Background

Taking the whole 30 Challenge. Here's a little background info.

 What this is about:

Perseverance – June 2009 was the last time I trained for and completed a triathlon. Since then, a wedding, a house, and 2 kids happened and magically I don't have time to devote to that kind of training. I am lucky to get in a few 30 minute runs or a quick trip to the gym. Not to say that I won't ever train for something long-term again, but I just can't right now. 

However, I think it is vital that as human beings we challenge ourselves to replenish our bank of perseverance and self-discipline. Push ourselves beyond what we are capable of... sometimes for no good reason at all. Just because we can. If we can push ourselves "just because we can," then we build up a tolerance for those times we need to suck it up for a good reason.

Getting leaner and stronger - Hopefully more meat and veggies and less wine and cheese, will mean more muscles, more pushups, and less jiggle. 

Energy and Mood - A little more pep in the step never hurt anyone, right?

Experimentation – I want to get out of my comfort zone. Right now I have a handful of Paleo and clean eating meals. But to keep this up, I’m going to need to expand beyond salad and grilled chicken for lunch.

What this is NOT about:

Weight loss - I am satisfied with the numbers on the scale right now, so I won't be tracking my weight gain/loss too closely. On the flip side, if I came out on the other end of this 30 days looking like Gisele, you won’t hear me complaining.

Changing to a paleo, or carb-free, or gluten-free diet for good. I am a firm believer that any food, beverage, or food group can be OK in moderation. And life is food. So do not judge when you see me sipping a margarita at the end of May. Cutting those out completely, was never the point of this.

What I think will be doable:

Cooking and food prep - I plan for, shop, prepare, pack and present 90% of what all four members of my household family put in their faceholes for every meal of every day and about 60% of that is pretty clean eating. That part is not so new. Maybe that will help?

What I think will be hard:

The other 10% - I love our Friday nights out to eat, or grabbing subway on a night Greg is working.

No booze.

Screwing up - If you read the description of the Whole 30, they talk about not taking one teensy weensy little cheat the whole 30 days. My whole life is one teensy weensy cheat!! A little smidge of dark chocolate here, a few chips and queso there. All those little teensies add up, and I think they'll be hard to cut out.

Travel - I have a work trip coming up, and I know it will be hard to stick to my plan while on the go.