If you find that you can stick to your healthy habits as long as life is calm and organized enough, but the second a wrench gets thrown in your plans it feels like you're thrown off the wagon, this episode is for you. 

We started this conversation last week with part one and you definitely aren't going to want to miss the first 5 tips I shared for navigating life's craziest seasons with ease, so click here to check it out. Or if you're all caught up, you can jump right into today's advice for both making it through life's hectic moments, as well as how to get back on track more quickly when you are thrown off. 

6. Keep it simple. Like, stupid simple.

This is not the time for fancy recipes, complicated nutrition plans, or detailed food tracking. This is the time to use your hand as a portion guide, to keep no-prep healthy options in your house (think fruits, nuts, veggies, hummus, guacamole, Amy's canned soups, and a rotisserie chicken), and to celebrate completing a 10 minute at-home workout. 

7. Let go of the need to be perfect to start again.

Your desire for perfection is your biggest saboteur. 

Here are the results you can expect when you aim for perfection over a 15 day span:

100 - 100 - 100 - 100 - 60 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 100

Average: 37.3

Now here are the results you can expect when you accept that if you have 60% to give one day, and you give 60%, that is you giving 100%:

100 - 60 - 60 - 80 - 50 - 90 - 40 - 50 - 60 - 90 - 100 - 20 - 50 - 20 - 70

Average: 62.6

Doing what you can with what you have every day (even if it isn't as much as you want to give) is the trick to consistency. Not crushing it day in and day out for the rest of your life. 

8. Hire a coach to remove the guess work.

Last week I had a client who was struggling to hit her hydration goal. So I gave her some suggestions: carry one of those big jugs with the time markers on it, get a smaller bottle and put rubber bands at the base so every time you finish the bottle you move a rubber band up to the top, and set reminders in her phone throughout the day. 

She laughed at herself saying, "I don't know why I need you to tell me to do these things, I should be able to do them on my own!"

Here's what you have to remember: I eat, sleep, and breath nutrition and fitness. So having solutions for maintaining healthy habits comes second nature to me. 

Could you come up with your own solutions? Of course. But it's going to take you way more brain power, way more time, way more energy, and way more research to land on what you should be doing, when you should be doing it, when you need to tweak it, how you need to tweak it, and how to actually fit it all into your busy days. 

It's like hiring an accountant. Could you figure out how to do your own taxes? Sure. But why put yourself through that unnecessary challenge when there are experts out there ready to make it easy for you. 

Click here if you're ready to take this step and want to book a free consultation with yours truly. 

9. Keep a journal of what works and then refer back to it often.

This is something I have my clients do throughout their time with me. Sometimes it's the smallest habit change that makes the biggest impact (one of my clients recently had a huge aha moment by eating a whole serving of veggies before each meal). So having a log of the tactics that work well for you turns into your own personalized healthy-living cheat sheet. 

10. Resist the urge to reach for quick fix solutions to give you a 'jump start'. 

I get it. You fell off the wagon, maybe put on a few pounds, and are feeling a bit out of control. Now you want to fix it asap, so what faster way than with a quick cleanse, fast, or trendy diet? Don't. Do it. 

Not only do you fuck with your metabolism every time you follow one of these quick fix solutions, thereby making it more difficult for you to lose weight and keep it off in the long run, you're once again side stepping the necessary task of building the mindset and the habits needed to stay consistent. Stop kicking the can down the road and do that work now so you never have to repeat this pattern again. 

What does this look like? Instead of jumping into a 1200 calorie diet, jump back into the simple habits we preach all the time here at Follow Your Gut: eat real food, fill up your plate with plants, watch your portions, drink your water, move your body, and get some shut eye (and no, you don't have to do all of these at once, pick one thing to focus on and then build). 

I hope you found this episode helpful! If you did, don't forget to share it with your friends, family, and social media and be sure to tag me at @follow.your.gut.nutrition!

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