I hope your New Year celebrating was safe, fun, and you are now recovering nicely. The calendar has now ticked over to 2017 and it’s time to attack the New Year with the vigor it deserves, but while we do that, let’s complete the first exercise of the No Sugar / No Flour prep process.
Step one of your prepwork begins with taking personal inventory of your current state. This is something I wish I had done before starting my challenge last March, so I am making it a point to do it this time around with you.
Here’s why we’re doing this. I want you to have a detailed record of how you are feeling before you start this challenge, so don’t hold anything back. Don’t panic, you won’t be asked to share this with anyone, just lock it away for your challenge month. You see, I know that many of the things you list down will show improvement during this month-long experiment, and I want you to be able to look back on this list and determine if the old version of you is worth going back to. You’ll have a choice to make at the end of the month, whether you want to go back to how you were on the list or continue to knock things off of the list as you move forward with your life.
In my case, the changes I felt were so profound, that I didn’t need a list to remind me of my constant aches and pains, acid reflux, feet swelling, and digestion issues. As time went on, I realized there were other things that I had forgotten about, like just being able to get in and out of my car more comfortably, or being able to keep my balance while tying my shoes. I was so focused on the couple of big things that improved, that I didn’t notice all the small things that were getting better at the same time. In the end though, it is everything combined that will help you make an informed decision on how you’ll go forward after the challenge has ended.
How to fill out the worksheet.
You’ll find the PDF attached to this blog, so click on it to download and print. Give it some thought for a day or two, but get it done so we can work on the next thing shortly. Don’t worry about writing entire sentences or statements, just get down enough to know what you were thinking.
The PHYSICALLY circle is for how your body feels right now. Do you have a particular ache or pain? Are your joints stiff? Acid Reflux? Constant Headaches? Digestive issues? Skin conditions? Or anything else that you physically feel regularly.
The EMOTIONALLY circle is there for your mental state. How do you feel about your body at this moment? What do you see when you look in the mirror? How do you perceive yourself? What is your mood like typically?
THINGS I WISH I COULD DO is there for the basic things you feel your body or current health is keeping you from. This could be a simple thing like tying your shoes without getting out of breath, (don’t laugh because that was me in February 2016), or being able to go for a walk around the block without feeling like you pulled a muscle. This isn’t the place for super lofty goals, like run a marathon or become a UFC fighter, save those goals for another sheet in the future. This is the place to write something smaller and more personal, like being able to comfortably fit on the toilet seat or be able to get up from a seated position without someone having to pull you up. They may seem silly to you, but again, you’re not sharing this with anyone but yourself. Take some time to print this today and keep it close so you can fill it out in the next two days.
ALSO.....
You’re reading this because you want to make a healthy change in your life, which I think is great. While we are prepping this month for the next month to live without sugar and flour, you can still be moving in a healthy direction right now. As we move through this month of prep, make the effort to eat healthier food. Work some exercise into your routine whenever possible just to get used to the movement. If you feel you are “addicted” to something sugary or full of flour, then work on weening yourself off of it during this time, so it isn’t so shocking to your system when February begins. Please don’t just wait until January 31st because you “haven’t started the challenge yet”. You started down this road at 12:01AM January 1st, so keep your feet moving.
In fact, today would be a good day to step on the scale for one last time and get your starting weight. I’m not a fan of weighing yourself all the time and believe that once every two weeks is plenty, so get your weight, write it on your worksheet, and put the scale away. We’ll write down our weight right before February starts, so let’s see what we can do for ourselves before then.
As always, if you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at [email protected]. You can also post a comment or send a message through the Facebook page: ONE MONTH NO SUGAR & NO FLOUR CHALLENGE. As I've said before, I consider myself an average person who is experiencing the same challenges and thoughts that you are right now. I will be completing the same steps as you as we go through the next two months, so if you want me to share my prepwork or more personal thoughts with you, then send me a note. Since some of the work will be a tad personal, I won't be sharing everything online for the world to see, but if it helps you achieve your goals, then I can send it your way. This will be an exciting journey and we’re on our way!
