5 things I learned from the 30 day fitfood challenge

I think you all can agree with me that we're all trying to find the best solution to be the most healthy version of ourselves. When you're working out quite often and try to eat healthy as much as possible it can be interesting to do a 30 challenge to reset or try something new for a change.

Somewhere in March I started with the FitFood30 Challenge of LoveFitFood. In combination with Crossfit, I thought it would be a great way to pick up a good habit that will help you in the future. When you want to learn more of this challenge I recommend to check out their website and e-book. But to give you an insight what this challenge did for me I selected a few things I learnt during these 30 days.

1. Seeing my body as a machine

One of the essential things I learned of the 30-day FitFood challenge was that I must see my body as a machine that needs fuel to work properly. Checking what kind of activities I will do during the day or week and scheduling in the food is necessary in order to get the best out of my nutrition. Especially during days when I work out at my Crossfit box, I like to prep some meals so I don't have to worry and think about what to eat.

2. Back to basics

With this challenge I started to eat clean again and was on a no-sugar-gluten-lactose regime. So for me, it felt like going back to basics to find out how my body reacts on different kinds of food and if I really need them. We live in a world where we all consume too much sugar so I knew the benefits of ignoring the most evil sugars. When it's about gluten and lactose, I found it a bit harder to work on because I had to leave out my beloved yogurt and bread that I love to eat once or twice a week. After the 30 days, I started to bring back a bit of gluten and lactose in my diet and this works best for me. 

3. Proteins are the key

What I learned during this challenge is that proteins are key when you're working out quite often to give you enough energy and feed your muscles. It was quite easy to integrate them into my lunch or dinner because I love eating my chicken, beef and eggs. But early in the morning, I'm more of the fruity, yogurt and smoothie kind of person and that's where the protein powder comes in. Still, it's not my favorite way to add protein but it just gives me that extra fuel into my smoothies.

4. Water, water and more water

Of course, we all know that water is good for you and it's the essential element to healthy skin, a not bloated belly and so much more. Luckily I don't drink sodas on a regular basis, but I found it quite hard to ignore my chocolate milk, orange juice and other fruity drinks. I had to limit myself to green tea and water (with lemon) and say no to a tempting glass of wine during a great spring day. During this challenge, I learned how delicious water can be and by adding lemon, lime, mint leaves or other fruit to it, you can create a new watery goodness every day.

5. Every body is different

Of course, during this challenge you'll work with a set of rules you need to follow to make progress and achieve your goals. But I also learned that everyone is unique and so is your body.