2015 Paleo Challenge Halfway (& Giveaway)

Today is the halfway point in our 2015 30-Day Paleo Challenge and we're celebrating with our first giveaway!  Yay!

New Year's Resolution Success

Just passed 2 weeks into the New Year.  I saw a stat the other day that said that 30% of New Year's resolutions fail by 2 weeks.  That's pretty sad, isn't it?  I've got all kinds of ideas about why that is and what would improve those odds (one of the reasons that I do these challenges with a group and wanted you to join us this January).  I don't believe that it's because we're all failures, or that we don't really want to make changes – there are a lot of good intentions out there to get in shape, eat healthier, use time and energy in different ways, become the world's best tiger-shark juggler, or learn how to speak Klingon (you know: to impress the ladies).

Being specific about goals, writing them down, having the support of others, being accountable to someone else or a group (like you, Holley, and I), can all be helpful.  There are lots of other tips to succeeding in resolutions (I like this list and the following video).

Writing Down My 2015 Goals

I'm not big into tying my self-improvement goals to the New Year, but sometimes it happens.  Looking at 2015 and knowing that it will bring big changes, I started thinking more about what I want specifically this year.  I felt like I wanted to write some of these down and that that would make them more real, and would let me look back at them as well.  So hear they are:

1. Travel and Explore More – This doesn't have to be big trips overseas (although I would love to be able to do that more often) – checking out neighboring towns, and even exploring my own back yard like a tourist, but finding the local secret spots.
2. Taking More Time to Appreciate Life – This includes freeing up more time to be social, to take part in my first goal, make more time for being physically active (swimming, gym, etc.), meditating, and enjoying the journey of life – for example: I enjoy cooking and taking photos, but now that there's this whole recipe blog thing that can sometimes feel like work.
3. Get in Better Shape – I know: shocking!  Such an original idea.  Lose fat, gain muscle, swim farther, become more flexible.

I know that these should be more specific and measurable (eg. be able to swim 500m free-style without stopping), and they will be, I just haven't come up with those details yet.  I've been focusing more on the outlook-related stuff.  I wanted to get you thinking about what you want out of this year too.  Share some of your goals with us below.  Also tell us about the resolutions that you've already made.  How are they going?

I came across an article this week that asked the question: if you found out you had a year to live, what would you change?  I think that is a great way to guide some of the changes that you should strive for.

The 30-Day Paleo Challenge Halfway Point

As for this January's 30-Day Paleo Challenge, the difficulty I'm finding is that I keep forgetting about it!  For two reasons: 1) it's not as big a change for me this time since it is the basis of my diet so I'm not constantly learning about it in the same way as when I didn't know what I was doing, and 2) I don't have a crew that is constantly sending and receiving texts and images, asking or bragging about food…  I'm gonna need you guys to step up your sharing with me (Facebook/Instagram photos, comments here/Twitter)!  Haha.  I haven't screwed up yet – but it's been close: I had a forkful of a friend's curry in my mouth, but before I wrapped my lips around it I stopped and thought, “is this on rice?” and put the fork back on my plate, food perfectly balanced and staring at me until she came back in the room and told me it was cauliflower.

Giveaway

OK, now for the giveaway – Alpha Health produces a bunch of healthy paleo-friendly oils that can be ordered from their website, or found in Whole Foods and other major health stores.  You must be Canadian and over 18 years of age to be eligible to win this one.  Alpha actually sent Holley and I each samples of the Alpha Balance Omega Oil and DME coconut oil (the original, but I am super curious about the pineapple flavored one!).  We're excited that they've asked us to host this giveaway so that you can try them out too (tell us about the pineapple one when you've tried it).  We will share the name of the winner on social media and on our website.

The Alpha Balance Oil Gift Pack includes:

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There you have it.  Please enter below and share with your social network.

a Rafflecopter giveaway
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