Rippy Zippy Day

When I was a kid, the first day of the month was always called, RIPPY ZIPPY DAY! Remember paper calendars? The kind we hung on the wall and wrote on? They reminded us of doctor's appointments, birthdays and meetings? For many, those days are over, replaced by phones, i-pads and computers. Myself, I still hold on to the paper calendar but I am technically challenged and it takes way longer to program something, than write it! (Those of you who know me, stop smiling...)
Well - Tomorrow is March 1st - RIPPY ZIPPY DAY! I plan on making the most of the month of March. I plan on making some significant changes in my diet and exercise routine and invite anyone who would like to join me - to jump on in! March has 31 days and we all know that it takes 30 days to change a habit - so lets have at it!

1 I have been working on eliminating gluten from my diet as I struggle with gluten intolerance. The issue has been, I need to balance out the rest of my diet. I plan on being completely GLUTEN FREE for the month of March and will really see how much of an impact it will make. You all know that I approach diet as a lifestyle approach and if you cannot live with the dietary change than it is not worth doing it for a certain period of time and going back to bad habits. Those of you struggling with belly issues, aches and pains, difficult weight loss - perhaps gluten is your issue also. If you think it may be - try going gluten free for one month and decide if it is your issue. Remember - you cannot simply take gluten out and replace with "gluten free " junk. Strive to replace with whole foods. Brown rice, quinoa, gluten free oatmeal to name a few.

2. Hand in hand with gluten comes SUGAR! Sugar is addictive! I have blogged on this before. Research has shown that sugar is more addictive than cocaine in lab rats. I know I need to eliminate it as best I can and replace with low sugar fruits like apples, pears, cantaloup and berries! In conjunction with this, I plan on increasing lean protein and healthy fats in my diet to counteract the "sugar detox". Remember! Fake sugars are not an acceptable replacement. They negatively impact your metabolism and for many, increase cravings for sugars and processed carbohydrates.

3. Increase weight resistant exercise! I am a long distance runner and cyclist and tend to slack on resistance. This month I am going to try to change that.

I usually do not blog about myself, but I felt it important to share my goals with you as a form of accountability and also to get you all thinking of where you want to be on April's RIPPY ZIPPY DAY!

If you would like more info and tips on eliminating gluten and/or sugar in your diet and also tips on how to increase whole foods in your diet - please contact me at chgallo@comcast.net

Here is to a great March! Noreen Gallo MSRD