An Inspiring Transformation

I don't know where to begin.  The clean eating challenge member that I am going to highlight today also happens to be a very close friend of mine.  Her story is nothing short of amazing and she is not done.  Her story will continue and we will be updating you as we go along.  Julie and I became friends shortly after Paul and I moved to Clarksburg 3 years ago.  She accepts me for me and I feel like she is the sister I never had growing up with 5 boys:)  She would give you the shirt off her back and is always there to lend a thoughtful ear and helping hand.  I don't know where I would be without Julie's love and support.  Thank you Julie, for being such an inspiration to those around you, especially me!  Check out Julie's amazing story and pictures below.  FYI-she thought I was crazy when I introduced her to clean eating and told me to stick it somewhere that I can't mention on our family friendly blog:) We will also be highlighting past challenge members and their success stories in future posts. Enjoy!

In the spring of 2011, a very good friend of mine tried to talk me
into working out with her in Dawn's class and participate in a clean
eating challenge. When I found out the class was at 5:30 a.m. and what
it meant to eat clean, I laughed and said, "There's no way in hell I
would ever get up that early and eat that way! I love my sleep,
yogurt, ice cream, pasta and bread way too much." Well, here I am
today eating my own words!

Julie June 2010

In January 2012 the same friend approached me again but this time it
was about just trying a clean eating challenge. Knowing that my
husband and I had 5 weddings to attend and not being happy with
the way I looked after 3 kids, I thought, "Why not, it's just for 30
days." After the challenge I was very surprised at the changes my body
and mind felt. Yes, it was great I was starting to lose the extra
"baby weight" but more importantly, I didn't feel the highs and lows
of my blood sugar dipping through out the late afternoon. I felt that
I could focus better and that I was a nicer mommy to my boys. If mommy
is happy, everyone is happy!

Julie May 2012

 In August 2012 I felt like a piece was missing from my puzzle. I felt
comfortable and confident with the lifestyle change I had made with
food and was ready to introduce exercising back into my life, I just
had to get over the idea of getting up at 5:30 a.m! It's really not
too bad and I'm not a morning person!

Julie April 2013 5:30am workout

Now today, May 2013, it's been well over a year since I changed my
eating habits and almost 9 months since I started working out. I am
extremely happy that I sucked it up and took the leap! I feel like I
am more in tune with my body and how it reacts if I do choose to eat
something that isn't "clean." For me it's not about what I "can't
have," it's about what I "choose to have." Believe me, there are times
that you just need to eat for your soul and not necessarily for your
body. I just know that I may not feel the greatest afterwards. I think
I'm on the road to a happy balance between the two. I love how strong
and healthy I feel and look. Words can not express how much I
appreciate the impact Dawn has made in not only my life but my
family's life as well! Thank you!

Julie Mothers Day 2013

10 Reasons To Try Trail Running

We have said in the past that we are not big fans of any type of steady state cardio work especially long distance running and I can tell you from experience that anything over an hour in duration, for me, leads to diminished returns in terms of physical benefit.  I am just not wired to go that long. Just the thought of running any distance on the street makes my knees and back tingle. However, since moving up to Clarksburg several years ago, I have re-discovered trail running and I am hooked.

Trail running connects me to my childhood. We grew up in an apartment in the middle of Adelphi, MD, but directly behind our apartment was a creek that ran from our apartment down to an old mill a couple of miles away.  My brother and our freinds spent a considerable number of days trudging up and down that creek and playing in the woods. When I was in high school, training for football, I would go back to that creek and run it to prepare for the season. While it was in the middle of a bustling suburb, you felt like you were removed from everything. This is what has drawn me back to the trails.

If you have not tried trail running, here are ten good reasons to do so.

