Hello!
Workouts
Fri – Stage 4 of the New Rules of Lifting for Women (full-body strength training).
Sat through Sun – Rest.
On Friday, I promised that I would quit bitching and go to the gym, despite the snow accumulation. Then, immediately after lifting, I pulled my lower back. I could lie and say that I have no idea how it happened, but I think it was snatches. This had happened once before, but I figured it was because I (literally) jumped out of bed. I am getting old and it is not pleasing 
Anyway, I iced it like crazy and ate ibuprofen like crazy and it feels mostly better today. I’m trying to be really smart and resting until it’s fully recovered, even though I want to be stupid and go back to the gym. That makes me a grownup, I think.
Eats
1) I promptly did what any sane person would do after having a stressful day – baked cookies! Specifically, these delicious SkinnyTaste oatmeal raisin ones that never, ever fail. Back pain be damned, this girl gets cookies.
2) My prince charming made breakfast on Saturday morning (and Sunday morning) and it was delish, as always. He makes eggs that are perfectly runny without being gross. Served with sautéed broccoli and panfried veggie sausages.
3) And because we now do breakfast in two courses, it was followed up with pancakes and coffee.
If the pancake looks a little weird, that’s because it is a little weird. We found it in a paleo cookbook (paleo - have you heard of it? Just kidding) and were intrigued by the simplicity of its ingredient list: pumpkin, eggs, spices. I told my DH about the two-ingredient pancake that’s been raging the HLB scene lately, so trying the recipe was a no-brainer.
At the risk of sounding ridiculous, it tasted…eggy, to me. We decided that if you said, “Hey, eat this awesome eggy dish!” then we would be like, “om nom nom!” But if you said, “Hey, eat this awesome pancake!” then we would be like, “Hm…”
Paleo
I guess I can’t say that we read a paleo cookbook and tried some recipes without at least a little explanation. Chris has been very interested in it lately; he loves the simplicity of the foundational rules, the fact that it’s largely based on whole, natural foods, and its abhorrence for processed grains.
I remain a little unconvinced (the rampant saturated fat consumption makes me a little edgy) and the huge quantities of meat really freak me out. It has, though, been interesting to learn about it.
Paleo – what do you think?
Have you ever hurt your back before? I hope not
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Sorry about your back! I hurt mine recently too and it was the WORST!
Thank you, Jane! It really is awful and painful to do just about anything!!
Hi Alex! So sorry to hear about your back
I hurt my lower back last summer and I was in pain for almost a week. It’s never fun. You really have to rest it, maybe stretch it, and then take it easy once you start exercising again. I hope you’re feeling better! 
Thank you, Dana! It seems like many folks have hurt their backs at some point. Your advice about taking it easy is definitely something that I’m trying to follow right now. I plan to ease back into light cardio, but avoid weight training for a little bit.
Thanks, again!
Get better hun! I haven’t hurt anything yet but my neck from a bad wave crash when I lived in cabo San Lucas. So far all the paleo simple dishes I have tried have yet to taste like what they say but I’m still trying them because I do enjoy the simplicity of the ingredients used. Love and shine courtstar
Thank you, Courtney!
I definitely agree – the simplicity of paleo is really appealing. I love its emphasis on whole, natural foods.
I’m also not convinced about paleo! I don’t really like to be too strict about anything, though.
And omg. The back thing! I have felt SO old lately because twice in the past six months I’ve randomly strained my back. One time I picked up a laptop the wrong way and my back hurt for like five days!! It’s kinda funny, but at the same time you’re like holy crap. This would not have happened ten years ago. I need to do some yoga or something
I’m the same way – I like my nutrition plan to be more fluid.
I know EXACTLY what you mean! I pulled my back at work and I was afraid to tell anyone because I didn’t want them to think that I was lying to go home early. I’m only 25 and fairly fit – I thought I was immune from stuff like this
I have crazy back trouble. I had surgery when I was younger. Definitely rest and start back in slow – avoid heavy weights!!
Those cookies look amazing! Makes me want to go bake. Or eat!!!
I haven’t looked into Paleo much mostly cause I’m not big meat eater. Your comments are interesting ro read!
I’m planning to avoid weight training for a little while and just do some light cardio to get me up an dmoving again. I’m sorry to hear about your persistant back trouble – it’s awful!!
Everyone has all brought up really interesting points about paleo. Reading comments is one of my favorite parts of blogging!
