Recently
The past couple of weeks have been kind of cray to say the least. My grandpa was dealing with some serious health issues that essentially turned everything upside down. He's now (thankfully) back home and starting on a long journey of recovery. Now that everything is relatively settled down again I've had a chance to process how and why his health issues escalated so quickly.
I've now realized that a lot of what happened to him could have been prevented through proper diet. This was a real wake up call. These health issues aren't only his; they run in my family and have the ability to trickle down and affect me as well.
Previous to one of the major events of my grandpa's stay in the hospital I had made the commitment to go through another round of Whole30. Having had success previously with this "nutritional reset program," I knew how many benefits I could get from changing my diet alone. I also knew how desperately I needed these benefits. My eating was all over the place and I was indulging in fast food (which I don't even like- wtf?!) way too much. I was also extremely inactive after a surgery at the beginning of this year (more on that later) which left me feeling like a blob of a human. Physically, I was at an all time low.
After learning about my grandpa's health condition I was scared that I would lose focus and "slip-up" on my new eating plan due to the stress and unpredictability of the circumstances. I'm so glad I stuck with the Whole30 program during this stressful time because I think without it things could have been a lot worse for me. The emotional toll of seeing someone you love face major health obstacles is substantial. I could have easily turned to the comfort of junk foods to help cope. In the past, it's kind of what I did. This kind of emotional eating often led to guilt. What do you think I used to cope with this guilt? You guessed it: MORE FOOD. It's a pretty terrible cycle. I think we're all at least somewhat familiar with it, but I realized that for me it was becoming my only way of dealing with stress and the repercussions were catching up with me.
Because I had planned and prepped meals I was able to focus my time and energy on the needs of my family. I was even able to make meals for my mom which I know she appreciated during her 12-hour days at the hospital. My mind was clearer and I felt like I my emotions were stable when they could have easily gotten out of control. I was able to ask the nurses and doctors questions instead of being distracted by my tummy grumbling and worrying about when/where I would get to eat my next meal.
I'm currently on day 9, which according to the timeline means I'm leading up to the hardest part. There's definitely no chance of me quitting though. I've done it before and I can do it again. I know that completing this 30-day food reset is only the beginning of some larger lifestyle changes that I now know are necessary.
If you've ever considered doing a Whole30 and haven't for whatever reason, I can tell you it's SO worth it. And if you've never heard of it/ never considered it, you should still do it! These are some places I've been finding inspiration for a healthier lifestyle: Vivianna Does Makeup, EatRunLift, and Yoga with Adriene. If you have any other suggestions for healthy inspiration or if you've done a Whole30 before let me know!
I've now realized that a lot of what happened to him could have been prevented through proper diet. This was a real wake up call. These health issues aren't only his; they run in my family and have the ability to trickle down and affect me as well.
 |
| This illustrates my new found love for citrus on the Whole30. |
Previous to one of the major events of my grandpa's stay in the hospital I had made the commitment to go through another round of Whole30. Having had success previously with this "nutritional reset program," I knew how many benefits I could get from changing my diet alone. I also knew how desperately I needed these benefits. My eating was all over the place and I was indulging in fast food (which I don't even like- wtf?!) way too much. I was also extremely inactive after a surgery at the beginning of this year (more on that later) which left me feeling like a blob of a human. Physically, I was at an all time low.
After learning about my grandpa's health condition I was scared that I would lose focus and "slip-up" on my new eating plan due to the stress and unpredictability of the circumstances. I'm so glad I stuck with the Whole30 program during this stressful time because I think without it things could have been a lot worse for me. The emotional toll of seeing someone you love face major health obstacles is substantial. I could have easily turned to the comfort of junk foods to help cope. In the past, it's kind of what I did. This kind of emotional eating often led to guilt. What do you think I used to cope with this guilt? You guessed it: MORE FOOD. It's a pretty terrible cycle. I think we're all at least somewhat familiar with it, but I realized that for me it was becoming my only way of dealing with stress and the repercussions were catching up with me.
Because I had planned and prepped meals I was able to focus my time and energy on the needs of my family. I was even able to make meals for my mom which I know she appreciated during her 12-hour days at the hospital. My mind was clearer and I felt like I my emotions were stable when they could have easily gotten out of control. I was able to ask the nurses and doctors questions instead of being distracted by my tummy grumbling and worrying about when/where I would get to eat my next meal.
I'm currently on day 9, which according to the timeline means I'm leading up to the hardest part. There's definitely no chance of me quitting though. I've done it before and I can do it again. I know that completing this 30-day food reset is only the beginning of some larger lifestyle changes that I now know are necessary.
If you've ever considered doing a Whole30 and haven't for whatever reason, I can tell you it's SO worth it. And if you've never heard of it/ never considered it, you should still do it! These are some places I've been finding inspiration for a healthier lifestyle: Vivianna Does Makeup, EatRunLift, and Yoga with Adriene. If you have any other suggestions for healthy inspiration or if you've done a Whole30 before let me know!
Comments
Post a Comment