Day 1 - aka Let's Get (Partially) Naked!!!

By now, you have probably understood that this blog will have nothing to do with food and is all about flaunting my nude body around the interwebs.

Ok, that statement is a lie but there is some truth to it! If this is why you are browsing these parts, feel free to 'go down' on your browser and check out the goods. If you are actually interested in the nutrition part, I promise that the rest of the stuff is good too!

Since I have a lot of ground to cover today, I will split it up into two posts:
- Post 1: My intention in doing this challenge
- Post 2: My food experience during the first day of the paleo challenge

There is actually a hidden method to this madness. It comes down to why I am doing this "paleo challenge" in the first place. I am really interested in finding out what kind of impact food has on us. I have to the best of my knowledge always treated food as an afterthought, seeing the act of eating as the natural response to my stomach growling. A few years back, a Shaolin Monk (red and yellow, the powerful colours of the Shaolin tradition) told me a simple phrase that would influence my eating patterns from that time to today:

*insert chinese accent and wise stare* "If your mind think it ok, you body is ok"

YES!! I was stunned. Literally staring at him gap-mouthed and silent. He was a monk, trained in the most awesomest, bestest, wickedly cool art the world has ever hatched. I was set, I knew what nutrition was about!

Fast forward a few hundred poutines later (au moins ça mes amis, je représente grave je sais... je représente gravy?) and you get Present Pete (soon to become Present Paleo Pete... the 'Triple P'). En bref:

Present Pete:
- Addicted to yoga (4-6 times/week)
- Works 4-6 days a week @ lululemon athletica and Java U catering
- Consider's himself fit and healthy (talk about myself in the third person: check)
- Sleeps 6-8 hours a night
- Fantasizes a lot about living on a secluded beach somewhere (usually, the higher the stress level of my life, the more I think about this)
- Drinks moderately

WHAT

Ok Pete, thanks for the backstory. So what is this 'paleo' thing you mention every 5 words? Are you becoming a caveman? 


No! Although I do admire the caveman way of life, I kind of like my life as it is. So here is the low down. A paleo diet follows this general tenet: the foods you consume mirror those that were available to homo sapiens before the agricultural revolution.

Paleo No-Nos:
- Grains
- Dairy
- Processed foods (especially sugars - if you see fructose in a dark alley, run away. run away fast.)
- Legumes
- Any derivatives of above mentioned categories.

Paleo Yes-Yesses:
- Lean meats
- Vegetables
- Fresh fruit
- Nuts
- Good fats
- A variety of spices

These are general rules of the game. My main source of guidance is the following literary gem by Robb Wolf:

I highly recommend this book to those of you interested in nutrition. Mr. Wolf is great at translating this idea to paper and offers a lot of interesting facts about what our food is actually made of and how it impacts our bodies, notably in stabilizing our hormones and preventing disease and sickness (he also offers a 30 day meal plan). Check out his website here. If you want more info about this paleo eating idea, these are the resources for you!

Now that we have covered that, I'd like to share with you what are my intentions are in undergoing this food challenge and sharing it with you through this blog!

WHY

My Powerful Intentions!!
1. Learn more about nutrition and what kind of impact it can have on my day to day life.
2. Offer some information and, hopefully, some inspiration to those of you who have similar inclinations.
3. Take over the world.
3. Show partially naked pictures of myself on the internet.
3. Become a force of nature!! Yesssssssssss
4. Learn some new things along the way (Top 3: photography, photoshop, cooking)

HOW

This blog baby! I also have a few aces up my sleeve.
Ace of Spades: Every week, I will post a special entry like this one chronicling my progress and offering some visual support..... you guessed it.....

NAKED TIME!!!!!!!!!

I will be posting before, during and after pics to see if there are actually any visual differences (keeping as best as I can the other factors in my life stable)

FRONT

SIDE

BACK

DISRESPECTFUL BACK

OTHER SIDE

FUN TALK WITH A FRIEND!!

