Things to Know Before you Start Your FIRST Whole30

Guys, I finished Whole30! I cannot believe that I did it. When I first started I was SURE I was going to want to quit at some point or at the very least cave and sneak a little summin summin in. While I did have a tough weekend after week 3, I pulled myself together and finished.

I have to say, I feel very proud of this accomplishment. If I ever wondered what kind of willpower I have, I certainly found out. A bonus, I feel freaking AWESOME. I haven’t felt this good in as long as I can remember.

Now, I don’t think I would have been as successful as I did if I didn’t do my research. I looked at blogs, I read reviews, found recipes, planned meals, had a game plan, the works.  For those of you starting Whole30 for the first time, here is a (lengthy) list of things that helped me before I started & something things that I wish I knew.

Either way – no matter your age, lifestyle or gender, I really recommend this program if you’re looking to get yourself out of a bad eating rut & want to jumpstart your body & eating habits.

Things to Know Before you Start Your FIRST Whole30:

• BUY THE BOOK – it’s only $10 for the eBook or $20 for the hardcover
• The program creators have an amazing way of explaining WHY certain foods are off the list and HOW these foods can impact your body negatively
• If you’re not going to buy the book – read the whole website
• Pre-Whole30 PLAN
• This program takes A LOT of planning – it is not something you can just start the next day 
• Know what you can & cannot eat, find recipes that sound interesting to you & understand what you’re getting into
• Have a game plan for each week:
• Know what is coming up (events, long days, dinners out) so that you can plan accordingly
• Do yourself a favour and buy ALL new spices 
• If you can’t remember when you bought fresh spices last, chances are, they’re old. Go get new spices
• The ones I used the most – Cumin, Paprika, Garlic Powder, Onion Powder, Oregano, Chili Powder, Cayenne Pepper, Sea Salt, Fresh Black Pepper.
• Don’t do this program if you’re looking to loose a lot of weight quickly – that is not the spirit of the program
• Do not do this program if you’re going to have a lot of occasions in which you will want to “cheat” (weddings, your birthday etc)
• The first couple of weeks are expensive – you need to buy some things that you don’t have immediately 
• It’s not hard to eat out
• Just make sure you look at the menu first before you go & decide ahead of time what you’re going to have
• The safest bet is grilled chicken w/ greens & oil/balsamic dressing
• Figure out your triggers
• For me, watching TV or a movie at night after a long day – I want to reach for a snack. Now, I do my nails, read a book, drink herbal tea, CLEAN. Just need to keep my hands busy
• It is HARD sometimes
• Most days, I loved the program. There were a couple where all I wanted to do was buy a bag of chips and stuff my face 
• These days SUCKED. I was irritated, emotional and angry. Jon was awesome and told me to keep going & that it was going to be worth it. He was right.
• Have a support system – it is SO much easier to do this with someone else, especially when you have days like the above.
• Even if it’s your partner who is at least eating the same meals as you – that’s what Jon did and it was SUPER amazing
• For the first week or so, you will be hungry
• It takes awhile to figure out how much food is enough to fill you up between meals
• Prepare snacks for when you get hungry so that you’re not reaching for junk
• I had a jar of almonds on my desk at work and a piece of fruit
• It’s a challenge to explain the program to others
• Most of the time, when I tell people about the program I see a lot of scrunchy noses and a lot of “Ohhh, so like you can’t really eat anything?”
• The best way I’ve found to describe Whole30 is a “Healthy Lifestyle Challenge”
• Don’t deprive yourself
• Make sure you eat as much as you need – there is no need to count calories or fat. Just pick good food to eat and the rest will follow 
• Have an exit strategy – think about what you’re going to do at the end. 
• It’s all well and good to do this for 30 days, but the whole purpose is so that you can change your habits for life, have a plan for that

There you have it! It’s a lot to take in and a lot of things to consider. If it helps, I enjoyed the experience so much that I think I’ll be doing this program once a year, after Christmas & New Years and all that. It’s a perfect way to re-set. 

Have you done a Whole30? If so, do you have any tips to add? I’d love to hear from you!

If this is your first time, feel free to reach out, I’d love to talk to you about it!

Good Luck!

– Lisa

8 Tips to Having a Great Run, Every Run

I have a very strange relationship with running. There are runs that I absolutely LOVE. When I’m done, I feel like a rock star. These runs happen about 60% of the time. The rest of the time…I’m miserable. About 5 minutes into the run, I want to give up and I’ve convinced myself my calves are going to break. I’m tired, I’m sweaty and kinda grumpy. That’s also if I’ve even gotten out the door. For about 1 year now, I simply haven’t run because I can’t get past the anxiety in my head!

So…if you want to run, or if you are like me and love running, but have some weird hang ups with it, here are the tricks I’ve been using to get out of my head and back into running [note: this tricks can really be used for getting yourself out the door for any form of exercise].

Sometimes the hardest part of running is just getting out the door. I’m sure you have 100 reasons why you can’t go for a run today. Either you’re “too tired” or “don’t have enough time” or “I’ll go tomorrow” whatever it is, there will ALWAYS be a reason.

