New Year Reset
Casey and I completed Whole 30 for the first time in September of last year. While it was challenging and a bit daunting at times, we did our best to stick with it and follow the rules to a "T." We discovered a lot about ourselves and developed several healthier habits (such as eating more vegetables) that we continued into the months that followed. However, by the time we got to the holidays we both found ourselves overindulging in sugary and processed foods on more than one occasion. While neither of us feels as though we should deny any one food all the time, we do believe in moderation and in obtaining our nutrients from a primarily whole foods style diet.
After we woke up from our sugary holiday comas we decided to do a little family re-set and get back into the healthier eating habits. While losing some excess holiday pounds will be a nice added bonus to this re-set, we will value the small lifestyle (and attitude/behavior) changes that occur along the way even more. The whole family thrives when we take the time to eat better. We notice sleep improvements, increased positive behaviors, decreased mood swings, and overall better energy levels. How could you not love results like that?
The biggest difference in what we'll be doing this month, compared to what we did back in September, is we are not going to follow every rule of the Whole 30 program. For instance, Casey is a marathon runner and struggled with having enough glycogen stores for successful long run endurance when we completed Whole 30 in September. So this month he'll be taking his energy gels with him on long runs. I, on the other hand, really struggle with eating breakfast, but I also know how important it is to start the day with a well-rounded meal. Eggs, more often than not, make me want to gag. I recently found some Whole 30 approved bacon, and while I really could eat bacon at every meal, I don't think it's all that wise (or affordable) to eat it every day for breakfast. Because of this, I've found a protein powder that I really like. On mornings where I'm struggling to get in the mood for breakfast, I'll make myself a protein shake with almond/coconut milk. Those who have done Whole 30 know that drinking your meals is not a part of the program. I definitely understand the satiety factor behind this notion and followed it the first time around, but this time I want to make sure I'm at least getting proper amounts of protein... especially when I can't stomach an egg. Because of these reasons, we aren't going to call it "Whole 30" this time, instead, we'll call it a New Year Reset.
Another big difference this time is I'll be more active. In September 2016 I was out running 9 miles when I experienced a significant amount of knee pain. After taking several days off I tried again and couldn't even run a mile without searing pain. As much as I wanted it to, the pain never subsided. Fast forward to 2018 and I've been able to start gradually running again. I've gone through physical therapy, personal training, chiropractic care, manual massage therapy, and even had an MRI done. Long story short, I now have a heel lift and it's made a world of difference. I truly think the heel lift ,combined with all the therapies I'd done over the past year, have helped my knee become much healthier and pain free. I've been easing back into running and am up to 2 minute intervals for 2-3 miles at a time. The first time I did Whole 30 I didn't complete any activity whatsoever. I don't think I stepped into the gym at all that month. This time though, I feel much more confident in the health of my knee and the overall health of my body. I'll be running 2-3 days a week and completing different weekly challenges along the way (to read about my current challenge click here). I can only imagine what a more active lifestyle and healthier eating can do for my overall health and I'm looking forward to finding out.