Crunchy, counter-cultural or just a bit weird?

Last year was all about jumping on bandwagons for me. Well, two bandwagons, and one was in the final weeks of 2013, so maybe 'all about' is slight exaggeration, but this leaping aboard has had an impact.
The bandwagons: paleo and simplicity. The result: a change (kind of) to the way I eat, exercise, spend money, and how I look at my place in the world, my home and living sustainably.
A 'kind of' change, because while I was for the most part firmly seated on the train of mainstream culture, for a long time I had, say, an elbow on each of these other wagons. I just didn't know it.
Anyway, I did eventually discover paleo and simplicity. I found books and blogs that defined the concepts and demonstrated how to apply them. I devoured all the information I could find, and it resonated because, as I tried to explain with the elbow analogy, I'd already been enjoying some elements of these lifestyles. Plus, they tied in with some practices I like to use as a parent.
I had long wanted to expand upon my experiences and ideas of healthy, simple and green living. But I had no knowledge of how to do so. Until I stumbled on Sarah Wilson's blog and my eyes were opened.
My revised approach to living could be described as a bit 'crunchy'. Or counter-cultural. Or, as my mother may well put it, a 'bit weird'.
That said, I'm far from revolutionary. Much of my life is as conventional as it gets.
And I'm not saying my way is the best way. It's just the best way for me. Plus, when my actions may have a social or environmental upside, it helps sooth the part of my conscience troubled by getting my livelihood from industries that some consider modern evils: mining, and before that, the media. Including (gasp!) the Murdoch media.
So, what exactly does my (wildly exciting) healthy and green life entail?
Let's start with food and exercise and sleep.

Food

As mentioned, I eat a paleo diet. It's also called a primal diet. When people hear the word 'diet' they usually think in terms of all the stuff you don't eat. But to be honest, there's very little I never eat. Sushi, custard, tinned mushrooms, Brussels sprouts, instant coffee and probably a couple of other things I can't think of right now. Because those things are VILE. I'm almost gagging just writing them down.

I eat whole foods. Not food products. Plus chocolate (obviously). Meaning:
* Meat and fish
* Veggies
* Eggs
* Fruit (small amounts)

* Nuts
* Tea

My homemade chocolate a-cooking.

I rarely eat:

* Grains/cereals

* Sugar

* White potatoes

* Alcohol 

* Vegetable oils 

* Legumes (I don't count green peas and beans as legumes, though technically they are).

Classic paleo - dead animal cooked over fire (not the Coke).
There's more to it than caveman-style food, of course.

Most days I also eat minimally processed food like coconut oil, olive oil, ghee, butter and flavourings like mustard, salt and pepper.
Coffee, dairy products and meats like bacon and ham are occasional foods. Though it wasn't always this way - when I first gave up grains and sugar I hoovered down cheese and bacon like nobody's business. And still had a daily coffee (usually de-caf). Eventually I decided I was better off limiting the dairy and bacon, and actually this was pretty easy. I also decided I didn't need my coffee every day, so abandoned it, other than sometimes having a flat white or something when in town as a treat. Weirdly, I don't even miss it.
Special treats are wine, hot chips and crisps (provided they're salt and vinegar - anything else is a waste of a treat), toast, cake, ice cream, restaurant food and the like.
That's it. Simple, tasty and healthy. I don't count calories. I eat when I'm hungry and as much as I feel like.
I've lost a couple of kilo's since adopting paleo, but nothing outstanding. More importantly, I feel better. Disturbed sleep - a regular occurrence with a toddler in residence - still knocks me around, but much less so than previously.

Also classic paleo - a stack of
veggies with olive oil.

Smoothie-for-two for breakfast.

Exercise

Adopting a primal approach to exercise has been a revelation. The basic gist is to do a couple of short, intense, I'm-about-to-pop-something workouts a week, and the rest of the time move gently. But move a lot.
For me this means one (two, preferably) days of weights, where I lift as much as I can, but only do it for about 20 minutes, and one day of interval sprints on a gym bike. And other than that, lots of walking and easy movement. Which luckily suits my role perfectly now that I'm not condemned to an office chair all week. I walk everywhere I can, including on a treadmill at the gym because I can read at the same time, plus there's housework, garden work, playing with the toddler, playing with the puppies, etc etc. What I'm trying to say is I have lots of ways to keep moving, but which don't leave me totally fecked.
And I love this way of exercising. There's minimal pain - because there's only a couple of hard sessions, they're more about stimulation than sufferance. And the rest of the time moving about slowly is pretty relaxing, and even fun, depending on the activity. And convenient.

