Run Toward the Challenge

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Three weeks ago, I wrote to you that "we are in the very beginning of a journey as a family that I will share with you soon," concerning the nutrition part of my goals. My daughter has been dealing with psoriasis, a skin condition that starts in the immune system and causes skin cells to build up and form scales and itchy, dry patches. She has been dealing with it for a long time. She has tried cremes, ointments, liquids and even injections. Some helped, some did not. Some helped but came with side effects that weren't worth the benefits. We decided to consult a Functional Medicine Doctor who takes a holistic, whole-body approach to health and wellness. After bloodwork and discussing other factors, it was recommended that she begin an Auto Immune Protocol (AIP) diet for a minimum of six weeks.

An AIP diet consists of mainly meats, vegetables and fruits. She is to avoid gluten, dairy, including eggs and added sugars. We met with a nutritionist this week to get some tips. A menu was provided to us. The problem is we are a family of "picky" eaters - not exposed to a variety of foods, we like what we like. I felt very overwhelmed as we sat and listened to everything that is on the "no" list. I was told, "Don't try to be a five-star chef." No problems there! My daughter, who is in her 20's can obviously begin this diet on her own. However, with her still living at home, and all of us knowing that having a healthier diet will reap benefits for all of us, we decided to follow this journey along with her. 

I want to be bold enough to be able to run into this challenge. Many times, on a solo run, the miles start to feel hard, and I go from running to walking. As I've talked about before, if I want to improve my running, I need to keep going when it gets hard. With anything in life that we want to improve upon or see better results, we need to push through the times when it feels difficult. God gave Joshua this command in Joshua 1:9 (NIV) "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go." As I navigate through something that feels new and strange, it may begin to feel a bit uncomfortable. My instinct may tell me to turn and go back to what feels good. I must start by putting one foot in front of the other, step by step, mile by mile, so to speak. As we see results, which we have prayed for and believe we will, is when the walk will become to get a little more comfortable, slowly turning into a gentle jog and eventually we will be running with this new way of feeding our bodies. 

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