1. Trail running is good for the body, the varied terrain forces you to move in different directions and to use different muscles.
2. The varied terrain also forces you to focus on what you are doing and stay in the moment. There is always a new challenge, either a root, a fallen tree, a creek etc.
3. There is a definite connection to nature as you are sharing the trails with deer, snakes, rabbits, spiders, and many other animals. There is also just something primal about running through the woods.
4. Trail running is less impactful on your joints.  If I run on the streets, my knees and back give me problems.  I do not have these problems on the trail.
5. There is no equipment required.  If you get into it, you may end up spending money on decent shoes, but that is about it.  I have found that the less I wear the better it feels(to a point).
6. Trail running is a great social activity.  I have a great group of guys that I run with and having other people relying on you to show up helps get you out of bed at 5:30 on a weekend morning.
7. This one is hard to explain, but running through the woods nurtures the soul.  I have yet to experience that runners high that people talk about, but I have had moments of clarity on trail runs where I am just in awe of my surroundings.  The smells, sights, and feelings are almost meditative.
8. The same trail is different everytime you run it because of the different weather conditions, seasons, etc. This keeps your runs from getting dull.
9. You do not experience the smog and exhaust that you get when a big truck passes you on the road.
10. If you are a road runner, running on trails with hills and varied terrain will make you stronger and faster on your road runs. 

Below are my favorite local trails:
Little Bennett Regional Park - These trails are our main go to. We have several different loops that we run regularly. They are too complicated to explain, but we found them by heading out and getting lost several times.  We now know the trails pretty well. Our loops are anywhere from 3 to 7 miles.

Black Hills Regional Park - We have a secret loop that we run on the north/west side of Clarksburg Rd. just off of a small gravel road called Ten Mile Creek Rd. The run starts with a quarter mile climb straight up Turkey Hill then has a series of three loops, before breaking into a narrow deer trail that winds along the lake.  I have experienced some awesome sunrises along this section. The loop finishes with an out and back up a pretty technical trail called Cool Spring Loop. 5ish miles

Seneca Creek State Park - This is a fun loop around Clopper Lake. You can run the loop either way for different experiences. 3 to 7 miles depending on which trails you take.

Seneca Creek Greenway Trail - This is the trail the marathon was run on and can be broken down into various smaller sections for some fun runs.


There are also many local opportunities to get your competitive juices flowing or to just enjoy the trails with like minded people. Races are a great way to up the intensity of your training. We are going with a large group of people to the Warrior Dash next weekend for a trail run and below are links to runs that I have done over the past couple of years.

Blue Crab Bolt - A summer series of 10k races held on the trails listed above that we run frequently.

Comus Cross Country Run - This is a fun Montgomery County Road Runners 5k Race that is held in August on private property near Surgarloaf Mountain. The casual atmosphere and post race ice cream truck and coolers of craft beer make it a blast.

Run Through The Grapevine  - This is a tough November trail 8k run through the Linganore Winery vinyard. I have not run this one yet, but Dawn did a few years ago and still remembers one specific hill.

Campus Life 5k Orchard Run - A cool family friendly 5k run in late November through Bulters Orchard. Dawn ran this one last year and we won a free Christmas tree!

Seneca Slopes 8K - Another Clopper Lake run in December to round out your trail running year.

Hope you are inspired to give trail running a try.  Remember we are not trying to turn anyone into a runner, but do feel that the ability to move your own body for a decent distance, at a decent pace is a valuable life skill. Adding trail runs to your regular movement plan is a great way to shake things up. 

Ending a Food Elimination Challenge

Today is the last day of the challenge. If you stuck with it, you are a changed person and it is our hope that you have transformed the way you think about food and its effects on your health. If you did not make it through, we still hope your thoughts about the role food plays in your life have changed and you will be ready to see it through the next time when we do our fall challenge.

There is a very specific way to come off of an elimination challenge so that the effort you have put in over the last three weeks is not wasted. We hope you already feel better, have more energy, better skin clarity, lost weight and all of that good stuff, but the important information we are looking to glean from this experience is what types of food in particular cause you problems. In order to determine this you need to be very deliberate in how you re-introduce these foods. A post challenge binge of pizza and ice cream will taste great, but send you shuffling to the bathroom for the next several hours and provide you with no idea which of the eliminated foods caused you the GI distress. A more organized approach to the reintroduction of each of the eliminated foods will provide you with vital information about which foods cause you problems and which ones you may be able to handle in smaller doses.

Since most of the time our first meal coming off of a challenge is breakfast, we will give a breakfast example.  For tomorrows breakfast, pick what it is you want to introduce, have it for breakfast then continue with your regular challenge/clean meals for the rest of the day.

