Tag: habits

The Gift of Resilience

When looking at your body composition goals there are often 2 competing thoughts:

A quick fix and dramatic results are what you crave.

There is nothing more you want than to get to your goals as fast as you can, but it often feels exhausting and overwhelming.

Vs.

I need to learn habits that I can maintain long term.

Taking the time to get the desired results will help maintain these results, but it feels “not so sexy”.

Let’s examine what can happen with each approach.

Many of us have done restrictive challenges, fad diets and had amazing results, only to feel depleted and exhausted. Maintaining these behaviors is tough due to the rules and restrictions. The upside is the aesthetic results. Many people comment on how amazing you look. Inside, you may not feel the same. Fatigue and feeling deprived have been mentioned by some people who have adopted the quick fixes and are now searching for something sustainable. Without that sustainable approach, many people return to old ways.

Often time quick fixes and restrictive diets leave a person isolated. They don’t often promote the balance between real life and the diet. An example here is an event like a birthday or work party. On a restrictive diet, there is a temptation to not participate, not enjoy the event due to the foods or beverages involved. Instead, there is much to be learned about taking a planned break from a diet, having some “controlled fun” if you will and then challenging yourself to get back into a healthy routine after the event is done.

What is missing with these quick fixes is the time to learn habits that build your foundation. By taking your time to really learn different healthy behaviors, practicing them in real-life situations, building them into your routine, creates behaviors that are second nature and effortless. Another thing that is missing is the building of a healthier more resilient mindset that you have been able to overcome a setback and get back on track with healthy behaviors. Taking the time to learn healthy habits, a few at a time, and challenging yourself to commit to getting back on track after a time where you have gone off track builds resilience and mental toughness.

Another thing that can happen that feels more far off by taking your time is that you are taking small steps each day to invest in your long term health. Each day, by working on habits, you are making internal gains on working on avoiding the burden of chronic diseases like diabetes and heart disease.

The challenge here is allowing yourself to appreciate what can be gained by taking the time to learn the process, trusting that by investing the time and effort in learning healthy habits that this will yield a healthier and happier, more resilient you for a lifetime.

If you are looking for a healthier and more sustainable approach to achieving your goals, we recommend booking a free intro with our nutrition coaching staff!

Click here to book your free intro today: FREE INTRO

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Habits

Last night I posted a picture of my January calendar…I had decided not to really make any resolutions for 2021. Why? Well, in the past they just haven’t worked out that well for me. So I went in with a different plan – habit tracking!

For the most part it worked! I picked a couple things that I knew I could do on a regular basis – water intake and exercise. Proud to say that I got all of my water in and exercised all but 4 days in January. Exercise and water do the body good for sure! 🙂

For the other 3 things I thought this would be a struggle, but I kept putting one foot in front of the other…I will tell you this, I love a good cold beer here and there, but I know they are empty calories so I set out to try and limit my alcohol intake. I went nine days then had a beer with dinner one night out with Jerry. The following weekend we had a members night out and let’s just say I had a “few” 🙂 This was probably the hardest “habit” to conquer because it’s easy to come home and reach for that beer or wine to “wind down”…but I chose other things to focus on instead. I know it’s not the same, but I’ve started having some tea in the evenings (decaf!) and that has helped.

I went 31 days with NO Ice Cream!! During January, I wanted to cut out as much junk food as possible (had 2 days where I had some cookies 🙂 ) The ice cream win was HUGE! To combat that sweet tooth I just had healthy options available at home; a go to favorite is protein ice cream – mash 1/2 banana, scoop of protein powder (I use vanilla), almond milk then freeze for about 45min! Yum!

The last thing I did was try to eliminate at least 5 pieces of “clutter” from home/work. This is definitely helping as I ridded our house (and part of my office) of the unnecessary. It really does feel freeing!

I’m going to continue in February and continue to focus on these 5 things as well as add one more “habit” to track…a daily blog post! I keep meaning to post every day, but then I get sucked in to other things. So I’m going to provide a post (try to any way!) every day in February…Should be easier at the end right?? Tune in for information, inspiration and motivation in the next 27 days or so!

Happy Tuesday!

Work Hard, Eat Clean, Be Blessed!

Tags be happy, be healthy, better than yesterday, crossfit, discipline, habits, health, jcmo, jefferson city, mental health, nutrition, nutrition coaching, personal training, trainer, transformation

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Nutrition-Keep It Simple!

Post author By Debbie Rosslan
Post date July 8, 2020
No Comments on Nutrition-Keep It Simple!

Nutrition should not be complicated! But many people make it out to be and start making excuses on why they do not reach their goals! Bottom line is…follow these little tips to make your nutrition journey a little bit easier!

Don’t drink your calories

A coffee from the coffee shop might as well be a giant slab of cake… a venti size frappuccino with whipped cream at Starbucks can have as many as 600 (!) calories. Alcoholic drinks are all empty calories (meaning you get no nutritional value) plus consuming alcohol in excess can cause you to make poor food choices. Fruit juice, while natural, is liquid sugar! Water or unsweetened tea is your best bet. Check the labels!

Drink water with every meal

Hunger can often masquerade as thirst. You may feel that you are still hungry, but really you just need some water, so drink a tall glass with every meal. If you can’t decide if you need a snack or not, drink a glass of water and wait 20 minutes before going for the snack. If plain water is too boring, try infusing your water with fruit. Use a shaker bottle, add a few pieces of frozen fruit and you have a cold, lower sugar, flavorful drink.

Eat veggies with every meal

Mom said veggies are good for you and turns out she was right. Not only are you getting a boatload of nutrients and vitamins, but the water and fiber content of the veggies keeps you feeling fuller for longer. Try sautéing vegetables, like zucchini and onions, and seasoning with salt and pepper and fresh herbs like chopped thyme or tarragon. When in a pinch grab a bag of baby carrots, snap peas, or green beans. Almost all supermarkets have washed and packaged snack or smaller size portions of fresh veggies. At CFU, we teach the plate method which is making at least 1/2 your plate be veggies! This helps with filling you up AND there are less calories!

Make calculated indulgences

Nobody said, never indulge! Just plan and indulge smarter. A failure to plan is a plan for failure! If you know you’re going out for dinner and you’ll want to order dessert, make smart food choices leading up to your meal out and there’s no need to feel guilty about the brownie with ice cream. Ordering the dessert is a planned indulgence. Now, if you find yourself eating junk food from a vending machine because you didn’t plan ahead to bring your own food, you’ve indulged, but you probably haven’t enjoyed it one bit. Plan ahead and eat well most of the time so you can eat something not so healthy but feels truly worth it guilt-free. There are non perishable food items you can stash for snacks; almonds are a great option.

Avoid your “trigger” foods

Can you think of any foods that once you start eating them you just can’t seem to stop? The package of crunchy, salty, sugary, fatty whatever-it-is that you just need to keep snacking on until it’s gone? Any food that triggers a binge, that is, a food you cannot eat in moderation, you should just simply steer clear of. Remove the temptation. If it is in your house get rid of it and replace it with a healthier option. Better yet, don’t buy it in the first place!

It all goes back to keep it simple. If it is to hard to follow it is a recipe for failure and frustration.

Take the tips above focus on them and then start building upon them. Don’t start with “all of the above” all at once…take one tip per week and build upon that!

If you would like to have some extra guidance, book a free consultation with one of the nutrition coaches so we can get you on the right path! You are worth the time and effort! Have a blessed day!