The Holiday Healthy Habit Struggle

There are so many wonderful things about the holidays. Celebrating with friends and family. Time off from work. A break from school. Catching up with loved ones we haven’t seen in a while. A time of giving thanks and gifts. Cozy pajamas and beautiful lights.  Tasty food, drinks, and treats.

While there are many wonderful holiday pros, there are unfortunately cons, too. I am not talking about holiday traffic, fights with family, or battling the mall to get gifts (thank goodness for Amazon Prime!). One of the biggest challenges for many is the battle to balance enjoying the tasty treats with not over-doing it, not gaining a few extra pounds, or not feeling “blah” and “yuck.” Binge moments or consecutive holiday engagements can really diminish our ability to enjoy the holidays as much as we would like.

AFTER THANKSGIVING, TURN SOUTH WITH NO RETURN.

The downward spiral typically starts at Thanksgiving and goes through New Years. I say it can even start as early as Halloween with all the candy around.

Here are some scenarios when healthy habits go south during the holidays. Have you had any of these conversations with yourself?

Right after Thanksgiving weekend: “Whoa, I had so much at Thanksgiving and then ate out a lot with family, plus all the leftovers! I totally overdid it.” 

Early December until holiday time off: “Treats at work. Multiple holiday parties. Cookie exchanges. Treat gifts from family, friends, neighbors, clients, and coworkers. A little of each thing adds up. It all tastes good. I don’t want to hurt anyone's feelings. Oh, all the cocktails. Holiday Cheer, right?!?  And even though I feel kinda overstuffed and a little on the crappy side, hey, the new year is just around the corner. So this is temporary. After all, it is just impossible to be good through the holidays. So let’s eat, drink, and be merry, for January 2nd is only a couple of weeks away. Then, I’ll finally start eating better ...promise, this time I’ll do it and make it last.” 

Big holiday dinners to New Years Day: “So much good stuff and time with friends and family. I want it but I don’t want it. Remember January 2nd will be here soon. I am honestly feeling done with all this eating and drinking. I am not doing this again next year.”

January 2nd: “Whoa! I’m 5+ pounds heavier and have lots of bloating so I am now questioning whether the indulgence was really worth it. And although I want to change, know I need to change, where do I begin? I’ve blown it so much over the last month and a half. It seems like so much work to correct. Not only correct but then to maintain, too.” 

Does any of this sound vaguely familiar? I’ll admit, it has been my experience in the past.

HOLIDAY BALANCE? TOTALLY POSSIBLE.

I am not trying to be a Debbie Downer about the holidays, I just know from clients and even personal experience that the holidays make maintaining healthy habits a real struggle. The holidays are meant to be a joyous time, but can quickly flip to where you feel “blah” through it all and maybe don’t enjoy them as much as you would like. 

I am a deep believer in balance and not restriction. It is completely possible to enjoy the holidays and the treats that go with the season without either 1) going on a strict vegan diet and losing your mind because you aren’t having sugar or 2) continuously eating unhealthy and regretting most of your decisions to just have one more taste of something decadent.

No matter what time of the year, I typically follow these guidelines for enjoying treats: 

1. Plan them. It is something to look forward to because you know you do have a special treat to enjoy in the future.
2. Make them really good. Don’t waste the calories on something average tasting or, even worse, below average.

It is usually the unplanned or the mediocre tasting treats that cause the extra pounds. 

My three guidelines for hosting and/or going to gatherings are:

1. Eat something healthy beforehand. Attend more full so you might eat less at the gathering.
2. Make and take something healthy. You know you will have something healthy to eat.
3. Stay away from the chips and dessert table. Those are my weakest spots.

For other ideas on healthy eating at parties, check out this article and infographic.

ALL THE HOLIDAY “BUTS”

The above suggestions sound like great ideas and most people agree they should eat less, but then come the “buts”... Those “buts” are all the holiday challenges that make it seem impossible to maintain good eating. 

