How to Be Consistent During Summer
Maintaining healthy habits amongst the summer chaos, and how to really impress yourself before vacation
Consistency in their habits is what my clients want the most. I love when that is the goal because consistency is the key to achieving flexibility and freedom around food and with self.
Freedom around food? Love the way you feel in your body? The.Dream. But summer is full of travel and BBQ’s and camping and people “falling off the wagon.” And while some are totally fine with it (hey, there’s a season for everything!), lots of people get really discouraged. They tell me they want to do better this summer so when September comes they don’t have to start from scratch. They want more consistency year-round.
For the People Who’d Like More Consistency This Summer:
4th of July: eat whatever you want. I’m serious. Please, eat the food you’re excited about. We all have a few occasions/holidays throughout the year where we don’t care about what or how much we eat, and 4th of July might be one of yours. It’s good to have these days to remember that 1 or 2 days of not being deliberate with food is not going to cause everything to unravel. Or cause weight gain. If you overly restrict you’ll end up eating more in the following days anyways. Have some guardrails if that’s your style, but try to loosen up as much as you can.
The scale might go up (please stop weighing yourself everyday) but it’s just water retention. We are 50-60% water. And if you’re eating lots of processed foods, drinking alcohol, are at a certain point in your cycle, or are inflamed because your body is trying to heal from something….your body is holding onto water. You didn’t put on mass after one day of eating. You didn’t. You’re okay. Force a smile and a chuckle and go make breakfast.
This is where our overthinking and overanalyzing tendencies can really work against us and foster a guilt so strong it actually sends us in the opposite direction. Shrug it off and move forward as soon as you can.
If 4th of July isn’t a big day for you, then sub in whatever event is a big deal for you and reread this paragraph beforehand
With That, Here are 2 Things to Avoid This Summer That CAN Unravel Your Progress:
1. Eating and drinking more than you need at every office party, kids birthday, camping trip, retirement party etc. etc.
As you would imagine, this will start to accumulate because there is always SOMETHING being celebrated. Especially in summer because summer is reason enough to celebrate.
Mindlessly eating at every event will eventually add up. Especially if you’re drinking at all of them. My recommendation is that you pay attention to your hunger cues and fullness cues. That you slow down and eat whatever foods bring you joy. Being mindless around food is a great freedom every once in awhile, but if you have a lot of events in a row — you’re going to want to have more of a game-plan. You’ll still be well fed, but without the stomachache and sugar hangover the next morning
Going toooooo long with an empty fridge — when you get home from vacation, prioritize grocery shopping!
Get this: you will eat 3 times a day everyday from now until you die…food is important. And it needs to be managed just like everything else in our life. We prioritize laundry and unpacking and cleaning and posting on instagram, but our fridge is empty. So we get home and live on takeout for a couple days.
Go to the store, it doesn’t take as long as you think. You probably only need to hit up the produce aisle anyways. We have time for the things we prioritize, so if you struggle here I would encourage you to move grocery shopping up your priority ladder!
Pro Tip: I always pre-shop before I leave town to get my staples to come home too: eggs, yogurt, coffee, frozen veg, fruit, and proteins, canned fish, chips and salsa (yes, for sure a staple for me) and usually some ground turkey that can last in the fridge (check the sell-by date).
How I Approach Events:
I eat what sparks excitement in me. And always make sure I have a protein and veggie alongside whatever mayo-based salad I’m piling onto my plate
If provided an option, I’ll choose the homemade dessert over store-bought
I’ll take some time before going back for seconds to make sure that’s what I really want
If I’m drinking alcohol, I’m drinking an equal amount of water alongside it
I choose the foods I don’t normally buy or make at home
I try to engage in meaningful conversations so I’m not always turning to food or drink to distract me from the inevitable discomfort of small talk
In Summary: go into most gatherings with some guardrails but allow yourself to enjoy the good stuff at a moderate amount. It’s not the food (or alcohol) itself that will throw you off course, it’s the amount of it and psychological elements beneath the surface.
9/10 times we eat too much because we’re not paying attention. If you pay attention at these events, you’ll make good choices that satisfy your body and mind. And with enough practice you’ll be so attuned with yourself that it won’t take much effort, you’ll know which (and how much) foods will have you feeling good
Personal Touch: I went away last weekend to visit family, and that normally would give me a lot of anxiety with not being in control of food/meals. I have a history of disordered eating (control based, as most are) and so every time I leave my control center (home) and don’t freak out I get a wave of relief and pride. I didn’t used to have this flexibility and freedom around food and now I do. It is always such a win that is so important to celebrate and share. Thanks for listening.
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I have whey protein most days of the week because it’s a delicious, effective, and an EASY way to get an additional 20g of protein. I like to see all my clients getting at least 100g of protein each day, which equates to 30g at each meal plus a 20g snack. And for all my active individuals, you need more protein than that.
Whey protein is the most bioavailable type of protein you can get that comes in powder form. A lot of bang for your buck. Your body sops it right up. It mixes well with water and tastes good! I’m a big fan of the Vanilla. And for my non-dairy friends, they have a a rice and pea protein blend called Mediclear.
Thorne is a 3rd party tested brand that delivers high quality supplements that make an impact you can actually feel. I’m a big advocate of putting your effort first towards a quality diet, and second towards supplementing if needed
Here’s the link to my dispensary. Everything in there is 20% off, but this week the Whey Protein is the star! —> 30% Off Whey Protein Powder
Thanks for Reading! I hope your long weekend is whatever you want it to be.
P.S. anyone hate fireworks as much as I do? Go ahead and call me scrooge, but my goodness I’m not a fan! And I don’t even have a dog
Julie
Loved reading this!! Thank you! Also, another reason you should visit the North… it’s too bright in summer for us to have fireworks at any summer celebrations 😆