We did it!!! This past September my husband and I created a 30-day detox challenge This 30-day detox challenge consists of all the rules below.

• No alcohol 
• No sugar
• No junk food 
• No fast food 
• Limited processed food 
• 30-day workout program
• Cardio 2-3x a week

First of all, I would like to thank everyone for participating! It was so amazing to have family and friends come together to participate in this challenge together. Without each other’s support, it would’ve been a lot harder. Misery loves company right? What initially began as a 30-day detox challenge between me and my husband, grew to become a family 30-day detox challenge, and eventually, we ended up getting all of our friends on board too! 

My Mom

At the start of shelter-in-place, everyone felt the same. We wanted to use this time to work on our health and be better. But let’s be honest, we’re all human. At one point or another, some or most of us fell off the wagon. But, not my mom. Ever since the beginning of shelter in place, I got a Peloton bike and got my mom to start trying out some of the classes on the app. We decided that yoga would be a nice way for her to start working out and that it’d be easy enough to follow. Fast-forward 6 months later, my mom is still doing yoga every single day! How many of us can say that we’ve been working out consistently EVERY DAY? My mom has high blood pressure and diabetes. She always went on walks, but she’s never really tried to work out. At nearly 70 years old, she’s finally started a new journey to health and I’m so proud of her for that. With that simple change, she’s been stronger, happier, and healthier, and seeing actual results (hello ab and biceps!). This just proves that it is never too late to start putting yourself first.  

And with that, we decided to create the September detox challenge. It was meant to cleanse our mind and bodies and give it a brand new reset before the holidays (pumpkin bread anyone?). At the start of this, I thought it’d be fairly easy. I didn’t really consider myself to be an unhealthy eater, but once you put in place restrictions, it does get pretty challenging! With that said, here are some key learnings, testimonials, and results from the 30-day detox challenge! 

TESTIMONIALS

• “I feel super energized. I can finally understand how my body crashes after I eat junk food and sugar and it’s really changed my relationship with what kind of food I eat. I will never cut out junk food and sugar, but I do want to be more intentional about how I eat. My favorite part is probably the fact that I’ve never worked out so much in my life. I woke up early at 5 am to work out and did about 30-45 mins of Peloton along with 20-30 mins of weight training with my husband. I had my days, but it was great that we were able to support and push each other.” – Tiffany
• During this detox, I was hoping to challenge my mental toughness to see if I can shake off some sugary habits I had while I was pregnant. I wanted to work out too but couldn’t finish it because I was too tired from a teething baby. I was able to say NO to alcohol and sugar though and that was a huge deal for me. Without the dependency on sugar, my energy was better and my mood was definitely better. When I did have times where I wanted something sweet, I would call my sponsor Tiffany and she would talk me out of it. The community of this challenge was also very helpful. Keeping each other accountable and challenging each other was fun! I would definitely do it again! I’m still on a low sugar diet and I feel better and better! ? – Christine 
• When it comes to healthy eating, I consider myself “above-average.” But, I love chips, wine, and late-night snacks, especially during these trying times. So when I heard about the #septemberdetoxchallenge, I accepted!  Overall, it was manageable and I didn’t have any major meltdowns. I admit to cheating with a vodka soda during a backyard hang out, but I did well with No Sugar and No Junk Food.  Thankfully, Tiffany kept me motivated with her encouraging DMs.  I challenged my family to eat less meat too. I cut out weekday beef and layered in vegetarian meals. To my surprise, the kids took well to meatless pasta sauce (shhh I hid eggplant in there!), tofu steaks, and even a cauliflower tikka masala.  I’m your typical seasonal dieter – I’ve tried it all. This time around, I didn’t look at it as a diet, I looked at it as a way to improve my health.  Having just hit the big 4-0, the timing was right on. Now, it’s October and I’ve added back wine, in smaller quantities.  I’m happy to report that eating habits are sticking. I start the day with celery juice, keep my meals balanced, and veggie-focused.  When I feel a ramen craving – I enjoy a bowl of shiitake noodles in bone broth, with some homemade kimchi.  It’s amazing to see what exercise and moderation can do! I feel lighter, less bloated and my energy is better. It’s refreshing to feel brighter and more alert with a healthier lifestyle. Thanks, Tiffany for kicking me into healthier routines! – Andrea Lee