Now here is my “but” back…

But what if you could control your habits over the holidays so you: 

feel healthy, have more energy, feel better dressed up, don’t regret your poor eating or drinking choices the next day, enjoy the holidays more, feel better about going into the New Year, and don’t gain 5-10 pounds?

It is totally possible in a simple way and all the details are in our article How to Enjoy But Not Overindulge During the Holidays.

If you want some support and guidance this holiday season for staying on track with your healthy eating, schedule a call with me. 

To your achievable wellness!

Jen

How to Eat Healthy at Starbucks

Latte. Cappuccino. Frappuccino. Macchiato. Tall. Short. Grande. Vente. 

Those Starbucks terms are now common language if you are a frequent customer there. Truth be told, I don’t know this lingo. I had to look them up. I am one of the rare ones who doesn’t drink coffee and hardly ever sets foot in a Starbucks. If I do go in and order hot tea, I usually get a weird look when I say, “I’ll take a medium, please.” I get re-educated on the sizes every time. And don’t you think grande should be the largest size??

What is funny is I am actually sitting outside of one right now as I type this article. My daughter is at volleyball practice and I needed a place nearby with wifi while I wait until she is done. I honestly went inside to see if there was something I wanted to get so it didn’t seem like I was freeloading their wifi. But nothing appealed to me. So thank you Starbucks for letting me use your wifi. At least I am writing an article about what people should get at Starbucks to eat. 

Starbucks can be a great grab-and-go place. In fact, I didn’t know they had so many healthy options until I was doing research for this article. But unfortunately, they have a lot of unhealthy options, too. 

So if you are working on healthy eating and need to get food from Starbuck whether for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or a snack below is a list of go-to options. 

Please don’t discount the beverages you get. I’m not going to list beverages (except one) in this piece, but surprisingly they can be filled with sugar and artificial ingredients. So check out your favorite drink online to see how sugary it is.

Healthy Go-To Options 

An ideal meal or a more nutritionally complete meal has a combo of protein, veggies, good fat, and carbs such as fruit or whole grains. So in general, I am going to help you create a complete meal from the Starbucks menu. 

I understand the Starbucks you frequent might not carry everything I have listed. But do your best. And even though I have divided them into breakfast, lunch/dinner, and snacks, there is no rule that says you can’t have something from the lunch/dinner list at breakfast time and vice versa.

For Breakfast

First, pass on pretty much all the hot sandwiches with one exception--the Spinach, Feta, & Egg White Wrap. Add some avocado spread & fruit (banana, orange, or fruit cup) to make it more of a complete meal. Concerning the egg bites, I am not a fan of how much cheese they contain.

Other okay options:

• Hearty Blueberry Oatmeal
• Classic Oatmeal
• Berry Trio Parfait
• Strawberry Overnight Grains

These are very carb (fruit and whole-grain heavy) so be sure you consume more protein and veggies another time in your day.

For Lunch/Dinner

For a complete meal, go for the below with a piece of fruit: 

• Chickpea Bites & Avocado Protein Box
• Grilled Chicken and Hummus Protein Box - you’ll need to order two of these in order to have a more complete meal.
• Chicken & Quinoa Protein Bowl with Black Beans and Greens

Protein boxes and Prosnax Snack Boxes are a good option but most lack a vegetable or a fruit. To get some veggies in, consider adding a bag of kale chips or Evolution Fresh® Organic Superfruit Greens. Here is the best pick of these boxes:

• Eggs & Gouda Protein Box 
• Eggs & Cheddar Protein Box 
• Prosnax Gala Apples, Egg, White Cheddar Cheese, and Almonds Snack Box
• Prosnax Green Apples, Egg, Mild Cheddar Cheese, and Cashews Snack Box
• Prosnax Carrots, White Cheddar Cheese, and Almonds Snack Tray

For a Snack

It can be tempting to grab something less healthy when you just want a snack. Snacks can really make or break you with regard to staying on track with your nutrition goals. You can read more about healthy snacking here. Before you go into Starbucks to get your fancy drink and a snack, already have in mind the healthy snack you are going to get. Plan a backup if that particular snack isn’t available. 

