Secrets to Success: Sticking with the Paleo Plan!

The Paleo challenge has started here at Crossfit Ramsay and we’re jacked up to see such a great group of competitors on the path to getting leaner, meaner and more importantly…healthier! It takes guts to question the status quo and ask “is there a better way to do this?” and we are so proud of all our Paleo challengers.

In order to help you stay on track and be successful with your nutrition goals we’d like to offer our top 5 tips for Paleo success!

1. Be Persistent

Too often people are looking for a quick fix and they get frustrated if they don’t see instant results. The truth is the common factor between successful people is persistence! Lasting change takes patience and real results are won by tiny steps rather than giant leaps. In order to be successful you need to see the Paleo solution as a lifestyle rather than an easy way out. The truth is like anything worth doing in life it can be simple…not easy. Simple is a lack of complexity, easy is a lack of effort! Take the view that your success will be the sum of the small decisions that you make each and every day and you will have found the path to success.

2. If you fall down…get up! Quickly!

Listen, we all fall down sometimes. We all have the occasional cheat. We all miss a workout now and again. It’s not about whether or not you fall…it’s about how quickly you get up! Far too many people approach nutrition with an all or none mentality. If you fall off the wagon and scarf down a cheat meal you have two options. The first option is to beat yourself up, tell yourself that there’s no point and you can never make it, then give up and go back to your old ways. Unfortunately too often this is the choice people make. The second option is to own up to the mistake, admit you are human, re-commit to your nutrition program and get on with it! No tears. No self-loathing. Take the opportunity to learn from your mistake, then put it behind you and move forward. The sooner you can learn to get up quickly when you fall, the sooner you will achieve our goal.

3. Plan Ahead

Here’s the truth…most of the world is not following the Paleo solution. Given that fact it becomes YOUR responsibility to make sure you’re preparing yourself for success. This means making sure your house is stocked with paleo friendly nuts, seeds, meat, fruits and veg. so you always have a steady supply of sustenance. This means packing your lunch and snacks for work each day, so while your co-workers are running out for their daily Tim Horton’s or Wendy’s you can stick to your commitment. This might mean committing Sunday evenings to preparing batches of Paleo Granola, no’ oatmeal, Paleo Chilli and other tasty Paleo treats for the week. By planning ahead and taking responsibility for your success you will be able to stick to your commitment and complete the challenge.

4. Mix it up

Having fun and mixing up your nutrition and physical activity will help to keep you motivated and on track. Often when people first hear about the Paleo solution they immediately have terrible visions of boring, bland and tasteless meals for the rest of their days. The truth is there are tons of great recipe’s out there so you can make delicious Paleo versions of just about anything! This includes granola, muffins, brownies, cookies, stews, curries, pancakes, stir-fry’s, bread and more! There are great recipes in Robb Wolf’s “The Paleo Solution” which we highly encourage everyone to read, as well as some delicious ideas from our very own Dawn Krpan and Pierre Lamielle that they were nice enough to share. If you didn’t receive these recipes drop us a line and we’ll pass them along! We also encourage our athletes to stay active when their not at the gym. Snowboarding, skiing, hiking, swimming, rock climbing and rec. sports are just some examples of great ways to have active rest outside of the gym and keep a variety of healthy and fun activities in your life.

5. Have a goal!

Finally, to be successful you need to have a goal. A clear goal that is meaningful will help you through the hard days, push you through your workouts and act as a powerful incentive to stick to your Paleo commitment. For a goal to be effective, it must be more than just a sentence written down on a piece of paper. An effective goal is a vision of what you want to create and achieve. An effective goal should make you feel energized every time you envision it and it should conjure up feelings and emotion. A goal should have three parts…the what, the how and the why.

First, what do you want? What’s important to you? Do you want to be leaner, stronger, to have more energy? Do you want to lose 20 lbs? Do you want to lose 5% body fat? Do you want to be able to deadlift 300 lbs or run 10k? If you don’t know what you want, it will be much harder to achieve success! In this case they how is already set you. By committing to follow the paleo solution and train at Crossfit Ramsay a minimum of 3 times per week you will be well on the way to achieving your goal!

The last part is they why. Why do you want to be stronger? Why do you want to look better naked? Why do you want to have more energy? The why is the personal factor and everyone will have a different reason for their goals. You need to take that reason and create a vision out of it.

Maybe you have a wedding or vacation coming up. Maybe you want to be able to play sports with your kids and not feel tired or worn out. Maybe there is a specific dress or suit you’ve always wanted to wear but have never felt comfortable. Take this why and create a vision. Every day, at least once a day, close your eyes and conjure up this why vision. Imagine yourself looking great in your wedding dress and feeling confident. Imagine yourself on the beach on your Mexican vacation looking amazing in your swimsuit. Imagine yourself having fun and keeping up with your kids, feeling energized and exhilarated. Whatever the why may be for you create that image and use it! When you wake up in the morning, close your eyes for 30 seconds and experience that image. When you’re feeling tired or sore or you want to give up, close your eyes and imagine that success. If that image is powerful enough and important to YOU then it will be a huge tool for your success.

So there you go! Use these five tips to help you stay on your paleo track. Trust us….it will pay off big time! Don’t be afraid to use your Crossfit community for support as well. If you have a question, talk to your coaches. Share your experiences with your fellow paleo challengers. Swap recipes and ideas. Get together and have fun outside of the gym. We have an amazing group of people and a great network of support, so use it to keep you motivated.

Paleo Challenge Information