Why Attempt a Whole30?

My reasons –

I’ve thought a lot about this, mostly because I don’t want to just be a follower, going along with a silly diet fad that we’ll all laugh about 20 years from now. And also because if I’m going to do something that takes actual effort, there had better be a good reason for it. Yes, I’m that lazy at heart. And my mind has this insatiable need to understand the why in anything and everything, which pretty much explains why I am a research fanatic.

The thing is, I have suffered from chronic pain and chronic fatigue for years, in addition to a myriad of other bothersome health issues. Right now, as I’m typing this, my ears are ringing (they are almost always ringing these days, it’s so annoying) and stuffy feeling, and I keep stopping to rub and stretch my hands because my fingers feel frustratingly stiff and achy.

I’ve been checked for arthritis, Lyme disease, Lupus, and I can’t even remember what else due to the foggy thinking (a frequent unwelcome guest in my head) and the fact that it’s been a few years since the last time I went to a doctor complaining of years of pain.

I’ve read, and read, and read some more, and I have some working theories to explore, but one thing I do know is this –

When I eat better, I feel better.

And when my diet goes downhill, so does my health and overall well-being…

I know this, and yet I keep falling off the healthy living & whole foods eating bandwagon.

Why is it so hard to make good choices? (Read that line in your best whiny voice because that’s the way I typed it. Can you feel my pitiful desperation?)

Okay, I know a few of the reasons –

Convenience – life is busy and prepackaged food is easy. Enough said.
The budget – toaster waffles and pot pies are about a million times cheaper than salmon or the avocados it takes to make a delicious big batch of guacamole.
Everyone around me is eating pizza and ice cream like there’s no tomorrow (and they don’t even have the decency to wake up with a migraine and painful stiff joints just to show some support and sympathy for people like me…)
Weakness – basic human weakness. The good choices muscles need to get used more to get stronger.

At any rate, I’m sick and tired of feeling sick and tired.

It’s time to Spring Clean My Health, and I’m starting with a Whole30.

Back to the why-

My biggest issues are chronic muscle and joint pain, chronic sinus junk & allergy issues, trouble sleeping, frequent headaches including severe incapacitating migraines that include repeated vomiting (it’s not pretty), and extreme difficulty with attention and focus some days that causes me to just want to “veg out’ and watch some Netflix, which puts a serious damper on my productivity, which makes me feel guilty and frustrated with myself, which sends me in a downward spiral where I just want to eat potato chips and dip and watch some more Netflix. It’s a vicious cycle, and seriously, I don’t have time for that. I’m guessing you don’t either.

I’ve tried to live a relatively healthy lifestyle for as long as I can remember. I grew up with wheat bread and whole wheat spaghetti noodles. We always had a big garden (in the suburbs) and canned our own tomatoes & pickles (a tradition I’ve failed woefully to carry on, though my parents still do it!), and we enjoyed fresh salad greens during our short Minnesota growing season.

I still love salads with sprouts and broccoli has always been my favorite vegetable.

I don’t use chemically scented products (and urge you to quit using them too!)

I try to get at least a little bit of regular exercise each week (though I really slacked off this past winter…)

I rarely eat candy and avoid artificial food coloring like the poison that it is.

I very rarely eat cakes or cookies or frozen goodies like ice cream.

But I do love my bagels and cream cheese.

And my creamy coffee is my best friend. Really.

And I just don’t feel good on most any given day, so I know there is more work to be done.

I’ve done a Whole30 before, and I did feel better by the end. I know that a sugar detox will help. It may not be the answer to life, the universe, and EVERYTHING, but it will help. I am certain.

I need to do this.

I blog about motherhood and life with kids, so why am I writing about diet and exercise on my “mommy blog”?

Because the way I feel affects my children. It affects my parenting. It affects the very essence of my motherhood.

When I am fatigued and achy, I really don’t want to jump up and head outside to play, no matter how amazing our super bubble wands are.

When my head hurts, I don’t have the patience to lovingly deal with a cranky toddler or a whiny preschooler crying because she can’t find her pirate princess. (That is a serious issue around here.)

And my migraines? I simply cannot function when I have them. I need to call in reinforcements. I spend the day in bed in a dark room with ice packs on the back of my neck, sitting up to vomit every so often. I’m thankful that they don’t happen on a weekly basis anymore, but even once every couple months is just too much when they get that bad.

And so I keep pressing on. I keep researching and looking for things that I can do, that I can actually do, to keep babystepping my way to better health and well-being.

Okay, hear me on this – I do value myself and I do want to feel better for me, so I am not dismissing that in any way, but I think of my children, and I think of all of the times that I have not been my best because of chronic pain and fatigue, and while I don’t want to get bogged down in guilt (none of us can change one single thing about the past), I do want to spur myself on, motivated to be the best mom I can be, for them.

And so as much as I am doing this for myself, I am also doing it for them.

They’re my main peeps, and I want to build a legacy of great memories that outnumber the not-so-great ones.

And I want that for you too!

image credit ellevalentine on flickr

The Spring Clean Your Health Challenge

Like I said in my last post, it doesn’t have to be a Whole30. Maybe for you it’s just giving up soda, long term. Maybe for you it’s starting to get out for a walk twice a week.

Whatever it is for you, I’m inviting you to Spring Clean Your Health with me!

Let’s support each other this spring! Shorts season, and dare-I-say-it, swimsuit season, will be here before we know it, so if you have a couple pounds to lose (let’s keep our goals reasonable and achievable!) or some legs & abs to start toning up, now is the time to get going!

Of course you can start at any time, but I’m going to be easing into my plan over this week and the next , and then, starting on the first day of spring, which falls on Sunday, March 20th this year, I’ll be posting as often as I can get to it in my little Facebook group (that I’d love for you to join, let’s encourage each other!), sharing on my blog’s Facebook page, and on Twitter and Instagram as much as I can handle before social media overload kicks in.