The Cross Country 15

I'm pretty sure the last time I wrote, I was living healthy-ish in Brooklyn - yoga, pole dancing, walking and eating my way across the city. Since then, I've moved to Oakland. Having moved cross country before, I braced myself for the transition phase. New culture, new pace (especially since I was coming from NY), new surroundings, and the challenge of finding a new routine. I like my new digs, and I'm working on some semblance of a routine, but along the way, much like the freshman 15, I think I gained the cross-country-15!

In order to return to square one, and ideally surpass it, I've been experimenting.

• I've joined a climbing gym. I've got a long way to go before my arms don't tremble after a few climbs, but its a great new physical & mental challenge. Plus, they have yoga and a regular gym - three things for one reasonable price!
• I've started dance classes. I'm a poor excuse for a dancer (seriously!) but I've been happily making a fool of myself at fellow dumb belle Melissa's Jazz class at Addis Habana.
• Along with Kim, other fellow dumb belle, I did an abridged version of Gwnyth Paltrow's cleanse. Highlights include the Carrot Ginger Dressing, the Cleanse Teriyaki and the Juices. Outcomes include the realization of how much life revolves around food, how much I do not like having what I eat be so restricted, and the satisfaction of knowing I have the self control to do it.
• Melissa and I also battled our alarm clocks for a week of ProAction Athletics boot camp. We rose before 6am every day for a week and got our butts kicked by rockstar owner/coach Sarah McClendon. She's hardcore with a smile - my kind of trainer. (Sessions are usually 4 weeks, but in between, she has $15 weeks. Money well spent!)
• Finally, I took on what seemed like a manageable diet challenge...eating paleo for a month. There are much more hardcore versions, but knowing my affinity for food, I took it slow: no grains or sugars, 6 days a week. Life consisted of protein, veggies and fruit. I think I lost some weight along the way (though I'll never know for sure because I don't own a scale and never intend to) and I felt good. Since then, I've tried to keep it up, but admittedly haven't been terribly successful! Tomorrow's a new day though...

That might sound all well and good, but those are really just the spikes in my health and nutrition since I moved almost 8 months ago. Now the challenge is to keep it up, some of it, any of it!

And because I'm a fan of food and photos, here are some photos of some of the food I've eaten through all of this. Some glutenous, some cleanse-worthy, and some in between...

Roasted Garlic from V.Sattui in Napa, Avocado Toast (AMAZING) from Frog Holly Farms, Nicoise Salad, Homemade Family Bread, Orecchiette with Pulled Pork Sugo, Roasted Brussels Sprouts, Roasted Curried Cauliflour, Kale & Fish, and Frog Hollow Peach Salad. Deliciousness all around.