Whole 9 Review

Ok, it's a slow day at work. Friday before a long weekend always has me hearing crickets at my desk. So I figured it's a good time to tell you how super cool my Sunday with Dallas and Melissa Hartwig was.

So to start off with, a little background on how I found out about this seminar. As I've said before, I can be a little obsessive when I've found something great. Paleo is great! I've been reading like crazy for the last few months. Every now and then I'd see something about "I finished my Whole 30" or "Melissa/Dallas at Whole 9 said..." But for some reason I'd not looked into their site until one day I was at nom nom paleo and she'd posted about going to a Whole 9 nutrition seminar. Nutrition seminar thought I? For me that's almost like a day at Disneyland, so I took myself right on over to their site.

The third post down on their front page read "Colorado for a Cause". Since I live here, well, I just had to click on that. They presented the story of a lovely woman who's beloved mother had passed due to cancer. It was very moving, and at the end, they wrote that they were extending an invitation to anyone that was coming to their Denver seminar to bring a loved one at no charge. After I stopped crying all over myself at my desk, I called my step-mother to see if she'd be interested in attending. I have been trying to get her (and therefore my dad) on board, and they've been making some changes, but I thought maybe if she could come and hear a couple well respected, knowledgeable (and pretty) people talk about it, it would help keep them going on the good path. There have been several studies that suggest we think pretty people are smarter, so it's probably helpful that they travel the country with their attractive selves giving the scoop on all things Paleo nutritious to help convert the masses. I wish my mom lived here, I would have taken her too.

So number one, that's the kind of people these two are. Which is to say more plainly: they care. They want to help people.

Let me tell you something. They know their stuff! And they know how to explain it in simple terms that nearly everyone can understand. Basic, straightforward, honest. You don't have to have a degree in anything science related to understand what they're telling you. You don't already need to be on the Paleo bandwagon to get it either. They explain from the bottom up. "Sugar does this. Insulin does that. Blood sugar works this way. Put it all together and you can see why maybe consuming massive amounts of sugar (including "complex carbs") is maybe not so great." They also had come up with a really helpful visual that showed the vicious cycle of insulin resistance leading to health problems leading to more insulin resistance and on and on.

They talked about everything from insulin to cortisol. Who needs to fuel back up after a workout, who doesn't, and why you would/wouldn't (something that's been a bit confusing for me, but now I get it!). Why understanding the basic underlying mechanisms of the way your body processes food can help you to lose weight or gain muscle. Why eating grains does not lead to better health and why eating meat and veggies and fat does.

They took turns on different subjects, which was nice, because they each have their own presentation style. They're both also really well spoken. That's probably good since they have to talk for 7+ hours at these things. And they're funny!

And they didn't just talk AT us all day. Lots of "experts" are only experts because they like to hear their own voices. No, not these two. They talked TO us. You gots a question?! Ask away!

That brings me to my statement that they're honest. I know they're honest because I've been doing the reading myself. But if you haven't done so, a good rule of thumb is when someone is willing to say "I don't know", I'm pretty sure they can be trusted. No one knows EVERYTHING about anything. Especially when it comes to nature and the human body. It's just not possible. There were a couple questions (good questions) that came up and both Melissa and Dallas were given the opportunity to say they didn't know. They also said, "I will try to find out. Email me and I will get back to you on it." And I'm sure that they will. I did not have one of those good questions, so they won't be emailing me anything...

All in all, it was totally worth it. They're great people who are out there trying to help as many people as they can achieve optimum health. If they come to your neck of the woods, I'd highly recommend you try to make it. You'll be glad you did!

Oh, and I preordered their book...super excited for it!