Desert Magnolia

For me, suddenly not doing something I've been doing religiously can be the best way to appreciate how well that thing I had been doing, but am currently not doing for whatever reason, has been working. Case in point? The Primal/Paleo diet. In recent weeks I've been busy, stressed, lazy, hungry, cranky, stressed, and feeling like I'm barely hanging on by a thread most days. I've begun to look at that trend of mostly negative stuff to identify factors I can control, because seriously, who wants to be a cranky butt so much of the time? In all fairness to my life, I have complicated it beyond reason, so any deviation from a solid routine can throw things off in a hurry. Lately, there have been several things that have qualified - daughter's surgery; hubby's backpacking trip; school deadlines; and natural hormone fluctuation that has begun to intensify, and which may require much more focus to manage in the months to come. So the stuff that has arrived, unp...

After several months of learning more, and mostly adhering to a Primal diet, I'm finding that some interesting things have happened. Warning: If you just aren't interested in this aspect of my life, leave now. There's not too much else in the post besides more talk of music, some thoughts on studying for my first exam and the soul deep concentration required to choose a color for the pedi I intend to get on the way home today.  Ok, then. If you're still here, you care about what I've noticed since embarking upon this Primal journey. Or you care about what color I'm thinking for a mid-Winter toe treat. Either way, hi. So at first the Primal thing is weird. We spend a remarkable amount of time baking, enjoying foods full of grains, eating rice and let's not get started on soy. No sirree. There is a lot of creating a new awareness of what to avoid. Which feels a little restrictive, but that goes away pretty quickly. Breakfasts can be a little monotonous...

The whole Primal Body, Primal Mind thing? Well, it's cool. I started out with an 'ok, I'll kinda try this and see how I feel' approach, and am steadily adopting more and more of the eating habits. G.G. has been uber supportive, though he's admitted he probably won't be going all out Primal because he does love his carbs, and eschewing them completely doesn't feel right to him right now. But our meals are now reflecting the approach more, and an awareness has been born that can only continue to flourish as positive results warrant. Things I've noticed: I'm sleeping better. My energy levels seem to be more even. My emotions are more level, too, which is never a bad thing. I'm not craving carbs. Seriously not, which is the biggest surprise to me. I haven't yet wanted to veer into a grocery store parking lot, purchase the biggest bag of chips that I can find and have a carb orgy in my car. I just haven't. I've realiz...