How to avoid diet and nutrition pitfalls and keep your healthy lifestyle plan on track!

Hey lovely people! Hope you're week has been a swell one. It was a very busy work week for me, so I am looking forward to a leisurely weekend of nothing much at all to do. Just what the doctor ordered ;-)

I find--and I'm sure many of you out there will agree--that our environments often dictate our ability to stick to our healthy living plans. When juggling everything that we need to do in any given day gets to be a little too much to handle, our resolve to eat right and exercise is frequently the first thing that unravels. The ironic part about it is that when drop the "healthy living choices" ball in these situations, we end up feeling much worse for it...much worse than it feels in the moment to stay on track.

I'm sure we're all guilty of this. The truth is, we're human and can't be super-people 100% of the time. Our will power falters, and the sweet call of that cupcake (or pizza, cookie, chocolate, [insert favorite junk food here]) cannot be ignored. However, I've found that having a plan in place LONG BEFORE you get to that place where you can be so easily influenced to indulge helps to prevent that eventual backslide. Here are a few of the tips that I employ to avoid those diet/nutrition pitfalls:

1) Don't go too long between meals: This may seem like a no-brainer, but it's so important to keep a cap on hunger and avoid a binge later on in the day.

2) Stay hydrated: Drink that water, kiddos! It fills your stomach to make you feel fuller, and has the added benefit of plumping up your skin and helping you maintain that healthy glow!


3) Be prepared: If you know you might have to go longer than you would like between meals because of work or class or some other commitment, keep a nutrient-dense snack that within your diet/nutrition plan close by (in your purse, backpack, jacket pocket, etc).

4) Rate your hunger on a scale, 10 is famished and 1 is full. Be honest with yourself, and sometimes just taking these few mindful moments before reaching for that calorie-laden goodie will restore your will power. However, if you assess yourself and you're hungry enough to eat, see #3.

5) Think to yourself: "Would I choose to eat/drink that item if it weren't right in front of my face already?" This is a great strategy to employ, but one of the hardest. Sometimes, you really, really want whatever it is that's outside of your plan. But most of the time, you don't. For example, do you really want to waste calories on that so-so piece of store-bought cake in the office kitchen? Didn't think so.

6) Keep an "emergency snack" fund. Keep $5 or so in a secret compartment in your wallet so when faced with temptation and #3 is no longer an option, you always have the means to make a healthy choice.

7) Tie your diet/nutrition plan to a goal, and when faced with temptation, envision yourself achieving that goal. Give yourself 1-2 minutes to just imagine and daydream about what it will feel like to achieve your goal. Chances are, once you've let yourself do that, the impulse to eat whatever will have subsided.

8) Last but not least: don't beat yourself up if you give in. Throw yourself a bone if you fall off the wagon and get right back on track on soon as possible. Remember: one indulgence is not an excuse to go crazy for the rest of the day/night! A little blip will make little difference in the grand scheme of things, but a full-day-or-night binge-fest certainly WILL!

I hope you find these tips helpful! What do YOU do to avoid diet/nutrition pitfalls?! I'd love it if you're share your tips or thoughts about this post in the comments section below! Have a great Friday, everyone!