• What would I say about the #septdetoxchallenge? What I love about the challenge is that it helped me be more mindful of the choices I made about food, not only with my own food but what I have my children. My favorite part of the challenge was using my Kuvings juicer. Yea the juice is great, but it was the weekly rituals I had with my kids on choosing fruits and veggies to juice, cleaning and cutting them together, and sharing the whole process. I feel really good about introducing them to new flavor combinations and knowing they are drinking something good for them (versus the juice boxes in my pantry that are for emergencies!). Also, the challenge helped motivate me to carve time out for ME- me time. And for me, that was riding my Peloton and weight training. As a busy mom, balancing taking kids to school but also homeschooling, cooking, cleaning, and all the other miscellaneous things moms do, I never took time for myself (the kids sit in front of me while I pee). So being able to sweat it out for 30 min on the peloton or figuring out how to use kettlebells and the bench press- made me feel really good about myself.  And if you know me- I’m the biggest chocolate sugar ice cream snacking in the pantry while hiding from my kid’s personality. And while I love that person, I think I also love juicing veggies and fruit, making homemade meals, and exercise experimenting side too. I think I will keep them both. Thanks, Tiffany for always supporting me and pushing me to my potential as a mom and a friend. -Michelle Hsia
• Going into the September challenge I knew my biggest hurdle was going to be the booze.  As is, we don’t eat much fast food and I don’t have much of a sweet tooth so the eating challenge part was pretty easy for me.  But man…no booz…no Bueno.  Let me chronicle my sober September journey for you guys.  Day 1:  Not drinking was easy on day one.  Likely because I drank my ass off the night before knowing I wouldn’t be touching a drink for the next 30 days.  Day 2:  Still was OK but come bedtime – MAJOR insomnia.  I did not realize how much I depended on alcohol to go to bed.  Day 3 to Day 30:  Overall, the month wasn’t as tough as I imagined.  I guess my willpower was stronger than I gave it credit for.  I did realize a few things early on about my relationship with alcohol that I didn’t know before.  Mainly, it’s not so much the intoxicating effect that I enjoy.  It’s more the simple act, the process even, of drinking – that makes many mundane events so much more enjoyable.  Without it…things get kind of…well… boring.  For example, smoking ribs or brisket (what do you do with your hands while you watch the smoke?); sitting by the lake; eating a steak; fishing; watching football (I almost cracked on September 13th, week 1 of NFL, 49ers lost to Cardinals)…anyways, you get the picture.  Oh yeah, I was supposed to talk about how I felt during the challenge.  Overally, I have to admit I felt great.  Particularly around the 2-week mark, I noticed I was getting better quality sleep – I woke up truly feeling rested, and at no point during the day did I get tired (physically or mentally).  Throughout the day, I was definitely sharper and more clear-headed.  Best of all, by week 4 my poop was “healthiest” it’s been in almost 20 years!  While I’m not going to go sober for the rest of my life, I’m definitely going to lower my intake (both frequency and volume).  As much as I like a lite buzz a night, it doesn’t outway feeling awake and energized during the day.  – Doug

OVERALL BENEFITS

1. Energized
2. Improved mood
3. Sharper mental clarity
4. Increased mental/physical strength
5. Boost in confidence

KEY TAKEAWAYS

1. Support is everything
   • Having a partner to work out with or a friend to keep you accountable goes a long way.
2. Remind yourself of objective
   • It’s not to have the perfect body, because there’s no such thing. The goal is to improve your overall health and wellbeing for you and your family. 
3. Set a goal
   • Set realistic goals for yourself. Start off with small goals and slowly aim higher!
4. Make time
   • Getting a workout in the morning truly sets you up for a good day. Getting it done and out of the way, makes it so much easier for you not to make excuses later. But if that doesn’t work for you, work out whenever you want, as long as you DO IT.
5. Consistency is the ultimate goal
   • Your workouts don’t have to be perfect! You can do it anywhere anytime for any amount of time. If you missed your morning workout, try to squeeze in a few small workouts later in the day! Give yourself some grace and keep pushing.
6. Mix it up!
   • If you get bored with one workout, move on to another. As long as you’re working out, there aren’t any rules! Check back for a later post comparing my favorite workouts.
7. Stay hydrated
   • Drinking lots of water helps to both (1) boost your energy levels as well as (2) curb your cravings.
8. Out of sight, out of mind
   • If I don’t see it, I won’t eat it. I basically purged my house of all junk food and sweets (cookies, candy, chips) and replaced it with healthy snacks (hummus, yogurt, fruits, nuts, etc.)
9. Get creative
   • Sometimes the easiest thing you can do is be prepared. Meal prepping was the key to our success. Brainstorming creative meals and having a meal plan every week can really help you organize your week so that you end up making healthier food choices. When you’re hungry and don’t know what to eat, it’s so much easier to resort to takeout or fast food!
10. Balance is key
    • Above all else, it’s all about balance. Having a well-balanced diet that consists of fiber, protein, and fat is really not that hard. It requires an organized system. If you’re willing to live a healthy life with your family, then you’ll have to put in the work.

The bottom line, for me, it wasn’t about what I want my body to look like after the challenge. My ultimate goal was to see how sugar and processed food affected my daily life and wow, what a difference it made. I’ve also learned that my mind is so much stronger than we all think. Having the discipline to stick to my workout regimen and eliminating all of those enticing foods, helped me get so much more creative in my approach to a healthier lifestyle. Am I going to cut out ice cream or cookies? Absolutely not. Am I going to work out every day in the morning? Nope. But after this challenge, I’ve realized that as long as I stay consistent and keep pushing, I can do anything I set my mind to.

Now excuse me, while I pour myself a much-deserved glass of wine, cheers!

Love,

TiffanyOctober 12, 2020