Well kids, it’s day 2 of my self-imposed-roping-Jeff-in-too cleanse. Here’s what’s on our list of no-no’s:

Cheese (1st week)
Red meat (2 weeks)
White flour (1 month)
Processed foods (1 month)
Fried foods (1 month)
Alcohol (1 month)

Day 1 was hard because I was hungry for most of the day due to my rushed lunch-making. I made a salad but didn’t have time to add a proper protein, so instead of delicious tuna or chicken I had a handful of edamame, which just wasn’t quite enough. My snack drawer at work is full of processed foods, so I had to turn to granola (mostly nuts) and fruit (mostly citrus) which wasn’t exactly filling.

Day 2 was hard because I went out to lunch with my coworkers, and had to figure out a way to not sound like a snotty hippy. I got a kale sandwich on wheat bread (whole grain/wheat bread is a cheat I’ve allowed because I don’t have time to be making my own bread all month) but it had cheese on it, so looks like I’m tacking on a non-cheese day to the end of the week.

I know, I know, this sounds like torture, right? So why am I doing this?

Well, for one, I want to see if I can eat unprocessed foods for a whole month. You quickly realize all the things that you can’t have, but I want this to teach me just what I can have. I can have any fruit or veggie I want. I can have whole grains (think quinoa, brown rice, farro, barley, bulgur) and eggs and dairy (save cheese for week one.) Learning what is processed will get Jeff and me to think about what we are putting into our bodies.

Secondly, I want to get back to cooking at home on a regular basis. In December we got busy, and the first thing to go is cooking, because it’s time consuming, which is understandable. But if we pay attention to the task of preparing food for ourselves, we’re doing ourselves a favor of keeping our bodies healthy (see number one.)

Thirdly, I haven’t been doing the best at eating my fruits and veggies, and winter is even tougher to get those fruits in there (hello clementine number 7 of the day!) Limiting what I can eat makes me rely on fruits and veggies for nutrients, which is how it should be, because they’re chocked full of everything needed to guarantee a nutritious diet.

Finally, because somewhere between “yes” and “let me see the video,” in the excitement of the engagement, I agreed to run a half-marathon, and I think taking care of my body will help me get to a place where running, yoga, and general exercise are taken in stride rather as a burden.

So for the next month, things here might get a little cleanse-heavy and a little running heavy, too. I hope you stick with me, friends.