I am a strong believer in learning from my mistakes. An added bonus is when you can add to your learning by paying attention to the mistakes others make as well. Ruth’s post yesterday delved into the variety of post-dunk reactions we observed on Monday. I wanted to address some of the mistakes I personally made, some of those I noticed others made and suggestions for future improvement.

For those that didn’t reach their goal or see as much progress as they had hoped, the common refrain I heard was that people wished the challenge was only 30 days. The idea of a binge diet and a sprint to the finish line was easier to tolerate than to actually make the changes a part of an ongoing lifestyle. During those first 30 days, many were on a Whole30 and the buzz in the gym was palpable. People were swapping recipes and tips and I was getting regular questions and comments.

Unfortunately, that all started to die off after day 31 when people were left to their own devices. It’s completely understandable that focus will wax and wane over that time but the entire point was to be able to pick yourself back up and get on track.

Everyone knew I was available to work with anyone in the challenge on their dietary quandaries. I mainly received questions about meal timing — and that was only in the first 30 days. After that? Crickets. Not one single contestant came to me with a food log to review. If you weren’t happy with your results, did you keep a food log on your own?

For future nutrition challenges (side note: we’re eyeing the fall for our next one), I will be bringing back mandatory food logs. I find that the act of logging your intake makes one truly reflect about what makes its way into their piehole. The community feel we had during those first 30 days can also help to stay on track. To help encourage that, we are tossing the idea of a couple of potlucks and possibly a Facebook group to swap recipes, post meal photos or even just vent about how hard you think the Whole30 is. (It really isn’t, but we’ll still let you vent.)

What changes do you think would have helped you in this challenge?

WOD 05.15.13

Deadlift 1×5

Partner WOD
AMRAP 20

• 5 Curtis P’s @ 70% BW
• Run 170m

Athlete performs one round while partner rests. Switch and repeat until 20 minute timecap. Score is total rounds completed.

*1 Curtis P. consists of a
-Power Clean
-1 Lunge on each leg
-1 Push Press