Last month I focused my energy on consistently doing my stretching and core exercises. It went super well for the first half of the month but things went downhill after we got ourselves into a little car accident. Firstly, we’re both ok, it could have been much worse but it did trigger my back pain and start up my leg nerve pain again. So, my regular exercises went out the window and I had to start over with some really simple basics. C’est la vie amirite?
So, because I’ve been writing about my challenges/experiences with my back I’ve noticed a little trend happening. Recently when I’ve been setting out with a new challenge or goal that is back related something goes wrong and I hurt myself. It’s a bit of a two steps forward, one step (or more) back situation I’ve got going on over here. It can get a bit frustrating but I’m realizing that I might be putting too much pressure on myself to heal/strengthen my back. I’m also realizing that it’s a bit of a control issue, where I want to control what’s happening and I need to take a step back from that, as per my Feb challenge, and let my mind and body work together on their own time. So, as much as I’d like to keep this 30-day challenge focused around back strengthening, I think I have to switch it up.
With all that being said, I’ve decided to focus on a new food challenge. A bit of a throwback to my 30 day vegan challenge that set me on this new way of eating, I’m challenging myself to clean up my act when it comes to what I’m chomping on. I’d say for the most part I’m a healthy eater but when it comes to certain things I get into a rut (like anyone) and find myself winding down a path of greasy, fatty take-out and not-too-good for you homemade vegan cooking. It’s easy enough to take down a bag of chips in one sitting when I’m not being mindful of what I’m eating while I watch episodes of Riverdale or better yet, The Bachelor New Zealand (which has become a new guilty-but-not-too-guilty-pleasure, the group is just so earnest and it is so much more relatable than the American version). Anyways! It’s time to clean up my (eating) act!
I’ve been interested in Dr. McDougall’s eating plan which focuses on following a plant-based way of eating that’s low-fat, whole food based with an emphasis on starches. I’ve tried it out before and it’s not too difficult so long as you plan ahead and prepare meals. So! This month I’m looking at eating above the line on the calorie density scale. I’m not exactly looking to loose weight with this but more so just trying to adjust my taste buds and get them craving whole foods again. A little weight loss would be great, I mean who am I kidding? Also, truth be told, this is also kind of a roundabout way to try and help my back. I know, I know! I said I wouldn’t focus on my back but I’ve been told that my spine is not a fan of bearing weight. So what if I end up lightening the load by eating mega healthy?
The benefit of this plan here is that there’s no limit to the amount of food that I can eat so long as I stick to eating above the line. Woop woop! I’ll let you know how this goes!
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