Once upon a time in Happy Valley, Oregon, my father and I lived in a small apartment overlooking the Clackamas Town Center. The move out there was such a struggle let me tell you. My father had been living in a house out in Gresham, and I in SE Portland. The amount of things that him and I had collectively was ridiculous and certainly would not fit in such a small area so we had to invest in a storage unit. Potentially the larger struggle was attempting to remain organized moving with a father suffering from Alzheimer's disease. The first few days after the move were the hardest. I still had my regular work schedule to uphold, as well as organize the entire apartment in a simple manner that left all of the items my father regularly uses in an easy to access place. I figured I would sift through all of our stuff and thin out the amount of unneeded items once we were settled. Luckily as time went on the apartment became organized and less crowded with items, unfortunately for my father however this caused such a great deal of stress that around these few months his disease took a sharp decline. We would argue senselessly over where the tupperware without lids went, or why I got rid of plates with large cracks and chunks missing. We would argue about food as I tried to help him eat as healthy as I was. The thing for people with Alzheimer's is that they may understand that something is different or missing, but may not understand why even if it makes perfect sense to the rest of us. During this time in my life, it was like I was slowly drowning in quiet chaos. No life preserver or land in sight. I needed something to keep me from completely going under which is when I found my new gym.
I have always been into sports and athletics, so when my boss told me about a gym that is directly across from the mall that my apartment overlooked I was pumped. I came in one day and checked it out and immediately signed up. It had a pool and plenty of free weights, just what I needed to escape for a little while. I would walk over from my apartment almost every day even if it was raining. I started to truly love and appreciate that time with myself and for myself. A little while into my membership there a position as a swim coordinator opened up and they asked me to come in and apply for the position. I met with the manager and soon accepted the position :) I was nervous about having two jobs but excited for this new opportunity. As I began working I met some really lovely people and their children, and I was really loving my job. I soon began coaching the swim team as well and that is when this job turned into so much more than a job. All of the kids that I coached made me feel more like myself again, and that I could really survive this hardship in my life and make the best of it. That's when I met Timmy and his family. I filled in for a beginner swimming class and taught a small group of three year old's water safety skills and had some fun to get them acclimated to the water. Little Timmy was one of the students in this class and after the weeks were over his mother approached me asking about private lessons. I immediately agreed and we began having lessons each week. Timmy was such an amazing student, tentative and shy at first, but always smiling and willing to try the task at hand. After our lessons I would chat with Leslie his mother, and the rest of their family. Eventually we developed this close relationship where I was excited to see and teach Timmy as well as spend a little time with his mother. We discovered that her and I had each had major stress in our life that had led us to eating healthier food in the search for some relief. She talked about how her husband had bought her this book about how foods effect your digestive system, and that they explain it in a science-y way and a simplistic way. It had really helped her and forever changed her diet and she really felt like it would help me. The next time I saw her she had actually bought the book for me and before I had even read it, it held so much sentimental value for me.
It took me less than a week to read the book and I was convinced it was my turn to do the Whole30. I made sure that I understood all of the aspects really well and began my first one on September 1st 2013. The lows sucked, but then the feeling after about two and a half weeks was like nothing I had ever felt. I just felt so fresh and shiny and new! My insides felt like they were doing their job properly for the first time that I could even remember. The Whole30 is something that will stick around in my life for a long time. The first time it totally changed my relationship with food and my view on my own digestive health. I have Leslie and her family to thank for that, as well as Dallas and Melissa for writing such a fantastic book. And to all my favorite swim families at East Side who have helped me mentally through the tough times as well :)
Alright sappy moment over. So I am going to write about my second experience with the Whole30 this time on my blog because, health. Follow me along on my journey with some fantastic food and recipes and a written account of my experience. I'll try to write each day but, we will see how well that works out haha.
OH! also added bonus, my work has decided to have an office May Whole30! Go Team!
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I thoroughly recommend that you check out the websites associated with It Starts With Food, and poke around for yourself what its all about. You won't regret it :)
This link will take you to the Whole 9 page, the 9 factors for health
This link will take you to the Whole30 page
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