Oh hello December! 👋🏼

I have not been on here nearly as much as I would like to, but here it is. December first tomorrow and the holiday season begins all over again. December as you can imagine can be a quiet time for us nutrition coaches, but don’t worry I am not here to talk you into joining  my January crash diet! I am here to say to you that if you think about it December is just like any other month. Except we get to eat turkey, stuffing and amazing short bread cookies, or whatever yumminess your family traditions entail. However, nutrition coaching is not limited to the pursuit of weight loss, nutrition is not only something we think about on Mondays or in January. Nutrition according to Merrium Webster is “the act or process of nourishing or being nourished”. My mission as a nutrition coach is to help you build a diet that nourishes you, and help you turn the way you eat in a sustainable lifestyle, not a diet with an end date. 

The way we eat should both nourish us and provide the nutrients to support our health. It should give us both the mental and physical energy to live a full life. To me this means eating mostly whole foods in the proper quantity for your lifestyle and goals, but not obsessing over it to the point of missing out on life. 

So on December 1st I am here to remind you that between Christmas turkey dinner, New Years bash and staff parties there is still plenty of room for you to continue to support your health. Please don’t spend the holidays stressing over your diet. Or throw away all your good habits now just because it is too hard to keep them during the holidays. The reason we do this is because we fail to make it a lifestyle, we live no room for anything less than perfection and we are either all in or all off our diet.

Certainly life is not all or nothing. Perfection is not a realistic goal and we know will feel pretty shitty come January 1st if we give up now on all our good habits. Most fail in December because they can’t accept this truth. Nutrition is not all or nothing. It’s not chicken breast and rice perfectly portioned or drive-through Wendys. Something is always better than nothing. This I know for sure. 👇🏼

  1. Sleep is king! With all the late nights + parties, don’t forget we need 7-9hours to thrive. Lack of sleep leads to crankiness, more sugar cravings and missed gym time.
  2. Keep up with your gym routine. I know for me it is a big part of what keeps me going and keeps me connected to my goals. Keep showing up to the gym, that’s where all your friends are! ❤️
  3. Carry a water bottle and a healthy snack everywhere you go. If there is ever a time I am going to make poor decisions it’s when I am tired, thirsty and hungry!
  4. Prepare your own meals when you can. Pack a lunch to work whenever possible. Consider the fact that continuing to stock up the fridge with healthy options and meal prep is a form of self-care. There are plenty of short cuts you can take here to keep it simple while life is busy.
  5. Never show up to a party starving! Eat balanced meals during the day, prioritize lean protein and plenty of vegetables and fibre rich food before hand. Trying to restrict in order to indulge later keeps you in the same bad pattern or restricting + binging.
  6. Eat and drink mindfully. See that I am not bringing up moderation here, but instead chose to focus on mindfulness, because moderation as we know is VERY subjective. Still we can always take the time to be mindful. Eat off a plate, sit down with your food, take proper time to chew, make sure you enjoy every bite and actually listen to when you are full.
  7. Be choosy about your treats. That’s a big one, you don’t need to abstain all month, but nor do you need to eat every treat that cross your path!  Example for me, I can’t pass on delicious homemade baking, I just can’t say no, but I can say no pretty easily to anything store bought. Especially if it’s been in the staff room for half a day.

There is nothing magical about January, you are not going to wake up suddenly motivated to be the kind of person that eats a certain way and goes to the gym every day. Motivation comes from your actions, start aligning your actions now with the person you want to be and you will find yourself a lot less frustrated and much happier in the New Year. It’s not about being a certain weight on the scale, and losing or gaining weight in December, it’s about living in agreement with our values and living a full life.

Love you all, Happy December and reach out to us if living your best life and creating a diet that feels like something you can sustain and something you would love to take on.

Annie 🙂