Fall and Winter Routine Disruptors (and ways to overcome them!)

November 6, 2022

Written By: Jackie, General Manager


What exactly is a routine disruptor? Essentially it is an event, obstacle, or distraction that we allow to happen that then sets a new path for us going forward. It can be a positive or negative occurrence, depending on what you want the outcome to be. 

As an example: 

You missed that morning cup of coffee and your whole day starts off on the wrong foot because your typical routine has been disrupted by sleeping in. 

You have a great workout routine built into your weekly schedule, but then the season starts to shift to fall and winter and you start skipping one or two workouts a week. You start to eat more and move less and your mood begins to shift - all because we allowed ourselves that disruption to become a new habit/routine.


Some other common routine disruptors are 

We tend to get less fresh air and sunlight

We eat more comfort foods 

We tend to let our spring/summer habits go

We tend to sleep more or feel more tired


The fall and winter transition can be really hard for many of us to adjust to. There is often a sense of loss when it comes to the change of seasons and often we do not have a plan in place to overcome that transition time. 

Everything essentially boils down to implementing a (perhaps new) routine that will work for you. And give yourself some grace, as a new routine can often take several weeks to establish. So here are some healthy habits you can implement into your new fall and winter routine.

Keep Moving and Stay Active - keep showing up at the gym and stick to your 2-3 times a week, especially when you don’t feel like it! Get outside and walk some trails in your area -  the fall colours are breathtaking! Enjoy the crispness of the air by dressing appropriately for the weather. Make it a family affair and get the kids involved in some of your outdoor activities.

Get Fresh Air and Embrace the Sunlight - since days are becoming shorter, so is amount of sunlight, so make sure you try to get outside at least once a day for a quick walk or break and take it all in! Sun exposure can help elevate your mood. 

Ensure you are getting adequate sleep - If you are struggling with getting enough sleep then make that a priority as you reflect on creating a bedtime routine that gets your mind and body ready for sleep.

Practice Gratitude - focus on the positive people and events in your life. Socialize with people and attend events that bring you happiness and support your routine.

Ensure you eat wholesome and nutritious foods most of the time - incorporate good proteins, healthy fats, and good carbs at meals. Focus on the foods you can add that will help you feel good! 


As you begin to establish a new fall routine that encompasses and embraces healthy habits, you will begin to see a positive mood shift, you will feel less stressed, you will see improvement in your physical health, and you will have more energy, and more mental clarity. 

Know that fall and winter routine disruptors can be temporary, as long as you still have a positive outlook and take a hard look at what is important to you. 

If you are looking for a gym that can help you maintain or start a great workout routine, then reach out today to book a No Sweat Intro information session where we can chat about helping you with that goal.

The Coaches at Degree are ready to help you get started! Click HERE or email info@degreefitnessseaforth.com to make that important first connection!

4 Ways to Make Comfort Food Healthier!

November 4, 2025
Written By: Mairead, Registered Dietitian As the weather turns colder, many of us start craving those comfort foods. Anything warm, maybe soupy, maybe cheesy, maybe carb-y. Things like soups, stews, casseroles, and melty sandwiches just sound better when it's colder and darker outside. But these kinds of foods may not fit with your nutrition goals, or may leave you feeling like you should've made a healthier choice. Luckily, we've got ideas to help you make those comfort foods healthier and pack more nutrition in! 1. Bulk up the veggies! Almost any meal can easily have more veggies added to it without making it feel less comforting. Vegetables add extra vitamins and fibre to make your meals more nutrient dense. They can also help bulk up a dish without adding a lot of calories. Try adding an extra dose of whatever veggies are floating around the fridge to your favourite soups, stews, and chilis. Frozen greens, like kale or spinach, are easy to add to pasta sauce as it cooks. Sandwiches can always have an extra vegetable added - add extra lettuce and tomato, or learn to quick pickle carrots and cucumbers. Frozen peas, green beans, and broccoli can easily be added to casseroles or mac and cheese. 2. Add legumes! Beans, lentils, and chickpeas are all packed full of fibre, protein, and vitamins and minerals, without any of the saturated fat (the kind that's not great for your heart) found in meat and high fat dairy products. They can easily be added to almost any soup, stew, or chili, either kept whole or blended to make the dish feel creamier. In any ground beef-based dish, you can add black beans or lentils without losing the taste or texture - try this in tacos or pasta sauce! Black beans can also be added to mac and cheese with some salsa for a Mexican-inspired twist. Beans are also cheap, making this an inexpensive way to boost nutrition and portion sizes without blowing your grocery budget. 3. Make sure there's a protein! Some comfort foods just don't have a lot of protein, especially if they're something that's mainly carb and cheese-based. To help you hit your fitness goals and feel full and satisfied, you do need some protein! While the ideas for beans above will help, there's many other ideas. Try adding Greek yogurt in place of some of the sour cream in casseroles, or to make a blended soup creamier. Canned tuna can easily be added to many casseroles or mac and cheese. Rotisserie chicken is also an easy option to add to vegetable-based soups or pasta dishes. 4. Balance the meal! Sometimes you don't want to mess with a good thing! You can also keep your favourite comfort food as is, and balance the meal out using the balanced plate model (1/4 plate is protein, 1/4 plate is a carb or starch, 1/2 the plate is vegetables). For example, this could look like a smaller serving of mac and cheese paired with a protein and vegetable, or spaghetti with meat sauce paired with a salad on the side.Take a look at what parts of the balanced plate your comfort food of choice covers, and find foods to pair with it to create that balanced meal! Looking for more personalized nutrition advice? Let's chat! Email mairead@degreefitnessseaforth.com to learn more about our Nutrition Programs, or click HERE to book your FREE Bite-Sized Nutrition Chat!

