The Whole 30 Program

The Whole 30 Program

What is the Whole 30?

This will explain it better than me: http://whole30.com/

This website has great information, printables, recipes, and answers to any and all questions.  Their book It Starts with Food is also great and I feel it’s necessary to get the most out of the program.

Simply put, it is a way of eating for 30 days (no diet talk here). Eat solely some fruits, tons of vegetables, and protein.  No sugar, grains, alcohol, artificial sweeteners, legumes, or fake food on the plan.  For 30 days.  Lots and lots of healthy fats are pushed in this program.  After the 30 days, you slowly introduce grains, dairy, etc to see where your triggers are emotionally and physically.  The goal is to retrain your body to use protein and fat for fuel rather than carbs. 

Why we wanted to do it.

I heard about this on Instagram from a friend who was reading the book.  I started researching it, checked out the book from our library (couldn’t finish in the 2 weeks, so I had so I bought the book!) and talked to my husband about what this kind of change could do for us.  We already eat pretty well, but could use a tune up in a lot of areas.  My husband has issues eating grains and dairy already so we don’t have much of them in our diets.  We also follow an eating plan from our chiropractor which incorporates most of these concepts.  Find out more here: http://www.maximizedliving.com/.

We figured it would be a good idea to try and see if we couldn’t feel better, fix our afternoon food and caffeine crash, and cut out grains in general.

Resources I used to prepare

I read a lot of forums, blog posts, Pinterest recipes for the plan, and a few books.  This is what I recommend and am using during the program:

Grain Brain by Dr. David Perlmutter - http://www.drperlmutter.com/about/grain-brain-by-david-perlmutter/

            This book opened my eyes to the effects grains have on our bodies, and specifically, our brains.  Several studies cited in this book link grain and sugar consumption with Alzheimer’s disease, ADHD, and dementia.  Sugar causes inflammation and this inflammation goes to the brain causing problems.  Great, great read.

Everyday Paleo by Sarah Fragoso - http://everydaypaleo.com/books/

            This has been my go-to cookbook for The Whole 30.  It is Paleo based which refers to eating as the Paleolithic era ate.  There are only a few tweaks needed to make this 100% Whole 30 friendly.  She offers great recipes for kids too and a cross fit workout you can do on your own.  Plus, the Whole 30 book endorses her book in theirs!

What I did to prepare for the program?

If I’m being honest, the book suggests starting the program right now.  Right this second.  Go throw out your bad food right now!  Okay, I wanted to fully prepare for it, so we picked a day (after a good friend’s wedding weekend b/c we knew we’d want alcohol) and got ready for that day. 

I ate a lot of junk.  Mostly to clear it out, but mostly b/c I had to say bye bye to it for 30 days.  I ate the donuts in the teacher’s lounge.  We got more ice cream throughout the week.  I got my free Chick Fil A meal for Teacher’s Appreciation Week…and didn’t feel bad about it.  So whether or not that’s good or bad, I did it.  I didn’t go crazy.  I just ate what was available if I was hungry. 

I also food prepped.  I researched which stores at the best deals on food, stocked up on chicken, beef, and fish. I grated cauliflower (used as rice replacement) and froze it and grated zucchini for pasta dishes.

Oh yeah…these happened. 

My goals

Overall, I don’t expect to never eat French fries again or never drink alcohol.  Not realistic.  But here’s a few things I am shooting for:

1.       Not rely on carbs so much.  I didn’t realize how much I was eating in the late afternoon.  Stop the grazing!

2.      Shake the afternoon crash feeling when I reach for caffeine and crackers, cookies and sweets.

3.      Get my hormones in check like cortisol which can surge if you drink too much coffee and cause the body to store more belly fat. 

4.      Not need sweets after my dinner meal.

5.      Stop eating after 7 pm.

6.      Get better sleep.

7.      Complete the 30 days!  - I turn 30 this year so what better way to feel better and help my body than with the “30” challenge!

My challenge to you….

I realize this would be very hard for most people.  We are at an advantage b/c we incorporate a lot of these principles already.  But here’s what I wish would change…

This is my grocery cart at Wal-mart.  Hormone free, grass-fed chicken, fish, fresh veggies, eggs, and unsweetened applesauce.  This cost me $85.  That’s a lot of money for not much food.  But what you get from real, authentic food could save your life. 

This was the cart in front of me.  Sickness right there on a conveyer belt.  Prepackaged food, condiments, soda, frozen dinners.  You name it.  And it cost him $384, and the government helped pay for it.  The system is broken.  I don’t blame him or his family.  He’s probably doing the best he knows how to do with what little he may have.  But, that’s why those of us who can and are able should seek to educate and inform.  Hear me…not condemn.  It starts at the top.  I know how I would eat if I didn’t have the right people in my life to teach and encourage me.  Coming from someone who lost a parent to an incurable sickness, something has to give.

