What I learned during my first week of the Whole 30 Challenge

• I hate calling it a diet. That makes it sound like I am trying to lose weight. The reality is I am doing this to improve my eating habits. I want to create a healthy daily lifestyle.
• I like poached eggs over all other kinds. Until two years ago I had never had a poached egg. The beauty of a simple poached egg was lost in the hollandaise sauce that was poured on top. We tried poached eggs this week and they stand on their own quite well.
• Sweet potato hash will always be made at our house. Sweet potatoes are a staple at our house right now and this is a delicious way to eat them.
• I will never skip a good protein breakfast again. I had finally started eating before lunch recently and I felt better. Then I started eating a high protein breakfast and I can’t believe how much more alert I feel early in the morning. I don’t even need coffee to help me feel more awake
• I like kombucha. Yet another thing I poo-pooed and said I would never drink that I now really enjoy. When you change your diet as drastically it can reek havoc on your insides. The probiotics in kombucha have definitely helped. The tasty flavors haven’t hurt either.
• I feel more even keeled emotionally. I feel less effected by the outside world. Things happen and I feel like right now it is much easier to roll with the punches in a much calmer way.
• Food is never boring if you have a good spice collection. I am convinced that spices make all the difference in shaving a satisfying Whole 30 challenge. Luckily I am stocked up and ready to make some tasty food.

What I learned from my first week of couch to 5k

• I like running. I never thought I would run much less enjoy it. I find I am looking forward to the next run.
• Exercising before starting the rest of the day makes me more productive. I have read over and over that this would be the case. I was sure they were right but I just couldn’t imagine it was so drastic that it would keep you motivated to get up early every morning. It is impressive the effect that exercising in the morning can have on your day.
• I am proud of myself. I would have never imagined myself taking on an exercise program and sticking with it. Sure it has only been a week but that is longer than I thought I would make it.
• I need to learn more about stretching. I am quickly understanding how important it is to stretch after running and during off days. I need to look into hip stretches the most. I am on my feet 10 hours a day at work so I have always had challenges with lower back and hip muscles but I never did much about it. That really needs to change now.
• I am excited about running a 5k or more. I am focused on just making it through the 5k but the idea of challenging myself to a 10k and to run the Indianapolis mini marathon are out there as stretch goals. Growing up in Indiana the mini has a special place for me. Running around the Brickyard would a lot of fun. There are a few Disney runs I would love to do as well.
• I am embarrassed to talk about running because I made fun of it for so long. I feel silly talking about running. How long do you have to run before you can call yourself a runner? Is a week a bit soon? How about two? A co-worker wanted to talk about it the other day and it felt awkward. I don’t have much to add to that conversation but I have a lot of questions about running. Thanks in advance to everyone that is patient enough to answer them for me.

It has been a great first week. I don’t doubt that the next 3 weeks will offer their own special challenges but I feel up to the task.

Have you tried any tough challenges? Why do you love running?