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Helping you decide how much change you should commit to for the new year
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Dear Melissa,

I’m doing the #JanuaryWhole30. Can/should I also be following an exercise routine? -Love, Everyone

Dear Everyone,

This is such a common question, and the answer is “it depends,” which isn’t very satisfying. So I decided to create a diagram to help you understand the nuances here based on your context and what I know about habit research and the brain. Each quadrant represents your fitness experience and Whole30 experience.

  • Quadrant 1: It’s your first Whole30 (or your first Whole30 in a long time, with minimal working of your Food Freedom plan in between), and you currently have no established fitness routine.
  • Quadrant 2: It’s your first Whole30, but you have an established and regular fitness routine.
  • Quadrant 3: You’re a Whole30 alumni (slipping back into the program feels comfortable and pretty easy), but you currently have no established fitness routine.
  • Quadrant 4: You’re a Whole30 alumni, and you have an established and regular fitness routine.
My Most Important 2020 Project

A few weeks ago, I emailed you about Cooking Whole30—the revised, updated and enhanced edition of The Whole30 Cookbook. Cooking Whole30 will be available on 12/29, but you can pre-order your copy today, and take advantage of our awesome pre-order bonus bundle:

  • A 7-Day Whole30 meal plan for one, using recipes from the book, and including Recipe Remixes: clever ways to batch cook and repurpose leftovers, so you can enjoy tasty meals with less time and effort.
  • A grocery shopping list, to make it easier to stock up on the exact ingredients you need for an entire week of Whole30 cooking.
  • Exclusive discounts from Tin Star, Our Place, ButcherBox and Kettle & Fire. We picked these partners because they offer delicious ingredients and cookingware that will help you make the tastiest meals possible.

In designing this pre-order bundle, my team and I really wanted to create something that will support you through a successful first week of the January Whole30. To get it, simply pre-order Cooking Whole30 at any time, through any retailer. Then, register your pre-order purchase using the handy form on our website. We’ll verify your purchase, then send the bundle to you via email.

This is my way of saying thank you for your support of Cooking Whole30; a project that’s been so important to me this year.

Click here to learn more about Cooking Whole30, pre-order your copy, locate the pre-order registration form, and preview two exclusive new recipes from the book.

Quad 1: Just focus on the Whole30, don’t worry about exercise at all

According to habit research, the brain can only successfully focus on one big goal at a time. This is why so many New Year’s Resolutions fail; creating ten goals all at once sets you up for “goal switching,” where the brain focuses on one task for a while, then gets distracted and switches to another focus. Too many goals at once leaves you with all of your goals only partially attended to, and that spells trouble for your Whole30.

If you want to see dramatic and life-changing changes as the result of your January 1st commitments, focus on the Whole30. Just the Whole30. It’s far more powerful than exercise alone to help you see the kind of changes you’re looking to see, and letting go of a new fitness routine too means you’ll have the capacity to bring your full focus and attention to the Whole30 experience. If at some point in your journey you find you have more energy and motivation to go for a walk or hike, do an at-home yoga class, or pick up some dumbbells, go for it! But to set yourself up for success, don’t try to create a workout routine until your Whole30 elimination and reintroduction are over.

Quad 2: Put your fitness routine on auto-pilot and focus on the Whole30

Since you already have an established fitness routine (one that feels like habit), you should be able to maintain it (perhaps modified as below) while you start the Whole30. If you’re used to walking every morning, doing a TMAC Fitness workout three times a week, or hitting your garage gym after work in the evenings, keep it up!

A few things to note: Now is not the time to set a new lofty fitness goal or try new programming. Let your first Whole30 be the star of the show, and just keep moving in a way that feels good but doesn’t require a ton of willpower. (Remember, you don’t want to steal anything away from your Whole30 experience.) Also note that the first two weeks of the Whole30 can be rough in terms of energy, motivation, sleepiness, and crankiness. Don’t expect any PRs in the gym or schedule your longest run yet. In fact, the first two weeks of your Whole30 are the perfect time to schedule a half-intensity week, focus on mobility, or otherwise take it easy as your body adjusts. As your Whole30 results kick in, you should find your workouts naturally improving and your motivation for exercise goes back to normal.

Quad 3: Prioritize the Whole30, but go where the energy takes you

As an established Whole30’er, it should feel like coming home to jump back into the January program. Sure, there may be some hiccups as you wean off holiday sugar or step up your meal prep game a bit more, but for the most part, you shouldn’t have to focus SO hard on the Whole30 this time around. Which leaves you open to intuitively move, if your energy, motivation, and self-confidence take you there.

I wouldn’t try to establish a structured and aggressive routine here—again, let the Whole30 be the star of your January show. But if you’ve always wanted to try a yoga class, snowshoeing, or  just feel the call to pick up the dumbbells in your basement, go for it! And if that naturally turns into regular walking or yoga a few times a week during the month, cool. Just don’t force it, because any willpower you expend on making yourself exercise is willpower you can’t spend on holding your Whole30 promise to yourself. You can focus on solidifying your fitness habit when your reintroduction is over and you’re solidly settled in your food freedom.

Quad 4: Prioritize your Whole30 and keep on exercising!

This is my category—I’ve done eight or nine Whole30’s, and I’ve had a habit of exercising in the morning before work for the last twenty years. When I start the Whole30 again, I just keep right on with my normal exercise routine, including the hard sessions, maintaining the pursuit of goals I’ve set for myself, and occasionally working for a PR.

If I notice in the first week that my energy drops or I’m feeling tired, I just back off that day, just like I would any day when I’m not feeling 100%. But since both the Whole30 and exercising are fully ingrained habits, it’s pretty effortless to maintain both at the same time. (Neither require much willpower at this point.)

If this is you, stay flexible, pay attention to your body, and if you have to make a decision, prioritize the Whole30. You’ll get more bang for your buck by leaning into the program hard and putting your exercise routine on auto-pilot for the month than you will pushing for that PR and letting your Whole30 commitment slide.

I hope this helps you feel more confident heading into the January Whole30. If nothing else, consider this me giving you permission to JUST focus on the Whole30 for the month! I promise, the results you can achieve with just the Whole30 are so magical, it’ll be worth putting all of your energy into making sure you work the program as hard and smart as you can.

Best in health,
Melissa

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