I’m more and more convinced through reading and research that our sicknesses, ailments, inflammations are all largely related to our diets.  So, our family chooses to pay into preventative health care over doctor visits, bad food, take-out, etc.  Before you think I’m acting all high and mighty, we do drink alcohol, we do eat fried food (occasionally) and we eat bread (sometimes).  We don’t claim to be perfect, but we are paying more for sick people these days and I feel the foods we/they eat are keeping them sick.  We can change this with little small changes.  I want the best for my son and his future and that starts with food…ha, see what I did there?!

Follow my blog for updates week to week as we do The Whole 30!

A post for mom

I’ve been thinking a lot of about my mom recently, mostly because I am now a mom myself.  I find myself looking at Liam and thinking, “there’s no way he’s leaving the house as a teenager or he better have respect for women.”  All these thoughts lead me back to what my parents did for us and how they raised us.  It’s weird what memories stay with you from childhood and the imprint they leave on you.  My childhood memories mostly involve being beat up by my brothers and spending time with my mom. It’s not my mom’s birthday and it’s certainly not Mother’s Day yet, but this has been on my heart to share with her.  So, mom, this post is for you…..

She spent time with me.  We stirred the cookie batter before we made cookies.  We went grocery shopping at Aldi on Saturdays and ate our bologna sandwiches in the car before we made the rounds (this memory made me believe we were poor because rich kids got to eat fast food on shopping trips.  Little did I know she was just being a wise spender =) She let me hold the center of the bows while we wrapped Christmas presents so she could tie it. 

She disciplined me.  She told me no…..often. I was very rarely in a “big trouble”, but I can recall the times of, “Kelli, you’re being very rude.”  Hello, wake up call.  She let me whine, listened, and then told me I was whining. 

She was/is my biggest fan.  She never missed a volleyball game, even when I sat the bench because she was showing me that supporting my team was more important.  She taught me that you won’t always be on the floor, but that is no excuse for a bad attitude or lack of effort. She traveled over 3 hours to watch me coach more than once.  She wore my sports button (if you were in grade school in the 90’s, you know what I’m talking about!)  

She loves Jesus.  I’d sneak downstairs on a Sunday morning and see her prepping for Sunday school pouring over her Bible.  She highlighted it up and down and her worn pages showed me a woman who yearned for a deeper relationship with God. 

She is always positive.  She offers a different perspective when I’m naturally negative.  She asks the hard questions and pushes me to be better.  She doesn’t let me settle for less than my best.

She is generous.  She fills our cars with gas, stuffs $20 bills in our pockets and sends us with food and our favorite drinks for our homes.  She sends me home with diapers and formula, and will mail me coupons and notes of encouragement.  She let me try any and all of her food at restaurants (and still does).  She comes to every one of my races, takes care of my son, and sleeps on my couch countless times without complaining.  She is the definition of selflessness.    

She is real.  I complained to her during dad’s final days, when she was about to lose her husband, that it was making me mad how non Christians never have to go through pain like this (or so it seemed)  and she very frankly responded, “Yeah, maybe they don’t.  But I feel really bad for those people because they don’t have Jesus and we do.” What?!  The strength of this woman is something I can only pray I got a piece of in my DNA.  She taught me that it’s how you respond to the things that happen in your life that make you who you are. 

She is the best grandmother I know.  She loves and treats each of her grandkids as individuals.  She plays games with them, lets them share her bed, reads them stories, will drive hours to watch them play sports, feeds them, changes dirty diapers (with enthusiasm mind you) and loves spending time with them.

Heck, she is the best mom I know.  These are MY memories but I know my brothers have similar stories to share about her.  She was never my friend, but a mom.  A mom who knew that she was the adult, she would make mistakes, but she was doing the best for her kids.  She tried every day.  Now, as I’m a grown adult, I see how she is the very best friend a person could wish for.  She is supportive, never talked bad about me, is always honest, laughs with me, and wants to talk to me and know how I’m feeling. 

So here is to my mom who rides the shopping cart through the parking lot, cries when she laughs too hard, always has a box of wine in her fridge, keeps tissues stuffed in every hoodie, has a bunker of expired food in her basement, and has Certs in her purse that taste like the tissues they were next too. 

I love you Mom.  You are the inspiration for everything good I want to be. 