Here are some examples based on what you are re-introducing:

• If it is grains, include bread with your breakfast, have some french toast, or even pancakes(without the powdered sugar and syrup though), Throw your eggs in a pita or tortilla. 
• If it's dairy, throw some cheese in your omelet, cream in your coffee, have a glass of milk, that Greek yogurt that has been staring at you from the back of the fridge for the last 21 day's
• If it's beans, save it for your next trip to Chipotle and try them out there.
• If it's sugar, throw some in your coffee, or down a glass of fruit juice.
• If it's alcohol(for breakfast), you have a bigger problem than we can help with, so save it for the weekend!

Then wait. Pay close attention to how your belly feels, how your head feels, what your energy levels are like, what your mood is like. These are all indicators of how these foods are effecting you. You may notice big problems and you may not notice anything. Repeat this process with each of the eliminated foods

What we have found after six years of practice is that the more "real" the food is, the better we are able to handle it.  We try to stay away from sugar and grains even when off of a challenge, but if we go to a nice restaurant that has fresh baked bread or handmade pizza dough, we find that it does not bother us nearly as much as a pizza crust from Ledos or the processed bread from any other chain place.

We have also found that the state of our lives has a big effect on what foods we can handle and in what quantities. When things are crazy and stress is through the roof, sleep sucks, and things are teetering on the edge of insanity, what we want most is a drink, or a treat, or some type of indulgence to take our mind away from the craziness, but what we need most is to double down on the clean eating until things calm down.  Ever notice how you can drink a pot of coffee in the morning and follow it up with drinks all day when you are on vacation?  It's because stress and all the other "stuff" in life are not an issue.

If you took pictures and measurements at the beginning of this challenge take the time to do so again. It is a great motivator to see the progress.

Remember the nutrition piece is but one piece of the puzzle. We feel strongly that it is the most important piece, but movement in the form of exercise and sleep/recovery are also key to living the healthiest life you can.  We will have more posts on these two aspects in the next couple of weeks. 

We truly hope you found this experience to be a beneficial one and we enjoy sharing what we have learned and continue to learn with everyone.  Please leave us a comment or send us an e-mail letting us know about your experiences with the challenge good and bad. It is a great way for you to process the experience and for us to learn and continue to make it better for the next time.

Why it's so Important part 2

Paul and I have shared our stories and put those wonderfully embarrassing pictures out there for the world to see!  We started healing many of our own ailments through good nutrition and have become passionate about sharing what we have learned with people to help them reach a level of health that will sustain them for the long haul. Nutrition, exercise, and recovery are what we drive home the most. Aesthetics goes out the window when we want to help others.  We know people want the "six pack abs" or the "cut up arms" and "ripped backs".  All that is fine and dandy and always comes as a result of smart nutrition and exercise, but what's happening below the surface is where it's at!!!

Much of my drive to fix people from the inside out is perpetuated by the fact that I was unable to help my mom.  Please read her story here.  I didn't have the knowledge back then that I have today.  I try not to dwell, but it saddens me that I couldn't have done more.  She had so much misinformation and when I did try to help it was "too little too late." Paul and I actually moved in with my parents for a year to try to help care for my mom and make sure she was managing her type one diabetes, heart problems, and neuropathy while my dad worked full time.  She stayed on the program for a month and the results were amazing.  Instead of blood sugars of 200-300mg/ dL, we were able to maintain a range of 80-120mg/ dL just by eating a clean diet and smart exercise with the occasional treat.  Unfortunately, my mom was not ready to accept this lifestyle change and slipped back into her old habits.  I was done being bad cop and gave up.  Sometimes it is harder to help the ones closest to you and it hurts when you feel like you have tried everything to no avail.  She had a stroke a year after we moved out and I visit her twice a week in a long term care facility in Annapolis where she is confined to her wheel chair at the age of 65.  Instead of enjoying her grandchildren and her "golden years", she yearns for her daily walks outside and visits from her family to distract her.

My mom's story drives me to help others make a "mind shift" and change bad habits.  I don't want anyone to be in my position or my mom's position.  If not for yourself, do it for your loved ones.  I would give anything to be able to change my mom's situation and I want so badly for her to be an active part of my life.  I have to rely on the love and support of my aunts and my mom's closest friends to visit her during the week when my dad and I aren't there.  I lay awake at night hoping that they are taking proper care of her and sometimes can't bear the pain that I see in her eyes when I visit with her.  I walk the halls and have to force a smile when I see people lying in the hallways unable to even lift a finger to help themselves.  My heart breaks as they call out for someone to help them:(  Nobody wants this for their loved ones, but support is needed when the care is just too much for one person. This is why taking action now is so important.

