Week 1 March Makeover 28-Day Challenge

Boy have I been busy. I recently moved to a 55+ retirement community and since many baby-boomers live here, I figured I must share my passion for health. Last summer we kicked off a club called Healthy Lifestyle Living and many people came to find out what keeps me healthy. After all they see me running on the trails in the community—I'm one of only a few residents who run.

My brother and sister-in-law moved to the community as well. Last year they went through a detox program with a naturopathic doctor and as those programs have a tendency to do—they lost significant weight and look amazing now. That fact has not been lost on the other residents of the community. My sister-in-law, Marion, is my team partner in the Healthy Lifestyle Living Club.

We've had many who come to out meetings, but only a few have taken our teaching to heart and changed their lifestyle to get healthy. Wanting to up the game, I decided to create a challenge for the month of March.

I'm sharing this with you in case you wanted to take the challenge and get healthy too. I'll post the action guide for each week and you can comment with questions and achievements.

Welcome to WEEK 1!

Week One (February 28 - March 7)

• Clean-out your pantry and fridge. Eliminate unhealthy, processed foods. Here are 11 unhealthy food additives to look for:

1. Artificial Sweeteners (aspartame, sucralose, etc.), generally food called Diet…
2. High Fructose Corn Syrup
3. Monosodium Glutamate (MSG)—oftentimes masked as "natural flavors"
4. Trans Fats/Hydrogenated and Partially Hydrogenated Oils
5. Food Dyes
6. Sodium Sulfite
7. Sodium Nitrate/Sodium Nitrite
8. BHA and BHT
9. Sulphur Dioxide
10. Potassium Bromate
11. Sugar 

Here’s a post on my website to help you — Eliminating Unhealthy Food

• Begin a clean diet by eliminating dairy. No cheese, milk, cream, etc. Don’t panic! Often dairy causes a number of issues especially gut problems and inflammation. You may find you feel better in a short time. After a month without dairy, you could begin to add it back, but ONLY organic, grass-fed dairy. However, you’re better off without the dairy.

• Dump household chemicals.Throw out any cleaning products that have harmful ingredients. You may need to take them to a hazardous waste disposal facility. Replace with more Green products (brands like Planet and 7th Generation). Don’t forget white vinegar mixed with water is a good all-around cleaner. 

Re-stock with healthy items. For good prices, shop Thrive Market (https://thrivemarket.com). They offer free shipping and free gifts.

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Let me know how Week 1 is going in the comments below.