Monster props to my roomate Fred who agreed to take these pics. I didn't leave him much of a choice and for some reason he crunched up into a fetal position and wept for several minutes afterwards... Thanks buddy!

I have a intuitive feeling these pics might be more readily seen by our female readers than the male demographic. So, ladies, in the spirit of offering a fun ride for all, if any of you wish to share similar spirited before and after pics of yourselves, feel free to send them my way and I will gladly share them with the world. A few rules! Tasteful! Partially nude only (lets keep this as fun for the whole family)!! On behalf of the men reading this and myself, we thank you! 

Being in the buff is fun times!! Next!!

Summary of body info:

Weight - 180 lbs

Height - 6'1

Waist to Hip Ratio - Not yet measured

Hairiness - Apparent

Other Paleo element to integrate:

- Sleep between 8 and 9 1/2 hours a night and wake up without an alarm clock (this will be tough, especially at first getting accustomed to the food making schedule)

Ace of Diamonds: By our powers combined... Goooooo Planet!!! aka The Five Star Committee

To add to this experience, I've asked five people I admire and respect to give their two cents on this adventure every now and then. They all politely accepted and I am already filled with anticipation at seeing what they will come up with! Here are some mini blurbs about these awesome characters:

- Shawn: Already well versed in the art of the paleo diet, Shawn is the champion of Agatsu, a fitness way of life that uses the kettlebell to its loftiest potential, and a fellow Ashtanga enthusiast. I am looking forward to Shawn's words of wisdom and humour and will frequently (and perhaps annoyingly) text him with the following question - Is  *insert food item* paleo?

- Valerie: Also a practitioner of Ashtanga yoga, Valerie is the closest thing this panel has to a wild card. Will she be unflinchingly supportive? A ruthless cynic? A mysterious wizard? I can't tell you. All I know is that Valery is sweet enough to be considered non-paleo and I can't wait to hear her input!

- Mike: Mike brings to the table years of experience as a culinary artiste. He will add a voice well versed in the food domain and I specifically asked him to be as straightforward as he can, ruthless if necessary, in assessing my cooking achievements. He agreed almost too quickly and happily to this request, which kind of freaks me out (read: I'm sensitive about my cooking skills) but ultimately only makes me more curious to see what he will come up with.

- Fred: Take your best friend, mix him with your fiercest rival, pepper him with a unique dead pan sense of humour, a love of accents, insane dancing skills, martial arts mastery and asian features and you have Fred. He already has had a strong impact on this blog and many of the jokes in here have been material I... um... borrowed from him.

... and last but not least:

- Mom!! Yesss!! My mom will also be contributing to this lil' ol' thang. This is awesome, just awesome. I am really happy she accepted to share her comments and you know what they say, mama knows best! Love you Mom!! xo

Ace of Clubs: Mantak Chia

For an added energetic element, I will be following the Taoist sexual tenets lined out by Master Mantak Chia. Namely, no ejaculation for a month. Don't panic!! Sex is ok just no spending of the sacred life seed! For many, this will make absolutely no sense but I implore you to try it before you knock it! Along these lines, no other sources of distraction like nudie lady watching on the internet either. If the demand is there, I'm game for discussing the basic principles behind this type of practice. If you simply want some more info, consult the following gems by Mantak Chia:

-The Purple Book

-The Yellow Book

For the record, this practice is meta paleo.

Ace of Hearts: YOU <3

You read correctly... YOU!! In this endeavour I hope to create a powerful space for the exchange of ideas, beliefs and good times! So if you see something you like, something you don't like, something you would like to see more (or less) of, let me know in the comments section or on Facebook! Questions are welcome and encouraged! I am already happily surprised to have gotten the response I have had so far with this undertaking and I have to say, if this blog helps inspire just one person to take their personal health in hand, that would be the best!

Merci d'être là! Je me sens très privilégié de partager ces pensées avec vous!! 

So.. See you tomorrow morning for Day 1 post 2!

:)