Do you ever get that feeling during the day, after a workout, or after something that you love to do where you feel on top of the world? That happiness where no one can burst your bubble. That unstoppable feeling of joy.

Now this doesn't happen everyday but I feel like I was in such an amazing state of mind yesterday where I could conquer the world and no one could stop me. 
Now to add, yesterday morning I had some bulletproof coffee, I taught a high intensity fitness class and I went shopping and hung-out with my mom. This might possibly have nothing to do with it, or some of it might have everything to do with it. 

Euphoria is a psychological affect, and it is used to define emotion and an intense state of transcendent happiness combined with an overwhelming sense of contentment. Also defined as, a feeling or state of intense excitement and happiness. These two definitions are basically the same but they give a better sense of the meaning. 

It may have come from my morning coffee, my morning workout, the feel of joy I got from teaching people fitness, but whatever it was it made me feel amazing. 

Some people might feel this euphoria feeling after a workout, gardening, cooking, playing with family, sex, or even drugs. Now this feeling does happen when people do bad things but it is also something that happens when people do good things. It is important for those to find a euphoric high in a healthy manner with their passion and life but nothing that will hurt them or the people around them. 

We tend to get that euphoric feeling because of endorphin's. Endorphin's are released during exercise. Endorphin's interact with the receptors in your brain that reduce the perception of pain.

That is why when you are on a long run or during an intense exercise you get that extra feeling to push a little bit harder or keep going because you cannot feel your legs. It's basically a naturally produce pain killer in your body. Endorphin's are traced back to when the primal humans used to chase their food so that they could eat. Endorphin's were released so that they could go farther so they could catch their food for survival. Talk about savage.

Exercise is great for depression and anxiety as well. These are just some of the benefits of exercise as we all may know that it does amazing things for us. We are primal being that are meant to move our body and eat good foods. If we treat our body with respect and self care, everything else tends to fall in place. 

Treat your body with respect and it will respect you. <3 

Important sites read during writing this article: 
http://www.runnersworld.com/running-tips/how-to-achieve-a-runners-high
http://www.webmd.com/depression/guide/exercise-depression

>>This is an exciting topic for me since my boyfriend and I indulge in bulletproof coffee every once in a while. 

And that's just it...every ONCE in a while. 
Now this is not something that should be drank EVERY single morning for the rest of your life. >>>>from my point of view<<<<

You can find the recipe for bulletproof coffee here, and a whole lot of more great information from the guy who made some high quality coffee beans and found out about bulletproof coffee at the top of a mountain. 

So lets talk about bulletproof coffee or butter coffee as some people may like to call it. I like to drink it on the days where I am going to be getting in a high workout and moving around a lot since it is high in fats and I don't want my body to let all that good energy go to waste. 
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Some people like to substitute bulletproof coffee for their breakfast and that is not something that I like to do because personally I love to eat. Some say that drinking bulletproof for a substitution of breakfast helps your body kickstart ketosis. Ketosis is a metabolic process that occurs when the body does not have enough glucose for energy. Stored fats are broken down for energy, resulting in a build-up of acids called ketones within the body. Which is a good idea in reality if you think about it. It helps tap into your fat storage and gives you focus energy? Alright now that sounds nice doesn't it. 
I just love food too much. Don't try this unless you are in a nutritionally stable, meaning you are eating a balanced diet and the right amounts of calories for the rest of your day. Now you don't want to do this unless you are nutritionally unstable as it can cause some triggers for some people.

I personally like to add it to my diet in the morning if I know I am going to get in a good workout so that my body can use the healthy fats it gives you. It does help with mental clarity and focus-I mean I instantly sat down after having a cup with breakfast and I am super focus with this blog post. 
But also here is a good article to read why bulletproof coffee is bad as JUST breakfast. Now like I have said before and will say again, do your own research and don't settle for one answer because you read it somewhere. Do some critical thinking and research! 

I also am introducing it back into my diet because I am on a whole30 and I am not eating a lot of complex carbs and whole grains and processed foods. I am fueling my body what it needs.

Healthy fats is not something we should be afraid of. They still should be taken in moderation as we can overdo anything in our lives but they give us a healthy supply of energy that should be used up by the body. 

Some reasons why we need healthy fats in our body is because certain vitamins that we eat are fat solubles. Meaning our body cannot digest certain vitamins unless taken with dietary fats. Such as vitamin A, E, D, and K.

Omega-3 and Omega-6 are fats that help with mood and behavior. They are a precursor to many hormones and chemicals produced by the brain. 

Dietary fats in an important role in brain health. The brain needs fats to produce new brain cells. 

Fat is filling and it makes foods taste good. Now be careful with going up in healthy fats as you should be reducing your carbohydrate intakes. 

Just be careful with how you are drinking it and you are not over-drinking it so it doesn't cause weight gain if you are not eating a proper nutritional diet. There are a lot of cases out there where people have claimed weight loss by adding in bulletproof coffee. So do your research and eat a nutritionally balanced diet. 

