofacialRelease

You all are always asking “what should I eat”.  Check out this link and try to find some things to add to your everyday diet.  Replace your refined carb foods with these whole foods.  It will do a body good!

http://www.healthhabits.ca/2010/08/18/paleo-cookbook-preview/

This is a great resource to use to learn what to eat and what to stay away from.  Try to make your meals “all natural”.  Check out this link courtesy of Maximus’ Jim Laird – good find.

http://www.fitnessspotlight.com/ShoppingList.pdf

In all the debates this year about sugar (carbohydrates) and hydrogenated oil (fat), we forget that protein warrants consideration as well. Bacon, sausage, deli meat? No, thanks. The wrong proteins in the diet will quickly sabotage optimal health.

Many myths surround protein. For the record, vegetarians will not die of protein deprivation. I hope no one believes that anymore. It helps to understand that protein is a macronutrient. What we call “protein” is, in fact, a family of amino acid molecules. When grouped together in various combinations we get proteins. There’s no protein molecule hanging out in that hamburger; rather, the animal tissue is made of many different amino acid building blocks. Protein is just a catch-all term we use. This is why vegetarians won’t keel over as people once feared. (However, I still recommend meat consumption, and for a number of reasons: caloric efficiency, blood sugar management, and human biology. It takes more calories to get adequate amounts of protein on a vegetarian diet. Living on beans and tofu increases the amount of carbohydrates in one’s diet significantly. And the human body most certainly handles – and benefits from – a bit of flesh. But I digress.)

Here are my ten ideal sources of protein, and their popular but inferior counterparts.

10. Winner: Grass-Fed Beef

Loser: hamburger meat

I’ve discussed the problems with hamburger meat before. I will not eat a meal that includes parts of literally hundreds of dead beasts. I think that’s pretty heinous. That’s just me. Moreover, the average cow is raised on cheap grain that will kill it after about six months (they’re conveniently slaughtered before this happens – but not always). Hardly something I want to put in my body. Grass-fed, organic beef won’t make the vegetarians happy, but this beef is rich in beneficial fatty acids that are missing from the factory-raised cattle. It’s cleaner, healthier, more flavorful, and richer in nutrients. And grass-fed beef is typically raised in humane conditions. If you eat beef, grass-fed is a must. It’s getting quite easy to find these days, but you can order online from many outlets as well.

9. Winner: Organic Chicken

Loser: regular frozen chicken

No comparison. Did you know chicken has flavor? Yeah, bizarre, I know. Chicken raised properly (not shoved by the cluckload into dirty factories) is rich in EFAs and is one of the most efficient, lean sources of protein available.

8. Winner: Wild Salmon

Loser: farmed salmon

Fish is healthy, right? Don’t even bother patting yourself on the back for eating salmon if it’s from a farm. Farmed salmon is produced in a way that’s the seaside equivalent of a chicken factory. As a result, the fish are often sick and infected. They’re fed cheap feed that does not yield the desirable Omega-3-rich flesh. They’re miserable.

Stick with wild only. Most restaurants use farmed salmon, so you have to get a little aggressive about this.

Notice a trend here with my emphasis on good fats in protein foods? Source makes a huge difference in the quality of protein you get. Meat is – or was – a very valuable food because it’s so dense in nutritious fat and protein. What an efficient, rich source of energy! Helpfully, our modern factories have eliminated the nutritional value and left us with weak, flabby, carcinogenic, diseased patties and drumsticks. Hey, thanks, guys. (Although we consumers don’t get off easy: maybe if we ate less…)

This is Roboppy’s Flickr Photo

7. Winner: Tuna fish

Loser: fish sticks and popcorn shrimp

I don’t think I need to go into this one.

6. Winner: Organic DHA-Enhanced Eggs

Loser: egg substitute and/or regular eggs

If eggs were meant to be eaten as mechanically-separated, low-fat, chemically-altered whites in a carton, the chickens would have done it by now. But an egg is a chick in the making. It’s rich in antioxidants, good fats, vitamins, and – for the calories – a lot of protein. Things like Egg Beaters are the result of food manufacturers exploiting fears based on grossly inaccurate health information. There’s nothing healthy about such unnatural products.