Pick from this list-

Fruit:

• Banana
• Orange 
• Fruit cup

Nuts:

• Squirrel Brand® Fruit & Nut
• Squirrel Brand® – Classic Almonds

Snack bags:

• Rhythm Super Foods Kale Chips - Sea Salt
• Butter Gourmet Popcorn
• POP! Popcorn

Bars & Jerky:

• Turkey Jerky
• Beef Jerky
• Perfect bars
• Kind bars
• That’s It

Now, what will you get?

So next time you are in Starbucks, what will you get to eat? Do you have a favorite? Does your Starbucks have something different I didn’t list? Share below. I’d like to know. 

Now that I know that Starbucks has this many good options, I might check it out when I need something on the go. Especially when traveling. 

Time to go get my daughter from volleyball practice. Again, thank you Starbucks!

Jen

Healthy Snacking Tips and Ideas

My clients frequently ask, “What are some healthy snack ideas?”

It is pretty common for people to snack and snacking can be an important part of a healthy lifestyle. 

But what you have for a snack is crucial. 

So let’s dive into whether you should snack, tips for picking out a healthy snack, and examples of snacks to have and snacks to avoid. 

Should you snack?

It depends. Snacking may not be beneficial for everyone.

If you currently don’t get hungry between meals, then you may not want to add a snack as it might simply be more calories than you need to consume in one day. 

If you do get hungry between meals, a healthy snack may keep you from getting “hangry”, making a poor eating choice, and/or overeating when it is time for the next main meal.

If you struggle to get the proper amount of nutrients every day for your goals, a healthy snack can help. For weight loss, snacks can be beneficial to ensure you get enough quality whole real food of protein and veggies each day. For mass or muscle gain, snacks can help you get enough protein and carbs.  

How to Pick Out a Healthy Snack

Not all snacks are created equal. Some snacks will help you achieve your nutrition goals while others will inhibit your progress. 

Here are a few things to consider when you pick a snack: 

• Real whole ingredients. Skip anything processed, refined, or full of sugar/artificial sweeteners. For more, see my article How To Erase Confusion About Real Food.
• Plan ahead. When traveling or if you know you will be away from home for a long time between meals, pack a snack.  
• Think outside the box. Traditional, pre-packaged snacks are typically of poor quality and lack nutrients. 
• The most ideal snack includes a veggie, protein, and good fat.  
• Recognize your hunger cues so you don’t overeat. Ask yourself if you need a snack or if you just want one.  
• To point out the obvious, remember this is a snack, not a meal. 

Snacks to Go For and Snacks to Avoid

Snacks To Go For

• Olives  
• Raw sliced veggies with hummus/guacamole 
• Apple/banana/celery with nut butter  
• Bars (Prefect, RX, Core, Larabar, Kind) 
• Protein shake or green smoothie  
• Lunch or dinner leftovers  
• Hard boiled eggs  
• Fresh or frozen fruit  
• Quality dried meat (Epic, DNX, Nick’s Sticks) 
• Raw tree nuts (almonds, cashews, walnuts) 
• Dark chocolate (a few squares) 
• Plain, full-fat Greek yogurt with berries/nuts  
• Pickled veggies  
• Sliced turkey wrapped in lettuce  
• Trail mix of mostly nuts and seeds 

Snacks To Avoid

• Candy/fruit snacks 
• Crackers  
• Chips/pretzels  
• Veggie chips/straws 
• Poor quality peanut butter or Nutella  
• Cereal or cereal bars 
• Cookies/cakes/brownies 
• Juice / all fruit smoothies  
• Poor quality protein bars  
• Sweetened hot or iced coffee drinks  
• Muffins/donuts/pastries  
• Cheese or cheese-like products 
• Fruit based yogurt, especially non-Greek 
• Pizza or other appetizer bites  
• Trail mix of mostly dried fruit and candy 

Some of my favorite snacks are apples, mixed raw veggies, Larabars, and smoothies. I make my smoothies with protein powder, a handful of spinach, half a banana, coconut water, and ice.

What are your favorite healthy snacks? Share below in the comments. If it is something I missed, I’ll add it to the list.

