The Whole30 program is just the beginning of your journey into healthful living. Everyone who embarks on a new journey experiences a level of apprehension. Intentional planning will eliminate some of the distress. If you were to climb Mount Everest, there would be specific steps you would take to ensure a safe, well-planned adventure. Although I’ve never climbed Mount Everest, I have finished a triathlon and birthed children. Both of which are physical and emotional endeavors that required preparation, perseverance, and companionship. The Whole30 Challenge is easier than climbing Mount Everest, easier than finishing a triathlon, and easier than childbirth. To maximize your success for the next thirty days, you need to plan.
I did not plan enough for my first Whole30, and I found myself scrambling around the grocery store piecing together meals. In my haste to start the program, I neglected to consider what my family would eat at social events like church potlucks or family gatherings. Don’t make that same mistake. Take advantage of the Whole30 resources available.
For most of us committing to an eating program for thirty days that prohibits sugar, grains, preservatives, chemicals, dairy, alcohol, legumes for thirty days is like ascending the highest mountain in the world.
You can do this! Many climbers have stood at the base of Mount Everest or Kilimanjaro and stared at the peak wondering if they could complete the ascent. With perseverance, preparation, and companionship, they succeeded and so can you.
Get Started with the Whole30 Challenge 2017 by implementing the following steps (and it’s only 5 simple steps):
1. Schedule It, Declare It, Share It
I recommend that you start as close to the beginning of the month as possible. Our family, for example, won’t start our Whole30 until the 3rd of January because we are out of town. So make sure that your start date coincides with your schedule. At least for the first few weeks of the program, it is more convenient to maintain the program from your own kitchen.
Once you’ve established a start date, declare it! Post the start date and finish date on whatever method you use to organize your schedule. Then, go PUBLIC. Join the Whole30 social media groups, post it on your Facebook page, Instagram, or Twitter. This will initiate some comments and discussion from friends that will encourage you and generate some enthusiasm, maybe even some curiosity about your latest endeavor.
2. Educate Yourself
It is to your advantage to learn all that you can about the Whole30 because the general concepts are ones that you want to become a lifestyle. The Whole30: The 30-Day Guide to Total Health and Food Freedom by authors Melissa and Dallas Hartwig, founders of the Whole30 Program, explains the benefits and rules of the program.
Other optional but helpful books by Melissa and/or Dallas Hartwig
Visit the Whole30 website for additional information about the program.
3. Plan Your Meals-Be Prepared For All Situations
Meal planning is a great habit to establish anyway. When doing the Whole30, meal planning is crucial because cruising through the fast food lane is NOT an option. Also, inevitably you will confront a food roadblock along your journey. This is when meal planning becomes a make it or break it situation. If you are at a church potluck or work office party, make sure that you tote along your own food. It is fair to say that most events will not offer Whole30 compliant foods, which where you can set the food standard for others. There are free meal planning templates available on-line, and the Whole30 program offers a month of meals for a nominal fee.
4. Purge Your Frig and Pantry
Clear out any non-compliant foods so that you will never be tempted to turn back to your former ways of eating. Give away the processed foods (if your conscience allows), donate it, or my highest recommendation is to compost it so that you aren’t passing the processed foods on to anyone. Chances are the processed foods will NOT compost for some time, if at all, and these are the foods that once filled your belly, interesting thought.
5. Maintain a Food Journal
A food journal allows you to record meals/recipes, reflect on the ebb and flow of your emotional state throughout the program, and contemplate the possibilities of any food intolerance. Moleskin is a brand that creates a specific Wellness Journal.
If you want to go simple, then grab a basic journal and insert tabs for recipes, exercise, reflection, general health, and menu plan.
What reason(s) do you have for not committing to the Whole30? Do you see the importance of taking care of your body so that you can fulfill your God-given calling?
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