Team O's Fall of Fun

Okay, in reality, Team O probably broke the bank for our Summer of Fun. But now I just really like looking forward to thinking about what the upcoming season holds for us.

Fall highlights that I'm excited about:

• Starting up our marriage life group. Paul and I've already started the book and have challenged and encouraged. Can't wait to talk about it with other couples.
• Seeing Family. Our cousin Matt comes into town next week. And at the end of the month my dad starts his Tour De Retirement. First stop Seattle! 
• Monthly Saturday Brunch: This is our new tradition as a way to connect with friends we don't get to see as often. 
• Harleween! Goth? Yes please! I still haven't figured out how I'm going to contain my chipperness!
• Portland! We are overdue to visit our little buddy Jackson! He falls into the family category. I think he is our first cousin once removed? I 
• Iowa! We are overdue to visit our little buddies Kevin and Destiny. Okay, I guess these are big buddies since it's my Sister and Bro-In-Law we are talking about! Excited to get some quality time in!
• December Stay-cation! So this is probably technically winter. But I am so excited for 11 days off from work and to hang around with my husbuddy!
• Again winter, but we will be hosting our 3rd annual (across 4 years) Orphan Christmas!

As we head into Fall, I am reminded that there is so much to be thankful for!

Part 2: Paleo - What’s all the hype?

Before getting into all of the Paleo hype. I want to give a shout out to Paul. Paul ran a half marathon this last weekend. He shaved 8 minutes off his personal record. So proud of that guy!

I mention Paul's PR because we absolutely believe that the changes in our diet results in optimal performance in our bodies. Paul did not eat a conventional Standard American Diet (SAD) to prepare for his race. No weird goos. No ingredients we couldnt pronounce. Nothing processed. A Paleo lifestyle dumps all of that junk out of our diet. Paul kicked optimal ass! 

Paleo is often referred to as the caveman diet or dino chow. In reality we choose foods that provide our bodies with optimal performance. Foods that are dense with nutrients. Foods that do not harm the insides of our bodies. We no longer stock our pantry with foods that will last forever. Food quality is important -- We are careful about where our meat comes from, and buy produce locally and organically as often as possible.

In a nutshell, this lifestyle is simply about 1) eating whole foods that provide better fuel for your body and 2) avoiding processed, refined, nutrient-poor factory foods.

We avoid corn and soy to stay away from GMOs and poor farming practices. We also avoid processed foods, grains, legumes, diary, white potatoes, and vegetable oils.

What do we eat? Quality meat, eggs, fruits and vegetables, nuts and seeds. We sweeten foods with dates, fruit, honey (preferably raw), and occasionally maple syrup.

If you're interested in learning more. Our friends at Rugged Elite have written a couple of helpful blog posts. One post gets into the idea of making this a lifestyle and the other has great resources for getting started.

So what is all the hype? The hype is that it is changing peoples lives. My body literally feels better. Issues I have had for years have just gone away. Paul has had a significant decrease of inflammation in his body which is noticeable when he logs his miles of running. Our bodies just feel better.

Once upon a time a wise man wrote something profound that takes on so much more meaning in today's world:

"Let food by thy medicine, and medicine be thy food" ~ Hippocrates