Thanks, Coach.

Level 3 Test is Saturday. This is it, Ladies and Gentlemen. Time to test yourself. If you think you’re ready, come find out. If you aren’t quite sure where you stand, come find out. If you’ve been a Level 2 for months and months and months, come spot check. It’s okay to fail. It happens on the platform all of the time but you don’t let that define as you a lifter, do you? Of course not (You better not). You take a minute to rest and you relentlessly attack. It’s also okay to apply this same strategy on the level test. You have to make the attempt to really know what your strengths and weaknesses are. You’ll garner more respect and attention as an athlete for making the effort. Sign up and come test this Saturday at 10:30 am.

Whole Life Challenge Day 55/56: What’s next? Read – Life After Your Whole30 from Whole 9 Life

Your Life After Strategy

All in all, we want you to understand three very important things about Life After. First, the Whole30 was just a starting point. You cannot erase decades of unhealthy food choices and damaging behaviors in just a month. Our program gives you an amazing jump-start, but you’re not “done” yet. Second, you will slip back into old habits. At some point, no matter how good you feel now, no matter how much you swear you’ve left those less bad foods behind… they’ll creep back in, maybe a little, maybe a lot. And finally, this is okay. Expected, even. (See point #1.) And it does not mean that you have failed. Hear us clearly on that one.

So how do you allow yourself to indulge in less healthy (but totally worth it) foods without turning back into a Cookie Monster? Here’s our basic strategy; but first, a word from our sponsor: Do not plan cheat days. That is just setting yourself up for failure. Do not decide ahead of time that on Saturday, you’re going to want pancakes, brownies, ice cream, and movie theater popcorn. Because when Saturday rolls around, even if you don’t want pancakes, brownies, ice cream, or popcorn… you will eat them anyway, because you told yourself you could. This is the opposite of the strategy we want you to follow.

So what should you do instead?

Continue eating Whole30-ish every meal, every day, as long as that feels good to you. (We say “Whole30-ish” because added sugar may creep back in, like ketchup with your burger. That seems reasonable to us. If ketchup is the worst thing in your diet, you’re doing okay.)
When something comes around that is too good to pass up—too special, too sentimental, to important culturally, or simply too darn delicious—make a conscious, deliberate choice as to whether or not you are going to indulge. (Use our Guide to Off-Roading if you need a little help developing your own “worth it” thought process.)
If you choose to indulge, take your time. Savor it. Eat consciously. And eat only as little as you need to satisfy the situation, your experience, or your taste buds. Maybe that’s a bite, maybe it’s the whole cookie, maybe it’s 6 cookies—just make sure you don’t fall into automatic consumption.
When you’re done, move the heck on. No guilt, no shame, no remorse. You made a conscious decision to eat something you deemed worth it. Good for you. Now let’s move on back to our normally scheduled healthy meals.

You may find that you indulge once every few weeks, because nothing really amazing comes up in between. Or you may find that you indulge every day for 12 days, like on a vacation in Europe. Both are okay, as long as you are following this protocol. Conscious, deliberate decisions. Honest evaluations of “worth it.” And then a return to your normal healthy habits, no beating yourself up.

Warmup

Dynamic Athletic Movement

3 x Single Kettlebell Warmup Flow
– use a light kb, do not put it down or rest until the entire circuit is completed, rest a minute between sets

10 Goblet Squats
5 Two Hand Swings
10 Alternating Swings (switch hands at the top)
5 Clean + Push Press R/L
1 Reverse Getup R/L

Skill

Levels 3/4
5 x 5
Double Kettlebell Snatch
– start light, increase weight but focus on technique

Levels 0-2
Snatch Practice Complex:
5 x 3 R/L
1 Single Arm Swing
1 High Pull
1 Kettlebell Snatch

Lift

5 x 3 @ 70%

Press

Conditioning

“Flowers of Wow”

5x AFAP (10 minute limit)
30 Double Unders
15 Wall Balls

L4 – As Rx
L3 – 15 Doubles (if alternating with singles)
L2 – same as L3 OR 90 singles, lighter wall balls
L0/1 – 90 singles, 10 Wall Balls