After I moved home from Belgium I finally discovered that a gluten intolerance was the source of my bothersome tummy troubles, etc. At about the same time that I found out I was gluten intolerant I was also introduced to Crossfit by a good friend. For those of you who do not know what Crossfit is the definition we were taught at my certification training and that Crossfit is founded on is "constantly varied, high-intensity, functional movements." Each WOD (workout of the day) is made up of different Olympic lifts, gymnastics/bodyweight exercises, and monostructural metabolic conditioning or "cardio." You either complete each WOD for a specific amount of time and complete an AMRAP (as many rounds as possible) or set a specific amount of rounds you would like to complete that you can measure progress by recording your time for that specific WOD. There's quite a bit that goes into good programming. I'm fortunate enough to be able to be part of an amazing community of a Crossfit gym right here in Chanhassen that is co-owned by said good friend (as well as some of my other friends) who introduced me to Crossfit just a few short years ago. Lets just say we've all learned a thing to two over the last few years!
I'm sure you're wondering how Crossfit ties into me being gluten intolerant. If you ask most Crossfitters at any box (box is the term most Crossfit gyms are referred to as) what their diet is mainly made up of they'll most likely tell you they follow a high protein diet free of gluten. Some Crossfitters believe in stricly following the paleo or "caveman" diet whereas others will try things like not eating much gluten or just continuing to eat as they always have. It's a personal preference and there's really no "right" diet to follow. I live by the philosophy that you should eat things that make YOU feel good and try to maintain as healthy of a lifestyle as possible in your own personal life. Set your own goals and challenge yourself to try new things. I know personally that when I had to cut gluten out of my diet a whole new world of recipes and foods were opened up for me. I have spent many hours reading different blogs, researching and making new recipes, and just learning what works for me. I challenge all of you to get out there and try something new!
From here on out I'll be posting some of my favorite recipes, tricks I've learned along the way, and throughout the majority of December I'll be documenting my daily successes/failures of my journey through "The 21 Day Sugar Detox." My goal is to complete this between Thanksgiving and Christmas (why not challenge myself during the Holidays, right?!). I'll be posting more about this as it gets closer to December but I'm kind of excited about it (nerdy, I know). If anyone is curious about it now you can check out the website that goes along with the book/cookbook written by Diane Sanfilippo. I recently bought the book and from what I've read and the recipes I've looked through it looks AWESOME!
Anywho, enough rambling for one night. I'll leave you with one of my new favorite websites that my friend Jenny introduced me to. Today I made the "Chai Pumpkin Bread" and is was delicious! I know it's a favorite of both myself and Jenny! Plus, the website PaleOMG is an awesome resource with some really cool features (check out and sign-up for the Recipe Box). I hope you enjoy it!
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| Yummy Chai Pumpkin Bread! |
