health

holy **** I finished whole30November!

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It’s over. I’m done. I did it. Now where the heck’s my medal?

Seriously, guys, I am so happy to be done but before I finally stop talking about #whole30November, I thought I’d share 3o THINGS ABOUT WHOLE30:

  1. I have willpower like a rock star… or a Hollywood actress who doesn’t eat anything. I never cheated once. Not even a lick from the Nutella spoon.
  2. My body runs on carbs. Some days I felt great but most days I felt really weak.
  3. Week one sucked, week two and three were pretty good but week four sucked more than week one.
  4. I ate +60 eggs.
  5. I am day drinking right now (not really).
  6. I did miss my weekend drinks but alcohol was definitely not the hardest things for me to give up… What was the hardest thing you ask? Sandwiches.
  7. The Whole30 made me antisocial. No one wants to hang out with the girl who eats raw nuts as a treat.
  8. The Whole30 made me shop online more. I think it’s called retail therapy.
  9. Do not attempt the Whole30 if you’re vegan or if you don’t eat fish. You may evaporate.
  10. Eating meat would have helped I bet.
  11. There were times I was secretly hoping I’d faint so I’d have a legit excuse to quit.
  12. News flash, sugar is in everything.
  13. I went from carb loading September to recovery October to Whole30 November… not a health plan I’ll endorse.
  14. I’d rather run a marathon any day than do this again plus, the finish line of a marathon is definitely more rewarding.
  15. BUT I think I talked as much about the Whole30 as I talk about marathon training. Sorry.
  16. My skin is drier and I broke out more.
  17. My hair, however, seems shinier (Sophie agrees).
  18. I was never bloated and never had indigestion.
  19. … But my system was not happy (do I need to explain?)
  20. It’s a lot of work. Planning, prepping, cooking. There is no easy way around it.
  21. What everyone really wants to know… I lost ~5 lbs. I wasn’t setting out to lose weight. If I was, I would not have eaten so many figs.
  22. Having a support team helped.
  23. My mother-in-law cooked for me one night, it was a definite highlight.
  24. There are a few things about the Whole30 I disagree with (if all of the ingredients are compliant, I ate it).
  25. I am slightly curious to try variations of the Whole30… like monthly eliminations of specific foods to see how my body reacts. I think eliminating everything at once doesn’t tell you much.
  26. … But don’t worry, I won’t be doing that anytime soon.
  27. I apologize for whatever I said this month.
  28. Busy Philips did, and so did I.
  29. It’s a check off my forty before forty list!
  30. I will likely not do it again!

In summary, #whole30November was not life-changing. Am I better for doing it? Meh. I will say that I’m happy it’s done but I am most happy with learning that I had the willpower to get through hard things. I am pretty good at setting personal challenges but I’m also pretty good at eating what I want when I want so this was a bit of an eye-opener. My friend once said I run so I can eat what I want which is how I often feel so this was a great introduction to adding a better diet to good fitness. I’ve been told it’s all about balance.

Good luck if you dare to try – I have the cookbook if you want to borrow it!

THIS HAS BEEN SITTING IN MY DESK FOR 30 DAYS!

Week 1 / Week 2 / Week 3

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week 1. done.

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It’s day 8 of #whole30november. One week done!

F**k yes! 

Oh wait, I have 3 more weeks to go…

Here are 10 things I learned so far:

  1. Obviously, I miss sugar and the mountain of Halloween candy in the kitchen is very tempting but what I miss most is convenience. Everything I eat is an effort. Prep, prep, prep.
  2. And almost everything tastes bland, watery… unexciting.
  3. I feel like it’d be more enjoyable if I ate meat. I suck at cooking fish.
  4. According to the Whole30 website, Paleo baking is “like having sex with your pants on” WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?!? It means it’s cheating.
  5. Dates + eggs  🙌
  6. My body feels the same. Not better. Not less bloated. I can’t say if I lost weight (because I don’t own a scale).
  7. My mental state is worse but I also blame November and the time change for this.
  8. Cauliflower rice and homemade mayo are gross. Spiralizing a sweet potato is hard. And despite what the website says, I am going to drink (and survive on) kale smoothies.
  9. I have a good support team. Sophie and Theresa are way more optimistic.
  10. I was able to go to the movie theatre without popcorn and a group breakfast without a breakfast sandwich.

Although it’s yet to be amazing, there are some good things I’ve already gained from this experience like, I am now excited to snack on clementines and veggies. La Croix fills the wine void, my spiralizer and blender are back in the rotation and I am stronger than I imagined at avoiding temptation. I am also stronger in the arms thanks to the spiralizer.

