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4 Ways to Adapt Your Nutrition Goals to the Season You're In

Apr 19, 2024

Written By: Mairead, Registered Dietitian


As this blog is being written in early spring, the seasons are literally changing - spring is coming! And with the literal changes in season often come changes in the seasons of our lives. The people who are most consistent with their nutrition for the long-term (years, not weeks) are those that learn to roll with the changes and find ways to do the best they can. 

Let's check out 4 ways you can adapt your nutrition goals to fit the season you're actually in:

1. Assess what else is going on! We don't eat in a bubble. Nutrition is one thing we might be focusing on amongst many other things in our lives. In this season right now, what else is happening that's important? Maybe you have kids starting a new sports season with a new schedule. Maybe you or a family member gets much busier with work this time of year so cooking responsibilities have to shift. Take a minute to take stock of what else is happening and think about how that impacts your ability to make nutrition changes or tackle your health goals. 

2. Focus on the changes that actually matter for you! If you're in a busy season, you may not have capacity to do everything you "should" in terms of healthy eating. This is where prioritizing different components of what healthy eating means for you can help. The things you focus your effort on right now should be the things that make the biggest difference, not the things that make a minor difference. For lots of people, this could mean focusing on including enough fruits and vegetables, including enough protein, planning and packing balanced snacks, or drinking enough water. If you're managing a specific medical condition that has a nutrition component, work with your doctor or dietitian to figure out what changes will give you the biggest impact for your effort. If you can't give it 100%, any amount of effort is still better than none. Maybe you know there will be a lot of take out or convenience foods in your diet, but you can still get enough water. Maybe your eating schedule will be inconsistent, but you will prioritize protein when you do have a chance for a snack. Whatever this time looks like for you, be realistic about what you can accomplish and what that may look like. 

3. Plan for what you can! Yes, everyone knows meal planning is useful for a lot of reasons. For busy people with lots of priorities and schedules to manage, planning can make the difference between eating well and being less stressed, and feeling like you're flying by the seat of your pants. You don't need to plan for every single meal, but planning for the ones that may be the most stressful can be beneficial. If you have nights you know are very busy, plan that dinner ahead. If you're working long hours, plan for your snacks. Even if the plan is to grab a pizza, you're cutting down on making decisions when you're already stressed and making your life easier. 

4. Know that good enough is good enough! No one is doing nutrition perfectly all the time (maybe professional athletes but someone else is probably doing the prep, planning, and cooking). Make sure to remind yourself that doing what you can is still enough. In busy seasons, not everything can be a priority. Doing your best with nutrition if you would otherwise just give it up is still a step in the right direction. Making one small change is still a step in the right direction, even if it's not focusing on every single change you could possibly work on. In the last example where our dinner plan is to grab a pizza, adding a vegetable (a salad, a veggie tray, a bag of baby carrots, etc.) still makes it a more balanced meal, even if you feel the meal isn't the healthiest as a whole. The bottom line is that doing the best you can where you're at is always going to be better than not trying at all and waiting until things are perfect - because they never will be!

Looking for more personalized nutrition advice? Let's chat! Email mairead@degreefitnessseaforth.com for more info about our Nutrition Programs, or click HERE to book your FREE Bite-Sized Nutrition Chat!

5 Types of Resources: Skills

17 May, 2024
Written By: Coach Kelly When it comes to our fitness and nutrition routines, there are a few resources we need to consider that we either have a lot of, some of, or minimal of. These are: Time Money Environment Support Skills Together, these 5 resources give us the framework for what style of fitness is going to fit us best, what our schedule may look like, and our overall enjoyment of the program - this equates to PROGRESS and CONSISTENCY! Skills We aren't talking about how good your dance moves are, or if you can cook a 5 course meal with your hands behind your back. We mean the simple tools that we often have to learn through practice to help us do the things we want! Have you ever heard the phrase "I'll start going to the gym when I know what I'm doing." Or, "I'll test out that new recipe when I figure out how to work my oven." If we wait for the skills to magically show up, we'll be waiting forever! Take the time to learn the technique, whether that's how to cook your veggies to perfection or, how to squat without knee pain. This is how you can help move your fitness and health dial ahead, and not get stuck. We all start somewhere! If you're looking to get started, we are here to help you develop the skills to feel your best CLICK HERE to book your FREE No Sweat Intro and learn how!

