Truth be told before January of 2019 I wasn’t overly active.  Granted I had two small children and I was forever chasing after them so I wasn’t truly sedimentary but I also wasn’t really getting my heart rate up like you do with regular exercise.  Don’t hate me but I was also one of those women who basically could eat whatever they want and not gain weight.  Pizza, yes please.  French fries, for sure!  I was terrible at eating breakfast, so I often didn’t.  Cheddar cheese Goldfish and a soda were sometimes lunch on the go.  I wasn’t exactly an example of fine eating.

Starting in January of 2019 I was walking for at least thirty minutes each day.  By February I was running several times a week.  By March I was training for a half marathon.  The progression went quickly.  As I became more active I started to notice that what I ate also contributed to my running.  Suddenly eating breakfast was much more important after a run or before going to the gym for strength training.  So while I was paying more attention to my eating, I was still far from hitting it out of the park when it came to nutrition. 

January of 2020 I decided it was time to tackle my soda habit.  You know the eight cans a day I was drinking that I considered my one vice.  Introduce Arbonne.  I literally woke up one morning thinking I remember hearing something about fizz sticks as a replacement for soda and as the saying goes the rest is history.  I quickly cut my soda habit to one a day by replacing with fizz.  This in and of itself was a HUGE accomplishment.  

What are Fizz Sticks you ask???  Take a look:

Personally, I put mine into a 32 oz water bottle.  This helps me increase my water consumption and I enjoy throughout the day!

Back to our regularly scheduled program- getting all things Arbonne.  The next few months went by, I switched my protein powder to Arbonne. I upgraded from a preferred client to an independent consultant because it allowed me to save even more on the items I was already using.  No brainer.  But I hesitated when it came to do the Arbonne 30 Day program. What was my hold up??  Mostly it was because I had several races scheduled and I didn’t want interfere with my “system.”  Well, then COVID happened, racing got canceled and I was out of excuses.  On May 4th I began my thirty days to healthy living.

What’s 30 days, right?  Well in some respects it goes really quickly and in other respects thirty days is a long time to think about how and what you are eating.  I should note that my goal was not to lose weight in doing the thirty day program but rather to think more strategically and consciously about what I was eating.  Months before my trainer had suggested that dropping 3-5 pounds would get me into ideal “running weight.”  With my eyes set on running the NYC Marathon in November 2020 dropping the pounds would be an added bonus.  I should add that if you want an actual place to track what you are eating, take a look at the nutrients, macros etc. I highly recommend the My Fitness Pal app.  It’s free and a great way to keep track of what you are eating.  I really had no idea about the nutritional value of what I was eating!!  I did know that I needed to get more fruits and vegetables into my daily intake.  So the number one thing to start of my thirty days was  Greens Balance.  Day one this was brutal.  It was gritty and I wasn’t sure I could do it for thirty days.  After a few days I actually craved what I nicknamed my Greens Cocktail (greens, Digestion Plus, and fizz) every morning!! 

Week one- I was a rock star- even with Mother’s Day I was completely compliant the entire week.  Not one soda.  Zero alcohol.  My eating routine went like this:

• After my morning run I would have my Greens Cocktail followed by my Protein Shake
• Lunch and Dinner were both “real” food that were a combination of a meat/seafood along with vegetables/sweet potato. 
• Snack in the afternoon was generally Purely Elizabeth Ancient Grain Granola or a Brown Rice Cake with Almond Butter and a Strawberry
• My after dinner snack go to was blueberries, strawberries, Coconut Reddi Whip and a little Purely Elizabeth on top. 

My mind felt clear.  I was way less bloated and I started thinking this isn’t so bad.  I’m not a huge eater of sweets so the no sugar wasn’t an issue.  I do love a good salty, crunchy snack but I figured that out with Siete chips!  Now, I also LOVE peanut butter and bananas.  On the thirty day program these are not compliant.  Ok- no biggie I started substituting frozen strawberries in my protein shakes along with Almond butter.  I’m not obsessed with Justin’s Almond Butter and now buy it by the case.   On another note throughout the entire month I continued my regular fitness routine, which includes running between 20-30 miles a week!

Week two- 

By week two I was into a rhythm.  I even came to like the brown rice cakes with the homemade nutella like spread (almond butter, splash of almond milk and chocolate protein powder) and strawberries.  I was rocking the night time snack of berries with the Coconut Reddi Whip.   Avocados were my friend!  I would mix them with tomato or tuna.  

But then I had to navigate a carry out dinner night of Chinese.  Brown rice and steamed veggies for the win!  I found it much easier to be compliant when I was preparing the meals because I knew exactly what ingredients they contained. So what’s my downfall.  My downfall was a socially distanced get together with friends and a Mojito.  Yes, I know there’s always going to be temptation.  But we are in a pandemic for goodness sakes, so I had the mojito.  Alcohol and sugar are not exactly compliant with the program, but I’m human!

Week Three

Week three is Cleanse Week.  I’m not going to lie but the visual of what cleanse week was going to be like made me nervous and thankful that I knew I would be home all day.  But I was pleasantly surprised that it wasn’t that bad at all!!  Day one I would say that my system was definitely adjusting.  As in I was gassy and made more visits to the bathroom, but by day two I was like a well oiled machine and the seven days went really quickly.  I actually didn’t mind the taste and over a few hours each morning I would drink the 32 oz.  Week three also saw a cheat dinner of pizza.  I know, I know I could have gotten gluten free or cauliflower crust.  But yes, I had some pizza. 

Week Four

So close yet so far to the end of the thirty days.  At this point I was consciously thinking about what I was eating.  Consistently tracking each meal.  Still had not had one soda.  Continued to exercise like usual and felt great.  I could see and feel the difference of watching what I was eating even if there were a few “slips” along the way.    My husband joked about whether I was looking forward to going back to eating “normal.”  Much like the world I’m not sure I’m ever going back to “normal.”

Post 30 days

So I sit here after my thirty days to health eating are over.  What’s next?  What will I do with what I learned? What will I continue doing and what will I go back to eating?

Here’s what I’ll definitely continue doing each day:

• I’ll start my day with:
  • Greens Balance
  • Digestion Plus
  • Fizz
• I’ll continue to drink Fizz instead of soda!
• I’ll continue to use the gluten free, vegan Protein Powder.
• I’ll continue to eat the healthier version of every day things like Siete Chips, Purely Elizabeth Ancient Grain Granola.
• I’ll continue to fill my plate with veggies before I put anything else on.
• I’ll continue my nutrition journey to make smarter choices for my family.

But I’ll also continue to enjoy the occasional piece of pizza, bowl of pasta and glass of wine.  After all life is all about balance!!

So the end results of the thirty days…I overall slept better, felt less lethargic and my digestion was on point.  While not trying to lose weight I lost 6 pounds and I’m down to that ideal running weight that I thought wasn’t attainable.  More importantly I’m able to make smarter decisions about what I eat, recognize how and what I eat has larger effects on my body and couldn’t be happier that I took the time to try the 30 day program.  

Email me today if you are interested in hearing more about starting your Thirty Days to Healthy Living or simply more about Arbonne. 

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