Fitness Friday

I'm finally getting back into the swing of things after a week-long 'hiatus' of sorts. Last Wednesday I somehow re-aggravated my neck injury (it seems to re-appear every March anyway), and that was FRUSTRATING! I spent several days feeling sorry for myself and beating myself up, along the lines of, "What did I do wrong?", "Why is this happpening to me?". Then I got over it. Although I did sort of whine like a baby, I am proud of three things during this week:

• I did not turn to emotional eating to comfort myself, & constitently logged my calories & exercise
• I continued to work out, even if it was just walking/slower running vs. my usual StrongLifts routine
• I took the injury seriously- I iced my neck/back almost every day, as well as spent time in the hot tub

These are three things I would have had a hard time doing 6 months or a year ago, and it feels great to know that my habits have changed for the better.

I also had a realization, which I shared on Twitter this week:

Kinda goofy, I know! But after taking a 5 day break from pushing it hard at my workouts like I usually do, I couldn't resist- on Sunday, I ran at an all-out pace for 6 miles. It felt AWESOME! I didn't realize how much I has missed running, and pushing myself that hard, but boy did I! Realizing that was probably my high of the week!

What was your high of the week?

Day 15- Whole30 reflections at my Halfway Mark

I have been a bit of a Whole30 rollercoaster for the past several days. I had a few days (Days 11 & 12) where I was angry at the Whole30 program, and myself. I asked myself "Why did I decide to do this stupid Whole30 thing anyway!?" . Whole30 is tough in that way- it's an intense change from the Standard American Diet, even for those of us who were already eating a lot more healthily. Since it's a self-imposed diet & lifestyle change for me, at times it can feel ridiculous.

Om nom nom. Bacon!! and a Carrot-orange-ginger Juice

I quickly found out that I was also starting my period on Day 11, which that explains the over-emotional reaction as well as the 3 minute mini-breakdown I had where I whined to my hubs, "Whyyy-ah? Why can't I just have some breaad-ah?". He reminded me that I'm doing a really great job, and that I would be upset with myself if I "cheated" now. Thanks, man! :)

Other than that little break in confidence, and the occasional nightmare in which I consume non-Whole30 compliant foods and wake up thinking that I really ate those things, I have been feeling really great. I mean REALLY GREAT! You feel great when you regularly eat bacon for breakfast, I've found ;)

It's hard to describe the changes and improvements I've been seeing, because I think the main change that I see is the absence of certain symptoms of the foods I'm not currently eating; of stomach issues, irritation, or inflammation. The important thing to note about this change is that I do not have any (known) allergies, but despite that, I have definitely noticed these Things I am no longer feeling in my body: (These are not particularly gross but TMI warning if you can't handle normal human body functions):

• No more uncomfortably full feeling I would get at least 4-5 times a week after a meal
• No more need to run to the bathroom after eating cheese or dairy products
• No more inflated-stomach feeling I get when I eat most grains (esp. gluten)
• No more 3-4pm energy crash 

Other positive effects I am noticing:

Awesome Salad- Roasted Beets, Butternut Squash and Kale!

• More steady energy throughout the day
• More recognition of sugar cravings AS sugar cravings when they happen, and being able to re-direct them (sometimes!)
• Little-to-no bloating/water retention while on my period. Usually my weigh goes up by 1-3lbs while on my period, so I just stopped weighing myself for that week. I happened to weigh myself today, and I am down 1lb from my weight as of 2 days ago. That's the opposite of a typical period week for me!
• Feeling that my body is able to actually utilize the calories I am feeding it, rather than just storing them

It's Day 15 of the Whole30 Program, and I am feeling glad that I committed to this challenge. 
Here are my goals for my next 15 days of my first Whole30 program:

1. Continue to reduce my sugar intake, even though it's all from fruit
2. Make 2 new crockpot recipes per week 
3. Find two new breakfast options that are still "breakfast-y"
4. Cook something with turkey (roasted turkey, turkey burger, etc)

Thanks for reading! If you've done Whole30 before, please comment on this post and share your thoughts! If you're interested in knowing more about my Whole30 experience, send me a message!

Whole30 Recap- 1st Week done!

Week 1 is done- I'm into Whole30 Day 8! That means I've had no breads or grains, milk, cheese or dairy products, added sugar or sweeteners for 7 days! It also means I've had LOTS more: vegetables, sustainable meats, fruits in moderation, and nuts and seeds. 

Overall, I am feeling really great. My skin is clearer, I feel like I am more focused at work and at home, and I have not struggled as much as I thought I would with the eliminated items like chocolate and bread. Not saying that I wouldn't like to chomp a whole bowl of noodles right now- I totally would. BUT I'm not going to chomp a bowl of noodles, and I'm ok with that.

I am continuing to weigh myself every few days, because I was already 4 months into this healthy eating & workout plan before I started Whole30. I don't want to start eating a ton of "healthy fats" and get off track. My goal with Whole30 is to eliminate the need for all these unneeded items in my diet, but I seem to be loosing some more weight as a side effect, which is great!

The best part about Whole30 so far is the eating habits that I see changing in myself. A quick example- I keep thinking "What will I eat for dinner? I've already eaten meat, vegetables, and fruits.." and then I laugh and remember that those are the healthy building blocks of a diet and that I can just eat more of them! Another example- I've made guacamole a few times, and for a second I panic and think, "Oh no! I can't can't tortilla chips- what will I scoop this with?". Again, my brain kicks in, and I remember- oh yes, the innumerable number of vegetables that would go well with guac, like red pepper slices, carrot sticks, celery, etc.

The Whole30 has definitely necessitated a bigger change in my eating habits than I thought I would be- here I was thinking I was eating SO healthy before. I was eating pretty well, but there is always room for improvement, and my body is thanking me for it! 

Having some Whole30 buddies has been really helpful. If you're out there in the middle of a Whole30, considering one, or looking for more Whole30 support and info, make sure to check out these lovely ladies:

Fit & Awesome
Wine to Weightlifting
Holly Would if She Could
Listen. Learn. Love. Mend

Thanks for your virtual support during this awesome challenge! If you are Whole30-ing it up right now, keep trucking! If you're thinking about it, feel free to contact me with questions.