John Graham
Step one of your prepwork begins with taking personal inventory of your current state. This is something I wish I had done before starting my challenge last March, so I am making it a point to do it this time around with you.
Here’s why we’re doing this. I want you to have a detailed record of how you are feeling before you start this challenge, so don’t hold anything back. Don’t panic, you won’t be asked to share this with anyone, just lock it away for your challenge month. You see, I know that many of the things you list down will show improvement during this month-long experiment, and I want you to be able to look back on this list and determine if the old version of you is worth going back to. You’ll have a choice to make at the end of the month, whether you want to go back to how you were on the list or continue to knock things off of the list as you move forward with your life.
In my case, the changes I felt were so profound, that I didn’t need a list to remind me of my constant aches and pains, acid reflux, feet swelling, and digestion issues. As time went on, I realized there were other things that I had forgotten about, like just being able to get in and out of my car more comfortably, or being able to keep my balance while tying my shoes. I was so focused on the couple of big things that improved, that I didn’t notice all the small things that were getting better at the same time. In the end though, it is everything combined that will help you make an informed decision on how you’ll go forward after the challenge has ended.
How to fill out the worksheet.
You’ll find the PDF attached to this blog, so click on it to download and print. Give it some thought for a day or two, but get it done so we can work on the next thing shortly. Don’t worry about writing entire sentences or statements, just get down enough to know what you were thinking.
The PHYSICALLY circle is for how your body feels right now. Do you have a particular ache or pain? Are your joints stiff? Acid Reflux? Constant Headaches? Digestive issues? Skin conditions? Or anything else that you physically feel regularly.
The EMOTIONALLY circle is there for your mental state. How do you feel about your body at this moment? What do you see when you look in the mirror? How do you perceive yourself? What is your mood like typically?
THINGS I WISH I COULD DO is there for the basic things you feel your body or current health is keeping you from. This could be a simple thing like tying your shoes without getting out of breath, (don’t laugh because that was me in February 2016), or being able to go for a walk around the block without feeling like you pulled a muscle. This isn’t the place for super lofty goals, like run a marathon or become a UFC fighter, save those goals for another sheet in the future. This is the place to write something smaller and more personal, like being able to comfortably fit on the toilet seat or be able to get up from a seated position without someone having to pull you up. They may seem silly to you, but again, you’re not sharing this with anyone but yourself. Take some time to print this today and keep it close so you can fill it out in the next two days.
ALSO.....
You’re reading this because you want to make a healthy change in your life, which I think is great. While we are prepping this month for the next month to live without sugar and flour, you can still be moving in a healthy direction right now. As we move through this month of prep, make the effort to eat healthier food. Work some exercise into your routine whenever possible just to get used to the movement. If you feel you are “addicted” to something sugary or full of flour, then work on weening yourself off of it during this time, so it isn’t so shocking to your system when February begins. Please don’t just wait until January 31st because you “haven’t started the challenge yet”. You started down this road at 12:01AM January 1st, so keep your feet moving.
In fact, today would be a good day to step on the scale for one last time and get your starting weight. I’m not a fan of weighing yourself all the time and believe that once every two weeks is plenty, so get your weight, write it on your worksheet, and put the scale away. We’ll write down our weight right before February starts, so let’s see what we can do for ourselves before then.
As always, if you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at [email protected]. You can also post a comment or send a message through the Facebook page: ONE MONTH NO SUGAR & NO FLOUR CHALLENGE. As I've said before, I consider myself an average person who is experiencing the same challenges and thoughts that you are right now. I will be completing the same steps as you as we go through the next two months, so if you want me to share my prepwork or more personal thoughts with you, then send me a note. Since some of the work will be a tad personal, I won't be sharing everything online for the world to see, but if it helps you achieve your goals, then I can send it your way. This will be an exciting journey and we’re on our way!
John Graham
 | Click below for PDF of worksheet.
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