The Beginning

I write this first post 33,000 feet in the air, with my computer shaking on my lap as we hit more turbulence. Above me, blue sky. Below me, a thick white blanket of what looks like the lint I pull from my dryer. In my ears plays the opening of Disney’s Frozen (which I admit, I’m excited to watch on the cubicle television hanging from the middle of the ceiling.) Outside of the fantasy land I put myself in to drastically reduce my flying anxiety, lays the reality. I am en route to San Francisco where when I land, I will then travel an hour north to Santa Rosa. There, I will be checking in with a large group of other Whole Foods Market Team Members who are on their own journey to ultimate physical and mental health.

            I will be attending the Dr. McDougall Total Health Immersion. What does that mean? From today, March 29^th until next Saturday, April 5^th, myself and several other team members from Whole Foods Market across the country will be completely submerged in a vegan lifestyle accompanied by daily lectures, cooking demonstrations, fitness classes, and more. A full medical staff that will be checking our blood values and vitals frequently throughout the week will oversee us. I am hoping to be a sponge and soak up every bit of information about the correlation between our diets, and the increasing prevalence of chronic disease that our nation suffers from.

             

            Right now, I have no idea what to expect. Each attendee has their own health goals they are hoping to accomplish, or at least come one step closer to living a healthier lifestyle. These include weight loss, lowering blood sugar, and lowering cholesterol among others. If you know me, you might be thinking “but she already eats so healthy!” That may be true, but I have a lot to learn about the benefits of a plant -based diet, and how to well educate others when I return.

            My title may be Healthy Eating Specialist, but that doesn’t mean I don’t struggle with my own food related issues and preoccupations.  When is it time to draw the line on the journey for internal body perfection? Is that just as bad as trying to achieve external standards set by women in magazines? My goal is to find out what health means for me. Not for my neighbor, not for that 6 foot tall supermodel, but me. So for the next week, I’ll be taking you through my experiences in my quest for total plant based health. 

So I've made it to the hotel and connected to the wifi to post this! I'm going to unpack, settle in, have dinner with the entire immersion crew, and be introduced to Dr. McDougall himself. More to come!