In a dream last night, I had a dream that I was writing this post about yoga. So therefore, I'm going to post about yoga. However, additionally, I want to post about the cost of clean eating.
Here goes:
Why do I do yoga?
I used to hate yoga. I felt that it hurt me more than it helped me. I tried a class in college at my student recreational center and came out with more pain in my lower back than when I had gone in. You see, growing up, I was a big fan of gymnastics and tumbled for hours in my yard. I was not bad, probably the best in my neighborhood group of friends, but my parents could not afford to send me to actual lessons so I settled for my front yard and trampoline. I taught myself everything I know about gymnastics, including a back-handspring. (I accidentally did a back tuck -- once. I wasn't stupid enough to try that one on my own though.) I was quite good at back-walkovers and could complete several in a row. One day, I took that too far and injured my back. I had to slump forward to relieve pain for days. I re-injured my back trying to nail a backward one and a half flips off the one meter diving board my senior year of high school. To be fair, it was my favorite dive. Since those incidents, I have had back pain, and as far as I was concerned yoga didn't help that.
Spring forward about 5 years to where my co-worker forced me to do an entire day of yoga with our physical education classes. I survived with only mild lower back pain, and I was sure that if I continued to go to yoga classes then I might find relief. Do not ask me why I was determined that this would solve my problem, but I was sure it would. I couldn't even lay on my stomach for more than two minutes without feeling discomfort in my back. So I forced myself, begrudgingly, to attend at least ONE one-hour yoga session a week at my gym starting in January. (No, this was not a resolution, but it could appear that way.) Then, when I realized I did not die or hurt too horribly, I started to check out the other yoga classes to see if I liked different instructors and their methods. By middle of February, I was going to three classes a week and actually saw myself improving with flexibility and actually enjoyed it! Now, I can lay on my stomach for longer periods of time, and one night actually fell asleep on my stomach. That was impressive when I woke up several hours later needing to re-position because my arms fell asleep. I should also mention that I started to go to yoga to help improve my squat range without falling over when I had weight on my shoulders. I am now a firm believer that yoga has improved my lifting and my back injury. I'm back to only 1 time a week because that's just how my current schedule rolls, but I look forward to it each week!
The cost of clean eating
A lot of people believe that clean eating costs more than your current diet does, and to some extent that can be true. I used to believe this too. However, when I made a conscience decision to leave the processed food behind and pick up more whole foods for weekly meal preps I learned that I was actually spending about the same in cost. You see, when you trade in the granola bars for rice you're actually saving money. You can get a pound of rice at the store for less than a dollar and it will last you for about two weeks if you're a female about the same size as me. (5'4" approx 150 pounds) Granola bars come with only about 5 in a pack for 2 dollars, and you are likely to eat more than one in a sitting. At most, you will have one a day for 5 days. Not even a full week! See what I'm saying here? I also understand that you're concerned about the costs of protein, but truth be told there are other ways around this as well. I learned this through watching a YouTube video from Jay Cutler I believe. He actually got tuna (which is super cheap) and beef for his week. While protein can be costly, you'll be left feeling satisfied and fuller compared to the "meals" you can buy in a bag that are packed with sodium and processed foods. In return, you won't be needing to eat as much and nor will you have a sudden unquenchable thirst.
Yes, the initial cost of clean eating can be expensive because you'll probably need to get spices. However, you won't need to be getting spices every week. You will have those for a while. Also, if the cost is too much to do all at once, make small transitions. Maybe buy some tuna and rice and only get one or two spices to start. Then next week get a few more spices. Before you know it your pantry will be filled with the spices you need to make your meals taste well and keep you satisfied longer. :)