Apologizing to my son

For some reason, this past weekend going into Monday, my son was "not himself".  I know he's 9 months old and every day is different with him, but something was noticeably off.  He is sleeping well, although waking up with goop in his eyes (been clear since Tuesday so cross fingers there) and napping fine too.  But eating...oh the eating.  He will take solids ok (we're still into purees) but the bottle was a nightmare.  He usually eats 5 bottles (6 oz) a piece a day.  By 3 pm, he usually is eating his 3 bottle or napping and will stock up with 2 bottles in a 3 hours before bed. 

I don't know if it was his stopped up nose bothering him or slight cold, but he would act hungry (open mouth, be cranky), insert bottle, then immediately turn away disgusted.  This would go on for about an hour until that bottle was finished or we could at least 4 oz in him.  Same bottles, same formula, same temp.  Tried new of all of those and no difference.  Obviously, something was bothering him.  So, obviously, it all started to bother me.  I like to think of myself as the one who can keep it all together, although I rarely do.  Nathan was quickly losing patience and rightfully so, but I would continually offer to try to feed him b/c after all, I'm the mom and should be able to handle it with ease.  At one point Saturday night, he just started randomly screaming and was inconsolable.  And wouldn't eat.  Nathan kept trying to give him his last bottle and he just wouldn't have it, but we knew he was hungry.  Plus for us, we don't want any middle of the night feedings.  So there I was, holding Liam as he writhed with anger, taking two sips than spitting it out.  I finally got him to drink it after holding him up in the middle of the air, higher than my lap and saying "shssh, shssh, shssh," over and over again for 25 min.  I felt accomplished, but exhausted.

Cue Sunday.  Same story with bottle feeding.  I went to feed him at lunch and got angry.  Very angry.  I even said to him, "Liam, I'm not doing this again."  I even started crying in one of those mommy moments.  Thinking, I can't do this.  I was so angry with my son.  I stopped and prayed for patience, thinking it wouldn't come.  Liam finally took the bottle and fell asleep in my arms.  Finally, the calm.  As I laid him down to nap, with his head rested on my shoulder, I told him I was sorry.  I was so sorry I turned quickly to frustration and anger with the just the slightest hiccup.  I asked my sleeping 9 month old for forgiveness and had a foreshadowing moment of the times when he does understand the things I do wrong and mess up.  It won't be the last time I ask for forgiveness from him, although I wish I was better at being a parent, I am still learning.  I will always be learning and I will always sin.  I pray as he grows, he learns what it means to mess up and how to ask Jesus into his heart to cover that sin.  I pray he always forgives and offers grace where he can. 

Friends, don't ever be too proud to ask your kids for forgiveness, no matter their age.  And always hug them and read them a book =)

10 Free Ways to work out

10 Free Ways to Workout

When I came up with this title, I didn’t have “10 free ways”.  I just thought it sounded good.  But then, slowly and surely, things started coming to me.  So here is my list of ways to stay fit, without costing you a dime (well, for the most part)…

#1 – Get a free app and use it! – I have several apps I rotate through when I hit a workout roadblock or I don’t have time to think, just 15 min to get a move on.  I’m sure there are thousands, but a few I’ve used and really like are:

Map My Run – GPS routes you as you run or bike or walk and gives you updates on mileage, pace, etc.  Fairly accurate and good with routing trails as well.  FREE (ok, you have to buy an iPhone or Android, but most people have those these days)

Sworkit – In this app, you choose between a strength workout or yoga, cardio and more workout.  You then pick a particular area like lower body or cardio – full intensity or full body stretching.  Next, you put in a time from 5 – 60 minutes.  I’ve done mostly 15-20 minute ones and they build in breaks every 30 seconds.  The moves last 30 seconds each which is fairly effective, if you’re pushing it.  You can also customize your workout with your favorite upper, lower body, abs or cardio stuff.  They don’t “every single cardio move” possible but they have a lot.  I did the strength upper body for 15 minutes one day and it was basically the most killer push up varieties.  My arms were shaking afterwards…all for free.

Pocket WOD – Ok, so I haven’t actually used this app yet but it is basically Cross Fit workouts of the day.  I’m in sort of a love/hate with Cross Fit mostly b/c I need a spot for some of the lifts they tell you to do and I workout alone so I must modify almost everything.  But I do get their workouts online from time to time.  But there’s this app also.  Free.

