Happy Sunday all! Let today, as I always try to be, be your weekly day to check in with yourself and see how you are doing both physically and mentally. Although a lot of things have gone to a more normal pace again, it is safe to say life is far from normal still and likely won't be for a while. I don't know about you, but I know this whole pandemic helped put certain things into perspective for me. For today's post I surprisingly want to go back and revisit a few topics from past posts and share how my thoughts have drastically changed on them. A few unrelated posts, but they come together for similar reasons.

Let's start with the main reason I wanted to talk about this topic today. If you have been following me for a little while you might remember my two separate journeys on the Whole30 diet. At the time I raved about this diet and the benefits and results I experienced but you may be wondering if this has changed at all. Well it has, and drastically so. Now before I go into this I do want to make it extra clear I am no doctor, dietician, nutritionist, etc. I am simply sharing stories about my personal body and thoughts on them. Whole30 is a diet that eliminates a ton of different things such as dairy, grains, peanuts, and much more. While I was on this diet I felt amazing I will not deny that, but for me it just wasn't sustainable. I need more carbs than just potatoes or fruit for my workouts. The biggest reason I have changed my opinion on Whole30, however, if because of dairy. 

Now I have for a while now been incorporating more dairy alternatives into my diet for ethical and environmental reasons, but I do also enjoy a bowl of ice cream or a slice of pizza with real cheese on it from time to time. I cannot do that without it wrecking havoc on my digestive system anymore. Do I know for a fact this is a direct result of Whole30? No, but I had absolutely no trouble with dairy in the past, and I have noticed it progressively since I ended my last Whole30 last year. I have done some research and all signs point to it being the cause of my sudden lactose intolerance. Now what is my point in bringing this up? Well I think it is safe to say I wont be eliminating anything like that from my diet again. I don't think completely eliminating anything, especially if it is something you enjoy, is a good idea. I have always said moderation is key and I stand by that. 

You may also remember a post a while ago where I talked about cutting off ties with toxic people in your life. Well this pandemic really had me thinking on that topic as well. Maybe it is the almost maternal instinct in me, or just my (usually 😉) good-natured heart but I was checking in on everyone I could think of when things were at their worst here. I even contacted the person that inspired that post about toxic people. To me when there is something so big going on that nobody is safe from it is time to put pettiness aside and love one another despite our flaws. Now there are certainly some people that deserve to be cut off and stay that way, but I think it is important to think about that before sticking to it. What made them act so negatively? Do you genuinely think they are a bad person? Would it harm either of us to just check in? Ask yourself these questions and if you decide the person maybe isn't as toxic as you though, send them a message to see how they are doing.

If you did not put my theme together yet, I will put it out in plain English here. Sometimes we shouldn't make any drastic cuts in our lives. I think completely shutting down and turning off access to something is our lives is pretty toxic in itself. Are you trying to eat healthy and decide you will not have any kind of junk whatsoever? Well doing so just may set you up to binge on snacks in a moment of weakness (trust me I have been there). If you cut ties with someone and potentially feel guilty about it, perhaps there is a reason for that guilt. If is perfectly fine to need space from someone else but maybe cutting ties isn't the best thing. Monitor your life and grow from these changes. Moderation is key for all aspects of life!