Fueling for Movement

Food is a tricky topic for a lot of people. And it all depends on who you ask.

Some see it as toxic poison. Some as love. Some as medicine. Others as a means to an end, a duty to be quickly disposed of each day.

When people set goals for healthy eating, they tend to go all in. They overhaul everything, or at least tell themselves they will. Grand meal plans are adopted, or plans to count every calorie, track every macro.

And that is great! That kind of motivation can make for some big life change momentum.

That said, if this approach has failed for you, you are not alone.

I love food. I am passionate about nourishing myself and my family. If you've ever had a conversation with me, you'll know food often comes up.

And so I want anyone who works with me to know that I will be asking about food.

Not in a judgmental way. But in a way that teases out your relationship with it, and how we can make adjustments that support your daily movement, your own roles in life, and your mental and overall health.

I am not a nutritionist or a dietician, but as a personal trainer, I can't know how far to push you if I don't know how much gas you have in your tank

So what are my recommendations? That all depends on where you are now, how you use food, how you feel about food. But I have some recommendations that should be helpful no matter where you are.

Think about fruits and vegetables

You can overhaul your whole diet, change everything you eat to gluten free, or high protein, or vegan, or keto. Or you can make small changes that can have an outsize impact on your overhaul health.

Getting the recommended 5 servings of fruits and vegetables a day is one of those small changes that can have a huge impact.

If 5 servings sounds insane to you right now, maybe try just one fruit and one vegetable a day. This is a perfect start, and will be easier on your digestion than shoehorning 5 cups of high-fiber food into your belly.

Start with keeping some simple, favorite options in the house, and throw them on the side of each meal. You'll for from 0 to 3 servings in no time at all.

Once you've got 2-3 servings down for a week or two, once it feels easy, move onto more.

Prep ahead

I like to prep a sheet pan or two of roasted vegetables (usually squash and onions, or root vegetables), or do a big batch of sauteed veg (the most versatile in our house is onions, peppers, and mushrooms), at the beginning of the week. I serve them with egg scrambles or tucked into an omelet, over rice or mashed potatoes with protein for a hearty bowl, or just as an additional side dish with lunch and dinner.

This takes 10 minutes of active work (chop, drizzle with oil and seasoning, roast or sautee), and a few minutes more, depending on the type of vegetable. Asparagus and broccoli are great for speed, as they cook within 5 minutes, but if time in the oven doesn't matter, carrots are brought to their sweetest and most delicious with about a half hour in the oven, or steamed on the stove and finished with a little honey and butter.

Prepping a salad each week works well, too. A kale salad may not sound great, but have you ever tried prepping the day ahead? With the right dressing and toppings, the leaves get tender and sweet. I like a balsamic vinaigrette, some chopped dates and/or apples, and a little parmesan. This makes a weeknight dinner feel upscale. Dressings are not typically a nutrient-dense food, but if they help you get into the habit of eating vegetables, use them! I love my homemade honey mustard and balsamic vinaigrette, and no one is going to take them away from me without a fight.

But if kale is definitely not your thing, coleslaw counts! Bagged salad mix from the grocery store? Yep, that counts, too. Pre-cut steamer bags? That tray of crudite at the fancy health store that costs more than you think it should? Mirepoix mix? Basically anything in the store that comes on those plastic wrapped trays? Still counts. If time is an obstacle for you, it's ok to pay someone else to do it for you. If money is an issue as well as time, frozen fruits and vegetables are just as nutritious (sometimes more!) and can get some more plants in your belly.

It isn't cheating, it isn't lazy. It's supporting your health in whatever way makes sense for you.

Experiment with Tracking Food

This is a tricky one, but also may garner the most results for meeting your health goals. When most people think of tracking food, they think back to health class, or a dieting program, or maybe even their experiences with disordered eating.

If tracking food is a trigger for you, skip it.

Just skip it.

No big deal.

But if it isn't a trigger, experiment with keeping track of what you eat. So often we eat much more or less than we think we do, and knowing for a fact what you've put in your body that day is the only way to have the data that can tell you if food is something contributing to how you feel.

To begin tracking, decide on a method.

You can simply take a quick photo of everything you eat, the fastest option for those who are short on time, but the easiest to misjudge, and the easiest to forget.

You can use tracking apps- I use Cronometer, and have used MyFitnessPal in the past, but there are countless options, mostly free with ads, or with a premium option. They are so easy and intuitive to use now, compared to ten years ago, that it can take just a few minutes a day to easily and precisely track what you've eaten.

Old-fashioned pen and paper work just fine, too. Simply write the date, and what you ate, and your best estimate on quantity.

And a combination can work. Don't have time to log every little thing right now? Take a pic, log it later.

How precisely you track depends on your goals and your mental health. If you are just wanting to improve, to feel better about food, to eat more mindfully, simply track what you eat, and maybe take a moment to track your mood or mindset heading into meals.

Or if you're tracking to see if you can narrow down some digestive issue, or get a sense of how your food impacts your energy or how you feel overall, just track what you eat, when, and how you feel periodically throughout the day.

If you have a goal like fat loss or muscle growth, you will likely have to get a little more granular. An app is likely the only option that will help you get the calorie and macronutrient targets you need to achieve a desired result, but you will need to speak with a nutritionist, dietician, or physician to see what those targets should be.

Gentle Changes are Lasting Changes

These are a few simple changes you can make that will help build sustainable change. You don't have to completely overhaul your diet. You don't need a strict meal plan, with your every meal in a pre-portioned container. Those things can bring results, but they are not a sustainable way to eat.

Food is more than calories, more than fuel, more than a means to an end. It is entertainment. It is a social activity, a way to show and feel love (The important thing is that food is not the ONLY way in your life that you show and feel love). It is a sensory experience that connects us to the world. It is the stuff of life. If you eat well, you will feel well, and if you don't feel well, looking to food may provide a solution.

I hope these tips are helpful, and bring you closer to your best self. Remember that there is no such thing as a perfect diet.

If you want to talk more about your diet and how it can support joyful movement, you can schedule a free consultation and assessment with me. I am not a nutritionist, dietician, or doctor, but I am an excellent sounding board, and sometimes talking about a problem is all you need to do to find a solution.

Have a great day, friend!