A date gives you incentive..

I'm off to train my legs this morning. Those of you that know me well would have heard me complain about how much I dislike leg DOMS - however, I have a date with a bikini now, so I'm going to forge ahead with the job regardless. It's funny how I can handle (and actually don't mind) upper body DOMS but lower body...not so much fun for me.

Today I am grateful for some inner peace that has been a long time coming. I feel at one with the world and connected to my higher purpose. I know who I am and the role that I play so well and I am grateful for all of the clients who put their trust in me in their journeys to get lean, get strong and to love their lives as well.

Interestingly enough I think my peace has not come from some magic psychological revelation but from eliminating gluten and its close relatives from my diet. Over the weekend I have been researching food allergies as they relate to weight loss and it seems to be consistent that those who have wild spikes in scale weight may have allergies and intolerances to certain foods. It's not the first time I have had trouble with gluten - I was hospitalized in 2004 for suspected inflammatory bowel disease and as soon as I took out the gluten (not even consciously - I just gravitated towards more vegetables), my tummy improved dramatically. Now with the swelling and fluid retention I have been having lately, I've noticed a positive correlation between my Paleo meanderings and lack of swelling and retention. The one serve of grains I have are gluten free. It's all rather interesting - another thing that was discussed was allergies affecting the brain as a site and therefore having an effect on mood. This has been the most interesting aspect of the whole shebang as I feel that a light fog has been lifted from my brain.

That is not to say that I'm never going to be a Dirty Diana - quite the opposite. I always did well with any treat meal that doesn't contain processed flour etc - for example the chocolate flourless cake I had at Freestyle with the girls did not affect me one iota - neither does icecream. However at the moment, I will keep embracing my Paleo lifestyle until the swelling is completely gone - it's a lot of vegetables, but it's really not a chore or bad news when the results it gives you makes you feel sensational! And, yes, I've even had a nice little scale drop over the weekend which is an added bonus!