My Next Whole 30 – An Opportunity to Love Myself
As many of you know, I’ve decided to do another Whole 30 from August 31st – September 29th, 2015. This will entail 30 days of eating whole, real foods while avoiding grains, dairy, legumes, sugar, and processed foods. This is my third time doing Whole 30 and each time I’ve done it, I’ve gone in with different motives and have learned different things. The first go around, a good friend of mine was doing it and I decided to join her. The second go around, we did it together again and I did it as a cleanse after the holidays. This time, I’m doing it not to lose weight, or to necessarily cleanse after eating a bunch of non-paleo, processed foods, but I’m doing it as an act of love to my body.
Why my body needs this
You see, when I went to Mexico about a month ago, I not only had to eat foods I didn’t regularly eat, but I also got an extreme case of food poisoning which led to an infection and bad bacteria in my intestines. In order to recover, I had to take quite a bit of probiotics, antibiotics, and food that would heal my stomach and intestines. You see, ever since eating more of a whole, real food diet, I’ve become very aware of how my body responds to what I eat and drink. Our bodies are always communicating to us how it feels when we eat/drink or don’t eat/drink certain foods, but it’s up to understand what our body is saying and to listen to it.
Well, I heard my body loud and clear during and after this trip to Mexico. I came to grips that there are just certain foods I cannot eat any more and still have proper digestion and energy levels. I know what foods cause inflammation in my stomach and body, make me crave less nutritious foods, and make me feel horrible during and after workouts. I also know now what foods give me energy, help me stay focused, increase my performance and recovery at the gym, aid in proper digestion, and make me feel good.
So you see, I’m doing this Whole 30 to give my body time to heal, reset, and be well nourished.
Whole 30 and holistic health
With this Whole 30, I also plan not just to give my body proper nutrition, but proper rest and recovery through Active Recovery workouts and mobility, days off, and the best of all, sleep.
There’s so much that goes into a holistic, well-balanced lifestyle. It’s way more than about proper nutrition and food, it’s about mental health, emotional health, social health, physical health, spiritual health, fun, play, sleep, and so much more. So this Whole 30, is one way I’m taking charge of taking care of myself and this one body I’ve been given.
(Fingers crossed) I plan to write a short update each day while on the Whole 30, to let you all know how I’m feeling and how’s it going! So expect more blogs during the 30 days!
Join me!
What excites me is that many of you say you want to join in on the Whole 30 with me! This makes me more than excited! If you are interested in the program, check out the Whole 30 website for more details on the program, opportunity to subscribe to daily emails with encouragement and support, as well as an array of success stories for those who have done the program before.
I hope you join me in this challenge and adventure in exploring the realm of real, whole foods and its effect on our bodies, minds, and lives. And I hope you do it not just to reach a certain physical goal, but as an opportunity to love yourself holistically.
