Hello beautiful people! :)
I hope you are all recharged after the weekend and ready to jump head first into the week to come! Today finds me starting a program called The Whole 30. To put it quite simply, it is 30 days of clean, sweet free living. 30 wonderful days that allow your body to detoxify and heal.
Why? I have found lately that my eating has slipped. I have been craving sweets, sweets and more sweets. Satisfying those cravings once or twice, I found myself speeding downward on an avalanche of bad food, bad sleep, low energy and negative thoughts. I decided to do a detox last week, however, I didn’t put any guidelines in place (not even a time frame). Needless to say it didn’t happen.
The Whole 30 program has hard guidelines, and TOUGH LOVE! It’s exactly what I need to stay on track and focused. Here’s an excerpt from The Whole 30 website, that gets me pumped!
Here comes the tough love. This is for those of you who are considering taking on this life-changing month, but aren’t sure you can actually pull it off, cheat free, for a full 30 days. This is for the people who have tried this before, but who “slipped” or “fell off the wagon” or “just HAD to eat (fill in food here) because of this (fill in event here).” This is for you.
It is not hard. Don’t you dare tell us this is hard. Quitting heroin is hard. Beating cancer is hard. Drinking your coffee black. Is. Not. Hard. You won’t get any coddling, and you won’t get any sympathy for your “struggles”. YOU HAVE NO EXCUSE not to complete the program as written. It’s only thirty days, and it’s for the most important health cause on earth – the only physical body you will ever have in this lifetime.
Don’t even consider the possibility of a “slip”. Unless you physically tripped and your face landed in a box of doughnuts, there is no “slip”. You make a choice to eat something unhealthy. It is always a choice, so do not phrase it as if you had an accident. Commit to the program 100% for the full 30 days. Don’t give yourself an excuse to fail before you’ve even started.
You never, ever, ever HAVE to eat anything you don’t want to eat. You’re all big boys and girls. Toughen up. Learn to say no (or make your Mom proud and say, “No, thank you”). Learn to stick up for yourself. Just because it’s your sister’s birthday, or your best friend’s wedding, or your company picnic does not mean you have to eat anything. It’s always a choice, and we would hope that you stopped succumbing to peer pressure in 7th grade.
This does require a bit of effort. If you’re cutting out grains, legumes and dairy for the first time, you have to replace those calories with something. You have to make sure you’re eating enough, that your nutrients are plentiful, that you’re getting enough protein, fat and carbohydrates. You’ll have to figure out what to eat for lunch, how to order at a restaurant and how often you’ll need to grocery shop. We’ve given you all the tools, guidelines and resources you’ll need, but take responsibility for your own plan. Improved health and fitness doesn’t happen automatically just because you’re now taking a pass on bread.
You can do this. You’ve come too far to back out now. You want to do this. You need to do this. And we believe that you can do this. So stop thinking about it, and start doing. Right now, this very minute, tell someone that you are starting the Whole30. Tell your spouse, tell your best friend, commit on ourWhole30 forum and prove to us – and yourself – that you are committed.
Perhaps it’s time to show your body some love. To give it a much needed rest from all the nasties in processed foods. TODAY is as good a day as any to start! I would love for you to join me on the journey!
Jump on over to my facebook page bathed☼in☼sunlight to check out all the yummy food I get to eat, and tips for staying on track. I would love to hear how you are going with your whole 30 too!
Bec x
Good on you Bec! I have full confidence that you can achieve the whole 30. Xx