Ok so now the holidays are over and it’s time for everyone to start googling fitness and health related stuff. Am I right? Well, to save you from wasting countless hours reading a bunch of articles that will just confuse you even more, I’ve put together a list of essential nutrition tips you can’t afford to ignore on your quest to health after the holidays!

 

Nutrition tip #1: Don’t cheat!

Hey, I love my eggnog lattes as much as anyone else!  But remember all that stuff you said you would only have during the holidays? Now it’s time to keep that promise. I’m talking Christmas cookies, desserts, holiday drinks from Starbucks, you name it. That was for December, and now it’s January. So stick to the promise you made to yourself, whatever it happens to be!

 

Nutrition tip #2: Set a goal for the week

Sometimes when it comes to nutrition it helps to set small goals for periods of time that have a set start and end date so they feel more tangible. I recommend a week. It’s long enough that you feel like you are making a difference but short enough that you can see the end of it. Here are some goals you can try to set for yourself, one week at a time:

  • Adding a small salad (or veggies) to your lunch
  • Using half the sugar in your morning coffee
  • Paying attention to your fullness levels: when you no longer feel hungry, stop eating
  • Eating out one or two fewer times than you normally do

This coming week I challenge you to pick one of the above, and see how you do by the end.

 

Nutrition tip #3: Check your alcohol!

People often forget that in the battle against extra calories, alcohol plays a huge role! There’s a reason for the term “beer belly” – beer, as well as all other alcohol, has a lot of calories. And here in BC, they don’t have to disclose the number of calories in your drink, or the extra crap they put in them.

So if you have a habit of enjoying a daily drink with your dinner, but struggling with extra calories, it might be a good place to start paying attention.

 

Nutrition tip #4: Steer away from the fewer calories diets

With all the new year’s resolutions people make around fitness and health, January is probably the favorite month for dieting companies – and my advice is to stay away! And not only because the stats show 95% of people who diet gain the weight back and then some – but because they teach you nothing about healthy eating.

Diets usually make you eat less by reducing the number of calories you are consuming. This will naturally cause you to lose weight. The more calories you eliminate from your diet the more weight you will lose – it’s simple math. But once you stop the diet, if you are just going back to your bad habits, you’ve accomplished nothing.

Instead, start paying attention to your protein, grains, as well as fruits and veggies intake. It’s a much better way to learn about nutrition as well as your current eating habits! One way you can learn more about your habits is by keeping a food journal. Try it for a week to see what patterns you discover!

Related: Nutrition coaching from Tone Every Zone

 

Nutrition tip #5: Give trial and error a try

Just like working out, nutrition is a lot of trial and error. There is no one-size-fits all because we are all individuals.

For example, I like 5 small meals throughout the day. Other people are perfectly fine with 3 larger meals. I love to hate kale (so I go for broccoli, zucchini and cucumbers instead)- other people find it amazing and could eat it every day! The list goes on.

In the quest of trying to find balanced nutrition, it’s ok to explore – and if it works for you, stick to it. If it doesn’t, move on! Don’t turn vegetarian just because that famous celebrity said it’s the only way to be healthy and lose weight (see my point above about the fewer calories diets)

Related: Protein and exercise – get the facts!

 

Nutrition tip #6: Cook simple meals

I am a firm believer that anything you make at home will be infinitely better for you than eating out. I’m not just talking about calories, but also added sodium and preservatives – the “bonuses” of restaurant meals.

That being said, people find cooking at home daunting and time consuming. It really doesn’t have to be. I actually hate cooking  (but I know how important it is) so I cheat and always look for simple recipes because I don’t want to spend forever in the kitchen.

I find them simply by google searching things like “simple chicken recipes” or “15 minute meals” and the results are infinite. Because, just like you, there are a ton of people on the internet too busy to cook so they’ve tried to come up with simple recipes to still have nutritious meals. It really is true that you can find anything on the internet. Here are some examples of companies who have made it their mission to provide healthy and easy to make meals. They even have apps you can download which will notify you when a new recipe has been posted! Talk about easy!

The bottom line

The tips above are the absolute minimum stuff you need to be thinking of when it comes to nutrition. And if there is one thing I want you to take away from this article it’s that you need to figure out what works for you – and that often takes time. But at the end of the day, the only way you are going to build a lasting habit is by learning and educating yourself on what works for you! And that learning will only come from applying some of the tips I’ve given you above.

~Got a cool idea for a topic you want me to write about? Send me an email or leave a comment on my Facebook page!~

 

Are you ready to take your training to the next level?

After beingMobile personal training skinny unfit for the majority of my life, I discovered fitness by accident after becoming a mom. A couple of years later, I started Tone Every Zone out of an overwhelming desire to help other busy individuals juggle a hectic lifestyle while staying active. My mission is to teach people about fitness and work with them as a team to make long lasting lifestyle changes. My personal values include being professional, honest and transparent in all of my doings but also being funny and silly because that’s what makes life (and your training sessions) fun!

Every day I hear from tons of people who are dying to get more active but they just need that extra push! Getting someone started on a fitness program is what I love to do.  Check out my personal training packages and share your story with me so I can help you reach your fitness goals!