It is often a mental game that we play with ourselves and until we take control, we never break the cycle.  You have to be mentally ready to tackle a lifestyle change. It is easier to accept the state you are in and "deal."  Dealing is just not good enough.  We HAVE to tackle the things that hold us back the most and we will see a positive paradimn shift.  This starts by putting the focus on your fixing what is wrong on the inside and improving your health. I have seen too many people put their aesthetic goals at the forefront and fail miserably.  Make your health a number one priority for you and your loved ones who want you to be an active part of their lives. Here are some steps to living a healthier life that have helped Paul and I as well as many of our clients:

1.  Take time for yourself and really reflect on the things in your life that are holding you back from reaching your goals.  I try to take at least 20 minutes a day to pray and ready myself for the day ahead.  Sometimes I only get 5 minutes, but I always take time to rally my inner strength and tell myself to step out of my comfort zone!  Other times, I make a list of what's eating at me or read a positive blog that I know will give me a quick pick me up!

2.  Eat whole foods in their most natural state to fuel your body so you are clear headed.  This will help you make good decisions and you will start to feel like the energizer bunny who can't be stopped!!!  It really does happen!! 

3.  Surround yourself with positive, like minded people who pick you up even on your worst days and support you in your most important endeavors.  I am blessed to have an amazing network of family and friends who swoop in and patch up my wounds and remind me that what I am doing is worth it:)  People who riddle you with negativity do so because because they are scared to see you succeed, which stems from their own insecurities and should be avoided.

4.  Move your body.  Walk, hike, do yoga, lift weights.  The list is endless.  Don't be afraid to start an exercise program.  Many women come to me with major trepidation.  That is totally normal, but you have to start somewhere and you need someone to meet you where you are at that particular time in your life. I see so many beautiful women who are strong beyond measure and don't even realize it.  They have such untapped potential, but once we do tap in to it, they become an unstoppable force.  I am amazed day in and day out by my clients and their physical and mental strength.

5.  Do something that makes you uncomfortable. Breaking out of your comfort zone is the greatest way to gain confidence and break bad habits.  When you accomplish something that you previously thought was impossible, the only way is UP!!  We went rock climbing as a family recently and it was one of the most physically exhausting activities that I have done in a while.  I was afraid I wouldn't get up the wall and would have to scurry back down.  I had so many butterflies in my belly, but the kids wanted me to go first.  I did it, but not without major discomfort and aching muscles.  I felt so fulfilled and empowered when I finished.  Nothing beats that feeling.   

Focus on one of the steps above and take action TODAY.  Don't put it off.  Share the information you have learned during these 21 days with whoever will listen.  Shout it from the rooftops and let us know what steps you have taken recently to better your life!  You will inspire someone.  Below are some pictures of my mom's journey.  I will never stop fighting for her or you and I want you to fight for yourselves!

Yours in Health,
Dawn

My dad and mom after my mom was first diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes.  She had gestational diabetes with my youngest brother Jimmy, but sadly it progressed from type 2 to type 1.





My mom and oldest brother John when we moved in to try and help. Her blood sugars were consistently high(200-300) and the inflammation was causing a whole host of other problems. 

After 3 weeks of eating clean, the inflammation had decreased and her blood sugars were normalizing dramatically.  She looked and felt good.

 

My sweet mamma at the long term care facility in Annapolis.  Her blood sugars remain good and she has food restrictions-no sugar(fake or real), bread, or pastas.  Her favorite treat is blueberry lara bars.  She needs full time care and has paralysis on the left side of her body which confines her to her wheel chair.

Powerballs and The Dirty Dozen

In our last post, we showed pictures of the kids breakfast and they had powerballs. Many of you wanted the recipe, so here you go. We got this recipe from fellow challenge member Julie. Powerballs are quick and easy to make and the kids look at them as a treat.

 Ingredients:

1 cup dry rolled oats

2/3 cup of toasted coconut flakes

1/2 cup of any nut or seed butter

1/2 cup flaxseed (we were low on flaxseed and substituted some sunflower seeds)

1/2 cup dark chocolate chips (Julie uses Enjoy Life)

1/3 cup of honey (local is best)

1tsp of vanilla extract

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl and chill in the fridge for 30 min.

