Time is the thing we never seem to have enough of. Between work and sleep, where are we meant to fit exercise, cooking, cleaning, hanging out with friends and relaxing? Everything has to be jam packed into a day. It’s really easy to let things be forgotten or take shortcuts on our hauora but turns out The Whole Life Challenge was the best shake up. With the exception of the week 1 feels, this turned out to be such an awesome month!
[blockquote style=”boxed”]”For the first time in our adult life, grocery shopping was exciting. It was like the pregame speech before you run out on the field. It made us feel like we were setting ourselves up for the week. Making meals was awesome because it made you feel like you got healthier each day.”[/blockquote]
In the Davis household, we are notorious for “quick meals”. Nachos, pizza, burgers, chips, sandwiches; are all staple meals because they take minimal time and effort. In addition to this we both have our own bad habits. For Ashleigh it is not getting enough sleep and for me it is the boring task of mobilising. The Whole30 was a specific and measurable way of focusing on our wellbeing and we were super pumped for November 1st.
When we started the challenge we committed to doing it 100% because he taniwha tatou and Mama didn’t raise no quitter. For the first time in our adult life, grocery shopping was exciting. It was like the pregame speech before you run out on the field. It made us feel like we were setting ourselves up for the week. Making meals was awesome because it made you feel like you got healthier each day. Ashleigh’s Instagram stories looked like a Jamie Oliver cookbook. Kai became what it should be in every home, something we came together for. Ashleigh would do all the tricky stuff, I’d do caveman jobs like peel Kumara and mash avocados. Effort and love went into our meals and we were so proud of what we produced each day. I learned more about fruit in veg last month than the entire rest of my life.
Once we locked the eating down it seemed ridiculous not to go hard at everything else.
-We had couples mobilisation before bed in which we would chuck K.U.W.T.K on the TV (if you don’t know what that is, just know the first rule of marriage is compromise).
-We had strict bed times. It was like we were each other’s parents, telling each other to go to sleep. Once we got used to this we saw massive lifts in mood and energy levels.
-Purposeful socialising was a bit hilarious in that we would seek out our friends for points. We loved how many people we got to catch up with and realised how easy it is to fit it in if we make time for it. Shout out to the CCW whanau that came for stairway to heaven, that was fun.
-Me time was probably the trickiest one for us both in that we are always surrounded by people. The Whole Life Challenge highlighted for us how much your energy and mood lifts if you take time to relax on your own.
-Lastly is trying your absolute best. PB Feels! One day you can’t do something and then one day you can. That is amazing! Learning a new movement, lifting something really heavy, pushing yourself to a place you haven’t; this is the most measurable part of the journey and is the most exciting part.
So on the other side, our home has changed. We are in week 5 and plan to just keep going. We feel good, energetic; healthy and it’s not this big battle any more. These habits have become choices for us and we are wholefood believers! So thanks to all our CCW whanau and as always Up the Taniwha.
