Health Is Never Static: Why I’m Doing the YARD 42 Challenge
If you spend much time around me at Rooted, you’ve probably heard me say some version of this:
Health is never static.
We like to think of ourselves as either “healthy” or “unhealthy,” but I don’t really believe health works that way. Every day, the way we eat, move, sleep, manage stress, and take care of our bodies is moving us in a direction. One meal doesn’t make you healthy or unhealthy, one workout doesn’t transform your body, and one late night doesn’t ruin your health… but when you stack those choices together over months, years, and eventually decades, they matter.
Lately, I’ve realized there is an area of my own health where I want to be more intentional about the direction I’m heading.
I Actually Feel Pretty Good
That’s probably important to start with, because I’m not doing this challenge because I feel bad or because I’ve completely neglected my health.
I’ve worked out to some extent for most of my life, with a few less-consistent seasons mixed in, but over the last eight months especially, I’ve gotten much more consistent with strength training and I’ve loved it. I have more energy, I feel stronger, and I’ve watched myself make progress that I genuinely didn’t even know I’d enjoy making.
Right now, my back squat is around 185 pounds and my bench is 115 pounds. My next goals are a 200-pound squat and a 120-pound bench, and there’s something really fun about realizing your body can do more than it could a few months ago.
But while my exercise habits have gotten better, I’ve had to admit that my nutrition hasn’t followed quite as closely.
The “Good” Excuse I’ve Been Making
Rooted is BUSY right now, and that’s an incredible problem to have.
We come in early and stay late for almost every single shift because we’re trying to serve our current practice members well while still making room for new families who need us. On top of patient care, there are workshops, team meetings, team training, interviewing potential new employees, weekly training for us as doctors, and then, of course, raising two little girls and all the normal things that come with family life.
There are plenty of opportunities to say, “We just don’t have time tonight.”
Usually we start the week pretty strong. We’ve meal prepped, there’s food ready, and we’re eating at home. Then Wednesday night rolls around, the meal-prepped food is gone, we’ve worked late, everyone needs to eat, and suddenly grabbing something on the way home sounds a whole lot easier than figuring out dinner at home.
We usually try to make it a “healthier” option—Chipotle is a frequent choice—but the bigger issue isn’t whether one Chipotle bowl is healthy or unhealthy. It’s that convenience has slowly become our default when life gets busy.
And if I’m stressed? My guilty pleasure is Dr Pepper. There, I said it. 😂
None of those choices individually are catastrophic, but that’s exactly the point. Health rarely changes because of one gigantic decision. It changes because of the little decisions we make over and over again and I have realized I wanted to be more intentional about mine.
So I’m Doing YARD 42
Starting September 28, Rob and I are doing the YARD 42 Challenge.
For 42 days, my rules are intentionally pretty strict:
- Whole foods focus
- No gluten
- No added sugar
- No eating out
- Track my macros, including a goal of about 150 grams of protein per day
- Five workouts each week: three strength days, one cardio day, and one combo day
- Read my Bible every morning before I check my phone
- Read at least 10 pages of a book at night before—or instead of—scrolling on my phone
And before anyone asks: I am absolutely NOT giving up my morning coffee. This is a health challenge, not a punishment, so please don’t offend me with that suggestion. My coffee is staying.
Could I make these rules more flexible? Absolutely. But for these 42 days, I don’t want flexible—I want a reset, and I want enough structure that I can’t constantly negotiate with myself.
I want to practice grocery shopping with a plan, preparing enough food to get us through the entire week, eating at home even after a long day, and reaching for something other than convenience when I’m stressed. Ultimately, I don’t want to track every gram of food I eat for the rest of my life; I want to build habits that eventually don’t require so much thought.
My Biggest “Why” Is Two Little Girls
There are several things I’d like to accomplish over these 42 days, but when I strip everything else away, Lydia and Rory are the biggest reason I’m doing this.
I want to be around for a really, really long time, but more than that, I don’t want to simply be alive for a long time. I want to be thriving. I want to be strong enough to do things with my daughters when they’re adults, travel with them, play with future grandkids someday, carry things, run, hike, work, serve people, and remain active and independent as I get older.
I don’t want to accept that the last several decades of my life automatically have to be decades of decline.
Chronic disease has become incredibly common in our country. CDC data published in 2025 found that 76.4% of U.S. adults reported at least one of 12 selected chronic conditions, and more than half reported multiple chronic conditions. Even among adults ages 18–34, 59.5% reported at least one of those conditions. [1]
And many of the chronic diseases that have become so common are strongly influenced by lifestyle factors. The CDC identifies things like poor nutrition and physical inactivity among major modifiable risk factors for chronic disease. [2] When I look at those numbers, it makes me think about the trajectory I’m creating now, in my 30s, and what those same habits could mean when I’m 50, 60, or 70.
I want to steward the body God gave me well now so that, as much as it’s within my control, I can keep using it well for a very long time.
And it’s not lost on me that my girls are watching how I do it.
