Back on track in the fall
Summer is a great time to connect as a family and strengthen relational bonds.
Do you dread the end of summer? There just never seem to be enough sunny, lazy, slurpee-drinking days.
Or are you someone who loves the change of the season? You look forward to the temperatures dipping down and leave behind salads and BBQ and enter full swing into sweaters and soups mode.
No matter what side you are on, the months do roll on!
There’s something about September that feels almost like a reset. It’s like a mini-January to me, but warmer, and more pleasant. Less car windshield scraping.
Some of my clients feel like their summer vacay eating habits never really ended, and so they’re actually looking forward to getting back into a bit of a routine. The trouble is, September is usually very busy. Your calendar likely filled up super fast. If we don’t put a couple of things in place, that can leave us scrambling and feeling behind with our diet/meal plan/health goals.
Shall we try and find some tips then?
Tips To Feel Control In The Kitchen
Here’s a couple of things my clients are doing (and I’m working on doing too!) this fall to help settle into a routine and feel in control in the kitchen:
- Simple meal planning. Don’t you wish there was a flashier goal than meal planning? UGH. It shows up on every healthy eating to-do list. This one is so not sexy, but is SO effective. It controls your grocery shopping, you think ahead to what you want to make, and we eat out less when we meal plan.
- Click and collect groceries/grocery delivery. If you’ve never used it online shopping, I would highly recommend it. This is the #1 strategy that keeps my grocery budget in line.
- Book in a couple workouts this week. Just one or two. Take a good look at your calendar and realistically assess where you can fit them. Healthy eating always feels easier and more motivating when you are exercising too.
- Switch to more seasonal foods – get creative in the kitchen with squashes, corn, tomatoes, carrots, beets, and potatoes. They are at their peak right now and farmer’s markets have an abundance!
- Prep a veggie tray at the start of every week. Make vegetables for lunches easy and fast. If veggies aren’t easy, we probably won’t eat them.
- Meal prep some quick breakfasts. This is a game-changer for most of my clients. When breakfast is ready and it’s a grab-and-go out the door, they’re more likely to fuel their body with something healthy and balanced. My favourites are egg muffins, chia seed pudding, and Greek yogurt parfaits.
The end of a season can be a positive change as it allows us to refocus our goals and experience a new level of motivation.
Be purposeful with your nutrition. Be proactive rather than reactive. Make it as easy as you can for yourself in order to see some small wins this month.