#2 – Workout while watching TV – This is one I’m sure you think is stupid or “doesn’t count” or do much, but any little bit helps if you are serious about making a change.  Try this: every time there is a commercial break, alternate between pushups, jumping jacks, squats and crunches until the commercial ends.  You’re covering upper body, cardio, lower body, and abs in 2-3 minutes.  Free (ok, buy a TV)

#3 – Deck of Cards Fitness – this is one I do with our high school kids.  They don’t care for it, but then again, they don’t care for much exercise.  Get a deck of cards.  Assign a move to black or red cards and/or suites.  Shuffle the deck and when you pull a certain number, perform that exercise that number of times.  Face cards are 10 and Aces are 11 (or 20, heck, push yourself).  Example: clubs are burpees, diamonds are pushups, spades are squat jacks, and hearts are bicycle crunches.  If you pull a 5 club, do 5 burpees; Jack of hearts, 10 crunches and so forth.  Finish the entire deck.  First, go to Vegas and get a free deck from a Casino.  There, no you’ve taken a trip and gotten a fitness activity for free.

#4 – Workout with the kids – There’s a website for Cross Fit kids (of which I want to become certified and that’s $1k…not free people).  But they offer WOD’s for kids and they are awesome and perfect way to get the whole family involved in fitness.  And they are fun!  I just got on and this was their workout for various age groups:
Warm-Up/Skill – Varsity, Junior Varsity and Novice:
3x or 5:00
Handstand walk or bear crawl => 3 cartwheels => 10 squats => 10 lunge steps => speed ladder => basic dot drill x 10
Elementary:
3x or 5:00
Bear crawl => 2 cartwheels => 5 squats => 5 lunge steps => speed ladder => hopscotch board pass
Preschool:
3x or 5:00
Bear crawl => 3 logrolls => 5 squats => 5 lunge steps => speed ladder => 5-meter bunny hop

**Of course, if you don’t have a gymnasium in your house, you will have to modify a bunch.  But get the kids involved.  Come up with a funny song to sing while you do it.  If you have no kids, do this!  You may enjoy fitness!  Or if you have an infant, do pushups as they lie on the ground and give them kisses as you go to 90 degrees.  I used to squat and do lunges with Liam around the house when he was 3 months old.  I should probably do that more often now that he’s 20lbs!

#5 – Shoot, I’m only on 5….okay, get on Pinterest people!  There are sooooo many workouts on there.  Type in whatever you’re looking for and it will surely pop up.  Pick one where you are familiar with the moves, but nothing is worse than performing a move incorrectly and go for it.  They have great 15-20 minute workouts when you’re in a time crunch. 

#6 – Check out DVDS for free at the local library – Okay, this one is assuming you have a library card wherever you are and have a legit library.  Our library is pretty good and they have an online system where I can request in workout dvds.  They don’t have everything, but I was able to check out a Jillian Michaels DVD and try it at home before purchasing it and figured out it wasn’t for me so you may actually save on this one haha.

#7 – Hit up those free offers – most gyms (even in small towns) will offer you a trial period to try them out.  I’ve done it in my area at a few gyms and even at a personal trainer’s office. He offered a bootcamp and I went for free a few times b/c he wanted the business and then I became an instructor!  Maybe you just need a few weeks to use a treadmill during a dreadful winter blast, find a gym and use them.  For free though….don’t get roped in! 

#8 – You Tube – Okay, so I don’t actually use this that much.  But they have trainer tips, dance videos, etc.  And it’s free so if 1-7 don’t work for you, try it!

#9 – Find a park/playground – I know it’s winter, but this is free so it counts!  Parks and playgrounds have perfect facilities to create your own gym studio.  Walk the trails, do sprints, pushups on benches, do the monkey bars!  Do tuck-ins with the swing, lunges off the slide, jumps onto a bench, pull-ups on the monkey bars.  The possibilities are endless!

#10 – This one does cost money…I lied, but I got you to 10 if you’re reading this….Put on your shoes and go outside!  Enjoy a fresh snow, the leaves changing, the summer heat, the spring flowers.  Experience what God gave us to enjoy and get that heart pumping.  Do a 10 second sprint if you’re a beginner or 2-3 min for advanced.  Pay attention to the sounds you hear, the colors you see, or the sound of your feet crunching the pavement.  Listen to yourself breath in and out.  God gave us nature to enjoy it and our body is a temple.  Treat it right and let it enjoy the world!  So go buy tennis shoes if you don’t have any (there’s the cost here) and enjoy nature.  I’ve run in below freezing temps, along a curvy road in Hawaii, on the edge of Manhattan looking onto New Jersey, in pouring rain, in sweltering heat, and in snow.  Just go outside and enjoy!

Happy Fitness all!

 

**Disclaimer** - I wrote this in December and never posted it.  Today is perfect (cough, cough) day to go outside and shovel snow or build a snowman right?!  Ha ha, but it is free!