What You Need to Know About Reading Food Labels!

October 22, 2025
Written By: Mairead, Registered Dietitian Nutrition labels can be confusing! But they're on packaging to help you know more about your food so you can make choices that align with your health and fitness goals. Grab your nearest food label. On the black and white Nutrition Facts table, you'll see a list of nutrients with values beside them. For most of them, there will be an amount in grams or milligrams listed on the left and a percentage over on the right hand side. That percentage can help give us context! As you'll see listed in teeny writing at the bottom of the table, 5% is a little, 15% is a lot. This means that if there's a nutrient we want more of, like fibre, we want that percentage to be higher, ideally towards 15% or more. If there's a nutrient we want less of, we want it to be closer to 5%. For most normal healthy people, we want to have less sodium (salt), sugar, and saturated fat, while including more fibre. There may also be times when you want to focus on a specific vitamin or mineral, like iron or calcium. These are also listed with a percentage and can be used the same way. A key part of label reading is knowing what is most important for you. For many food categories, you can't prioritize everything. There may not be one product that is the lowest in saturated fat AND the lowest in sodium AND the highest in fibre AND has the most protein AND has the most iron ... the list could go on. But if you can narrow it down to a couple things that matter most for your health and fitness goals, you can start making choices based on food labels, without all the overwhelm. Check out your food labels, use the percentages, and make choices that fit with your goals! Looking for more personalized nutrition advice? Let's chat! Email mairead@degreefitnessseaforth.com for more information about our Nutrition Programs, or click HERE to book your FREE Bite-Sized Nutrition Chat!

4 Tips For Better Snacking

October 6, 2025
Written By: Mairead, Registered Dietitian Snacking causes a lot of worry for many people! Is snacking bad? When should we be snacking? What's the best snack? Snacking itself isn't a bad habit, unless it's not aligned with your health and fitness goals. Snacks can actually do a lot of good to keep our energy levels up throughout the day and help meet our nutrition needs. Let's check out four ways you can improve your snacking habits! 1. Think about why! If you're concerned about whether your snacks are a problem, it's worth thinking about why you're snacking. Are you hungry between meals? Do you need some fuel before or after a workout? Are you bored at work in the afternoon or need a pick-me-up? Do you need something to do with your hands while watching tv? Are you starving at the end of the day when you get home before you have a chance to make dinner? Snacks serve lots of purposes, from keeping our energy stable during the day, to meeting emotional needs. If you don't feel good about why you're snacking, it might be time to find some other way to meet that need. 2. Plan for your snacks! Often, we may know we need a snack, but not be able to make a healthy choice about it because we're too busy or just too hungry. A little planning goes a long way! Planning ahead for these times can help us make choices that align with our goals, and have something at the ready before we're too hungry to make that healthy choice. Pack a snack or have one at the ready during the times of day or situations when you know you'll need it. 3. Make them satisfying! If a snack isn't satisfying, we'll be reaching for something else soon. For longer lasting energy, choose snacks that have a combination of protein and carbs. This might include yogurt with berries, a higher protein granola bar, crackers and veggies with hummus, or even a couple handfuls of trail mix. If you find yourself finishing your snack without even noticing what you've eaten, try taking a minute to eat more mindfully and focus on your food. This will help you feel more satisfied with it! 4. Fill your nutrition gaps! Snacks are another opportunity to add nutrition to your day. Are there specific foods you're trying to add more of to your diet? Are there nutrients you feel you may be lacking? Use snacks as a way to add these in. If you're concerned about protein, try adding canned tuna, hardboiled eggs, or Greek yogurt to your snacks. If you feel you're lacking vegetables or fruit, include at least one in your snack. If you're trying to include more plant-based proteins, lean on bean-based dips or try roasted chickpeas. The options are endless! Remember, snacking isn't good or bad, and can serve a lot of different purposes. Try using these tips to help your snacking align better with your health and fitness goals! Looking for more personalized nutrition advice? Let's chat! Email mairead@degreefitnessseaforth.com for more information about our Nutrition Programs, or click HERE to book your FREE Bite-Sized Nutrition Chat!