So, in honor of "Throwback Thursday," even though I don't do that, like ever, I decided to post (almost one year later, haha) some of my favorite highlights from the 2015 Paleo f(x) Conference in Austin, TX my mom and I went to.
This trip was amazing for like 400 different reasons, but a lot of them revolve around how many awesome memories my mom and I have from being able to go to this new place together and explore this fantastic city. I don't think we've ever had a "mother-daughter trip" before this one, and it was in honor of me getting to go and meet the people who helped shape my health for what it is today.
We had so many awesome moments in and out of this conference. I learned about myself, about my mom, about eating real food for the rest of my life...it really got emotional at some points. Then, there was some adventure at other points, like when I jumped into a freezing fresh water spring (Barton Springs Pool). Or, when we went driving for God knows how long trying to find the Reebok Outlet store to find my mom a pair of CrossFit Nanos. Or, when we drove to this yummy Mexican restaurant, Abuelo's, then went to this grass-fed cow dairy ice cream parlor place called Lick, combined with the awesome pumpkin spice lattes we had earlier in the day from Picnik (another awesome grass-fed cow dairy/paleo-friendly place)....yeah, we had to pull over on the way home in a Target parking lot so I could puke for about 20 minutes. Then, again in the hotel parking lot...then again in the hotel room....that was fun.
But hey, still an awesome trip with such unforgettable memories.
Let me recap the conference "gurus"...
Meeting Melissa and Dallas Hartwig of the Whole30 Program was just an unbelievable dream come true. I would have to say that above every other "guru" of the health world, their program made the most impacting and lasting change for my life. If you've read my earlier blog posts, you can see a letter I wrote to Melissa Hartwig explaining how much of an impact Whole30 has had on my life AND I got to give her that letter face-to-face at this conference!
And of course...I cried like a dork when I gave her the letter, and she teared up too. Yay for us. :)
My super nerd face is showing, and I love it!
Hopdoddy Burgers....let's just say there's a reason why the line wraps around the building every single night. DEFINITELY going back there.
Robb Wolf--the man that started it all. Robb was the first Paleo "guru" I ever heard of when I came to this "eat real food" world. He's a genius and has an extensive background in exercise science, but the most important points that I live by from his research when it comes to my fitness and health are these: a) How do I look? b) How do I feel? c) How do I perform?
The answer to these questions determines if I'm healthy or not...not a body fat percentage or number on the scale.
George Bryant of the Civilized Caveman blog. Love his attitude, his outlook on life, and his energetic love for eating well.
Melissa Joulwan, author of the cookbooks Well Fed and Well Fed 2.
Awesome woman, like...awesome, awesome, awesome, awesome woman. I came to this conference looking for more knowledge on how to continue living a paleo lifestyle and not only did I gain knowledge on how to do that, but I somehow also realized I subconsciously went looking for validation from these "gurus." It's like I went wanting them to pat me on the back and tell me they're proud of the changes I've made in the past 2 years. Once I realized that, it was Melissa that helped me understand that if I don't love every step of figuring out this journey, including the not-so-hot moments, none of this will last.
The famous spray-painted words on the outside wall of Jo's Coffeeshop. Perfect photo-op.
MICHELLE TAM! of Nom Nom Paleo (one of the best paleo blogs and cookbooks EVER). Again, one of the first people I ever started following for this paleo lifestyle and has made me love food even more...real food that is. :)
Mark Sisson, author of the Primal Blueprint, and creator of the primal blog, Mark's Daily Apple.
He taught me that Paleo is not a religion. It's supposed to be something that enhances your life, not stresses it out more. So figure out what works for you and stick with that unless it changes, again, and move on accordingly. Not everything has to be a cookie-cutter template and maybe, just maybe, it's okay to have the Justin's dark chocolate peanut butter cup on a day that's not your treat meal.....
