Define Your Challenge

I've been thinking quite a bit about the Whole Foods Challenge which begins on September 1st. I have been doing this thinking while consuming a lot of cake. Way too much cake. I have also been foisting my baked goods upon my bootcamp students which is very, very wrong of me. I hope I am getting this sugar-eating thing out of my system. For my sake, as well as my poor students.

When the seasons change, it is a natural time to make other changes in your life, such as your eating habits, your schedule, your patterns. Traditionally, according to the tenets of Yoga, this is a great time for cleansing. Eating more whole foods fits perfectly into this scenario. It is a gentle and easy way to begin to clean out your cupboards, your digestive system, your life.

As I have said from the start, how you define your personal challenge is completely up to you. Baby steps are perfectly fine! Even adding just one piece of whole fruit or one vegetable to your day is better than nothing! Maybe cutting out one fast food meal per week? Maybe bringing your lunch to work just one day per week? If you start with something very easy to do, there is a good chance you will keep it up. And possibly even make this a permanent change in your life. So take a small step if that is what calls to you.

For others, you might already be cooking all your meals from scratch. Maybe you rarely eat out. Perhaps you have already eliminated all sugar and refined grains from your diet. Maybe you have gone the Paleo route and you are completely grain-free? If so, you are definitely going to have a more difficult time figuring out where to draw the line! Do you eliminate all processed dairy products, like cottage cheese, Greek yogurt, and Parmesan? What about olive oil? After all, only the olive itself could be considered a "whole" food. And what about those beverages, like coffee, beer, wine, gin, vodka, and orange juice? Not to mention vitamins, minerals, fish oil, and other supplements.

But the point of this challenge is not to drive yourself or anyone else crazy! (In case that is not obvious...) The point is to become HEALTHIER! So if you believe your supplements, like fish oil, make you healthier, why should you give them up just to follow a particular rule to the nth degree? Answer: you shouldn't. Give it some thought and decide what is best for you.

For myself, I plan to stick with some tried-and-true dairy products like unsweetened Greek yogurt and cottage cheese. They may not be exactly "whole" but I believe they are healthy choices for me. I will continue to take my fish oil, as well as all my supplements. I will not give up extra virgin olive oil, either. But I will take a month off from drinking any alcohol. I will cut out all grains except for whole rolled oats on occasion. I will eliminate all types of flour and anything made from flour. I will eliminate all types of sugar and everything containing processed sugar. I never drink juice or soda so this will remain the same. I will never give up coffee under any circumstances because that notion is completely ridiculous.

Please join me for the Whole Foods Challenge! Feel free to tailor your own program to fit your needs and preferences. However you choose to do it, I will be here to support you and cheer you on!