Practice What You Preach! A Young Nurses Journey To Health And Wellness!

Happy Summer everyone!! This is about the time that I typically make my annual trip to the mall to buy my annual summer bathing suit! As the years have gone by, my style has started to veer more towards coverage and less skin. My days of “beach goddess” have come and gone! I quit looking through the Victoria Secret catalog because even their most modest suits don’t flatter certain areas! My body just doesn’t “hold tight” in the way it used to! In the words of The Donald, I feel “YUUUUGE!!”

I Hit My “Rock Bottom”

I’ve always been that person that looks around at everyone getting healthy and looking slimmer and thinking “that works for them, but my body just won’t “let go” like theirs.” I TRULY believed this! I have always been athletic and working out isn’t a struggle for me, but my eating habits were what I wasn’t super aware of. Before I went into nursing, I was a dietetics major, so nutrition has always been important to me! I thought I knew a lot, until I took the plunge. The WHOLE 30 plunge! This introduced food science that I had no idea about and totally made me realize why it was so hard for me to get fit, feel healthier, and lose weight!

(Before Whole30)

Many of you guys have been following me the past few weeks as I stuck my foot in these waters known as the “Whole30.” The  is a clean, anti inflammatory diet. It’s basically Paleo on crack! It’s super strict, and you are very limited to what you can eat! No grains, no dairy, no alcohol, no processed or added sugar, and no legumes. Sounds like a dream, right? Hah! I hear you now….”I could never do that!” Well I thought the same thing until I hit rock bottom with my weight and health. Something had to give….

A Health Makeover STAT!

I was my heaviest that I have ever been and somehow the girl who would NEVER eat fast food was now ordering FRIES with her Fried Chicken Sandwich! Some may call it being married, but I called it a health crisis! I realized how much it was affecting my mental health, as I became so down about what I looked like. I never really considered myself “overweight” but I was more sedentary than I have ever been and just eating terrible! I felt awful!

I needed a health makeover and needed one STAT! When I thought I wasn’t an emotional eater, I found out going through the program that I totally am! We all are whether we admit it or not! There are a TON of endorphins that are given off when we eat out AND eat “bad” food. The sad part is, we don’t feel so great after its all said in done! There’s a dent in our wallet and in our stomachs! Whole30 program broke me of this!

Why Whole30?

I chose to do Whole30 because I loved their motive! A friend of mine started right before me (the first challenge that I did) and she had amazing results! I did my research and made sure it was legit! There are a ton of other “weight loss and health programs” out there that sell shakes, bars, supplements, etc and also the people who are pushing you to sign up are making money off of you! Even if the program “works” for them, there’s something about pushing an expensive health product on someone (and making money off of them) when you can get the SAME results (and some mad cooking skills) at no cost or membership to you!! I’ve been pursued by a lot of programs because people see my blog as a platform and money maker to them! The messages all start out with:

1: A personalized beginning sentence or two.

2: A product pitch

3. Why I should join their team why I would be so great at it!

AGHHHHHHH IT DRIVES ME NUTS!

Rant over!

So back to why I love Whole30 again?

It’s pure, clean eating and a giant online support Group! It’s FRESH (YUMMY) FOOD and I love it! I also love health so much and love sharing it with others without the fear of them thinking I’m trying to just make money off of them! I realllllly can’t stand that concept, can you tell?!

Whole30 is REALLY not that hard, it’s just about being disciplined and committed! No weight loss or healthy body comes easily! I have thoroughly enjoyed going through it, and am excited to see my end results!

How To Start?

Look into the program and look into buying the book if you want. You can even get a used book on Amazon or search Pinterest for program and ideas! The book explains a lot of the food science behind the program. You will need to make sure you have food available (whole30 approved) and really try to broaden your cooking skills! Learn to like different things! I feel so awesome when I whip up a really yummy and healthy meal! I would encourage you to start with a friend and share recipes! Check out the Whole30 Instagrams! @whole30recipes has some GREAT food ideas!

I’m HALFWAY WHOLEY! 😉

I’m on day 16 and I feel AMAZING! Half way there! My brain is clearer. My sleep is deeper. My body is slimmer. My anxiety is minimal. And I just have this overall feeling of happiness about what I am doing for myself! Our bodies are a strong temple! They need to be nurtured and taken care of! As nurses, I also think it is important that we practice what we preach! TAKE THIS CHALLENGE!

(Day 15! Everything Fits looser! I have been doing Zumba and running on my days off along with the program!)

I swear by this program, and it truly helps train your body to know what it feels like to feel “right” and trains your mind and brain about what food it needs and not wants! It’s WAYYYY more than weightloss (and they actually DON’T want you weighing yourself through the program, because it about more than lbs)! It’s a LIFESTYLE CHANGE. It’s eating through new, healthy lenses! I feel so mentally strong and empowered for going through this and getting the results that I have! I hope you guys enjoy following my journey! Check out my Instagram and posts for some of my favorite recipes! Please feel free to email me at:

HeartandSoulRN@gmail.com

Instagram: yourheartisminern

Facebook.com/yourheartisminern

There is absolutely no incentive for me in you attempting to do whole30! I literally just want people to experience the same happiness, health, and empowerment that I have achieved along this journey!!! It’s a beautiful feeling! We’ll touch base again on day 30 with full results!

(Before and Halfway!)

Stay Happy And Healthy

Your heart is Mine,

Kelsey

Some of my favorite Whole30 creations:

Grass Fed beef, fried egg in Ghee, sautéed peaches, guacamole, bacon, and a tostonos “bun” ( fried plantains in coconut oil )

Sunny side up eggs, spinach sautéed, and sweet potatoe hashbrowns with pecans!  BLACK COFFEE (duh! My fav!)

Vegetable egg scramble, fresh avacado,  home style potatoes, and bacon! Guacamole ingredients!  FRIED PLANTAINS!!! Sliced plantains in coconut oil! Sea salt! THE BEST! My sister made this for me. It’s sundries tomatoes, beef, butternut squash, and roasted brusslesprouts!   Grape salad, on spinach leaves, with red onion, pecans, turkey slice, and apple cider vinegar and OO!