A Reminder About the How and Why

As we prepare to launch into our latest clean eating challenge we wanted to take a step back and remind you of the rules of the challenge and give you a quick reminder of why we think it would be a good idea for you to join us.  All of this information has been posted before and can be found by clicking the challenge tab above, but if you are like me your internet time is limited and clicking links can seem like too much of a hassle.

How
To successfully complete our version of a clean eating challenge(there are many versions) you are to cut out, completely, the following foods for 30 day's.

• Grains and beans - bread, rice, pasta, corn, oatmeal quinoa, lentils, peanuts count as beans etc.
• Dairy - Milk, cream, cheese, yogurt, cottage cheese, etc.  (we are ok with butter esp. if it from grass fed cows)
• Sugar - Any kind, real or artificial.  This includes natural sugars like agave nectar, honey, and stevia
• Processed foods - Anything in a box, bag or other package that can be kept in the pantry for months on end.  This includes protein shakes and nutrition bars.

This means you can eat:

• Meat
• Seafood
• Eggs
• Vegetables
• Good Fats - Coconut, olive oil, avocado,nuts and seeds
• Fruit - in limited amounts if fat loss is a goal.

Why

It is our belief that the human body expresses itself in its most healthy form when provided foods that are fresh and as close to their natural form as possible.  We got into this business with the intention of teaching people how to lift weights and get strong and in the process healthy.  What we have found, through trial and error, is the first step to better health is healing the gut. Healing the gut heals the body and healing the gut starts with quality foods.  These foods are high in nutrients and minimally processed.  As a society, we have moved away from natural whole foods to more processed foods out of convenience and at a huge cost to our health.  Many people today suffer from diseases that can be directly related to years of poor nutrition.  Conditions can range from mild inflammation causing irritable bowel and constant diarrhea to any number of autoimmune conditions such as arthritis, celiac, chrones, diabetes, etc, the list is long.

30 days is just a random number that we feel will give your gut time to heal and help you break free from some of the addicting qualities of many of these processed foods.  You can then reintroduce some of the eliminated foods and see how your body responds.  In most cases you will realize these foods do not make you feel very good.

The challenge section, the search box, and archive of our blog can provide a ton of information to answer most questions, but if you cannot find what you are looking for please ask us and we will help you find an answer.  Here is another post giving you the top 5 reasons to jump in on the challenge.

We are looking forward to getting things rolling on Wednesday and will be back with posts on what you should measure before the challenge starts and some kitchen tools that will make the process easier. 

It's All About Perspective

"It's not because things are difficult we do not dare, it is because we do not dare that they are difficult"
Seneca

Have you ever put something off out of the fear of what a pain you thought it would be only to find that once you did it, it was really very easy? I had a convergence of things come together recently that has spurred me out of my apathy towards blogging and motivated me to get back into the groove. Coming across this quote was one of them.  It also got me thinking about the challenge.

Many people Dawn and I talk to about changing their eating habits respond with some version of, "I can't do that, it's too hard."  These are some very successful people who have conquered much more difficult things in their journey through life to this point, but for whatever reason eating clean for 30 days is too difficult.  The quote above offers some perspective to look at things we see as difficult in a new way. Choosing to hold off judgement on whether something is difficult or easy until it is actually attempted could be a life changing paradigm shift.

We hope this notion will motivate you to jump in on this years challenge if you are not already sold and for another look at how your perspective can help you reach your health and fitness goals as we head into the new year we wanted to share a great post from one of our favorite web sites, Everyday Paleo.  It was written by a trainer and gym owner Jason Seib and it is called The Secret.

The 2013 Clean Eating Challenge

Seasons greetings to everyone.  We hope you have some time to sit down with family over the next few day's and enjoy some down time.  I know we are looking forward to it.  Many people use this time to  reflect on your past year and think about your plans and goals for the New Year.  If those plans are to address any lingering health or fitness issues, we have just what you need.

Dawn and I had one of our business meetings last week.  We take some time to sit down with an agenda and take a detailed look at where we are as a business, where we want to go, and how we are going to get there.  These meetings are always challenging, enlightening, and for the most part enjoyable.  We usually hole up at a local coffee house, have way to much caffeine, and work our way through a list of things we want to accomplish.

Top on that list is our annual New Years Clean Eating Challenge.  The new year is right around the corner and that means it is time to set things right.  We have heard from several people who are more than ready to hit the reset button and get things heading in the right direction for the start of the new year.  We will start our New Years Clean Eating Challenge on Wednesday Jan. 2nd and run it our usual 30 day's until February 1st.  Grab your family and friends and have them join in with you.  If you need a refresher of what the challenge is  or if this will be your first one click on the "Challenge" tab above.

Those of you who have completed the challenge before can attest to the fact that it is always a learning experience.  The challenge seems daunting if you have never done it, but upon completion, it's really not so bad.  Each time Dawn and I do a 30 day challenge, some aspect of our behavior improves, whether it be coffee consumption, sugar cravings, the need for dairy, or even our cooking skills.  There is always a positive outcome, so if you have done the challenge before, it is worth it to jump in again.

As far as resolutions go, I am publicly committing to writing one post a week for the entire year of 2013 and Dawn is going to take pictures of and share everything she eats during the 30 day's of the challenge to help people out with ideas and see how we make things work.  We are also forcing our kids along on this challenge with us as their consumption of crap over the past few months has reached epic proportions.  We are also working on setting things up on facebook with the hopes of more sharing from people who are in on the challenge.  If you haven't already, like New Dawn Fitness, LLC on facebook.

Start your New Year off right and make your first resolution be to join us in our 30 Day Clean Eating Challenge.