One final thought… I think this Whole30 thing is a bit of a hoax but I am not quitting yet.

Onward.

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challenge accepted

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Oh, it’s on y’all. New challenge: #100plankstreakplankMy friend Sabrina suggested this after writing about the (not-so) conclusion to my 100 day running challenge. Try to hold plank for three solid minutes… Play around and move through different positions all, while holding yourself up the whole time.

You can do this on the road, in a plane, in a field, before or after a workout but no need for gym clothes – you can plank wearing anything. Heck, go to a barre class and you will be planking with friends! All you need is a stopwatch and 3 minutes. Who’s in?

Let me know if you are accepting the challenge and keep us posted on your progress. Sabrina and I are on day 5 but today can be day 1 for you!

psst. I like to hold front for a minute, then 30 seconds on each side and bring it home with a little downward dog-pushup-planking.
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meanwhile, elsewhere

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Friday’s online finds: Inspirational, educational or just silly. Here is what I found this week…

meanwhile-1 meanwhile-2 meanwhile-3 meanwhile-5 meanwhile-4 meanwhile-6

It’s the freakin’ weekend baby. I’m about to have me some fun! I hope the same for you.

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You say you want a resolution

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I hope everyone is feeling good this morning. Happy New Year. Happy 2015!

2014 was great awesome but it’s now 2015 and despite it being an uneven number, I am optimistic… True to form, why not start the year with some resolutions because that’s what we do, right?

First, lets review how I did in 2014. The full post is here, but I’ll recap…

  • Don’t say JUST. (Yes, I worked on this and even corrected other when they did it to themselves because everyone loves a know it all)
  • Exercise. (Yes, I still go to Cyclone twice a week and run almost daily. I did a few half marathons, joined a Cabot Trail Relay team, won a women’s 10km race and finished a marathon)
  • Keep busy. (For the most part, yes. 2014 was the most challenging freelance year, and I am still struggling, but I kept up with blogging despite what often feels like lack of interest/readership)
  • Eat good, cook good. (see 2015)
  • See friends. (Better, but not great… We are trying to host more, I started a book club and have barre class date nights)
  • Dates with David/Mike. (Yes)
  • Embrace winter (Yes, we skated at the Oval and I bought skis! Now, if only we can get some snow I can actually ski!!!)
  • Travel. We must visit our family in England so I am adding this to my list of resolutions. (England, YES! Belgium, YES! New England, YES! Montreal, YES!)
  • Drink more water. (Yes, see)
  • Touch base. Friends, family. Pizza Fridays should start up for real this time. (see 2015)

I also had a bonus… about giving stuff up. I choose FAST FOOD RESTAURANTS. Hum? I dropped the ball on this one. I thought I gave up potato chips, which for the most part I avoided, but I do not recall writing this. I don’t eat much fast food but I know I discovered the A&W veggie burger in 2014. I also went to Quiznos. Probably Harvey’s… and ordered the veg sandwich from Salvatore’s A LOT! My bad.

*  *  *

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So what do I want for 2015? I came up with an idea at the eleventh hour. Rather than eliminate something and/or commit to something for a full year (because that is a long time), why not eliminate and add something each month. For example, this is what I came up with quickly:

January: Eliminate: French fries. Commit: 3 minutes of plank daily.
February: Eliminate: Chocolate. Commit: Send 3 letters a week.

I think this could be fun plus my 10-UP Resolution List for 2015 is:

  1. Exercise: Train for another half or full marathon?? Try new classes??
  2. Join a group: Right now I am thinking of joining Centre for Women in Business. Anyone want to join with me?
  3. Cook more / experiment more. We are in a food rut so I got this book for Mike. I am also going to get back into writing out a meal planning calendar. It works for us when we actually stick to it.
  4. Pizza nights will start! Details to come.
  5. Keep up with the blogging. Or quit blogging. Figure out if this is all worth it.
  6. Travel. Family fun in the sun. Maybe a ski trip?
  7. Swim. Haha I say this but am already doubtful.
  8. Cut back on online shopping / impulsive spending. Paypal is not always a pal.
  9. Read more decent stuff, less facebooking and way less iPhoning.
  10. Have a plan… make plans. Stay on top of things, stay on top of seeing friends. Go places. Always have a training plan. If they don’t call you. Call them. If they don’t make plans, make them yourself!

So that’s it. I wish you all a happy and healthy new year. May 2015 be full of fun and great adventures. Thanks for reading along and if I do decide to keep this going, thanks for your support.

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Photo taken with my Nikon in Pugwash, summer 2014.

psst. If you like what you’re reading, please subscribe and share. xomeg