Obviously we don't always follow the plan.
Treats are enjoyed as treats should be.

Sleep
Without a doubt one of the best things about paleo/primal is what the experts tell you to do regarding sleep. Bottom line: get more. And then more again. As much as you can. Suits me! Basic guideline, though obviously what works for everyone is different, is to go to bed early and get up early. And nap. Bliss! How can you not love something that tells you to nap?
Of course, I rarely get the eight-nine hours daily they recommend. But I no longer feel guilty for napping when Rosie does. Or like a loser for going to bed at 8pm-8.30pm each night.
The simple living people are also big on sleep and recharging. And they advocate getting up early. At the moment, in the midst of summer, everyone in our house seems to start surfacing about 4.30am. Paul has to be up about 5am for work. Most mornings Rosie has me up between 5am and 5.30am, but if she happens to sleep in I'm normally up about 5.30 anyway (depending on the kind of night she's had).
During the past winter we both slept longer, so it will be interesting to see what happens when it comes around again.

So, that's eating/exercise/sleep in a long-winded nutshell. If you're interested, these are great sites with better explanations on the primal lifestyle and clean eating:
* Whole9

* Marks Daily Apple

And, if you're still interested, I'll soon have a post on living a simple and greener life.


I'd love to hear your thoughts on clean eating and the paleo approach. Are any readers fellow primal people? And I'd love to answer any questions!

Working out how to work out

As of tomorrow I'm going to have to get creative about exercising.
Twice a week we go to a council-run play group, which also operates as a crèche for parents who want to use the council gym. So Rosie 'plays' and I work out/walk on treadmill while reading on my iPad.
And today is our last play group session for the year. Ergo, the last time for a couple of months that I can drop Rosie into a room full toys, babies and preschoolers and hope they keep her occupied.
I always look forward to these sessions. Because I love the little gym. And exercise isn't bad either. Especially exercise done alone. The 'alone' part is more desirable than the 'exercise' part.

My local gym. Yes, all of it (plus a couple of
racks of free weights you can't see). And
this is usually how I find it - empty. I get it all to myself.

I've always found some joy in working out. But for a long time it was also stressful. Something to squeeze in around work and home chores, and too often with the sense I hadn't done enough. Plus, I was forever comparing myself to whomever was on the machine next to me. They always seemed fitter/stronger/hotter/better overall. 

The weight I have on my squat bar - a whole
7.5kg each side. Go me! Plus the bar - I don't
know exactly what it weighs but it's in the vicinity
of freaking heavy. 

None of that really happens any more. Now I enjoy exercising, as well as having exercised.
But finding ways to do it can be a challenge when a crèche isn't available.
There's walking of course. We do a lot of that. Gets a bit trickier in summer when the only bearable time to be outside is between 7pm and 7am. And the toddler is not in favour of going straight from the containment of one space (her cot) to that of another (the pram) in the morning.
Swimming laps drives me spare. And again there is the issue of child minding.
So, what to do?
Thankfully, the prospector works shorter hours at his new day job, so some afternoons he will be in charge of toddler care.
And I expect to make use of these:

A couple of my kettlebells.

Doing a kettlebell workout in your bedroom (because it has the best air con) alongside your shoes and shirts while a kid and cat look on from the bed isn't weird is it?
And there's always the option of dancing to the Wiggles. Which is bloody hard work, believe me.

Does scheduling exercise take a bit of work for you? How do you fit it around work and family?

Mid-week mundanities

It was just Rosie and I again yesterday, with the prospector back at his new-old day job (more on that later). Had a productive yet relaxing day, but was shattered by the end of it. Waking early takes it's toll and every morning I think 'am definitely having a nap when young miss does today' but then I get caught up (usually in reading) and often don't. And then when she woke after only an hour I was glad I hadn't tried to sleep - I'd have got about 5 minutes and felt ripped off.
It was my first day of following a system of spending allotted hours on work/chores - from my to-do list, at least, not things like cooking dinner, folding washing, so on, that have to fit around other things and can't be put off anyway - some 'structured' play (because I'm told you're meant to do these things) with Rosie and taking the rest of the day as it comes.
Went for an early walk to Moran's (IGA) - before it got too hot and before she was likely to get tired and fall asleep in the pram, which results in day-nap malfunction. 