Then Form into Balls

The rolled oats and peanut butter are not challenge friendly, so you will have to wait a few more days to try them, but they are a great addition to kid's meals. The peanut butter can be substituted for any nut or seed butter. We did not add the chocolate chips to this batch because Kylie does not like them.

We also wanted to share a comment that was left from the last post about how one challenge member handles her kid's meals. It is full of great ideas for feeding the little ones. Thanks for sharing.

My kids like salad drizzled with olive oil, half a lime & chopped cilantro, meat roll ups, dates stuffed with peanutbutter, plaintain chips, beef jerky, homemade Paleo granola, fresh fruit, 100% real fruit rollups. We allow Greek yogurt too. Once a week they buy their lunch as a treat. Most weeks they pass and ask to pack their lunch. I feel so much better sending them off to school having eaten some combination of eggs, bacon, sausage, potatoes, & strawberries rather than grain-based breakfasts and they like it better too. Almond milk tastes so much better than cows milk. No aftertaste. My daughter makes fruit smoothies then freezes them into popsicles. It takes time, but it becomes a habit for them too. 

Finally, we wanted to remind you that many of the local farmers markets open this weekend! We are excited as the summer season can provide you with the freshest, most nutrient dense foods you can get.  Below is a list of the top twelve most contaminated produce items that you should be be buying organic if you can. Be sure to talk to the farmers as not all farmers market produce is organic. The local farmers we have talked to at our farmers market, who are not organic, do not use GMO seeds and while they do use pesticides, the produce can be washed thoroughly and because it is usually cut that morning still beats store bought for nutrient quality.

Whether you are on a budget and need to prioritize your organic purchases, or you would simply like to know which type of produce has the highest pesticide residues—and which do not—the following guide from the Environmental Working Group will help.

12 Most Contaminated Peaches Apples Sweet Bell Peppers Celery Nectarines Strawberries Cherries Pears Grapes (Imported) Spinach Lettuce Potatoes

We like to support our neighborhood farmers market up here in Clarksburg, however it does not open for another month. In the meantime, our favorite farmers market opens up tomorrow. The West Frederick Farmers Market will open tomorrow from 10-1 and will be open every Sat. until the middle of Nov. We will take you on a trip with us to the farmers market in a future post.

What about the kids?

We had a great question from one of our challenge members, Deborah(see her amazing story here), about feeding the kids, especially lunches!  I used to have a really hard time with school lunches because I wanted the kids to eat EVERYTHING I gave them and I would try to give them a wide variety.  That did not last long.  I finally realized that I didn't have to pack something different everyday.  If kids had their choice they would eat the school pizza everyday and be content so why would they not be content with some great tasting clean food everyday?

A lunch of oven roasted chicken, carrots, blueberries, and raw milk cheese.

Kylie's Lunch: Burgers with raw milk cheese, pineapple, and spinach sprinkled with sea salt and a fruit stick.

Will's Lunch: Leftover hamburger(Paul makes amazing burgers-I will try to get him to share his secret recipe:), raw milk cheese, carrots, banana, rice cake, and water. 

Here is how we handle our kids nutrition both on challenges and off.  We feel very strongly that how we feed our kids now will have a lasting effect on the quality of their health in the future. We try very hard not to demonize any particular food, but rather try to get the kids to think of food as a source of nutrients to fuel a healthy body. We try to get them to connect how the food that they eat makes them feel. We are quick to point out negative reactions after a period of poor choices and positive things when they are eating good quality foods. We also model what we would like to see from the kids in our own nutritional choices.

Our kids are not very adventurous when it comes to fruits and veggies so they eat mostly the same things day in and day out.  We focus on a good quality protein source and build their lunch from there. The protein varies more for Will then Kylie.  I am convinced Kylie would be a vegetarian if we let her.

