Many people have read the book “The 7 habits of Highly Effective People” by Steven Covey. In this book, Covey discusses habits that lead people to attain their goals. Definitely check out this book to learn more about these 7 habits.
In this blog, we wanted to share with you 5 habits of some of our most successful nutrition clients. We believe that by working these healthy habits, you can stay on track with achieving your health and wellness goals.
Habit 1: Eat a healthy breakfast- one that is balanced with healthy sources of protein, carbohydrates and fat. Literature suggests that people who eat breakfast tend to have an easier time controlling their calorie intake and managing their weight. One idea as to why this is true is that if you don’t eat breakfast, you may be more prone to hunger and overeating or snacking on unfavorable foods later in the day. Examples of a healthy balanced breakfast include the Healthy Steps Nutrition Egg Muffins and some Amish oatmeal topped with a few almonds.
Habit 2: Eat your veggies: Veggies provide bulk to your diet without a lot of calories, and help fill you up while providing you with many healthy vitamins and minerals. Challenge yourself to eat more veggies. Ideas for eating your veggies throughout the day include spinach to a breakfast smoothie, making salads, a stir fry, or adding them to soups. Another way to eat more veggies is to add them to your 3 compartment containers when you meal prep.
Habit 3: Eat whole grains like brown rice and oatmeal. Whole grains contain fiber and therefore add bulk to your diet, helping with satiety or that feeling of fullness. They are lower energy density than other refined grains like white bread and white rice.
Habit 4: Eat healthy fats – eating a healthy amount of quality sources of fat has less to do with weight gain than people think. Healthy fats are important to include in a balanced diet especially when you exercise. Examples include using olive oil for a salad dressing or when cooking food, topping foods with a little avocado or guacamole, and snacking on a small portion of nuts. Fats are nutrient-dense, and eating a small amount of them helps us feel full.
Habit 5: Exercise- Aim for 30 minutes of activity most days of the week. If you are new to exercise, start slowly. Consider moving in 10-minute increments and gradually build from there. Schedule it in your day, involve an accountability partner, and find a variety of activities so it doesn’t get boring. Whatever you do for activity, give yourself some time each day to just move.
Other healthy behaviors that are common amongst some of our most successful nutrition clients that you can consider adopting to help you achieve your body composition goals include keeping a food log, tracking your activity, gradually increasing your activity level from 30 minutes to 60 minutes a day, eating and prepping real – non processed foods, and setting short and long term goals for the changes you want to achieve.
Our advice: Schedule a free intro with the nutrition coaches to talk about coming up with an individualized plan to focus on adopting one healthy behavior at a time, and making those part of your foundation. Over time, these small changes add up to big success.
Schedule your free intro by clicking the link below.