Breakfast time. Thank god for onesies
- in them she still resembles a baby, not
the toddler she really is.

In the morning: Churned through a good chunk of the to-do list. Even made custard. And by leaving it on the stove for an eternity it actually did thicken on its own - why can't the recipe say it takes more than half an hour? Apparently you're meant to stir it while it thickens but I'm not standing at the stove, spoon in hand, that bloody long. The recipe is from the Commonsense cookbook but devoting close to a (pretty much mindless) hour to something that results in less than half a litre of food doesn't sound very sensible to me.
I left the mix to its own devices, gave it the occasional stir to get rid of lumps and whaddya know, I got custard. Proper smooth, thick creamy custard. Which incidentally makes me want to hurl (always has) but Rosie would be hooked to a custard IV if she could and I'm sick of buying commercial stuff, so it was made for her.
Whacked it in a nifty EZ Squeezie thing, handed it over and it was met with approval.
I've been making my own chocolate fudge stuff (dairy and sugar free) for a while and needed to make another batch. Tried a new recipe. Didn't like it. So made a batch of the original stuff and mixed the new stuff in to try and mask it. Kind of worked. Eating the blend will be no hardship, but will stick with the original one in future. 

In hysterics with Trixie. And no, I have never
before allowed dogs inside. I must
be getting soft.

Later in the morning: Tackled one of my most hated tasks. Fecking filing. Finished it and promptly researched ways to cut down on paper crap. Subsequently swapped what accounts I could to email billing.
Late afternoon: Rosie's lack of sleep caught up with her and she decided she needed to be glued, or, when that was too boring, within arms reach, of mummy for every remaining moment of the day. Glued to me on the trampoline, much wailing when I dared move a few metres away and ducked inside to check on dinner, more wailing when I wouldn't watch TV with her because I was serving dinner, glued to me while we ate dinner... (She was very relieved to get to bed. And she wasn't the only one. )
Earlier, the prospector had come home with a ginormous hamper of Christmas 'goodies'. Seems every staff member got one, provided by the guy who picks up the scrap metal. By 'goodies' I mean processed, sugary, gluteny, preservative-y items generally called food. And a jar of salsa. At least I'll enjoy it. (Yes, it's a lovely gesture and I was impressed and grateful. It's just not the sort of stuff I appreciate like I once did, what with the paleo/clean eating thing. Bah humbug.)

The hamper, containing about half it's contents.
I had to pull the rest out so it would
fit in the cupboard.

2013, where are you going?!

The calendar tells me 2013 is almost done, even though it feels like it's only a few months old. It's been quite a year for this rambler. 
I had some significant losses - my dear old dog (the other dear old one is battling on), my grandfather-in-law, who died in January, I had an early miscarriage and the prospector was retrenched from his day job. 
Also, my baby became a toddler.

January 2013. Kindly sitting in one place.

Late November 2013. Playing in the rain.

Of less significance, I lost patience with a few TV shows. I can no longer tell you what's happening on True Blood, Sons of Anarchy or The Newsroom. I probably can, however, tell you what letter Anthony used in his alphabet segment on the latest Wiggles episode. Should you like to know.  
I also made some significant gains/discoveries. Chiefly, paleo/primal living and minimalism/simple living. To me, these are almost the same thing, and I interpret them as focusing on being kind to yourself - your body and soul - as well as those around you, and the planet. 
I feel like have been leaning blindly towards this kind of lifestyle for a long, long time. And it has been a revelation to finally stumble on practical theories and guides on how to actually live it. 
Also gained were new skills and confidence through my graphic design course. Though my lack of practice means I've forgotten half of them now. 
And two cheeky puppies have moved into the rambler residence.

Cleo and Trixie.

We travelled a bit this year (three trips over east and back and two to Perth, for Rosie and I). And between that and study and freelance work, the year was busier than I'd have liked. Still, I count myself lucky to have also had countless wonderful moments and (almost) every day living life exactly as I want to. 

How's your year been?