Center Your Fitness & Nutrition Goals

I feel like I’m failing with my nutrition right now.

Sound familiar?

Below are four easy ideas to help you adjust your nutrition and fitness goals so you can find success in a very challenging time. 

This doesn’t mean you’re giving up on long-term goals. It means you’re recognizing that the environment has changed—significantly—and you’re going to adapt to current conditions so you can find success until the covid crisis abates and you can get back to normal.

Think about it like this: You planned to run 10 km outside, but then a thunderstorm lit up the sky with lightning. So you decided to run 5 km indoors and find satisfaction in that accomplishment. You’re still going to set a personal best 10-km time outdoors when the storm passes.

So here are my top four tips for success during social distancing and the coronavirus pandemic.

1. Be motivated by how you feel, not by how you look.

For some people, there is an inherent connection between feelings and appearance. But this can be problematic at times. 

Focusing on your appearance is very outcome based. Whether it’s a goal number on the scale or a certain image you’re striving for, everything hinges on you “getting there.” And it doesn’t account for variables that might change or affect your desired outcome. 

If you set a goal weight, what if you gain muscle, lose fat and love the way you look? But somehow you cannot enjoy it because the scale doesn’t reflect your goal. Seems ridiculous, no? 

If we shift the focus to how we feel, we can manage our expectations and enjoy the nutrition journey a lot more. If adding more protein to your daily intake and including more fiber makes you sleep better and crush your workouts, you’re much more likely to continue with these habits. Your health and performance will improve and this will be incredibly motivating.

So focus less on appearance and more on how you feel and how you perform.

2. Chase progress, not perfection.

The concept of “perfect nutrition” is deeply flawed. From a science point of view, it’s nearly impossible to know exactly what each one of us requires. How we expend energy will vary from day to day, so how can we determine the perfect intake day to day? 

From a mindset perspective, it’s incredibly upsetting to feel like you’re never going to succeed because you have to be within 1 gram of your protein target every day. 

By shifting the focus to daily progress and better habits, we can celebrate small victories regularly. This mindset encourages you to continue long term, and that is ultimately where we achieve the most success.

If you’re feeling disheartened because you aren’t hitting your targets or don’t even feel like tracking nutrition, focus on things that will allow you to win and still make progress. For example, maybe it’s too hard right now to eat 500 grams of veggies. But what if you make an effort to include some vegetables at every meal? You can win with that goal, and you’re still moving forward.

3. Acknowledge your barriers.

I’ve worked with clients who are determined to track macros to lose weight but have strong family traditions around food. Others have weekly and sometimes daily social engagements that make precision with macro tracking almost impossible. 

Sometimes we need to have honest conversations with ourselves and our coaches. What are you willing to change, and is it worth it for you? 

Deciding you value time and tradition with your family more than having a six pack doesn’t make you a failure. And it also doesn’t have to be one or the other. 

You just need to have a discussion about “middle ground.” How can you manage your goals without sacrificing other things you value?

Right now, this means you might acknowledge that huge amounts of stress are causing you to gravitate toward comfort foods. Or maybe a drink with your spouse at the end of a hard day seems like an important tradition right now. 

Without giving up on your goals, just acknowledge that this is a very challenging time, and forgive yourself if you slip up. No one alive has dealt with these conditions before, so allow yourself some time to figure out how to cope. Don’t drown your sorrows in a daily case of beer or order pizza for 10 days straight. But be kind to yourself and remember that you will get back on track.

4. Don’t make all the changes at once.

Everyone is excited when they start a new workout or nutrition program. It’s tempting to want to do everything all at once. I like to think of fitness and nutrition like an onion—layered. 

It’s best to take this view when you’re striving for adherence to any new plan. To help, I make it a practice to set clients up with daily goals and weekly focuses—small wins that will eventually lead to epic victories. 

What happens when we feel overwhelmed? We quit. This doesn’t help us in the long run. Small, consistent wins equal better long-term adherence and results. We see this over and over again. 

What if I told you to drive to Mexico? That journey might feel overwhelming. But what if I told you to first drive to the stop sign at the corner of your street and turn right? That doesn’t seem so hard—yet the ultimate destination is the same.

That’s the main benefit of having a nutrition coach right now: I’m not here to enforce a rigid set of guidelines. I’m here to help you do the things that will result in long-term success. Some weeks will look different than others. But I check in with clients all the time, and that allows me to make adjustments that produce results.

Our main goal: Always find a path that takes us forward. Small steps and detours are to be expected, but I have a map, and I’ll get you where you need to go.

Need Some Support?

If you need help putting these ideas into action, our one-on-one nutrition program is accepting new clients for May. We would love to work with you!

To find out more about our program or book a free consultation, click here.

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