Their snacks consist of something I make from scratch using coconut or almond flour during the challenge, whatever protein we have lying around, homemade lara bars, homemade granola, homemade graham crackers, fruit, smoothies, and raw veggies.  I really like the book Eat Like a Dinosaur by The Paleo Parents and use many of their recipes.  Their graham cracker recipe is one of my favorites and I will be using her cupcake recipe to make Paul his upcoming birthday treat:)  

When not on a challenge, we take a whole/real foods approach with the kids and I love the website www.100daysofrealfood.com. Her approach is really great when you are trying to get the kids on board and she has a ton of lunch ideas! During the challenge, we cut out the gluten for the kids, but they can still have organic rice or rice noodles, plain organic rolled oats, organic rice cakes, homemade granola, muffins, popcorn popped from organic popcorn kernels, etc. We buy potato chips from Trader Joes on occasion which consist of potato, salt, and olive oil.   

We also let them have plain whole fat organic yogurt with their favorite fruit in it or a tsp of honey and they down it like a Jimmy Cone. Raw milk cheese from TJ's is the other dairy we let them have during the challenge. After the challenge, I use some of the recipes from 100 days of real food that contain whole grain for the kids. Will doesn't seem to have a problem, but Kylie has a negative reaction to wheat flour.  She becomes bloated and her belly gets distended.  She realizes this and will avoid it or limit herself.  Out of the two of my children, Kylie has a greater awareness of how food makes her feel.  It doesn't hit Will until he finds himself being unusually sensitive over EVERYTHING.  A lot of sugar has this effect on both of them.  Outside of the house, they choose what to eat even when we are on a challenge. Even off of challenges we have all of our "cheat" foods away from the house.  We go out for ice cream, or have dessert out. We have found that having boxes of crap in the house makes for power struggles that are easily avoided just by not having it.

We have been very happy with this approach so far. It does require a lot of work, but again planning makes things much easier. We still have the dinner stand offs, as the kids sit at the table with a pile of cold veggies that they refuse to eat. We have a rule that you have to try whatever is put on your plate and if you don't like it you do not have to eat it, but you will not get a substitution. We feel the extra effort is well worth it and will give our kids a boost towards a healthy adult life.

I am going to link to a great post from 100 days of Real Food called How to Talk to Kids About Real Food.  It is a great way to help kids make good, nutritious food choices!  I leave you with a quote from a website called The Whole Journey in a post discussing kids and food. "Food can be medicine, or the slowest form of poison. And you hold all the power to gift your children with a solid foundation of amazing, lifelong health." Enjoy and have a great week.

Here are a few more of their usual meals:

Breakfast: Turkey sausage, power balls, and blueberries

Chicken sausage, power balls, and apples with peanutbutter

Bacon pieces, fried egg blueberries and power balls - at this point you are probably wondering what power balls are and it is hard to explain as no two are alike. We will have the recipe in a post soon.

Dinner: Chicken and broccoli

Shrimp and broccoli

Fajita steak, peppers, spinach and rice

Pizza.....need I say more!

Hope everyone had a great weekend:)  We finally had a weekend where we could lay low and chill and it was so wonderful!!  I did want a nice glass of wine on Saturday, but I am going to see this 21 days through to the end.

I wanted to pass along two delicious meals we had this weekend and a super tasty lunch.  Both dinners were kid approved.  There was no moaning and groaning:)

Almond flour pizza crust with tomato sauce, bacon, sausage, and pepperoni.  Found the pizza crust recipe at www.cleaneatsinthezoo.com.  Post challenge I would add sheep, goat, or raw milk cheese.

Same pizza as above with sauteed baby kale and peppers thrown on it!!  Cotsco has a huge bag of delicious baby kale that NEVER goes to waste at my house.  We buy 2 bags at a time.

Chicken fingers with satueed green beans.  Chicken finger recipe also from www.cleaneatsinthezoo.com.  We love that website!!  I added Franks hot sauce to them and they were out of this world.  Kylie even asked to have some for lunch the next day and she is not a meat eater!!

Same as above, but Paul and I added some sauteed baby kale to our dinner.

Had to add the bomb lunch I had today!!  Leftover sauteed baby kale and peppers with leftover grassfed steak and roasted potato circles. I didn't want it to end!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

******Hope you continued reading because we have some bonus material:
The lovely Julie Barnes found 100% natural bacon jerky at Sam's club in Gaithersburg.  She said that it was in a really weird spot in the back of the store on an end cap where the freezer stuff is located.  3 pack for $10. Can't wait to try it.  May be worth renewing my membership!

Have a great week,
Dawn