How to Have a More Nutritious Long Weekend!

15 May, 2024
Written By: Mairead, Registered Dietitian The Victoria Day long weekend is usually considered the kick-off of summer! Many of us will be enjoying BBQs, campfires, or maybe the first weekend at the cottage or trailer. With so many fun activities, it can be hard to prioritize your fitness goals while enjoying yourself. Never fear - we've got tips for you! Keep these strategies in mind; they'll help you balance eating well with eating your favourite foods all summer long! 1. Balance your plate! This is one of the simplest strategies to help you watch your portions, while also making sure you include protein, veggies, and fruit at your meals. Try to make half of your plate vegetables and fruit (salads, cut up fruit, veggies with dip, grilled vegetables or fruit, etc.), a quarter of your plate a protein food (meat, beans, plant-based proteins, poultry, or fish) and the last quarter of your plate carbs (bun, potatoes, pasta salad, etc.). This is especially helpful if you know there's going to be lots of "treat" meals over the course of a few days, and gives you room to enjoy your favourite foods. 2. Stay hydrated! As the weather warms up, we're going to be losing more fluid through sweat, which means we need to be be on top of our hydration! Aim to drink at least 8 cups of water daily, and consider making sure you're getting even more if you know you're sweating a lot. Those who are exercising (this includes yard work) in the heat and sweating a lot might want to consider including electrolytes as well! 3. Watch your alcohol intake! It's no surprise that alcohol isn't good for us. Alcoholic drinks can quickly add a lot of extra calories, and possible sugar depending on your drink of choice. The alcohol itself can cause us to be more dehydrated and lead to worse recovery after workouts or training. Try to drink in moderation by choosing water between each drink. If you know you have an important workout or training session the next day, consider holding off on drinking so you can take it on feeling your best. 4. Enjoy your favourite treats! All of the local ice cream places are opening up! If you have a favourite treat you only get to enjoy during certain seasons, make sure you take time to have some and enjoy yourself - and let go of the guilt around it! Choose something you really enjoy and eat it in amounts that are satisfying. If it only comes in a size you know you won't feel good after eating, consider splitting it with a friend. We're not aiming for perfect healthy eating around here, we're aiming for a balance of foods that fuel your body and foods that fuel your heart. Looking for more personalized nutrition help? Let's chat! Email mairead@degreefitnessseaforth.com for more info about our Nutrition Programs, or CLICK HERE to book your FREE Bite-Sized Nutrition Chat!

5 Types of Resources: Support

13 May, 2024
Written By: Coach Kelly When it comes to our fitness and nutrition routines, there are a few resources we need to consider that we either have a lot of, some of, or minimal of. These are: Time Money Environment Support Skills Together, these 5 resources give us the framework for what style of fitness is going to fit us best, what our schedule may look like, and our overall enjoyment of the program - this equates to PROGRESS and CONSISTENCY! Support Starting and maintaining a fitness routine or nutrition habits is hard enough on our own, and that's even with good support at home and within our friends. Ensuring that you have the support you need from somewhere is so, so important for long term success. Not everyone is going to understand why you wake up at 5am to workout before the day starts, and not everyone is going to understand why you perhaps look at nutrition a little differently, and that's OK! The important thing is to find those that do, and support you to do this! This could be: FriendsF or amily Your Fitness or Nutrition Coach(es) Your Gym Family Having those people, or groups, to fall on when things get tough; when you want to quit and throw in the towel, they will help you to work through the challenges and stay the course! At Degree, you get a whole Team of fitness and nutrition coaches to help guide you the entire way, plus a crew of members who want nothing more than for you to be successful and feel your best! To find your support, and discover the difference at Degree CLICK HERE to book your FREE No Sweat Intro and learn the best plan for you! 
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