I want them to grow up seeing a mom who lifts heavy things, moves her body because she’s grateful she can, makes real food a priority, and takes care of herself even when life gets busy. I don’t want health to be something we constantly lecture them about; I want it to simply be part of how our family lives.
What We’re Actually Eating
This isn’t a “chicken breast and broccoli six times a day” situation and I’m definitely not cooking separate diet food for myself while Rob and the girls eat something different. (Side note: if that was the case the challenge would end very early because I can’t cook)
We’re eating normal, real food.
Breakfast might look like cottage cheese or Greek yogurt with berries or fruit, plus chicken sausage. Other mornings I’ll have a protein shake alongside breakfast. Lunch is often some version of a bowl with ground beef, steak, or chicken thighs, potatoes or rice, and vegetables. Dinner gives us a little more variety, but the same basic principles apply: a quality protein source, produce, a carbohydrate source like potatoes or rice, and enough food to actually fuel our lives and workouts.
The girls eat some variation of what we’re eating, because part of what I want to accomplish through this challenge is creating habits that work for our family, not just something I can white-knuckle through for 42 days.
One of the biggest things I’m prioritizing personally is protein. I’m aiming for around 150 grams per day because I’m not simply trying to make the number on the scale go down; I want to support my training and continue to build strength while I work toward changing my body composition.
I’m also tracking my macros during these 42 days. Long term, my priority is food quality, and I don’t want to spend my entire life weighing and tracking everything I eat. But right now, tracking gives me objective feedback and helps my body learn what appropriate portions and adequate protein actually feel like.
And Yes… I’d Like to Lose Some Weight
If we’re being completely transparent, there’s a little vanity mixed in here too.
I’ve got about 12 pounds of baby weight I’d be perfectly happy to finally say goodbye to 😂
I don’t think a number on the scale defines health, and weight loss isn’t my primary reason for doing this, but I’d also like to feel more like myself again. So yes, one of my long-term goals is to lose around 12 pounds. I’m realistic that 6 weeks probably isn’t enough time to do that in a healthy way for the weight I’m currently at, so I am hoping these 42 days can be a catalyst for that longer term goal.
But here’s what I want you to make clear. I’m not just looking to lose weight to be “skinny.” I want to lose the body fat to be a healthier version of myself and at the same time that I’m trying to lose that weight, I’m trying to squat 200 pounds.
I think that says a lot about what I’m actually chasing. I don’t just want to be smaller; I want to be strong, energetic, resilient, capable, and healthy for the long haul.
If some body fat comes off along the way? I’m not going to complain.
Health Is So Much Bigger Than One Thing
This is also something I think is important for me to say as a chiropractor.
I obviously believe tremendously in chiropractic care and in supporting the nervous system. It’s what I’ve dedicated my career to, but I very much understand you can’t get adjusted into a healthy lifestyle.
Chiropractic care doesn’t erase consistently poor nutrition, a workout doesn’t erase chronic sleep deprivation, and eating whole foods doesn’t make constant stress irrelevant. Health is the result of a lot of inputs working together: how we move, what we eat, how we sleep, how we handle stress, what gets our attention, what we’re putting into our minds, and how we’re supporting our bodies and nervous systems along the way.
That’s part of why two of my YARD 42 goals have nothing to do with food or exercise.
I want my Bible to be the first thing I reach for in the morning—not my phone. At night, I want to read a book instead of realizing I’ve spent 45 minutes mindlessly scrolling through a screen.
Because becoming a healthier version of myself isn’t only about what my body looks like.
It’s about becoming more intentional with my life.
Strict for 42 Days. Sustainable for Life.
Am I never going to eat at a restaurant again? Ya girl is a foodie and loves to smash on a good sandwich, so eliminating eating out forever is out of the question. Am I saying everyone needs to eliminate gluten, never eat added sugar, track macros, or follow my exact plan? No.
The strictness is for 42 days. The habits I’m trying to build are for much longer.
I want grocery shopping to happen with a plan. I want us to prepare enough food that Wednesday night doesn’t automatically become takeout night. I want protein and whole foods to be the foundation of my meals, and I want movement to remain part of my week even when life gets chaotic.
Most importantly, I want my daughters to grow up seeing those things as normal.
And I want to remind myself of something I tell our practice members all the time:
Health is never static.
None of us “arrive.” There will always be busy seasons, stressful weeks, nights when cooking dinner is the last thing I feel like doing, and—I’m assuming—there will always be a Dr. Pepper for the end of the most hectic week 😂
The goal isn’t to do everything perfectly forever.
The question I’m asking myself is much simpler: What direction are my habits taking me?
For the next 42 days, I’m choosing to be incredibly intentional about that direction.
I’ll report back at the end and tell you what changed, what was harder than I expected, which habits are sticking around… and of course, whether I got that 200-pound squat.
Here’s to Day 1.
— Dr. Kass
Sources
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Trends in Multiple Chronic Conditions Among US Adults, By Life Stage, Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, 2013–2023. Preventing Chronic Disease, 2025.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Preventing Chronic Diseases: What You Can Do Now.
