Foundations aren’t sexy. No one greats really excited to see concrete being poured. We want to see the details! The paint colors, the draw pulls, the countertops…
No one advertises all the times they fell down building it. We see success and just assume it’s the paint, the carpets, the flashy things that caused the success. It’s not. It is always a solid foundation that got them there; it is what will get you there.
We pay way to much attention to the small details, sometimes totally neglecting what we really need to focus on. (you guessed it) our foundation.
What do all diets have in common? A reliance on them. You need them to see success. You need to follow your macros, and the coach to tell you the when and how of it. You need to limit carbs, restrict your calories, and follow the program…
Do you know the truth? EVERY diet works if you do it right. All of them, even the awful ones. You can eat 1200 calories of McDonalds and lose weight. You can eat pop tarts post workout, stay “in your macros” and get a six pack, you can throw butter in your coffee while cursing potatoes and drop 20 pounds.
Everything works.
Until you stop doing it. Then what happens? It stops working, your results start fading, your back to where you started (or worse) and you’re looking for another solution.
I have an alternative method. What if this time you don’t seek out a new diet, what if you work on building your foundation?
This is why I love Whole30, it can build a strong, solid foundation. The program isn’t about removing foods; it is about rediscovering them after 30 days. It is building a new start, without a reliance on a program but rather a reliance on listening to your body, your hunger, and honoring it. How novel?
To be clear, I don’t think you need a Whole30 to do this, I think it helps immensely but anyone anywhere can start rebuilding their base.
Start with simplicity.
What makes you feel good before, during and after you eat it? Think about that for a second? What meals do you really look forward to eating, enjoy WHILE you eat it, and most importantly STILL feel really good after they are finished? Yes, we all look forward to Thanksgiving, but the feeling of extreme fullness is something I can live without most days. I look forward to Gnocchi in Alfredo sauce, but again, the brick in my stomach after means it only happens a few times a month. I do not look forward to eating plain deli meat, questionable salads and an apple, so I plan lunches ahead so that doesn’t happen often.
I look forward to my breakfast every day, typically a burger of some sort, with a huge (like huge) salad and fruit. I enjoy the hell out of it and I feel great after. Full but not stuffed. Satisfied, not deprived, and I am good for a solid chunk of hours after eating it.
That is a big part of your foundation.
What meals do you love, that love you back? Eat them frequently.
What boxes to you need to check most days to feel your best?
How many glasses of water do you need? This is like the easiest most over looked thing. Drink a big glass of room temperature water first thing every morning. That little tiny addition to your morning will make big change to your digestion, and your hydration. Drink enough water that your pee isn’t bright yellow. It always amazes me how many adults will tell me they don’t like drinking water…. Y’all, stop. Drink some water.
Sleep, how many hours do you need?
I can’t believe how much this is overlooked. Sleep is everything. If we spent as much time worrying about the perfect amount of sleep as we did over finding the perfect amount of calories/points/carbs to eat in a day, we would all have a smaller waist line.
I don’t like to think of food in terms of serving sizes, for the sake of quantifying,
how many servings of vegetables do you need to feel your best daily? I am not talking perfect scenarios here; I am talking what is your bottom line that you can hit every single day, including vacations? Mine is 4-5. I can accomplish this most of the time with a big ass salad, or two, I have no shame frequently will order two meals.
Is it perfect if that is all I get for the day? No. But is good enough, and saves me that feeling of “I blew it today”. The rest of the day can go to carb hell in a handbasket, if I got in my veggies I will not feel like a total dumpster fire the next day.
How many times a week do you need to break a sweat? This isn’t finding your extremes or how far you can push it. This is knowing and honoring your bottom line MOST of time. Movement is different for everyone, I am not a fan of Zumba, but if YOU love it, then do it! Yoga, Spin, Lifting. Find your thing, and do it a few times a week.
Walk, walking is amazing. But we don’t do it. Wanna hear a funny story? People will walk into the GYM and complain to me that they couldn’t find a parking spot… and had to WALK a longer distance to get to the gym… to exercise… kinda crazy right? Walking is major, move your body, park further away (from the gym and target) it won’t kill you. LITTLE things matter just as much, maybe more, then the big things you do.
We get it WAY wrong here.
We focus too much on what we want to see happen in a few weeks and forget what we can create over the course of a year.
Don’t go hard, go smart.
Foundations need to be reinforced, they need to be sturdy and they need to be strong. But they do no good if you push to get it done in a month then completely abandon the project a few weeks later. Approach your goals differently, what small things can you do and maintain to create change. What would it look like if you did them for 52 weeks in row? I am guessing it would be pretty amazing.