BEGINNER’S GUIDEPALEO LEAP CHEAT SHEET

Copyright © 2015 by Paleo Leap, LLC.

All material in this cheat sheet is provided for your information only and may not be construed as medical advice or instruction. No action

or inaction should be taken based solely on the contents oæf this information; instead, readers should consult appropriate health

professionals on any matter relating to their health and well-being.

yourTO SETTING UPENVIRONMENT

If you’re thinking of star ting Paleo, one simple way to set yourself up for long-term success is to engineer your environment. YOUR LIVING ENVIRONMENT IS A MUCH MORE POWERFUL DRIVER OF BEHAVIOR IN THE LONG RUN THAN “ WILLPOWER:” if you set it up right, it can keep you on track through the rough spots and nudge you toward healthy choices by default.

THESE ITEMS WILL MAKE COOKING

EASIER AND FASTER.

THESE ITEMS ARE IMPORTANT FOR REDUCING

STRESS.

THESE ITEMS ARE IMPORTANT FOR

GETTING QUALIT Y SLEEP.

THESE ITEMS WILL HELP YOU

ESTABLISH HEALTHY MOVEMENT PATTERNS.

Paleo is not just about your plate. Sleep, stress, and exercise all inf luence

gut health and weight loss, not to mention food cravingas. If you really want to “go

Paleo,” look at the lifestyle behaviors, too.

K i t chen Tools and Equipmen t

Non-Paleo food is gone from your kitchen. If you can’t get rid of it , i t ’s hidden out of sight , somewhere away from your Paleo food. Put it in a separate cupboard or another par t of the fridge; just get it out of your sight.

You have all the basic cooking tools you need. They ’re all in good repair and stored somewhere easy to reach. If there ’s something you just hate using, throw it out or give it away and get a new one. Use the checklist below to organize what you do and don’t need to buy.

Your kitchen is clean and ready to cook in. It ’s a place you want to spend time in.

Your freezer is stocked with frozen vegetables and at least one pound of frozen ground meat for emergency meals. (Extra credit : make a batch of beanless Paleo chili and freeze it in individual serving sizes to reheat when you need it )

Windows are equipped with heav y cur tains to create a completely dark environment while you sleep.

Charging areas for phones and/or tablets are removed from the bedroom and relocated somewhere else.

You have a paper book, knit ting , or some other non-screen-related activ it y near your bed to do while you settle down to sleep (or if you naturally wake up halfway through the night for an hour or so – that ’s actually per fectly healthy and normal).

The charging station for your phone and other gadgets is located somewhere outside your bedroom (right by the front door works pret ty well for a lot of people).

If you plan to work out at home, your workout space is ready to use and stocked with whatever you need.

You have a pleasant place to eat meals at a table (not in front of the T V!). The table is clear of random stuf f and ready to be used.

If you own a scale, it ’s stored somewhere dif f icult and annoying to reach (this discourages you from weighing yourself every day, so you can focus on the big picture instead of get ting hung up on tiny day-to-day f luctuations that don’ t actually mat ter).

If you have a home of f ice or spend a lot of time sit ting , you have an ergonomic chair or standing desk.

Your computer and all your other screen devices have some kind of screen dimmer installed to reduce the ef fects of looking at screens at night (e.g. f.lux for your computer, or a similar app for your phone).

Your computer has an alarm set to go of f af ter every hour of use to remind you to stand up and move around (unless you’re already using a standing desk).

You have a pair of blue-blocking glasses for the (hopefully rare) occasions when you have to use screens at night.

Your pantry and cupboards are stocked with all the Paleo basics (this link will open a new PDF with a checklist of spices and nonperishable pantry staples – if the link doesn’ t work, look for the Stocking your Paleo Pantry cheat sheet). Spices and seasonings are stored in some way that makes them easy to grab (not jumbled all together in the back of a drawer where you’ ll never f ind them).

A well-stocked pantry makes it much easier to put meals together.

Good sleep won’t happen by itself !

Get every par t of your house set up to keep you going strong.

You have a collection of easy Paleo recipes (here are 10 to star t you of f ) printed out with the ingre-dients ready in your fridge. Alternately, if you’re a meal plan person, this link will open a begin-ner-friendly meal plan complete with a shopping lis t ( if the link doesn’ t work, look for the One-Week Beginner Meal Plan cheat sheet).

KITCHEN TOOLS I NEED (cross off whatever you already have).

Chef ’s knifeSmall paring knivesWooden spoonLadleMeasuring cupsOther:Other: Other:

SkilletRoasting pansAt least one good potStorage containersSlow-cookerOther:Other:Other:

What should I do with my old food? Many people donate it to food banks (eating pasta beats being hungry), find non-food uses for it (Coke makes a great rust remover!), or simply throw it away.

S t ock ing your K i t chen and Pan tr y

Bedr oom

O ther Rooms

WORKOUT GEAR I NEED: (cross off whatever you already have).

DVDs to follow along with (name of program/series: )

New music/create playlists.

New shoes

Foam roller

Massage balls

Stretch bandsJump ropeFree weightsOther: Other:Other:

Your smartphone is par t of your habitat , too.

Technolog y

SCREEN DIMMER INSTALLATION CHECKLIST:: (cross off whatever you already have).

Personal phone

Work phone

Tablet

LaptopDesktopOther:

here’s a checklist to get your whole house (not just the kitchen!) set up and ready to go for

Paleo success. You can browse the checklist by area of your house, or skim for icons that will help you

with specif ic areas:

To help you make that happen,

Take a Saturday to go through the checklist and set up your environment to make healthy choices automatic:

you’ll thank yourself for it later when you need an extra nudge in a Paleo direction!