As mentioned in my “2015 Goals” post, one of my goals for this year is to “be healthy.” I have always been one who has advocated being healthy at any size. I have been a gym goer since my teens and on-and-off hard core into eating healthy. (Granted the eating healthy thing has fluctuated through the years.)
When I first started this blog I was into writing “Plus Size Healthy Living Posts,” but slowly I got away from this due to… life, ups and downs, etc. 2014 saw me both back into workout-healthy mode and also in the exact opposite. Granted, a lot of this was due to injuries and some of it, just because.
When it comes to working out, in the past, I have had a hard time understanding my body’s limitations. Yes, I can initially do that crazy exercise, but No, my body will end up hating me afterwards. I am slowly figuring out what physical activity I can do without having adverse affects on my body. I am also learning that, maybe, I have to look to what I’m putting into my body even more to feel better physically, mentally, emotionally, and intestinal-y (poo poo sensitive stomach). I’m finding that it can’t be one or the other — it has to be a happy medium somewhere in-between.
So, I am starting this new year off right with a detox of sort in the form of a Whole30 program. Whole30 is a un-diet diet that you do for 30 days (or however long you wish to). You basically cut out all dairy, grains, legumes, sugar, alcohol, artificial sweeteners and preservatives, chemicals, nitrates, etc. You replace all of this stuff with meats, fish, eggs, vegetables, some fruit, and healthy fats (eg; olive oil, avocado, coconut out, animal fat). There are no regulations on calorie intake and you can eat what you need to stay full and have energy (no starving! yay!). Along with changing up your diet, you also work on your mental and emotional attachment to food and eating.
(Please note: this is a very broad overview of Whole30, you can find out more on the Whole30 website or by reading the book “It Starts With Food: Discover the Whole30 and Change Your Life in Unexpected Ways.”)
I know that Whole30 is being promoted by a lot of people, and has become very “trendy.” But, that being said, I am on day 15 and am feeling great, have lost inches, and am also happier than I’ve been in a while. This is not about losing weight or “getting skinny” — it’s about feeling good, in all senses of the word. My stomach is thanking me, my body is thanking me. I know I will never be “skinny,” (and I don’t want to be) but if I feel good, am able to move easily, and live a good life — it doesn’t matter how it is accomplished. Healthy living can be done at any size, and you can most definitely be Plus Size and Healthy!
Stay tuned for more updates on my Whole30 journey and healthy living life!
P.S. For a laugh — silly gym faces on the elliptical!
