Thursday, December 1, 2011

I Hate Cooking. I Love Being Strong and Healthy.

Confession:  I am not a foodie.  I don't own any cookbooks.  My interest in culinary arts rivals my interest in the latest cell phone technology.  BORING.   


Being worthless in the kitchen is not an excuse to have a worthless diet.  You don't even have to get better if you don't want to.  I am willing to be your biggest cheerleader under the one condition that you quit making nonsensical excuses and whining about how this "whole Paleo thiiiiiing" is sooo tough.

This diet is anything but limiting, and most of the foods can be eaten with little or no preparation.  BIG WIN for this lazy cave woman like myself.  


Get your head out of your self-help book and spend some time paying attention to your body.  If you completely rock your body, pasta just won't sound good.  I have cravings for raw spinach occasionally.  This surely is not because I am a total nut and think raw spinach tastes like German chocolate cake.  I just feel like my body needs it.  Two days ago after my 11th workout in 7 days, I devoured almost a pound of fatty beef and pork and a quarter cup of almond butter - not because that was what I was "suppose to eat," but because I was EFFING HUNGRY.  grrrrrr.  

In all fairness, you do have to break your sugar addiction to clear your head enough to hear your body.  Switching to a Paleo diet is rough for 1-2 weeks while your body adjusts. 

 If you aren't willing to push through a week for the sake of your health, get out of here.

I love eating Paleo because the only thing I really have to cook is meat.  I eat raw vegetables and fruits that are in season.  I love raw nuts because you can actually taste the natural oils of the seed and not whatever chemical flavoring they are coated in.  

I used to tell myself that I would eventually develop an interest in culinary detail.  It is time to be honest with myself: I am 25 and don't even season my meat when I cook it because I just don't care.  My only hope now is to raise a child prodigy top chef or have a family that could care less that I eat the salad before it makes it into the bowl.

If you like to cook, there are endless ways to create delicious Paleo dishes.  Hats off to you!  Invite me over for dinner.  If you like simplicity, or are irrationally afraid of the kitchen, that is OKAY TOO!  Humans evolved without eating grains and without reading cookbooks.  Paleo nutrition is accessible to everyone regardless of your interest in food preparation. 

Listen to your body.  Satisfy your needs.  Use the extra time that you are not making excuses to prepare a beautiful meal, taking a Yoga class, walking on your hands, reading a story, living your life.
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2 comments:

  1. MaureenDecember 1, 2011 at 9:39 AM

    Love this!! Are you full on Paleo now? Because I was considering it...

    ReplyDelete
  2. SamanthaDecember 10, 2011 at 6:34 AM

    I am paleo with a few modifications because I am training so hard. You should try it. You will be amazed at how much better you feel all the time!

    ReplyDelete

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About Sam

I am a writer in Omaha, Nebraska sharing my adventures in the foundations of healthy living - nutrition, being active, and being funny.

I was born in Kansas City in the sweltering summer of July, 1986. I was nearly born in the car because I was so pumped to get my life started. I have been bouncing off of the walls ever since. Growing up I hung out with the big kids who were even older than my sister (and best friend) Allie. I quickly developed an "I'm over it" 'tude toward kids my own age whose pastimes seemed juvenile - an interesting perspective coming from a preschooler. My snobbish worldview was hard earned however, as I was forced to learn both multiplication and division early to keep up when we played "school," and I was always forced to do dangerous stuff first to make sure it was okay, like eating unidentified berries and making the first run on super steep hills while sledding. We biked all day, ate wild honeysuckle, painted the house with mud, and collected cicada shells for no reason other than they stick to fabric and freaked my mom out.

I quickly realized that even little legs can get you as far as a car can, and as a young child, you really have nothing but time. My adventures were only restrained by the fact that adults do not find it acceptable for young children to explore the town on foot unaccompanied. I prematurely developed a desire to be an independent self-supporting person, so I opened a Kool-Aid/popcorn business to finance my big plans. Looking back, I would say that the only issues holding me back were my limited advertising budget and the fact that I was still too short to ride roller coasters. People just don't take you seriously when you can't go on the upside-down rides.

I was moved to Omaha in the second grade. I continued walking all over the place, exploring surrounding neighborhoods and visiting grocery stores to pick up my favorites: Goldfish, Sprite, and sugar cigarettes. I don't even think you can buy those anymore, and for the record, I never started smoking.

I never lost my hard work ethic, and I needed to increase my income to afford my new hobbies of beading and Polaroid photography. At the age of ten I mailed in a response to an advertisement for paper delivery routes without discussing the issue with my family. Sometimes you need to take matters into your own hands when people don't share you vision. The people at the Omaha World Herald must have had a good feeling about me becuase they contacted my parents to tell them that they wanted to hire me but would feel better if there was an older family member onboard. I still wonder if Allie holds any resentment toward me for pulling her into the labor force when she was only twelve.

In third grade, I followed Allie's lead and began taking dance classes at Mary Lorraine's Dance Center. For the next eleven years it became "what I did." Nowadays, I train more like an athlete, but I will always move like a dancer, and being in a studio will always feel like home.

After high school I relocated again (this time of my own volition) to study "everything" in the College of Business Administration at the University of Nebraska - Lincoln. I acquired a degree in marketing and finance that I may use someday. More importantly, I became a close friend and Alpha Phi sister with a cross country runner who easily persuaded me to train for the 2005 Lincoln half-marathon. I have been running ever since. In April 2011 I developed plantar fasciitis after jumping into an intense 50-70 mile/week schedule. This is the first athletic injury in my life. Although it has been indescribably frustrating both physically and emotionally, the silver lining is my increased receptivity to more variety in fitness disciplines.

I enjoy Pilates, yoga, enjoy Zumba, plyometric interval training, running, walking, and seeing how quickly I can run up stairs without losing my lunch. When I am too exhausted to move, I read and write. I love fiction, non-fiction, cookbooks, poetry, philosophy, song lyrics, and comedy. I have been writing for as long as I can remember. I love spell check, and felt tip pens.

I am happy and optimistic most of the time. I enjoy living simply and deeply. I hope you enjoy what I have to share.







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