TIP 1: No matter what, just put on your workout gear and get out the door. I’ll often trick myself into going out by saying “OK, even if I only go for 5 minutes, I at least got out” Give yourself an out so the whole task doesn’t seem as daunting.

Ok, so now you’re out the door. AWESOME! Time to start…

TIP 2: Have a playlist of music that is going to pump you up. I like to listen to cheesy dance music from the 80’s because I can sing along and it makes me smile. I also have some great “kick ass” songs that I go to if I need a boost like “Work B*tch” by Britney Spears. Whatever it is that gets you going…put that on and start jogging

I find that when I run with people for the first time, they start off like a shot and about 5 minutes in, they are spent. They get frustrated and are upset that they have to stop and walk.

TIP 3: Start SLOWLY. If you feel yourself running out of breath quickly, you’re probably going too fast. Drop your pace down. You may feel like you are walk/jogging but that’s ok! You want to go at a pace that you could hold a light conversation at.

TIP 4: Pay attention to your breathing! You want your breathing to be calm and not rushed/hurried. If you find yourself REALLY panting, SLOW DOWN. I find a very useful trick to regulate my breathing is: Breath in for 4 steps, breath out for 4 steps. This gets your brain re-focused and better breathing makes for a better run.

Okay, at this point, you’re probably doing OK, but your legs are tired and you’re kind of bored. At this point, your head will start trying to trick you and go “Lets just walk. Your legs are really tired and your sort of out of breath. Just walk”

TIP 5: Unless you are going to pass out or you have a sharp, stabbing pain…DON’T STOP. This is alllllll in your head. When I get to this point in a run, I go “ok, I’m going to get to that tree up there and then I’ll stop” and then I get to the tree and realize I’m ok so I’ll pick another tree down the way and jog to that and so on and so forth. This keeps your brain occupied and off of the discomfort you are feeling in your legs (which is completely normal) and keeps YOU motivated.

In the same vein…

TIP 6: Try not to think about how much longer you have to run. Whether you’re running for a period of time or for a specific KM, don’t think about how much further you have to go until you’re done…think about that next tree, that next stop light. If you think about how much further you have to go, you’ll overwhelm yourself and this can be quite discouraging. Literally take your run, ONE STEP at a time.

Listen, sometime, you need to walk & that is TOTALLY OK. Sometimes, you’ll hit a wall and you literally cannot continue running. That’s totally normal too. The idea with these tips is not to force yourself to run NO MATTER WHAT, but are more meant to help you keep your motivation going and keep yourself in the moment and out of your head.

Two more tips that are KEY to any exercise, running or otherwise.

TIP 7: Stretch! When you’re done, it is SO important to stretch. There are hundreds of great stretching resources out there for runners, so take the extra 5 minutes and stretch it out. I know if I don’t stretch after a run my legs are NOT happy with me the next time I head out.

TIP 8: HYDRATE. Drink lots of water both before and after your run, especially if you are running in hot summer months. Your body needs fluids to function and your run will be greatly affected if you are dehydrated.

Running can be really hard, but with these tips, I’ve found my running experience to improve and I feel really good after almost all of my runs.

What are you tips/tricks for getting a great run in?

Top 5 Fitness Videos for Working Out at Home

First it was the snow. SO MUCH SNOW. Then ice…then snow & ice & wind. Then a little melt then ICE and some more snow. Ice and snow, ice and snow for about 5 months. This meant I did NOT get outside to run or really walk at all. It was so cold, so miserable and quite frankly, I had NO motivation. Sure, I could go to the gym *shudder* or hit an indoor track, but I just wasn’t feeling it.

Then finally last week SUN! SUN, GLORIOUS, SUN! The snow went away, the ice went away, it was amazing. I went for a run, shook off the dust (both mentally and physically) and it was amazing. Running really is a cheap form of therapy, especially when the surroundings are right!

Then BAM! Allergies attacked me…along with a cold. Horray. My lungs BURN when it is cold outside at the best of times, so when it’s cold AND I have a cold? No fun. Then, to top it all off – torrential rains & winds today. Again, I could go to the gym, but who wants to leave the warmth of their house?

I scoured the interwebs and found (& tried) some REALLY great workouts! I found FitSugar to be the best source. Their videos are high quality and the instructor talks you through the moves so you know you are doing it right. I also REALLY like workouts that are constantly changing because I get bored easily when I’m doing them by myself at home. So, I find 3 10 minute workouts and do them back to back. Not only do they go by quickly, but when you’ve done 3 videos, that’s already half an hour!

Here are my picks for great indoor workouts when the weather outside is not cooperating (or if you just feel like staying home).

My FAVOURITE arm workout. Remember, if you don’t have actual hand weights at home, you can use cans of food, bottle of water or any other cylindrical objects:

 
This is a great 8 minute ab workout for when you’re short on time and requires NO equipment:

This is a CRAZY Ab workout that requires a little bit of equipment, but are objects you can find around the house:

 This workout is only 10 minutes long, but works a whole host of muscles & includes some cardio:

Finally, if you REALLY want to kick your butt, try this Tabata workout. My body hurts just watching it!

Let me know if you try these out & what you think! If you like this round up, let me know, I’d be happy to do more!