Overcoming the desire for unhealthy snacks can be a challenge. If you need some accountability or encouragement to create a healthier snacking habit, schedule a call with me.

To your best health and wellness,

Jen

3 Daily Healthy Habits Not Related to Food or Exercise

Typically when people think about healthy habits, they consider habits related to eating better and exercising regularly. But not all healthy habits have to do with these two areas. In fact, other healthy habits that reduce stress, improve sleep, maintain a positive mindset, and increase productivity - just to name a few - can be equally as valuable or even more important to our well-being. 

Improvement in the above mentioned areas can support the habits of eating better and exercising regularly. For example, if you are less stressed, you may eat better. Or if you get more sleep, you will have more energy to exercise. 

So what are those daily habits that help you maintain good health but aren’t food or movement related? And why are they important to you? 

I’m going to share with you my top three daily healthy habits that aren’t about food or exercise, how I do them, and how they help my well-being. The reason these healthy habits have become so important to me is they connect me with some of my biggest “whys” for having and maintaining a healthy lifestyle - my faith and my family. Yours may do the same.

Jen’s Top 3 Daily Healthy Habits

1. Start the day with quiet time.

How I do it: My alarm goes off at a minimum of one hour before my first client, which normally is between 5-6 a.m., or any other scheduled appointment. One key part of how I start my day is in what I call quiet time. I take about 15 minutes to read the Bible, write some thoughts, and say some prayers. 

How it helps: First, having this daily practice strengthens my faith. For me, my faith is the most important investment I can make. If I left this for another part of my day, chances are I wouldn’t get it done. Second, this habit helps me give the best to my clients and family.

2. Schedule time away from my phone in the evening.

How I do it: From dinner time until I go to bed, I keep my phone away and do not look at it. Before I get in bed, I check it again for any messages from my clients or friends that need urgent attention. 

How it helps: Setting a “no phone” time gives me the much-needed break from devices in the day. But mainly I do this habit because it gives my family more of my attention. Evenings spent as a family are very important. Any messages or social media checks can wait.

3. Read before going to sleep.

How I do it: Once I respond to needed messages, I plug my phone in across the room in the bathroom to charge for the night. Then, I read a book until I get sleepy. Which actually isn’t very long. I honestly can’t get past a few pages until I am ready to go to bed.

How it helps: I get more and better sleep when I read before bed and move my phone away from me. I am not tempted to pick up my phone and respond to messages, google something, or browse social media. That can cause a downward spiral, affecting both quality and quantity of sleep. Reading helps to distract my mind from all the things that can race through it at night. And it puts me to sleep faster. Also, my alarm, which is my phone, being in the bathroom keeps me from hitting the snooze and being rushed as I mentioned above. With my early morning wake-ups, I need great sleep so I am not a zombie for my family later in the day. 

What about you?

I would love to hear what non-food and exercise-related healthy habits are very important to you and why. Please comment below. 

If you struggle to get healthy habits like these established and need some help and accountability, let’s chat about it. 

While eating right and getting plenty of exercise are important, other healthy habits can be just as valuable to your overall well being. Ourselves, our families, our friends, and our communities need us to take good care of ourselves. 

To your best health and wellness,

Jen

Simplify the Complex Chaos of Health and Wellness Information

We have more health and wellness information at our fingertips today than we have ever had access to before. It is overwhelming and confusing. This information overload may actually be detrimental to our quest for wellness. Not knowing where to start or what to follow could inhibit people from creating the sustainable changes they need to be healthier.

Don’t get me wrong, it is important to be aware of GMOs and how different exercises impact the body. But for the person who needs to start and create healthy habits that stick, these details shouldn’t be the focus.

So, let’s simplify things. Like seriously, S-I-M-P-L-E.  

Most people know what they need to improve in order to have the health they want for whatever reason they want it. You could probably list them without even peeking at the list below. Whatever ideas you come up with will likely fit in these four key actions for healthy living.

