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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