Now there is a lot of controversy around bulletproof coffee and I understand you may not agree with some of the information and opinions that I have given you. And I am totally okay with that, just do your own research. If you are not critically thinking about a topic on your own, how do you know it's true? Are you just going to believe one thing that you read? 
So I leave this for you...do your research, make your own opinions, and don't let anyone ruin your day <3 

Over the past 4 days I have learned a lot. A lot about where I have come from nutritionally speaking, where I went throughout my journey to now and how I feel going into a whole30. 

Paleo has a close spot in my heart because it is what got me started into nutrition. I don't even remember how I got hooked on it but it was probably when I first started getting into Crossfit. I remember when I went through my first whole30 almost 5 years ago now. I remember reading It Starts With Food and learning more and more about the paleo lifestyle. The "rules" for the whole 30 were a little bit different back then. It was super strict and if you had a minor thing that was NOT whole30-you were BOOTed.
Which I struggled with because I felt like I was NEVER going to finish a whole30 at the rate I was restarting every time. I finally finished my FIRST whole30 and felt AMAZING. I continued to live an on and off paleo lifestyle for the next 3 or so years after that. Paleo was my THING. I was obsessed with it. It got me into reading about nutrition, learning where your food comes from and why it helps to buy quality and what it all does to the body. I was obsessed with learning about healthy foods. I was into Crossfit at the time and living in an area of mainly fit people. I got carried away and since I was "dieting" with the whole30 and paleo, I fell into binge eating. I lost it. I was living in a place where everyone was running marathons, doing triathlons, competing in all kinds of sports, etc. I love EATING, so I knew I could never stop eating as much, so I overate to the point of well..purging. Gross. I hated throwing up but it was worth it for me. I was in a time in my life where I wanted to lose weight, be skinny, and be "healthy". AKA do-anything-it-took-to-lose-weight-including-throwing-up-and-over-exercising.

I got too caught up in the nutrition scene too fast and too hard and it took over my life.

Now don't get me wrong I did get some AMAZING things out of living where I did and getting caught up in the nutrition scene.
I started cooking more.
I was learning to honor my body with the right foods (except for binging and all the other things I fell into).
I LOVED nutrition.
Growing up I was obsessed with fitness and now my horizon was broaded to fitness and nutrition and I loved it!
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> ANYWAYS, enough blabber from me but lets fast forward to the past few days of jumping back into a whole30...

Mind you I have not been eating paleo for a solid 2 years ish or so. I have reintroduced things into my diet and I try to eat them in moderation but I notice that I do get tired after eating and my digestion is not always on par.

Recently I have figured out that I am lactose intolerant and it HURTS to eat dairy.
I never really knew where the pains were coming from and they were never THAT bad, except this past year they got a little out of hand so I have been experimenting and cutting them out and bringing them back and I bought lactaid pills to see if it helps and they work!

I want to start feeling better than before and well, I MISS the paleo community and support. It has definitely evolved within the past 5 years and it is something bigger and better than ever.

I love reading the research to back things up.
I am obsessed with listening to podcasts from both sides of the spectrum.

We have to create our OWN opinions on eating habits and what works best for OUR bodies. 

The past few days have been an EYE opening experience and a reminder of why I started eating this way in the first place. It has only been 4 days and I have only worked out 2 of those days since I have been crazy busy with work (no excuse but I've been lazy when I get off), and I already feel thinner, healthier, more energy, and I don't get as many cravings as I was having just last week.
It's amazing what your body will do when you fuel it with the right nutrition and balanced meals. 

Nutrition is a journey and I never want to stop my journey. 

It has become a part of my life. We have to eat and we have to nourish our bodies. If we don't do that then we are potentially harming our bodies of toxic and life threatening things. Food will never leave your life whether you are a healthy or not. 

I am just so excited to see where this new journey will take me and I want to share it with the WORLD how much good nutrition and the right eating plan for YOU can change your life. 
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xoxo: nicoleschallerhbhm@gmail.com

Today is the first day of my new journey.
For the next month I am taking on a whole30 challenge.
Now I have done this before and I know what my body needs and doesn't need.
For instance I may have some vegan protein because it sits better with my stomach...yes I know that's not whole 30 but it works for me. With health and fitness you have to know what works BEST for your body. You could say I am doing a 30-day semi paleo eating with some vegan proteins-WHATEVER. 😳
Ok don't get mad if your paleo. I have done it strict for years in the past, I have reintroduced foods that work well for MY body. This is the most important thing with nutrition.

Listen to your body. 

For me I have gone through different struggles with my eating habits and it comes down to what I feel will work best for me. By taking out trigger foods, it helps me stay on track. 

On another note for the start of my week I created a fun little workout today! 
If you feel up to it, try it out! The first half was pretty easy then the second half was a lot harder. Now this workout is a little bit longer and feel free to either cut down on the rounds or just do half of the workout. 

3/12 WOD: 
5 minute warmup
(Dynamic stretches, resistance band stretches) 

3 rounds:
(10 reps each) 

rear delt flys
KB one arm row
shoulder raises (front and back=1 rep)
military press (resistance bands)
pull ups (resistance bands)
______________________________________

3 rounds: 
(1 minute each) 

high knees
1-2-3 heismen
ab attack
in and out abs
weighted Russian twists
sit ups

Finisher: Jog 1.5 miles

10 minute stretch

​Enjoy!