Whole Living Imprint

Woohoo it’s official, I have graduated and am now certified to teach Sculpt Yoga anywhere! Round 2 of extensions starts next week! Yipee!

Last night’s final class was so fun; we did round robin teaching and talked about feedback. Overall, I thought it went well, but I know I need to work on a few things.

Day 4 of the @whole30 challenge ended with chicken lemon grass soup (delicious) and beef salad (also delicious). I was still pretty hungry when I got home, probably because of my morning workout on top of the sculpt class and no starchy vegetable at dinner, so I made a snack when I got home. A bowl of strawberries for my #1 and a bowl of cherries with a Fuji apple and sunflower butter. Totally hit the sweet spot.

Woke up to scrambled eggs, strawberries, sunbutter, and coffee! No no-oats for me this morning.

As far as exercise goes, today I declare a rest day! Put in a lot of mileage this week and doubled up yesterday. No point in starting a new program like @whole30 and fatiguing myself. Do stuff like that and you end up not reaping any of the benefits.

Ok back to work, adios!

Ok, so what is a Whole30 Challenge and why in the world am I doing one? The Whole30 is a 30 day nutrition challenge by Whole9, that focuses on eating a paleo based diet. WOOAH now, Paleo! Diet! Ahhh, two words I do not like using a lot, but I will get to that in a moment.

On this program you eat meat, fish, eggs, TONS and TONS of veggies, very small amounts of fruit and lots of good fats. Whole30 want you to focus for 30 days on putting REAL food in your body and seeing just how much your nutrition affects every area of your life.  You will notice dramatic changes ranging from your performance inside the gym, to elimination of the dreaded afternoon lag. 

So no more late night pizza or onion ring splurges, alcohol (except for a very special birthday coming up :)), or the occasional cupcake here or there from Fluffy Thoughts or Baked n Wired…. Also no more of the what I consider healthy food items, such as tofu, sprouted grains, soy milk, any dairy (even Greek Yogurt), legumes (beans), quinoa, and can you even believe it OATS! Ahh the agony the horror! What am I going to do….

PUSH through it and say let’s do this!

I am going commit myself fully to 30 days with no cheats, no slip-ups, no “one small bite”, no exceptions! Part of the success of this program is rooted in its rules and guidelines.

Since I do a lot of anaerobic and aerobic activities on a daily basis for more than an hour, I know that doing the Whole30 will make me wonder if i should really be doing this, but after reading a lot, I am going to make sure I have plenty of coconut water, bananas, dates, sweet potatoes, squash, and dates on hand for that extra carbohydrate charge.

This is not a diet, even though yes I am cutting out food groups, but this is a nutritional boost to how I already ate and Im excited :)

How am I doing: Great! No sluggish feeling, no sugar cravings, just feel good. 

Meals for the day

Breakfast

Overnight NO oats

• Sunbutter
• Banana
• Oat Groats (I relieve this is not Whole30 certified, but Oat Groats are a seed and they were soaked properly overnight)
• chia seeds
• cinnamon
• sea salt
• almond milk
•  cup black coffee

Lunch

Chicken Sausage Salad

• Organic Chicken Sausage
• 1/2 Avocado
• Mixed Greens
• Tomato
• Spicy Mustard
• Balsamic Vinegar

Snack

• Mint refresh tea
• 6 dates with sunbutter

Tonight’s Dinner

• Leftover Cod 
• Roasted brussel sprouts in coconut oil
• sweet potato

Dessert

• Fresh cut strawberries

**If you are considering changing up your diet, I highly recommend doing the proper research or consult a registered dietician or doctor**

Ah, the mighty chia seed! How I adore thee and your super power nutritional benefits!

So what makes chia seeds the batman or superman of all the other little seeds? Well, the list is long, but chia seeds are full of: Omega-3 essential fatty acids, antioxidants, protein, calcium, iron, potassium, vitamins A, B, E, and D, as well as other key minerals.

Even better, all that strength is boxed up in a tiny package, making chia one of the most nutrient-dense foods on the market!! Amaze! Just two tablespoons of chia seeds contains 10 grams of fiber, 6 grams of protein, more calcium than milk, more Omega-3s than salmon, more iron than spinach, and more antioxidants than blueberries. Double amaze! This is not to say though that we should stop eating salmon, spinach, or blueberries or drinking milk….but rather why not try adding a tablespoon of chia seeds here or there to multiple your healthy goodness!

Some of my favorite ways to enjoy chia seed are in my eggy-oats, in smoothies, in chia pudding (recipe below), or in a kale salad!

The possibilities are endless. Now take this new found knowledge and let the chia force be with you! :)

Chia Seed Pudding
Prep 5 mins plus 2-4 hours for chilling (I like overnight)

Servings 4

INGREDIENTS
2 & 1/2 cups almond milk
3 tbsp agave nectar
1/2 cup chia seeds

INSTRUCTIONS
Place all ingredients in a jar with a lid
Seal the lid and shake until everything’s combined
Place in the fridge for at least 4 hours and up to 2 days
Remove and top with; fresh fruit, dried fruit, sunbutter, whatever you like :)