My Next Challenge

For those of you unaware, Mark Sisson of Mark's Daily Apple started a 21-day primal challenge. It started on the 16th, and I found out about it on the 19th. So, though I'm starting a bit late for the challenge, I'm going to do it for the next 21 days, starting tomorrow, September 23 (ending October 13). See the infographic and learn more at Mark’s Daily Apple.

Here's a summary of what this challenge entails, copied directly from Mark's Daily Apple:

• Eat real food.
• Avoid sugar, grains, unhealthy fats, beans/legumes.
• Align your carb intake with your weight goals and activity levels.
• Move frequently at a slow pace: Get between 2-5 hours per week of moderate aerobic exercise.
• Lift heavy things: Conduct 1-3 brief, intense sessions of full-body functional movements.
• Sprint: Go “all out” once a week.
• Get 8 hours of sleep every night.
• Get 15 minutes of direct sun exposure each day.
• Play! Find time to let go, disconnect, unwind and have fun each day.

Mark's Daily Apple is posting tips daily and is hosting various contests for awesome prizes, so go check it out.

What this challenge means for me is that I'm going to continue with Paleo as per usual, but I'm really going to try to get eight hours of sleep each night. It's hard to do, when there's so many things just a click away to keep us entertained into the late hours of the night. I was discussing my schedule with one of my co-workers on Friday and realized that when I take into account working (10), commuting (1.5-2.5), working out (1.5), eating (1.5), cooking (0.5-1.5), getting ready for work/bed (1.5), I don't have enough time for 8 hours of sleep. I'm left with 5.5-7.5 hours for sleep depending on how long it takes me to cook my meals and how long my commute takes (it's longer when I drive to crew practice). So, something had to give, and I'm not sure what it will be. Maybe I'll only be able to cook on certain days, or I'll have to revert back to only cooking on Sundays. And when will I fit in chores? Or trips to the grocery store? Yeah, I'm not sure. But I'll figure it out starting tomorrow.

An easy change that I'm going to make is to go outside during lunch every day. I take 30 minute lunch breaks, so I can spend half of that outside in the sun - that's manageable. And I'm going to try to go outside and play at least once during the weekend. I'll probably grab my soccer ball and head to the nearby park. At the very least, I'll get the chance to try to improve my soccer skills again.

What I'm going to have to work on is my carb intake. With the amount of fruit that I've been downing lately, I've definitely been going over the recommended grams of carbs per my physical activity level and weight-loss goals. So that'll be an adjustment. I'll continue using PaleoTrack.com to keep better tabs on that.

Anyways, wish me luck! And on that note, I need to hit the sheets now to get 8 hours of sleep before tomorrow morning's alarm. Good night!