#800g Challenge

starts today

The Tao Te Ching says, “When the student is ready, the teacher will appear. When the student is truly ready, the teacher will disappear.”

I can’t help but marvel at the fact that the moment I declared myself ready to reclaim my body from eating disorderdom, my CrossFit gym announced they’d be hosting a group challenge to add 8 cups of fruits and veggies to your diet each day. It crossed my mind not to sign up, that this was merely a coincidence, that I didn’t have time to devote or the funds to support such superfluous behavior. Luckily the better half of me decided to call bullshit on the lesser half. And on Friday afternoon, I filled in the form and signed my ass up. No takebacks. 

The time, it would seem, has come for me to take my quest for wholeness seriously. To learn how to nourish and nurture this sacred vessel of mine. The one I have fought and slighted and ignored and punished for so long it pains me to admit. For me, accountability is the medicine that makes the healing possible. So expect lots of food pics on my news feed for the next 28 days. 

As my dear friend, Kolbi reminded me yesterday when I reached out for help with meal prep, “Use this challenge as a way to learn your way around the kitchen. Food is emotional, it’s so good for gathering and keeping us grounded and healthy.” 

And that’s what I want. I want people gathered around the table of my small apartment. I want it bursting at the seams. I want to bring women and children together around a delicious meal. I want to create safe places for growth and joy and tenderness, for unconditional love. In my heart, I know that food carries the same potential as creativity, as writing or painting or making a work of art out of a ball of clay. Making an apple pie out of sheets of dough. Making something out of nothing. Something that didn’t exist before you had your hands on it. 

This challenge will be hard. I might fail some days. End up eating eight bananas instead. I will want to quit. I will want to skip meals. I will have to face many an outdated narrative and many a well-worn groove. But I am committed. And I am willing to fail in public. I have no shame because I know this experience is the teacher. And a month from now, I will not be the same person I am today because of it. Because I said yes when it showed up at my doorstep. 

If you want to know more or are thinking about taking this on in any capacity, check out this badass TED talk by the Challenge creator herself. I believe in you. I’m here for you. Yes, you can. An Elegant Diet | EC Synkowski | TEDxBoulder