Hope your back feels better!! awwa!!!
Thanks, Corrie! It does feel much better today
I do like some of the concepts of the paleo diet, and there ARE some good aspects, but as with any diet/nutrition/whatever, I like to pick and choose what works/makes sense and ignore that which doesn’t. There’s no “magical” diet outside of eat enjoyable food all the time, healthy food most of the time, and fun food some of the time.
OUCH about the back! Way to be an adult and rest it–I am SO bad about that every time I get injured, and of course I regret it immediately after. But cookies are always a good solution! That recipe looks delicious! Unlike two-ingredient pancakes. I’m with you–it just tastes eggy. Which is fine, just not a pancake.
I’m the same way – I pick and choose what I like from each diet and I allow it to change based on what my goals and lifestyle dictate.
Cookies make everything better
Thanks for the props on resting; it’s been kind of a bummer.
UGH hurting your back is the worst. I hurt my back at work over the summer, and it was awful. It was hurt for weeks and the only good things that came from it was weekly massages from my referral! Feel better!
Thanks, Brittany!
It really is the worst! I thought I was too young for this to happen :-/
I just can’t seem to jump on the paleo train. I love my carbs wayy too much. I eat oats nearly everyday and I wouldn’t know who I am without them! haha
Give yourself some rest from the gym- knowing when to let it heal DEF means you’re a grown up!
I looove carbs, especially the ones with lots of sugar, gluten, and starch – muffins, cookies, bread, everything. I think that these guys are okay in my diet (I’m human!), but perhaps more moderately than they are now.
Personally for me Paleo has absolutely no appeal. I like my balanced diet and I couldn’t eat enough meat and eggs because they’re not my thing. But I think it works brilliantly for some people though! I love oatmeal raisin cookies
Hope your back is feeling better!
Aspects of Paleo appeal to me, like the emphasis on eating whole, unprocessed food. But the elimination of entire food groups sounds super sketchy.
If you like oatmeal cookies, you might love that recipe!
Thank you, Sophie
About paleo- I think there’s a reason why humans have been doing agriculture for thousands of years. Look at McDonalds it hasn’t been around for that long and we pretty much knew from the start that it was unhealthy. There must have been a reason why humans started eating wheat and legumes and some cultures even became predominantly vegetarian. If you have a grain sensitivity I get why you’ll want to go paleo but otherwise I think that grains have a great amount of nutrients to offer us and shouldn’t be removed from our diet.
I think that the reason we have been seeing an increased number of folks with intolerance to grains is because many people eat tons and tons of it (myself included). Like most other things, I’d like to keep them in my diet, but only in moderation. (they do upset my tummy a bit, too).
UH… Can I borrow your prince charming this weekend
You’re welcome for breakfast any time!
I feel like cookies are on everyones blogs today! I want them. I need them. Sorry about your back though!! And I ate paleo for a while… not sure if I loved it. The food is delicious, but idk if I believe it’s a miracle diet
Everyone loves cookies! They’re amazing.
I love some aspects of paleo (like cutting out mega processed chemical foods), but it seems pretty extreme to eliminate entire food groups (like dairy).
Hope your back starts to feel better soon, Alex! In terms of the Paleo eating philosophy, I really like its emphasis on whole, unprocessed foods. However, there are some items that aren’t allowed–like Greek yogurt and black beans–that I wouldn’t be able to give up.
Thank you, Carrie! I’ve been resting and it feels much better today.
You’ve summed up my present stance perfectly: I love how it’s all about whole foods, but I also love the nutritional benefits of some things that it condemns, like dairy.
i LOVE skinny taste’s cookies recipe- especially the chocolate chip one! my BF actually prefers it over normal cookies, as he doesn’t like things to be TOO rich.
hmm i’m generally not a believer of cutting out entire food groups except for specific medical conditions (e.g. diabetics are best to keep carbs low), i guess i just think all things in moderation, there ARE pathological conditions caused by way too much protein (granted, not common). and i totally agree with your about eating too much meat- all the cholesterol in red meat is definitely not good.
