Our Journey Back to Health

We (Doug and Megan) are coming fresh off of a Whole30 challenge during the month of May. By mid-April, we both felt ready for a more drastic change. While the pandemic era meant less going out, we discovered a love for charcoal grilling and chilling by the fire, drinking wine and eating delicious steaks. What we affectionately dubbed “Rib-wine-scream”, we looked forward to the end of long weeks of remote work and tough workouts that were rewarded with Friday nights of a bottle of wine, ribeye steaks on the grill, and Ben & Jerry’s ice cream cones. An innocent “treat-yoself” (Parks & Rec, anyone?) over time turned into a slippery slope where most weekends turned into an eating and drinking free for all, with both of us complaining on Monday morning and committing to “eating clean” for the rest of the week to reduce the bloating. Just as we started to feel good, Friday would come around and we would fall back into the same bad habits, ruining any progress made during the week. We knew it would take a solid 30 days to form healthy habits again, so we decided to commit together to a Whole 30. It had been years since we had attempted one, so long ago that I laughed at the fact that drinking black coffee was ever something difficult for me (Meg).

So, we started the journey of weekly meal planning, grocery trips to 3-4 different stores, and packing lunches for work everyday. We were pleasantly surprised that there are a lot more Whole30 options out there (Applegate, Primal Kitchen and Noble Made were life savers!). We didn’t try to be fancy with our dinners because we know that it’s not possible with stressful jobs and evening workouts. Most nights looked like some version of grilled meat and veggies. It was simple, but it worked and it was easy to stay compliant. We replaced wine with San Pellegrino and Humm Kombucha. It was a “sober” realization (like what I did there?) that we missed the alcohol more than we probably should have, but after the first 2 weekends it was no big deal anymore. We rediscovered a love for fruit and sweet potatoes. We both realized that it was possible to eat way more carbs and stay lean when you are prioritizing protein and cutting out added sugar. Doug was shocked realizing just how badly he felt all the time, and it wasn’t until cutting out added sugars that he realized how much inflammation he had been tolerating.

We learned so much over the course of the 30 day reset. We no longer want to “cut corners” in our health. All the time we spend working out to stay healthy for years to come is impacted by a poor diet. Once those 30 days were up, we committed to another 30 days with no gluten, dairy, or added sugars (except a little wine when we are grilling out, of course!). While some days are hard saying “no”, the progress we see and the way we feel make it 100% worth it. We have a totally different appreciation for our tagline of “conquer the everyday”, because it truly is a series of daily choices to stay the course.

Where do you need a reset? Whether its in the gym, in the kitchen, or in your mind – we invite you to join the journey with us!