That Clean Life: Testing the Project Beach Body Two-Week Plan

I follow many health and fitness pages on all forms of social media. I’ve “met” many fitspirations and have even become a better cook for my lifestyle through the people I’ve connected with. For a while now, I’ve been following Abigail Keeso, a registered nurse who created That Clean Life through her love for a healthy and holistic lifestyle. She’s based in Toronto, so only social media would have made this connection possible. I saw several mentions of her Project Beach Body Challenge on Instagram and started to check out her blog. Based on the feedback from her previous challenges, I thought — why not? I’m always up for trying new challenges and incorporating what works for me into my lifestyle. I love trying new recipes, and let’s be honest, letting someone else do the work isn’t so bad! After a few emails, I was ecstatic when Abigail agreed to let Fit Bottomed Mamas check out this challenge and share it with all of you! (It typically costs users $25 for a two-week plan.)

I received my detailed meal plan, for two weeks, along with a grocery list and several recipes to support the plan. All of this reached my inbox four days before the challenge! Perfect, because we know I’m quite the planner and all about prepping; this was EXACTLY what this mama needed! I love all the fresh, clean food varieties. What I love more is that the plan incorporates leftovers! It allows this to be a budget-friendly experience and also a realistic one. I’m not a contestant on a fancy reality show; I don’t live on a ranch away from everyday food. I’m a busy mom who needs to be able to prep meals without spending a fortune.

In upcoming posts, I’ll write about how I’m feeling and where I see this two-week challenge taking me. The truth is, I’ve been struggling … a lot. Food is an addiction; the problem is it’s legal. Legal and necessary. However, I’ve always looked at food in terms of points and filling a certain requirement. Lately, I’ve been learning to look at food as nutrients and fuel for my body. I appreciate Abigail’s holistic approach and how she educates on the macros but most importantly, how she talks about how the foods make her body feel. She felt icky and sluggish and wanted to worry less about the scale and more about connecting with her body and giving it what it needed to perk up. That is what I am looking for. I’ve spent years worrying about a number. In fact, I used to have to weigh in monthly with the pressure of being at a certain number. My mind has been trained to think that way, that this number matters and this number tells what my month was really like. I’ve had a bad relationship with food for years. Now, I want to enjoy the things I like but learn to do it once my body has been fueled with what it needs to keep it running. Much like a car needing gas to work!

This is my vow to all you Fit Bottomed Mamas — I am on a new journey. Weight-loss has been my focus for years. I’ve struggled with maintenance more recently and decided that my approach was not working any more. I want to feel good, have more energy, smile more and worry less. I want to not think about how many points are in a bite, but about how that next bite will strengthen my body. I want to be connected with the positives and focus less on what I don’t like about my body. Most importantly, I want to worry about my body image less and focus on my mental health with food more.

Have you ever taken up a clean eating challenge? Wanna be my support system? —Jennifer