Wellness season is upon us. A time when nutrition, health, and wellness get a hefty spotlight for a short period of time. Part of the problem is that the spotlight is short-lived; but another part of the problem is that the messaging is usually restrictive, exclusive in many ways, and involves quick fixes (which we know don’t work, right?). As someone who has seen it from many angles – a nutrition and exercise professional, and a human myself who saw the 90’s dieting fads confuse the heck out of all of us, I feel quite qualified to write this article.
As someone in your corner, I want you to succeed. Based on experience in my virtual nutrition practice and my education, I can tell you that most people who “fail” at making their New Year’s goals or resolutions have an approach that is too restrictive and isn’t sustainable.
I’m not going to give you click bait or sell you some detox tea or a supplement that will change everything and help you lose 10 pounds. I’m going to be real with you and share that dieting trends and quick fixes don’t work long-term. In fact, they usually do way more harm than good.
Maybe this is something you’ve noticed personally or in someone close to you. If you’ve taken the extra initiative and done some legit research, you’ll even see it in evidence-based literature (studies) that dieting is bogus unless it involves a lifestyle change. But that doesn’t mean that you can’t make changes that stick, and it’s not to bring shame or hate on anyone either.
You need to find something you can do long-term and adapt as needed or desired (because your body and mind change based on needs and wants). Set up your wellness foundations (Do you get why I titled my workshops this way?) of diet, movement, adequate sleep, decreased toxic load, and stress management to approach health and wellness from multiple angles to be the best version of you.
If you’re up for figuring out positive behavior changes while ditching the guilt and restrictions (ex: eliminating the fad diets) you have to figure out what works for you (and only you). Let’s ditch the negative mindset towards food and your body (It hears you!) and be works-in-progress.
When setting nutrition intentions, make sure that they are sound (nutritionally, emotionally, physically, financially, etc.) and feasible (I often see people want to reach goals that involve going 0 to 100 or have an all-or-nothing approach, which has a high rate for being a disaster – honesty here!).
Food for thought: Ultimately, approaching nutrition, health, and wellness changes are up to you. You can do all of the things or follow all of the advice in regard to one foundational pillar (let’s say food), but if one pillar is off (or really off) it can only help so much. This is why it is important to tailor your own approach that is individualized to you and something that you’ll be consistent with. Tune into your body, listen to it, figure out what works and what doesn’t.
I’m the nutritionist and educator behind Eats 2 Know, LLC. With a simplified approach to nutrition, I showcase that eating healthy is attainable, even if you’re on a budget or crunched for time.
The nutritionist and educator behind Eats 2 Know, LLC.
