Whole30

So, I feel like I owe everybody an apology (this blog currently has 110 page views, in which I am shocked and honored).  I NEVER meant to go three weeks without blogging.  However, it's a helpful transition into this post.

I've been feeling really...well, down in the dumps lately.  It's definitely not uncommon for me, but it's most certainly inconvenient.  I'm not a Negative Nancy in general, but once the excitement of October fizzles out, I get stuck in a rut.  Seasonal Affective Disorder?  Honestly, I've considered that.  I have enough of a background in psychology, and also my personal life, to really take that into consideration.  Nevertheless, we're not discussing my metal state.  Today, we're discussing Whole30.

Now, I don't know a ton about Whole30.  I actually read about it on a blog post and ran with it from there.  What I do know is that it is a 30 day clean eating plan.  Processed food, sodas, and refined carbohydrates are all out the window.  Alcohol? Sorry, bud.  Not this month.  White sugar? Say your goodbyes.  Just for 30 days.  They say it takes 21 days to break a habit, and I believe that the same goes for your taste buds.  Since when did eating well have to be boring, anyway?  It totally doesn't.  Our ancestors ate clean and worked hard (rather than working out...too much farm work to be done!), and for the most part they all were pretty healthy considering the circumstances.

My mother and I went to Trax Farms yesterday, so we have fresh picked apples out the wazoo.  We also got six HUGE green peppers for $1.50.  We got a couple of zucchinis and some fresh apple cider (is apple cider clean? I might want to look into that...).  So, I think that was what got me started on getting back on the clean wagon.  I don't know if the actual Whole30 plan has any guidelines other than eating whole, clean foods for 30 days, but I've set some of my own guidelines.  Feel free to follow some, all, or none of them if you want.

• Enjoy 1 green smoothie per day.

I had green smoothies ALL THE TIME this summer.  They are just SOOOO good!! I think it will help my body just detox and clean everything from the inside out.

• Drink at least 2 liters of water a day.

If you remember the water challenge (I know, I know, it was only one post ago...but one post three WEEKS ago), that was the whole point of the water challenge. Two liters of water isn't really a lot if you get a 1 liter bottle of water and simply fill it up twice.  I've been drinking closer to 3 liters a day.  The more the merrier (just don't drown yourself).

• Drink 2-3 cups of green or herbal tea every day.

Herbal tea is nothing but straight hydration for your body.  Green tea has detoxifying and antioxidant properties.  Drink it up, in addition to the 2 liters of water every day.

• Walk at least 10,000 steps per day.

So, I invested in a pedometer a couple of weeks ago, and I never realized that I walk anywhere from 7,000 to 14,000 steps per night at work!  So, I'm making it a goal to walk at least 10,000 steps per day...even on the days I don't work.  It's not part of clean eating, but it's just a healthy (and can you say free?) way to live.

And the most important guideline...

• Don't beat yourself up if you slip.

Honestly, we are all human (proof that I am human: as I was proofreading the post, that said "nobody is human." Haha!).  Halloween is coming up.  It's company potluck season.  So you "mess up" one day.  Don't beat yourself up over it.  Don't quit because of it.  Brush off the dust and take a running leap back onto the wagon.  Let's be completely honest right now...where I work, Friday is our Halloween potluck, and if ANYBODY thinks I'm skipping out of that for a diet...they're nuts.  Maybe I'll go an extra day into November to make up for it.  But like I said in my October post, enjoy the little things.

Is anybody interested in starting the Whole30 program with me?  Or even incorporating a bit of it into your everyday life if you're not ready to jump head first?  I know that right now I'm feeling like crap and my body is screaming ENOUGH.  Oh, and I promise not to take any more unannounced hiatuses.  Thank you for bearing with me, and coming back.  Or, if you're new here, welcome!

xoxo,

Rachel

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Water Challenge

One of my favorite people to watch on Youtube, Scola Dondo, is starting a challenge to get fit for New Year's. The goal? To get as healthy, happy, and comfortable in your own body as you can.  That's it. Not lose X% of your weight, or X pounds by New Year's.  Which, ultimately, isn't that everybody's goal who is on this journey?  Sure, being able to wear a size 2 or 6, or being able to run a 5k without stopping are all REALLY good feelings.  And I'm not undermining that at all.  But you're going to have days when you want to sit around in sweatpants instead of wearing that cute little dress or running that 5k.  And on those days, being happy with yourself is what's important.  It's what's going to get you through a break-up, losing a friend, or being rejected by a job.  Now...don't take that the wrong way.  Because I've been there. You can be accepted or rejected as a size 2, 22, or 222.  You can either nail that job, or simply be not qualified for it at a size 4, 44, or 444.  However, in my experience, the words "maybe if I wasn't fat, that wouldn't have happened" go through my mind in situations like that.  They didn't want me to represent the company because I'm fat.  I didn't land the part I wanted in a performance because I was fat (that actually happened, but I'll tell you about that on a different day). He/She doesn't like me because I'm fat.  It hurts. It sucks.  It's nothing anybody wants to think, yet so many of us do.  The reality is this: if you're not happy within your own body, you're more likely to blame your weight than find the root cause of the problem.