i really just get so annoyed how EVERYONE seems to easily jump on band wagons for silly things that aren’t even based on good evidence!!!! for example, there’s not a lot of data supporting the benefits of chia seeds, yet everyone shells out so much money for it…and for what, health? that’s not even sound data! to me it just seems like it’s for the trendiness factor! :-/
the thing that ticks me off the most is gluten free diets. OMG PEOPLE. YOU HAVE TO HAVE A GENETIC CONDITION TO GET CELIAC’S DISEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
and the most absurd thing i heard was this candida diet. candida is a fungus. in this diet, it is supposedly the cause of weight gain and bloat. omg. NORMAL PEOPLE DO NOT GET FUNGAL INFECTIONS!!!! only immunocompromised people like old people, AIDS patients, people taking steroids or have had organ transplants get fungal infections! GAHHHH!!!
ok rant over.
edited to add: sorry sure most diseases there are some unknown causes. my point about celiac’s disease is that there is a VERY SPECIFIC DIAGNOSIS that the doctor has to make to confirm…and it’s hard for me to believe that the people going on gluten free diets actually have the recommendation by the doctor to eat gluten free diets
Thank you so much for this response! I was hoping someone of scientific mindset would weigh in.
I’m also very skeptical of anything that decrees the elimination of entire food groups. I’ve been reading more about the “Zone Diet,” which is a little more tempered and basically says that some people have trouble digesting gluten (especially in the amounts that many consume) and that eating it only moderately may help. It doesn’t advocate removing them completely, it just offers that caveat.
It is really disconcerting how quickly people will jump onto bandwagons without doing any research whatsoever, especially as some diets are incredibly dangerous and harmful. That said, I think the most important thing is to see what works for each of us individually
I think Paleo is overrated. Not the concept but the movement. Slap Paleo on anything and people gravitate towards it.
It’s such a buzzword right now! Like any other movement, there are things that I like about it…and things that I don’t like about it.
ya i just can’t jump on the paleo band wagon, I find it expensive and i like my carbs!!
I loooooove carby, wheaty starches (bread! muffins!), but I know I eat way too much :-/
Bummer about your back. Give it some TLC, and I’m sure you’ll be feeling better soon. Stay positive!!
Bob and I tried the 2 ingredient pancakes once (using egg and banana, though). I thought they were fine (but I’m not much of a pancake person), and Bob didn’t buy it. He said he’d rather just have eggs and a banana, rather than mixing them together.
As far as Paleo goes, most people mistakenly think it’s SUPER meat heavy, when in actuality, it’s quite plant-based! I have seen people take it to being SO meat and fat heavy, I’m not comfortable with that–for me. On the other hand, there are many paleo-type meals and recipes that I really enjoy, and it’s introduced me to a few new ingredients. I also don’t see myself entirely giving up grains and legumes. I have no issue with them, I enjoy eating them (in moderation), and I feel that they have nutritional benefits that I’m not willing to give up at this point.
That was long-winded. Sorry. I guess I can sum it up with that I always resort back to: eat whole foods.
Thank you, Michelle! I’ve been resting it and it really does feel much better.
So funny about the 2-ingredient pancake – my husband LITERALLY said the exact same thing, “I’d rather have these two separately!”
I think that paleo eating is something that I’d like to incorporate as a broader concept (more whole foods) and not as a strict regiment. I agree that a lot of the taboo foods can be enjoyed healthfully in moderation; I’d like to keep dairy and grains in my diet, but perhaps in smaller quantities.
“Eat Whole Foods” – I’ll stand by that!
Now I want oatmeal raisin cookies…
I could never do the Paleo thing. I rarely eat meat anymore to begin with, and I would be so sad if I had to give up something like oatmeal. By the way, men who cook = HUGE win.
Right? I don’t think there’s a time when I DON’T want oatmeal raisin cookies.
I don’t think I’ll ever do Paleo full-time, but some of the concepts are so simple and sensible that I think I’ll start incorporating bits and pieces of it.
My DH actually taught me how to cook! I was a frozen burrito/takeout kind of girl before
Sometimes when I swim a lot my lower back feels strained. I think it’s from my alignment in the water, but I’m not sure!
I can only imagine how that amount of meat would seem to you, especially as someone who was vegetarian. I typically only eat meat once a day, so I don’t know how I would be able to force it in other areas of my life. I do love the natural aspect of it all, but I feel you can get that from eating sensibly anyway!
I’ve found that whenever I do a lot of anything (running, weight lifting, yoga), then something inevitably starts to feel a little funny or off.
Yes, exactly! I feel like I’m making a total 180 – I was a vegetarian for years, and trying to incorporate lots of meat is really strange and uncomfortable. I agree that eating sensibly is the best approach!