…I know you’re jealous of the socks just from the looks of them. If that’s not quite enough, let me tell you that they’re infused with Shea and feel uber cozy. You better believe I’ll wear these bad boys all year round but they are in fact part of the Christmas line. I’m kind of a sock fanatic so this is the first Christmas gift I’m giving to myself. I added a couple of other things to my stash of gifts (I buy throughout the year as I see stuff and try to hold myself back from giving things right away) today–yay for having a start on gifts. I’m not a fan of buying for the sake of buying so I’d much rather buy something way ahead of time that really screams “(insert recipient’s name here)” than running around and buying out of obligation in December. I’m all for handmade gifts, baked goods, and really awesome cards when it comes to holiday “giving” but as cheesy at it is, the best part of the year is that people are nicer, you get to hang out with your friends and family more, and sequins are totally acceptable (if it can be shiny, it should be shiny).

Besides this early Christmas shopping, I also had a productive day:

• Writing – no draft, which means I tackled a huge part of my to do list (emails, other writing and blogging, coming up with story ideas). Funny how procrastination has a way of making me more productive! Of course I blogged too!
• Outfit hunting with Cheri and Emily – I’m ridiculously excited for a little get together we’re going to this weekend with a “hipster” theme. I channeled my inspiration from these girls and went with a floral, lace, plaid, combat boot, flower combo…that you’ll just have to wait to see:

I don’t care if this isn’t hipster. Wait, that’s kind of a hipster ‘tude…WIN!

• Lunch hunting with Cheri and Emily – Picture three hungry girls in the second hand store shopping for hipster duds but getting increasingly hungry. I think I was near hangry status by the time we were done in there (but the gems we found were worth it and so was the video of Cheri trying on a lovely blouse!). I was definitely at hangry status when we tried a mall where we (;)!) thought there was a schwarma place. Not so. Cheri is lucky I remembered the shwarma spot just down the road from my place (and en route to the mall) before I tried gnawing on her bicep. Success! I’m pretty sure I’m turning this into more of a hunt and a drama than it really was…but it was funny!

3 pita-less orders coming right up!

one cavegirl can’t hold her fork back long enough for me to take the photo

• teaching bootcamp – With only 2 gals today, they squatted, deadlifted, and put some heavier weights out on the floor. Normally we do mostly conditioning but I decided to branch out this week. I also had them do a set of tabata shuttle runs…they loved it !
• training – Today I sweat in the morning with my lululemon lovelies but this evening’s workout most definitely takes the cake. We did “Karen”. According to this article about “the new girls” on the CrossFit Journal, Karen, which is 150 wall ball shots of suck is a gem:

“Simple and elegant, “Karen”, has the effect of three girls. Mike Weaver’s 4:52 is the mark to beat. The target is at ten feet, the ball is 20 pounds, and each shot requires a full squat.”

I ambitiously used the 14lb ball (Rx’d for girlies) and probably could have done better than 8:24. I was killing myself to squat even half decently–but I’ll blame that on the pistol squats we did beforehand. Gosh I love CrossFit!

eating lots of good things – I had a random breakfast of eggs, kale, banana, and coconut (flakes and butter). I had some carrots and almonds. An apple. A big dinner of pork from the slow cooker, my go-to sweet potato/coconut/cashew butter creation, and some steamed greens. I also ate some roasted squash that had no chance of surviving for tomorrow’s lunch.

On that note, I’ve got something to admit: I still eat cashew butter out of the jar. Every time. And I did it again today. And when I was finishing up my dinner (the first part, I mean), I was about to go back into that same habit of grabbing a spoon and having some. And then grabbing another spoon and having some. And finally it dawned on me (there was lights and angels singing !): I do this all the time. I mentioned earlier that this kind of “sneaking” or overeating or whatever you want to call it is obviously not sending me over the edge–I’m not gaining weight at lightspeed or even noticeably, as far as I can tell (scales are for fish). I remembered that. And I stopped for a second, asked if what I was hungry for was the nut butter or if it was a habit. I also asked if I might still be hungry–something worth considering when it comes to addressing this issue. And I decided that I was hungry enough to eat something.

With that in mind, I heard a term I love echo in my head. I listened to part of a Balanced Bites podcast earlier today. The hosts often talk about being a “nutrient seeker” and I absolutely love that idea! It must have stuck with me today because I decided rather than continuing to eat copious quantities of cashew butter, I might be better off eating something different. Enter roasted squash. Enter win for the day!

I love that the term “nutrient seeker” suggests going after the good, not worrying about “the bad” or focusing on what you need to eliminate in order to be healthy. When you start seeking foods that give you more nutrients, there’s way less room for the ones that don’t. Even if you don’t believe that we are designed to eat certain foods and not others, you might agree that we might as well choose the healthiest foods we can. This kind of approach definitely resonates with me. Having tried the paleo approach and not really missing grains all that much, I have to say that while a lot of people will say that the paleo or by design ways of eating seem “restrictive,” this isn’t the case. As someone who has definitely dabbled in restriction, I can tell you that paleo in and of itself is not restrictive. At least for me, it’s a framework to make the healthiest choices that I can–and I end up eating whole, unprocessed foods that agree with my body (and just so happen to taste awesome). Another win!

And on that note (cuz who doesn’t want to end things on a winning note), I’ve got a date with a certain book that I’m working away at. Tomorrow morning I’m teaching triathlon club spin (new playlist, anyone?) and then have set a priority to turn everything off and write for 1 hour. That’s an easy commitment. Laundry, throwing away my stinky jackolantern, and gearing up for a busy weekend are also necessities before my noon shift at work!

Have an awesome night!