I know that making changes at the start of a new year is so cliche. But, I also know it is the ONE time of the year where I can be counted upon to be motivated, hopeful and concerned about the coming year. My birthday falls in January and as it approaches, I’m reminded of the things I told myself I’d be doing by 2014. I’ve done many of them, but most of my health-related goals have been less than consistently met and, for that, I’m disappointed in myself. I’m not a pull the bandage off slowly kind of girl. I can’t ease into things–it’s all or nothing.
That means, when the calendar for 2013 falls into the trash bin, I’ll be kicking it up a serious notch.

A Whole 30 [at least 30] is on tap for me. Incidentally, over a half dozen of my closest long-distance friends are also jumping on the Whole 30 train. Others who may not be going Whole 30 are cutting out beloved, but not-friendly to them, things. I’m also going to be doing a three-day/week Boot Camp. [insert joke here]. I know my husband will boot me from my warm, snugly bed because 1) he enjoys doing that; 2) he paid for the Boot Camp Groupon; and 3) Boot Camp takes him back to his own early military experiences and he will love treating me like a new recruit. I’m hopeful the early start of the boot camp will help me hit the hay at a respectable hour, which is required by Whole 30 parameters. My objective is for the month of January to be the opening salvo of some major improvements in my health during 2014. My sincere desire is to lower the level of inflammation seen in my blood test numbers and increase my general level of health.
My Christmas gifts will go a long way to helping me accomplish my plan. I dusted off my copy of It Starts with Food [props to my husband for finding it in the spot where I’ve looked no less than six times] and added Nom Nom Paleo and Well Fed 2 to my personal library. I’m going to be ordering Well Fed ASAP, so I can be planning out meals, shopping lists, etc. until this is like second nature.

I also know that by having put it out there that I’m doing a Whole 30 again and having others say, “Count me in too!” that I can’t just fall off the wagon on Day 3 by sticking my face in a bag of Cheetos. I will need to be seriously prepped, well stocked and committed to making it to the finish line again. It would be stellar that if by the time this Whole 30 is over, I feel like I did at the last Whole 30 finish line. I felt like I could definitely go for another 30 days. I should have ridden that momentum and continued. This time, I’d like to push forward to see where I can take myself.

My husband checked out my Amazon wish list and made sure his gift giving included some awesomeness. I’m super stoked to be adding some authentic cast iron loveliness to my cookware collection.

That sad sack set of allegedly hard-anodized cookware I reviewed previously won’t darken my cooktop again. Eww. No more gray eggs that I have to throw into the garbage.

I also purchased my husband a kitchen gadget that I think will come in handy for my endeavor. A digital pressure cooker that doubles as a slow cooker made its way into our small appliance menagerie. I had to open a whole new Pinterest board to make sure when I find recipes and information, I can house them somewhere accessible. I’m sure I’ll figure out how to translate instructions for traditionally pressure-cooked foods into using the digital one. Fingers crossed!

From the looks of it on Facebook, Twitter and elsewhere, many Whole 30 efforts will be launched on January 2nd. If you are throwing your hat in the Whole 30 ring, jump in comments so we know you are here & we can follow your progress. We can share tips, ideas and any frustrations that pop. For now, it’s all about prepping. Meal plans, shopping lists & scheduling commences NOW!