5. Winner: Organic, Plain, European (Greek) Yogurt

Loser: regular yogurt

No comparison. The European stuff is richer, fattier, more nutritious and lower in sugar. Again, when choosing an animal protein source, choose one that also provides valuable fats to maximize nutrition. Don’t go for the conventional animal products that are high in chemicals, hormones, bad fats, and sugars. Yogurt isn’t a staple of my diet, but if I eat it it’s certainly not a plastic cup of sugar-infused strawberry dessert.

This is DKJD’s Flickr Photo

4. Winner: Tempeh

Loser: tofu and “mock meats”

Fermented foods ought to be part of everyone’s diet, vegetarian or not. Tempeh is one that is chewy and delicious, even to die-hard burger fans. It’s healthy and a much better bet than heavily processed tofu or “mock meats” that are brimming with poor-quality modified proteins, sodium, chemicals and starchy fillers. In my opinion it doesn’t compare nutritionally or in taste to a juicy steak but as vegetarian options go it ain’t half bad.

3. Winner(s): Quinoa

Loser(s): green beans & any large, starchy bean: kidney, great northern, lima

Don’t get me wrong, green beans are decent veggies. But these “beans” contain very little protein. Kidney, northern, navy, lima and other starchy beans are also rather limited in their protein amounts and contain a high amount of carbohydrates. Quinoa (pronounced “keen-wah”) is a so-called “complete protein” grain – the only one of which I’m aware. Though I stay away from grains entirely, for a vegetarian protein option you could do much worse.

This is Dan Mogford’s Flickr Photo

2. Winner: Almonds and Almond Butter

Loser: peanuts and peanut butter

Peanuts are one of the least nutritious nuts (and they’re not technically a true nut anyway). When adding a handful of nuts to your salad for protein, go with almonds. Almond butter is less toxic and allergenic than peanut butter, although the protein amounts are similar by comparison (between 6 and 8 grams, usually). Still, this is about quality protein, not necessarily the amount. When it comes to protein, people often think that “more is more”. A giant steak will certainly give you “more” protein, but if it’s conventionally raised and is an unreasonable portion size, it’ll give you a whole lot more trouble, too.

1. What’s your favorite protein source?

Give me a shout, Apples. What protein do you favor? What have I left out? (To comment, simply click on Comments below to log in to the blog forum, or proceed directly to the forum.)

Note: “Cows’ milk is for baby cows,” the saying goes. You’ll notice I left cheese and milk out of this list. I think dairy is less than ideal for human consumption, though I do like yogurt because it’s a fermented food. Raw dairy is healthy and enjoyable for many people, but generally, I think quality meat is better for you than quality milk. Less processed cheeses such as ricotta, buffalo mozzarella, goat cheese and mascarpone are superior to more heavily processed cheddar, colby and jack. I think a little cream and butter are fine in cooking, because I don’t fear saturated fat, but I am concerned about folks who substitute lean, nutritious meat with highly-processed cheese.

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Sometimes it happens in the first week, sometimes later but inevitably IT happens!  Shin and calf pain.  It could be the result of inactivity followed by an intense 4 weeks of exercise or the result of a seasoned athlete that has increased their running regime.  In any case, we have some suggestions from the experts on how to make it better!!

http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_5/196.shtml

Trista demonstrating a proper squat while working her inner thighs

What a great way to start week two of Kathy’s Boot Camp.  We are expecting temperatures to be in the mid-90′s with little chance of rain (sound familiar?).  I hope you all enjoyed your weekend off but also took my advice and found something active to do on at least one of those days.  School starts this week and we are all going to be busy.  Do your best to stay consistent.  Continue journaling and come ready to work hard tonight.

VIP registration is now open for the September Boot Camp.  September Boot Camp will run from September 7th-September 30th.  Be the first to email me and get your name on the list.  Registration will open on August 16th.  Discounts will be given to returning boot campers and members.  Stay tuned for more details.