TAOS WHOLE 30, DAY ONE

Today is Day 1 of the Taos Whole 30!  In case you missed my post about this, I will fill you in…I am going to be leading a group of family members through the Whole 30 program while I am visiting my hometown of Taos, NM.  Last night, we had a meeting to launch the program, and I was thrilled to have such a great turnout.  There are 22 people who want to improve their health, and have committed to doing it!  The ages of the participants range from 18-58 years old, each person having their own reasons for wanting to make a change.  Everyone came with an open mind, ready to learn, and asked a lot of questions. Our group will be meeting twice a week for the duration of the program, and I will post updates after our meetings. Our motto is “Be All In!”  We are committing to do this “all the way,” not halfway.  We are going to BE ALL IN, and put forward our best effort for the 30 days.

We are following the guidelines in the book, “It Starts With Food,” by Melissa and Dallas Hartwig, which explains the Whole 30 program in detail.  I highly recommend this book.  It is a must-read for anyone who is serious about learning about how the food we eat impacts our health and everyday life.  Whole30.com is also an amazing resource.  For the group, I also put together a packet specifically for them.  I included helpful tips, my favorite Whole 30 recipes/meals, shopping lists specific to local grocery stores, and more to help them get started.  I included all of the free official Whole 30 downloads in the packet as well, to have on hand as a quick reference.  Ryan even put together a Whole Body Workout from The Move Project  for the group to add to their plan if they choose to.  If you are coming from a standard american diet, this type of change can be a bit overwhelming, so I wanted to give the group a head start.  The Whole 30 is not hard, but it does require some research and preparation beforehand.  Its all about setting yourself up for success!

I cannot even begin to express how excited I am to have this opportunity to help my family.  I’m really looking forward to seeing the changes that the 30 days brings for everyone.  I left our gathering last night encouraged and hopeful for this group.  I will be the first to say that I am not a nutrition professional or Whole 30 “expert.”  I am just someone who has experienced life-changing results with this program, and I find joy in paying it forward by helping others get started, and supporting them along the way.

I hope that you will follow us as we go, on our Taos Whole 30 journey, and maybe even try the Whole 30 for yourself if you haven’t already.  I will be posting here, and on my Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest accounts (@loubiesandlulu).  I will also be sending out a Taos Whole 30 newsletter with more Whole 30 resources, helpful hints, and more.  You can subscribe to my newsletter here:  Taos Whole30 Subscribe.  And, my friend Natalie, of the blog Thirtyeightfive, started her Whole 30 today too!  If you have been following my blog for a while, you may have read that she and I did one together last year.  She followed the Whole 30 Autoimmune Protocol, while I did the basic program. She will be doing the basic Whole 30 this time around, so definitely check out her site and social channels for Whole 30 inspiration (@thirtyeightfive).  Natalie is super creative and posts her own creations and recipes, as well as recipes from others.  Her beautiful photos always make me want to recreate what she is cooking!

Here are some photos from our gathering last night….