Whole Life Challenge

Good evening, bloggers. Tonight I shall inform you of what is ahead of me for the next 56 days: the Whole Life Challenge, which starts on 9/15. I am a member of my local CrossFit chapter, a fitness center which operates using a blended model of personal training and group classes. The work outs of the day (WODs) are high-intensity and focus on strength training, endurance, cardio, and flexibility. In other words: we pick up concrete stones, dead lift heavy shit, run/row/sprint, climb ropes, get all chalky, and generally fuck shit up. GRUNT.

My local affiliate, along with many others, is participating in the Whole Life Challenge - a social contest/game which involves participants keeping track of their "score" in maintaining different lifestyle areas. We can subtract points for "cheat" moments when we eat or drink a no-no item or slack on our daily physical activity. There is a scoreboard for the entire challenge and within my fitness group, so there's a definite competitive edge.

How did I become involved in such a challenge? Um, I'm still asking myself that, actually. If you're not familiar with CrossFit, they are huge proponents of the paleo diet, or - as some lovingly refer to it - the "caveman" diet. Lots of meat, eggs, fresh fruits & veggies - that's it. Oh, and some clarified butter (wtf?). So, obv's, my veganity often doesn't fit with the accepted model of nutrient choice. When the WLC was first advertised I thought "Hmm, a paleo challenge. Nope." and went skipping along. It wasn't until last week that a fellow veg*n athlete told me to check out the challenge's website information for vegetarians and vegans. So I did - and my curiosity grew from a spark into... well, a much larger spark.

Here is the general lowdown on the challenge:

Whew! Pretty intense, huh? Also, there are prizes for "winners", but it will definitely be more about the experience.

Some may be wondering: "So... just what the H are you supposed to eat?", but let's remember that this is the very question posed to vegans by many omnis. Of course, though, this was my first question to myself. No grains - at ALL? No soy?! My interest in this challenge can be best summarized by this quote from Danette Rivera, the vegan contributor on the website (follow WLC link at top of post for entire article):

"I also asked myself why I was so set on the notion that I could not survive without soy or grains. I don’t necessarily subscribe to the isoflavones panic nor am I convinced by the hard pitch against brown rice, but if there are some reported cases where grains and soy causes inflammation or digestive irritation, why would I not use the challenge to explore this personally?"

My style of eating in the last few weeks can be summarized in two words: comfort and convenience. Due to stress and fatigue brought on by work and an increasingly demanding semester in my graduate program my diet has taken many hits lately. I have been seeking/craving creamy, carby, heavy comfort foods and have spent hardly any time in the kitchen preparing dishes with fresh fruits and vegetables. My growing interest in the challenge quickly transformed into excitement as I perused gf/sf vegan blogs, old, dusty cookbooks, and learned what the hell amaranth is. There's LOTS I can eat!



For starters, I'm going to dust off my Vita-Mix and put that bad boy to good use: fruit smoothies, green smoothies, veggie juices, dressings, sauces, soups, dips, hummus... 


Is there anything healthier than a giant, nutrient-packed salad? The possibilities are endless with salad: toppings, dressings, protein add-ins, colors, textures, sweet/salty/tangy flavors...


The mighty avocado. Nature's answer to all cravings creamy and rich. Not only will these be enjoyed with salt & pepper (YUM), but also experimented with as chocolate mousse, dressings, and other possibilities.


And did I mention hummus? This will be an opportunity to perfect the homemade garbanzo dip.


My days will also include plenty of downward dog. And whatever this is called.

I can't end this blog post without mentioning the potentially triggering nature of this challenge for individuals who have dealt with disordered eating, like myself. The very nature of the challenge may mimic the obsessive and/or competitive (albeit mostly internally so) thoughts and behaviors of someone with disordered patterns and I would caution anyone who would consider participating in this challenge or any other like it deeply evaluate his or her motivation to do so. Personally, the notion that this experience could negatively affect my progress in this regard came as an afterthought. While evaluating my own motivation and excitement I took note of some recurring themes: My excitement was about the process, the challenge to experiment with new foods and old favorites in the kitchen, to see my cholesterol levels in the end, and to transform my mind. I am eager to see how much more healthy I can become - mind and body - as evidenced by the speed with which I can perform the baseline work out in the end, how many good habits I can retain, and how my energy and confidence will improve.

I hope you will follow me on this journey. There will be some experimental recipes & some returning favorites to showcase, as well as some new products to review. Also, the WLC will be taking place through the month of October - Vegan MoFo, bitches! So that means a potential for giveaways! It's going to be a great couple of months - how are YOU going to challenge yourself?

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