AshleyEllefsen.com

It has always interested me to observe how we weave patterns into our lives.  I love those movies that analyze seemingly small incidents which later turn out to be the premise of someones entire existence.  I often try to do this with my own life.  Now, I wouldn’t classify myself as a “deep thinker”…..most of the time my motto is, “it is what it is” and usually in life when the first sense makes sense, there’s no need to delve deeper.

I appreciate how when you improve one area of your life it often seeps into other areas as well.  A simple example of this is when you begin to get the right amount of sleep for your body on a regular basis.  You wake up in a better mood….therefore, your entire day is shaped differently.  My bodies premium sleep number is 8 hours.  If I get less I find myself anxious and irritated throughout the day.  If I get more, I am groggy during the mid-afternoon.

I find that these simple life patterns are of extreme importance.  They shape our attitude, our relationships, and not to be overly-dramatic but they really do shape who we are and how we function.

If I was a gambler I would put money on my belief that if you are unhappy with an area of your life you can, if you WANT, identify a cause (which is a behavior) that would help you improve this area.  Feeling lethargic?  Add 20 minutes of cardiovascular exercise to your daily routine.  Feeling depressed?  Listen to 20 minutes of positive thinking tapes daily.  Relationship with your spouse not quite what it used to be?  Make an effort to change the way YOU treat that person and watch how they respond.

Of course, my suggestions are incomplete.  Every action does not cause the same reaction for everyone.   Thank goodness, there are hundreds of actions which you can tweak to find which one or which combination works best for you.  (I suggest using the process of elimination to find the best solution for your situation).

I tell you all of this to get to my final point……This last week (week 2) of living the paleo lifestyle, I noticed a 4.5 lb. weight loss.  Now, I know it doesn’t sound like much….and it’s not.  But, I have to consider it this way.  In the last week, my clothes fit better and my arms, legs and stomach have more muscle definition.  So, I’m chopping up my minimal weight loss to muscle increase!!  Which is awesome!

My pattern:  I workout, eat right and supplement consistently……I feel better about myself physically, therefore I have an improved attitude regarding my physical appearance and I’m more motivated than ever to keep working hard!

As I mentioned in, “It’s a Primal Thing” a couple of weeks ago…..I’m not changing anything except my “diet” while experimenting with this lifestyle.  My exercise routine remains the same.  My body tends to plateau after 2-3 weeks of the same routine, but below is the workout I have been using since beginning paleo.

• • 30-45 minutes of cardio at least four times a week (treadmill, elliptical or stair climber)
  • 45 minutes of weight training at least 4 times a week
  • I tend to “super set” each of my exercises in groups of two or three.
  • I always do four sets of each exercise: 15-12-10-8, increasing the weight as I decrease the reps

• • • Legs
      • Traditional squat
      • Standing calf raise
      • Leg extensions (machine)
      • Leg curls (machine)
      • Bench step up’s with free weights
      • Wide squat, toes out sumo with barbell

• • • Chest/Triceps
      • Incline chest press with dumbells
      • Assisted dip machine
      • Chest fly machine
      • Overhead cable extension
      • Traditional bench press
      • Tricep extension

• • • Back/Biceps
      • T-bar row
      • Hammer curls
      • Pull down back machine
      • “21’s”
      • Upright row
      • Concentration curls (on preacher curl bench)

• • • Shoulders
      • Arnold shoulder press
      • Dumbell lateral raise
      • Pushups
      • Rear deltoid cable pull