While I'm not going to pretend that the past 30 days have been a picnic (heck, there's evidence to prove otherwise), this experience on the whole as been overwhelmingly positive. I feel fantastic, I enjoy the food that I've been eating and contrary to the belief I had going in, I don't feel limited or deprived. Am I going to live by the strict, Whole 30 guidelines for the rest of my life? No, but I do have every intention of maintaining a predominantly paleo lifestyle post challenge.
In the past 30 days, I've learned to like unsweetened coffee, lived without dairy products (something I never thought was possible for me), lost over 8 lbs and nearly 2 inches from my waist and developed habits that I think can be beneficial to anyone looking to live even a slightly more healthy lifestyle. Small things like prepping our meals so we have healthy options during the week and packing my lunches have really made this so much easier. As much as I love to cook, after a long workday and CrossFit, I'm not always looking to prepare something from scratch. Again, just small things I want to take with me beyond my Whole 30.
Will I do another Whole 30? Absolutely. I think it's a great way to "reset," particularly after things like holidays or vacations where your choices may not be the most on track. For the month of November (pre Thanksgiving anyway), I wanted to try and challenge myself in a slightly different way and registered for the Unleashed Fitness 21-day Superhero Challenge, hosted by Emily Schromm (CrossFit badass of MTV's The Challenge fame). It's a slightly different approach where you score points for making positive choices vs. limiting your options. The challenge also comes with daily videos to help inspire you, keep you on track and give you some workout options you can preform at home with minimal equipment.
All in all, I'm so glad I choose to challenge myself to complete the Whole 30. There were certainly some bumps along the way, but the overall experience has been overwhelmingly positive. If you're thinking about trying your own Whole 30 or if you just like free stuff, enter to win a Whole 30 prize pack here.
Thank you all so much for following me through this experience and helping me hold myself accountable. :-)
Ohhhh I'm going to want to chat about Emily's challenge! I follow her on Twitter...it's crazy but I'm so intrigued!
ReplyDeleteYou should do it! I'm super excited and I love that it's a positive reinforcement challenge - not limiting what you can do, just rewarding good choices.
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