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Spring Cleaning and Sisterly Love

3/7/2013

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Crossfit Training in Wisconsin!
Spring has sprung! Wishful thinking in Wisconsin judging from the Mount Everest snow mound in our cul-d-sac! It feels delusional to call it springtime but that's ok. When you live in the Midwest sometimes fantasy is necessary to conquer March. This blog however is about reality, not fantasy. The reality is I am spring cleaning my food pantry and diet and wish for accountability in my efforts.

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Facebook helps a lost southern soul like me maintain a connection beyond my current home town. As a transplant to a region of the world I did not realize could sustain life (similar to the North Pole and Mars), it is comforting to have contact with family and friends in warmer parts of the country. Facebook, even if it is a so-called home wrecker,  keeps me close with my college girlfriends, many of them Chi Omega sorority sisters (hoot hoot). There is nothing I enjoy more than hearing their updates, sharing in their experiences, and gaining from their knowledge.  Some are authors (check out Squirrelly Celebration); some are senior executives with superhuman CrossFit skills; some are doctors like my besty, an OB/Gyn who  delivers Chi-O babies in Birmingham.  Sharon provides superb medical advice in a language I understand:  ("Breastfeeding deflates your boobs.")  Many are my spiritual comrades, sharing their convictions and inspiration on Facebook thus contributing to a better state of my heart and soul. 

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Most recently I became intrigued by my friend Summer. She will forever be Summer Maples to me and I will be Tiffany Braswell to her because as college friends, we only grow in wisdom, not in age or relationship status. Time stands still in those great 4 years of college life where I think we  blossom into whom we were born to be--whether married, divorced, single, parent, employed, or unemployed; to our college friends we are none of those things. We are just us---without any added embellishments or titles. People who know you for you--not for what you do, or where you live, or even for your last name.
 
Summer  Humphries, as she is now known in Tennessee, is a consultant with AdvoCare, a nutrition, wellness, sports performance company.  She and her husband were named Rookies of the Year and  her Facebook page details her energy and good health.  Because one of my objectives this year is to be more intentional in my diet and food choices, I consulted her for advice. I plan to participate in the 10 day detox challenge to decrease my body's reliance on caffeine, sugar, wheat/gluten, dairy, and the occasional evening glass of wine.  I don't label these foods as bad in moderation, but many of them seem to have a pull on me, particularly when I am feeling lonely, tired, sad or unfocused.  They also have a distinct physiological affect on my body (need I say more?) I commiserate and encourage my clients to maintain healthy nutritional practices but sometimes my own behaviors are less than optimal. To be fair, like most of  my clients, my "weaknesses" are not what we observe on celebrity rehab  but rather coffee, bread, excess sugar and over-processed foods.


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This is not an endorsement for any products. I am a proponent of healthy eating for life, not fad diets. AdvoCare recommends a balanced diet.
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I shared my quest with my sister Shannon in Raleigh, NC.  She is a physical therapist, busy mom, and supreme volunteer...in addition she is a fitness warrior often conquering 10 miles before sunrise.  She offered me this supportive, encouraging advice from her detox experience last year.  "Tiff - your healthy eating sounds good! A lot like my vegan few months last year - hard to do, though! I kept a list on the counter and would jot down what I ate on days I struggled with the no sugar or no caffeine. Hot water with lemon is surprisingly good at curbing cravings - I would sip that and the lemon is sweet enough (OK - not really but tell yourself that) to kind of help. Prepare to be in a bit of a fog as you detox - it takes a good week I would say. I keep meaning to do it again but somehow mysterious desserts keep showing up ;) "  I believe a detox fog is a better alternative to my current carb coma, caffeine jitters, and sugar rush.

So I embark on my 10 day journey; my best friend my juicer; my consultant Summer; and the knowledge that my quest is now public. Thank you for being my training buddies. 


p.s.  Ron thinks it is ridiculous. If I even utter the word "detox" he rolls his eyes and uncorks another bottle of wine--he just can't handle the truth ( a reference to A Few Good Men, a movie he watches on cable nearly every week.)



Thank you for reading!
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Tiffany Larson, Power Pilates instructor, occupational therapist, and personal trainer provides small group and personal training within her home studio in West Bend, Wisconsin.
​hometrainingllc@gmail.com
Photo used under Creative Commons from sigsegv