The first week of Scola's challenge is the Water Challenge.  I absolutely LOVE water challenges.  They're probably the easiest challenge to complete, and you'll feel so much better when you're completely hydrated.  Scola is challenging everyone to drink 2 liters of water a day.  Where I shop, you can get a liter of water for 77 cents.  Simply keep that bottle, and fill it up twice a day for the week (psst: a liter comes out to about 24 ounces, in case you were wondering).  Sounds easy enough!!

Check out Scola on Facebook and her Youtube channel.  She posts tips for getting healthy on a regular basis, and I personally find her voice to be very soothing.  She's so optimistic and supportive, too.  I hope you love her!

Enjoy!

xoxo,

Rachel

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It's Finally October!

A new month always feels like a new start to me.  Especially during the Autumn months.  Whether it has been going back to school and wanting to do better than last year, or realizing that I spent another summer melting behind hoodies instead of wearing bathing suits and shorts, I get a surge of energy that is nearly incomprehensible.  I tend to lose my motivation in the middle of the month, and that even applies to my weight loss and my beauty routine. I either get stuck in a rut, or let myself go a little bit.  But the first of the month is like New Year's Day every 30 days or so!  It's a fresh start.

I have always had a lot more motivation in Autumn in general.  It's not so hot that even moving is a challenge, then again it's not so cold that I don't want to leave my house.  I certainly use this to my advantage!  Getting out and about is a lot easier when there is beautiful foliage to admire (which, I swear on my heart, turns overnight and lasts overnight), when I can dress in layers and not sweat to death, and when I can look forward to a nice, warm cup of tea when I get home.

If we're being honest, probably my favorite part of Autumn is the fresh fruits and vegetables available. From apples, to blackberries, to pumpkins and other squashes, there is a plethora of produce available this time of year.  It makes eating well a LOT easier when I can go to the market and pick up some freshly picked apples, a nice, yellow spaghetti squash, beets and brussel sprouts for roasting, berries for cereal, salads, pies, and snacks...I could go on for days!  One of the easiest ways to eat better is to incorporate more fruits and vegetables, and how could you resist during this time of year?!

Since I started losing weight, a lot of people have been asking me how I do it.  If I'm on a specific plan, or if I eat certain things.  So I thought I would compile a list of my favorite weight loss tips...with an Autumn twist!

• Clean Eating.  If I didn't go on long enough about it earlier, let me reiterate: clean eating is delicious and easy in the Autumn. Make some homemade applesauce.  Bake a spaghetti squash.  Buy a bunch of different vegetables, and roast them.  Your possibilities are endless.

• Tea. This ties in with clean eating...but tea is a wonderful indulgence this time of year. Cinnamon tea, Chai tea (which is delicious with a bit of pumpkin spice creamer), any type of tea is warm, delicious, and good for you.  Herbal and fruit teas are nothing but complete hydration for your body, because they are naturally caffeine free.  Green, black, and white teas have some caffeine, but, realistically, not enough to take away the benefits that drinking tea offers.  In my opinion, if you want to get into drinking tea but you don't know where to start, pick up a tea sampler. Celestial Seasonings makes both an herbal tea sampler, and a fruit tea sampler.  That way, you get to taste a little bit of everything for one low price, and if it turns out you don't like something, you're not stuck with a whole box of it.

• Get Some Exercise Every Day.  Don't start off trying to exercise for an hour every day.  Is that a good goal?  Yes!  But if you start out like that, you're setting yourself up for failure.  I'm not a nutritionist, or a doctor, or anyone of actual accord.  However, if you start out with ten minutes of walking, you'll be on your way.  Don't forget that exercise doesn't have to feel like exercise, either.  Take the kids pumpkin picking. Have a family apple picking day.  Take your partner on a walk to see the changing leaves.  Again, the possibilities are endless.

• Have a little bit of things that you REALLY want.  The seasons (and life!) are much too short to deprive yourself, and you won't get any closer to your weight loss goals by not letting yourself have what you want.  Are you craving a Pumpkin Spice Latte?  Go for it! Order a small, and make it a weekly treat.  Did Aunt Lois make her famous pecan pie?  Have yourself a small piece.  Don't feel bad about it.  If you eat well between 80 and 90 percent of the time, you can really enjoy that 10 to 20 percent the way that YOU want.  Nobody realistically eats well 100 percent of the time.  It's a smart idea, however, to balance out those treats.  A small Pumpkin Spice Latte with nonfat milk and no whipped cream still has 200 calories.  Maybe instead of having dessert that night, count that as a dessert, because honestly, nobody needs to drink that many calories...and that's for a small, with no whipped cream!  Let's say you love whipped cream, and you prefer whole milk.  Please, get the whole milk and whipped cream.  If you can live with skim milk, that's great, but don't deprive yourself of whole milk if that's what you actually want.  See tip #3, and that will help you enjoy those little things, while keeping your waistline in check.

Do you love a fresh start as much as I do?  Take advantage of it! There is nothing, and I truly mean nothing, wrong with enjoying the little pleasures that this season holds. Live your life, because soon enough it will be Winter, then Spring, then you're 130 and wondering where your life went.  Now...I'm going to go have a latte!

xoxo,

Rachel

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