THE PRIMAL KITCHEN

Suzie from The Primal Kitchen and I have been chatting during #paleohour for quite some time, talking all things diet and lifestyle with loads of other UK folk, and realising she only lives up the road from Hannah and I, AND she is a member of Crossfit Wycombe. A place I want to start frequenting when Hannah and I's schedule is slightly more normal & the garage gym has lost its appeal or after the baby is born and the house is finished.

Suzie and her team have been very busy over the last few months creating the UK's first truly Paleo Bar, made from whole, real ingredients, and of course not containing any grains, gluten, refined sugar, soya or any of the other nastiness found so readily in our snack food these days. Each bar contains less than five ingredients, is cold press and super delicious. My personal favourite is the Brazil Nut & Cherry!

I have huge respect for Suzie and the Primal Kitchen in being a part of the UK community, she has been there from the beginning talking real food. The bars are appearing in countless Crossfit gyms across the country and the Facebook & Twitter  pages are promoting plenty of reviews from all over the internet including the GAPS, SCD, WAPF & JERF communities. Its great to see!

Also, the packaging is amazing. Its so refreshing to see a modern, interesting take on design that conveys perfectly what these bars are. I've tried to match this with my photography as after Suzie DM'd me about doing a review of the bars I knew I had to step up my game and create a photo I could be proud of, thankfully this idea hit me square in the face and I ran to the shop to buy piles and piles of nuts, cherries and coconut to capture my idea.

Seriously, give these bars a go, you won't be disappointed.

MY FITNESS, UNIVERSITY, A NEW HOME & OUR BIG ANNOUNCEMENT

Its been quiet around here, and that is putting it very lightly. 

I'll say I have a valid reason, or reasons, but in all honesty I don't. Life just gets a little crazy sometimes and you have to prioritise only the most crucial aspects of the ride. For me that is keeping active, eating & sleeping right and trying to enjoy some form of social life and I can say I have managed this over the last four and a half months. Sure, it meant my camera didn't come everywhere with me, and I didn't make the time to photograph what I've been cooking, but its been happening - I actually have two blog posts drafted that may see the light of day at some point.

You see after Hannah's mum visited in September I began the last two years of this crazy 7 year ride called getting a degree in Building Services Engineering on a day release programme, which meant coursework & revision and a ten hour day at London Southbank once a week book ended with a two hour commute each way.

During this crazy period we started looking for a home together and moved out of our little flat at the end of November to stay with my parents until everything was sorted. I'm thankful to say we are almost there and I can't wait to get back into our own place, though it needs a ton of renovations before we move in. I'll be documenting all that work here as I think the before and after will be very shocking to remember in a few years. Also, the dream shed gym is already planned for the end of the garden along with internal drawings of the entire house! We spent a lot of time working on that stuff during our Christmas break.

We had a lovely month long trip to Vancouver & Seattle over the Christmas period, but more on that in the very near future when I get around to editing some photos. Lets just say there was a lot of coffee, food and family. Just the way a holiday should be.

Of course I've also been lifting a lot of heavy things, getting out of breath regularly and trying to achieve my goals for 2014:

120kg Back Squat

80kg Bench Press (bro reps don't count)

40 Unbroken Butterfly Pull-Ups (floating somewhere around 32 at the moment)

Improving my mobility through the overhead squat/snatch (I've seen huge gains here already)

I'm doing about 5 hours a week at the moment and If I can hit these goals at a weight of 68kg I'll be very happy!

Hannah and I have been celebrating our biggest news of the year and probably our entire lives:

I can't wait to begin our biggest adventure yet, as a team and linked in the most real way.

Each night we lay in bed and talk about our boy, whilst feeling for the kicks he so generously provides, like he knows we are talking about him, or to him. I love Hannah's excitement when buying baby clothes or her attention to detail when finding products she loves and wants, that will support our boy in the best way possible so he can learn and develop.

I think I'm most excited about watching him move, watching him enjoy the world whilst getting him ready for a life of optimal health and movement and teaching him to be the man I want him to be, the same way my father has done for me, and still does to this day.

I'm just excited to get started, in our family home, doing the best damn job I can do to bring our little man into the best world I can muster.

There will be more to come on this. The camera is primed and ready and the inspiration is flowing.