Paleo took me to the Playground AND the Baseball Field!

After 6 months of clean eating, I wonder sometimes if I am taking my new-found health for granted.  I wonder if I just kind of EXPECT to feel great every day!  Not that that's a bad thing - but I don't ever want to get so complacent that I start to allow crappy food back into my body or I decide to take a day off from walking or yoga or the pool.

And then something reminds me how far I've come and renews my commitment to eating REAL FOOD and cutting out all the bad stuff!

This weekend, that 'something' was a baseball tournament.  My son was playing in a tournament an hour from our house.  For those of you who haven't done the "tournament thing" with your kids - an hour away means there is no dropping off and running home to get ready while they warm up and have team meeting.  You go when they go and you find something to do for the hour or so before the games actually start and during all the breaks between games.  (and if you are eating clean - you better be packed and prepared for at least 2 meals and healthy snacks!...and they'd better be good if you want to compete with the concession stand!!)

This weekend we were lucky enough to be at a really nice complex with a dozen diamonds, nice trails and a playground.  When my daughter was little, I used to toss a coin out of the window as we were driving into any baseball complex and pray to the Universe that there would be a playground so my daughter wouldn't be bored out of her mind.  She would light up at the sight of monkey bars or swings or the slides. 

I was never that excited.  My knees hurt too bad to climb and my feet weren't strong enough for me to jump off if I did happen to climb up.  I was also afraid of how heavy I was - would the bars be strong enough to hold me?  Would I damage something and be embarrassed?  And I was so out of shape that I couldn't run with her or push her on the merry-go-round or swings for very long.  But I alway took her and I gave her all my attention and took a lot of pictures and praised her for how brave and strong she was. 

But this weekend - after most girls her age are probably too cool or too sophisticated to want to play on the playground - she was just as excited as ever at the sight of the playground.  She lit up!  And WE played.  Both of us.  I climbed the ladders and twisty things and went down the slides and through the tubes and jumped down and climbed back up!

on top of the monkey bars with my girl!

down the slides for the tenth time!

climbing through the tubes with my daughter!

I can't remember the last time I had so much fun just playing outside!  And I wasn't winded or achy or embarrassed (other than for the more obvious reasons!) or scared or tired after 5 minutes. 

This was more than being 56 pounds lighter.  This was because I have gotten healthier.  Stronger.  More energetic.  My joints work again.  I'm moving every day and that means I can run and climb and play without being out of breath.

So, today (day two of the tournament one hour from our home) between bracket games, when my daughter wanted to play baseball on one of the vacant fields with my husband as pitcher, another little girl who was with one of the concession stand volunteers and one of the girlfriends of one of my son's teammates, I said "Of Course!"

I was awful.  I was not born with much hand-eye coordination - so hitting is not really in my wheelhouse.  But, I hit.  I ran the bases.  I stole second (sort of).  I played first.  I ran for fly balls and chased the girls as they rounded the bases...since there were only 5 of us, most times I was defense.

And it was AWESOME!  I got dirty and we laughed and screamed and were silly, silly, silly.  And we had fun running and rolling and playing in the sun.  And my daughter was so happy that I played for a change, instead of complaining about my "old lady knees". 

I don't know if she completely understands the difference in how I feel and what I am able to do - but the look on her face while we were playing baseball and going down the slides was pretty amazing. 

And that is all the reinforcement I need to stay strong on the days when the world seems full of dough and dairy and big bowls of candy!