5 Tips from a Health Coach
Actionable Ways to Prioritize Your Nutrition This Year
Hi! Kelsey here.
I wrote this blog post because I’ve been in your shoes.
If you’ve ever started the new year with an “I’m going to change this, starting now” attitude, only to find yourself feeling restricted or not able to keep up with your goals shortly after…I can relate.
Dieting, exercising, and tightening up on nutrition are generally the most common New Year’s resolutions. And for good reason: we all tend to overindulge and feel sluggish between the months of November and December.
We eat a ton of delicious foods during the holidays.
Our bodies slow down as the weather gets colder.
And then there’s the invisible standard that says we must “renew” ourselves when the clock strikes midnight on January 1st.
Thus begins a new chapter – and motivation to do better.
Maybe you vow to lose a few pounds.
You commit faithfully to your plan for a couple of weeks.
Then you find yourself daydreaming about the donut you’ll have as soon as your diet ends
Cue the never-ending, disappointing cycle we put ourselves into, every year. Ugh.
Well I’m here to help you break that cycle!
Prioritizing healthy eating shouldn’t be just a resolution, nor should it ever feel like a restriction.
As a Certified Integrative Nutrition Health Coach, I learned how to incorporate a holistic mindset into achieving everyday wellness.
Throughout my training, I made important discoveries about ways to view healthy eating (and living) as a permanent choice, instead of a temporary, 30-day quick fix.
Today I wanted to share a helpful list of things you can easily do to start making these habits part of your daily lifestyle too!
Check out my top 5 tips below.
1. Find the satisfying alternatives.
Have your fries, and eat ‘em too.
If you love a certain type of food, chances are you can recreate it in a healthy way. Instead of regular fast food fries, why not bake some sweet potato fries for lunch or dinner? Or, make a pizza out of cauliflower crust to eliminate lots of calories instead of ordering from your favorite delivery spot.
You can also use sites like Pinterest to discover other replacements that turn your favorite foods from unhealthy indulgences into appealing alternatives.
2. Allow for a weekly treat.
Snacks aren’t sinful.
Even as a health coach, I believe in allowance; aka having the things we love once in a while. It helps to increase our motivation to make clean-eating part of a lifestyle, especially when cravings can be satisfied by a favorite snack.
It’s important not to deprive yourself of going out to eat – or getting that ice cream you’ve been thinking about all week. Not only will this help you stay on track, but the shift in calories might also help you avoid weight loss plateaus.
3. Make healthy eating accessible.
The first step is to take the first step.
At the beginning of each week, I cut up fresh fruits and veggies – like cucumbers, bell peppers, and celery – and store them in containers in the fridge. If healthy choices are readily available, it’s easier to stick to your goals. Plus, taking time to snack prep can be gratifying; even a small amount of effort put toward nutrition goals can make you feel better just by giving it energy.
4. Create permanence.
Pro tip: don’t make resolutions.
Instead of putting a time limit on clean-eating, think about how healthy habits make you feel…then it’s easier to incorporate them into your daily life. I enjoy eating healthy because it makes me feel amazing: I have more energy, I’m able to remain focused on my work, and I don’t fall victim to crashes where I feel like I need caffeine. If my nutrition is off, I feel the difference in my body and my mind, so I choose to eat clean 90% of the time. Thinking about the health benefits of a clean diet can help keep you on track.
5. Shop the smart way.
If I don’t have it, I won’t eat it!
If you don’t buy bad food, you can’t be tempted to indulge, right? Rule #1: Don’t grocery shop on an empty stomach, or you’ll succumb to cravings. Rule #2: Stay around the perimeter of the store, where all the fresh foods live. Unless, of course, you’re going for things like Kettle & Fire bone broth (shameless plug alert). Rule #3: Avoid the middle aisles, with packaged snacks, sugary juices, and processed sweets. Set yourself up for success by buying fruits and vegetables instead.
I hope these tips help you get in the right mindset for optimal wellness, without the stress of major dieting commitments. Here’s to a successful New Year, and a happier, healthier YOU.
Meet Kelsey.
As a lifelong sufferer of digestive issues that disrupted her daily life, Kelsey decided to fight back…with knowledge.
Armed with a desire to find the root cause, she completed professional training at The Institute for Integrative Nutrition and, through her studies and diet experimentation, was able to pinpoint foods that caused discomfort. Thus began a full-blown passion for personalized wellness.
When she isn’t helping others dive into their own nutritional needs, you can find her trying new recipes, getting outdoors (walking, hiking, or paddleboarding), enjoying a concert, or searching for the best mezcal drinks in Austin. She spends her downtime being a cat mom to her feline kids, Pickles and Shady.
