Falling Back to your Superfit Routine by Kelsey Beckman of DOPV
September 5, 2017
No matter who you are, there’s a chance that summer served as a timeout from the regimen that may have been ingrained in you over other nine months. Whether you took a solo vacation, or just got an overall break from getting your little ones out the door by a particular time, your routines may be a little dusty and can use some polishing. The reality is, getting back on a consistent schedule has the potential to both elevate OR destroy our health goals. For some of us, there may be fewer temptations or ways to deter from healthy practices. For others, the lack of time to plan, prepare, and execute could lead to reactive, unhealthy choices. Therefore, the question becomes how do you adopt and maintain healthy habits as the days become shorter and calendar gets fuller?
At Dietitians of Palm Valley, we work with everyone from your mother of four, to executives of corporations, to the athlete that is at multiples practices per day. Needless to say, these individuals may have very different schedules, yet use similar strategies to accomplish their health goals. We confidently recommend SuperFit Foods to our clients that want to have access to healthy meals, yet are the short time to develop them themselves. They have several options that may be appropriate for feeding an individual or a family as schedules get more hectic, and the days are shorter. Here are some areas to focus on to send you down the path of the most healthy version of yourself this season.
1) Have a plan and execute it.
The truth is, we are constantly surrounded by a wealth of nutrition information. Therefore, it becomes challenging to weed out information and choose what is applicable to you and your life. Taking time out of your week to map out a plan will decrease the chances that you will get distracted and stray from your plan. If you are expecting to eat three healthy meals per day, you must have a strategy to accomplish this. That being said, you do not have to devise a bullet proof plan. Great nutrition is a product of being prepared, yet agile in times when days do not go as planned. Your plan may be relying on meal prep companies entirely, doing a combination of your own meal prepping along with pre-made meals, or just doing all of the preparings yourself. Whatever it is, know what direction you want to go in and follow through.
2) Shoot consistently for balanced meals
We do not hesitate to direct a number of our clients in the direction of SuperFit Foods because we know that they are going to accomplish what we as dietitians strive for- balance. There are a number of diet fads that exclude major food groups, which puts us at risk of cravings and nutrient deficiencies. Therefore, we recommend consuming meals that include lean protein, fiber rich carbohydrates, healthy fats, and an assortment of fruits and vegetables at every meal. Combining these key components to your meals with providing your body with sustained energy without settling for nutrient lacking alternatives.
3) Be resilient to the routine ruiner
Now that you are motivated to invest in a method of food prep and eat balanced meals, I must caution you with this. Unfortunately, life does not always cooperate with our fitness goals. We encourage our clients to have a plan, yet be able to choose the next best thing when their plan takes a plunge. If there is not a next best option, embrace the opportunity to step outside of a comfort zone. For example, people will still celebrate their birthdays at tasty, heavy dining options, and the holidays will still come around this year. Does this mean you should avoid these events or not participate? Think Again! By sticking to a routine, it will allow for your body to afford these occasional hiccups and you will truly enjoy a timeout from routine. Enjoying food experiences is a part of a balanced lifestyle.