Clean Living

I have a small confession: I loathe gimmicky diet fads, cleanses and detox programs. Having been someone who has lost weight the good old-fashioned and hard way, I am annoyed by the mis-leading information out there that you can "Lose weight and clean out your body by drinking Lemonade, cayenne pepper and honey."  There is a large amount of information on the web about what is healthy, what isn't healthy, and the quickest way to drop 20 pounds. Here is what I know to be true: nothing replaces hard work and consistency. There is merit and value in learning to eat healthy and fresh foods, drink plenty of water, get plenty of sleep, and exercise each day. That being said, here is confession #2: I have definitely slacked on all of those things. What I have noticed is the extra 20 pounds on my body, a general feeling of "blah" towards my body and myself (and yes, I think "blah" should be a profession term :) ), and a lack of confidence in how I tackle life. It's amazing how at 31 years of age, I still let the way my body feels and looks affect my thinking about who I am and my value. 
   So here is my commitment: starting August 31 I'm going to start a 30 day clean living pact. My life will become a "Sugar, Gluten, Alcohol, & Soy Free Zone." I'm going to limit my dairy to Fage Greek Yogurt and stick to one cup of coffee a day. Why the extreme? Because I have begun to let the crackers, the breads, the "treats" sneak back into my life. Because as a child I had a pretty severe dairy allergy that still lingers around the corner for me as an adult. And because I'm finding most products that have gluten in them don't like my stomach very well. There is a good deal of information out about how sugar affects the body and cravings and I truly don't want to let my cravings and extra layer of "fluff" rule how I think about myself and my body. So this is my commitment to the body of online health and fitness minded folks (and those who are just toying with the idea of being healthy): 30 days of clean living from August 31 - September 31. I'll post my life lessons along the way. If you want to join the challenge, please feel free to message me or comment about the process. I'd love to give any suggestions or help along the way and I'm open to yours as well. Check out my facebook page for Tree House Pilates - Where Health and Fun collide for more updates and health and wellness tips.