Diets can be confusing. These tips will help!
When you’re spending time and energy on working out so you feel and look your best, food can become a source of frustration. You start to think…
Wait, does this food support my fitness goals?
How much protein do I need?
Should I do the Paleo diet? Keto? Vegan? Ah!
I don’t know what to cook. I’ll just eat whatever today and work out harder tomorrow.
If that sounds familiar, rest assured you’re not alone. In our age of information overload, navigating nutrition advice often feels like you’re never doing the right thing. It’s overwhelming.
The truth is, there is not one perfect almighty diet that is right for everyone.
What works for one person might not necessarily work for you and that’s okay. For example, 45-year old Joe who wants to lose weight and has a dairy sensitivity is going to require different food than 26-year old Samantha who wants to build muscle, but doesn’t eat meat.
There are several recipes for success when it comes to eating well (pun intended!), but what’s most important is that you’re eating what is right for YOU.
What’s right for you means food that aligns with:
- Your fitness and health goals (how you want to look and feel)
- Your lifestyle habits (what you can commit to pretty consistently)
- Your skills and resources (cooking, grocery budgeting, etc.)
Here are seven tips to help you figure out how to have better nutrition and find what works for you without the headache of diet-hopping and second-guessing yourself.
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Get clarity on where you are now with nutrition and where you want to be. For example, you might say, “I think I generally eat pretty healthily, but I want to look leaner” or “I feel like I’m bouncing from healthy eating to binging junk all the time. What I want is more consistency and less cravings.”
There are no wrong answers here. We recommend simply freewriting this out on paper (letting the words flow without worrying about sentence structure), then combing through your words to simplify your statements.
Or, we can talk you through it and help you find clarity.
- Get a 3D Body Assessment and actually understand what you’re made of. Weight scales are misleading and only show a sliver of the picture, whereas a 3D Body Assessment uses the latest technology to accurately illustrate your measurements and body composition (muscle, fat and other insights).
Doing this before and after you make any changes to your nutrition and exercise plan is a great way to visualize your progress.
It’s quick, painless and free for your first one! Watch this video to get a peek at what it looks like and book your session here (ask the front desk now how to book your first session free).
- Make it FUN. Find recipes and food images that make you want to cook. Create a Pinterest board for inspiration and put on some good tunes while you get to work. The less it feels like a chore, the more inclined you are to do it.
You can try this Strawberry Spinach Salad or Chicken Poke Bowl to get started!
- Practice mindful eating, which essentially means learning to be present when you eat. We often consume our food while doing something else like watching TV, scrolling on social media or even commuting, which can have a negative impact on our digestion (we don’t chew properly) and our relationship to food (we start associating mealtime with stress).
On the flip side, mindful eating slows things down and helps you prioritize your health.
- Track your progress! Some days you’ll feel more motivated than others, so having a tangible record of your growth will help you continue when you’re tempted to give up. Choose a tracking method that you’re already familiar with like a simple note on your fridge or on your phone. Apps like Lifesum or MyFitnessPal can also do the trick.
- Don’t go at it alone! Share your goals with the people around you and if you live with them, be specific about what your plans are. That way, they’ll know what to expect and perhaps even help you.
Meal prepping and trying new recipes can be a lot more fun with a partner in crime!
Make meal prepping a habit. Regardless of which route you take with food and nutrition, one thing everyone benefits from is organization.
Once you know more about what to eat, save yourself a ton of time by preparing food in bulk and making good use of your freezer. You can go the distance and prepare full meals or even just chop frequently used ingredients like veggies and chicken.
Good tupperware is your best friend here.
Try one of these tips or try them all — you are capable of change and worthy of living your healthiest, happiest life.
One final tip:
If you mess up your new healthy eating plan, remember that it does not erase your previous progress and mean you should quit.
Perhaps in the past you’ve tried diets, then broken your streak and said, “ah well, I’ve already screwed it up so I might as well forget about it.”
Think about it like walking down a flight of stairs — if you tripped, would you say “oh well” and throw yourself down the rest of the stairs? Of course not! You would catch yourself, get back up and keep going.
It’s the same thing with your nutrition and health habits. Keep your eye on the end goal.
Want to learn more about how we can help you have better nutrition? We are here for you. Book a free consultation here.
