It's a Challenge

Life has been pretty quiet in scenic Corvallis. Because a quiet life is a boring life, however, I have felt the need to arbitrarily complicate it with a Challenge or two.

Challenge number one:

The Whole Life Challenge consists of seven different dimensions. Six of those dimensions take minimal upkeep and consist daily of:

1. Drinking enough water (take your weight in pounds, divide by three, and drink that many ounces each day)
2. Taking a supplement (vitamins! What's in them is uncertain, as they have virtually no oversight, but, hey, it's the thought that counts.)
3. Exercising for 10 minutes (anything that gets your heart rate up)
4. Stretching for 10 minutes 
5. Writing a short reflection of your day
6. Completing a changing weekly lifestyle challenge (so far it has been 10 minutes of meditation, counting three items that deserve gratefulness each day, and getting 7 hours of sleep nightly)

So, that's cool and pretty easy and I've only slipped up twice. I forgot my (useless?) supplement once. On another occasion I was so incredibly sick I couldn't muster the enthusiasm to even pretend to exercise for 10 minutes. Other than that, I've been golden on those six measures.

The seventh measure is one that I've actually performed very well, but that requires its own consideration.

• Adhere to a diet that is similar to, but not quite, Paleo. 

This means: no added sugar or sugar substitutes (stevia is the only exception); no wheat or wheat by-products (this is something WTNV and WLC have in common!) or any other grain flour; no white rice, potatoes, or soy products (some fermented soy is A-OK, for reasons unclear to me); no artificial flavors or preservatives (there are about four considered okay, including guar and xantham gum. This also cuts out all cured meats except for an inexplicable allowance for sugar-cured bacon [I'm not complaining!]); no alcohol, soda, fruit juice (one glass of wine or spirit per week is allowed); and no dairy (butter and plain yogurt are fine).

I will admit that I have no love for many of the ideas behind the Paleo diet, and I think it is downright stupid to try to eat like a caveman or any of that nonsense. Cavemen did not live lives that I want to emulate in any way. But, you know, it's a challenge and I want to not suck at it. Also, I think we can all agree that subsisting entirely on processed foods may not be the best health decision.

The dietary restrictions? They're a bit arbitrary. But it's a challenge, and you gotta have rules, even if those rules mean you eat a ton of bacon and butter and coconut products. Hypothetically speaking.

If you spend an entire week not fucking up, you can earn food indulgence and/or rest day (no exercise) tokens. Because of this I have experienced the joys of a.) paella, b.) cornbread, and c.) gelato, but otherwise have adhered to the diet 100%.

I have to admit, this is the only thing that makes the challenge challenging, compelling, and a pain in the ass. This is why it's taken over my conversations, thoughts, and sometimes even dreams (cheeseburgers and desserts, man. Complex carbs are a helluva drug). I've become that person who has nothing new to offer other than thoughts on what I'm eating (or not eating...). Yeah, I'm pretty damn cool lately.

It's a little disappointing, and yet reassuring. I don't feel amazingly better without dairy or wheat or processed foods. Which is good, because I very much want to go back to eating those things soon. But also I guess I kind of hoped I'd discover something about myself and suddenly operate on a whole higher level, having overcome "grain brain" or whatever the current bullshit diet fad tells me is ruining my life. Nope, same old Jess. If anything, two weeks of cold-like symptoms revealed a worse Jess than the usual, fairly hardy model.

I'm on day 20 now. There are 56 in total. I've lost about 2-3 pounds, which is negligible (not statistically significant, in the general ebb and flow of things). I'm starting to feel pretty great, but that is largely because I am no longer a mucous-producing lump on the couch.

The best bit of this is that many members of my extended family are participating, and the daily reflections offer me unexpected glimpses into their lives. My nuclear family is very gung-ho about it all, and the competition is a fun way for my parents to try out a pretty drastic life change. I think this does more for them than it does for me, which is wonderful. I want to see them live long, happy lives. This is the first time I've seen sustained lifestyle change in a positive direction from them.

I will talk about Challenge Number Two at a later date. It's a reading challenge.