Month: December 2020

Are you getting in enough water each day?

We all know how important it is to stay hydrated.

We know that it helps to calm cravings, but drinking enough water each day can be a challenge.

There are lots of strategies to consider when increasing your water intake. What type of water bottle do you prefer to drink out of? Sports cap or straw lid? Wide mouth or flip-top?

Do you prefer your water room temperature or cold? Plain or fruit-infused? Gallon sized or tumbler?

One of the tools I offer my clients is a water tracking bracelet. It helps them keep track of how many bottles or tumblers of water they’ve consumed throughout the day. Having a visual reminder right there on their wrist helps them stay on top of their goal.

Our brains often like the sense of completion that it gets when we move a bead over and we see progress toward our goal. Kind of like when we cross off an item on our to do list, it provides a feeling of satisfaction and progress.

Whatever your preferences, just keep trying until you find what works best for you. If you struggle with this, we can work together to find a solution that works for you.

If drinking more water is one of your goals this year, message me if you think a water tracking bracelet could help you.

Salud! (“To your health!”)

How do you do with your healthy habits when it comes to the weekend?

Many of us have a harder time staying on track.

We have thoughts like, “I’ve been so good all week that I deserve it,” or, “Everyone has a cheat day on the weekend.”

The reality is that if we eat healthy Monday-Thursday, and then eat not-so-healthy Friday-Sunday, that means we are only eating healthy 57% of the time (leaving 43% to chance) which is a ratio that is often much different than we realize.

The tradition is typically a cheat meal, but it can often turn into a cheat weekend, since the weekend is more undefined.

Do your weekends need a little more structure to them?

Can you commit to at least one healthy habit each day from Friday-Sunday?

Are there other healthy activities or habits that fit into your lifestyle that you can strive for on the weekends?

We are what we do MOST of the time, so enjoy the change of pace, but keep these ratios in mind and try to choose wisely.

Have a wonderful weekend!

One of the tools I use with my clients is called the 24 Hour Plan.

It gets our minds in the habit of making decisions ahead of time regarding what we plan to eat.

It’s not overwhelming, it’s just one day at a time.

It’s also not drastically different than what we did yesterday, but better.

It shouldn’t take much more than 5 minutes, because it’s similar to what we’ve already been doing, but with small improvements.

Having a plan, whether on paper, or just digitally on your phone, gets us into the practice of setting an intention for the day.

We get a chance to think in advance about the different decisions we could make, and by not waiting until we are rushed, hungry, or tired, we are actually using a different part of our brain to make decisions that affect our health and well being, one that is better at thinking through consequences, instead of using the part of the brain that prefers immediate gratification.

Practicing honoring the plan and overcoming the desire to change your mind is a skill that is strengthened with repetition.

Some days will go well, and some days won’t, but the 5 minutes each day I spend to plan my food ahead of time, is the most important thing I can do to set myself up for success each day.

And even if things don’t go as planned, there is value in reflecting on the decisions you made in the moment, and understanding why. Noticing our patterns raises our awareness, which is the first step to changing our habits.

Give it a try and see if 5 minutes can make a difference for you.