Discipline is my word for the year. And perhaps, the rest of my life. The word began showing itself in my life a lot towards the close of 2019 and then I read something that solidified it’s purpose in my world. I probably stumbled upon this on IG, it was a meme that read: “Discipline is the greatest form of self-love”.
That resonated with me because it’s just true. Discipline is the thing that allows us to see past the swarm of sales emails in our inboxes and tuck that money away for a greater goal. It propels us out of bed on even the most disrespectfully cold of New York winter mornings to hit the gym. It sits in our laps at the restaurant reminding us that margaritas are off limits.
I’ve struggled with discipline a lot in my adulthood. Perhaps it’s because I was so incredibly disciplined in my childhood? I don’t want to pin the blame there as a crutch though. My parents’ intentions were always good and it did help me achieve some important goals as a teenager, like going to college on a full scholarship.
In my 20s I indulged hard. Mostly in booze, food and shopping. I drank a lot of anything up until my mid 20s when I learned preferences in top-shelf tequila, a quality bourbon and sauvignon blanc. I ate delicious things, abundantly. I shopped, often with credit cards which did all types of unnecessary financial damage.
So, now that I’m older and know better I’m starting to act like it. I chose to step into a new phase of my life (new for me for many reasons outside of the whole new year, new decade rhetoric) participating in one of the most rigorous forms of discipline that I know, the Whole 30 body reset diet.
Essentially, Whole 30 is an elimination diet removing added sugar, grains, dairy, legumes, soy, alcohol and other irritants from your diet leaving you with a plethora of whole foods to eat. For 30 days you eat only meat, fruits, veggies and nuts (no peanuts though). The actual Whole 30 program rules are here if you’re curious to know more. The goal of this particular diet is to help its participants discover “non-scale victories”. So, beyond weight loss those who participate in the cleanse often experience loss of inches in the waist, less inflammation (hello clear skin!), and smoother digestion amid many, many other benefits.
It does require a lot of preparation (even if just mentally) and a ton of discipline to not get distracted or thrown off by life’s inconveniences and temptations. Admittedly, I’m not truly prepared in the way that I’d like to be or would have been if I weren’t living in my parents’ home. I don’t truly have the storage space to stock up the way I’d like to but, that’s ok because I’m in the burbs and can drive to the grocery store as needed.
What am I hoping to get out of this? A lot of things:
Ok let’s be honest, I want to look like Rihanna or Hannah Bronfman or maybe just MYSELF circa 2015 (nothing to tag here, hehe). I know those bodies are not my body but goals are a good kick in the ass to stay committed. This will come with time as I commit to clean eating and working out consistently throughout the year.
Mental clarity. Given the year I had in 2019 I need to make some pretty heavy decisions in the next few months and that requires a level of mental clarity that I just can’t achieve while also taking junk into my body. The removal of alcohol and sugar will help with this tremendously.
Better digestion. The last time I successfully completed a Whole 30 was January 2015. I had always dealt with less than ideal digestion up until then and by the end of the month things were moving perfectly. I never knew life could be that good.
Lose some inches. I’m not focused on the scale right now, really just losing some inches around my waist so my pants can fit well again.
Clearer sinuses. I’ve known for a while that dairy is the reason behind my constant nasal congestion but I just can’t give up the taste of cheese, glorious cheese. Sprinkled on pasta, melted over a hunk of beef between a burger bun or just, alone. Cheese is divine, but it’s also causing me to feel like crap so it’s gotta go!
Something to feel proud about. Committing to to this body reset and finishing it will certainly give me good reason to feel good about myself after a year of feeling completely disappointed at every turn. But beyond the completion of the full program, each day itself is its own distinct challenge and I look forward to taking this one day at a time.
On the menu for today:
Breakfast: One boiled egg, green smoothie (coconut water, pineapple, bananas, apple, lemon juice, spinach and kale)
Lunch: Spinach salad with homemade dressing made of lemon juice, balsamic vinegar and avocado oil (I am hella unprepared for three meals a day so this one is going to be light)
Dinner: Roasted boneless, skinless chicken thighs with peppers and onions, sautéed spinach
Snacks: Pineapple chunks, grapes and pistachios
Here’s to day 1, here’s to holding myself accountable, here’s to discipline.
-M