1. Eat Better
2. Move More
3. Reduce Stress
4. Improve Sleep

If you aren’t currently implementing these but want to, let’s stop over-complicating what it means to “eat better,” “move more,” “reduce stress,” and “improve sleep”.

We need to implement the basics of these wellness areas in a sustainable manner before we get into the nitty gritty of sugar in coffee, probiotics, varying workouts, adopting a certain eating approach, or any of the other popular advice easily accessible on the internet. Without these four simple concepts, much of the more complex health information won’t even matter.

These are the simple basics. And they have simple guidelines. And you can seriously keep it this simple when you implement them in your life.

Let’s approach these in a simple manner. (Yes, I know that’s a whole lot of “simple,” but I’m driving home a point.)

1. Eat Better

Spoiler Alert: There is no perfect “diet.” Diet is a horrible word to use, but whatever you call it --nutrition plan or eating approach--none of them produce instant results.

Guiding Principle: Eat a variety of real, whole food. This applies whether you want to be a vegan or go paleo. Bottom line - eat real, really real, whole foods. It is the source. No ingredients label. First, you will probably start to feel better and your mood will improve. Second, you will notice your weight drop, but that may take a little time. Remember, this is about having an overall healthy lifestyle, not just weight loss.

2. Move More

Spoiler Alert: There is also no perfect workout that instantly cures all. And you can’t out-move horrible eating.

Guiding Principle: Get into the habit of increasing your activity. Some movement is better than none. Find what you enjoy, start in small amounts, and do it consistently. Then work to increase the time, frequency, and intensity over time. Your heart, mind, body, brain, hormones, everything will thank you. You were made to move and be active.

3. Reduce Stress

Spoiler Alert: Stress reducing methods don’t have to be excessive, time consuming, or unusual practices to be effective.

Guiding Principle: Intentionally find moments to break away from the non-stop rush, never-ending busyness, always going, and stress inducing activities that consume your every waking minute. Find small things you can do to decrease stress and re-energize yourself. Alcohol or violence are not good answers. You could work on a hobby, write or journal, take five minutes of quiet time, or read a real book for some examples.

4. Improve Sleep

Spoiler Alert: Consistently poor quality sleep has big short and long term impacts on your health. That time for the body to rest and repair is too important to not make a priority.

Guiding Principle: Focus on improving the quality of sleep if increasing the quantity isn’t possible. Sleeping shorter but having more quality sleep is better than longer sleep that is of poor quality. Use simple practices to improve your sleep quality. Consider what may be preventing you from getting good sleep and try to reduce that impact. Is it staying up too late looking at your phone? Try not to bring your phone to bed with you and read or journal instead. Do noises or lights wake you up? Try sleeping with a fan or white noise and use black-out curtains.

I am not delusional. I fully realize implementing these simple things can still be a struggle. Creating sustainable habits is challenging. It often seems like a lot of work, too time consuming, or even like it isn’t worth the effort. The truth is, we encounter lots of obstacles to good health and wellness, but that is for a post for another time. A complicated and confusing plan should not be one of those obstacles.

But here is the good news!! Here at 7Core Wellness, we use our Master Healthy Habits Method to help our clients overcome the challenges they face when creating healthy habits. Our clients are successful at creating healthy lifestyles in their busy, over-scheduled lives because we help them stay focused on these simple, guiding principles. For more on this approach, see our article 3 Non-Negotiables for Reaching (Im)Possible Goals.

I know I can’t handle many more complications in my life, so I need simple strategies for making sustainable changes that improve my health. I’d guess you do, too. So remember, eat better, move more, reduce stress, and improve sleep. When all the confusing and complicated information about wellness starts to swirl around your head, just go back to these four basic principles and you’ll stay on the path to becoming your best self! What will your first step be?

Still feel like you need more help achieving your healthy habits? 

To your best health and wellness,

Jen

3 Non-Negotiables for Reaching (Im)Possible Goals

Reaching goals requires change. But change is hard. Making changes that stick can be even harder. If you aren’t happy with your current wellness and have a strong desire for things to improve so you can serve yourself and your loved ones better, you need to make changes that stick. In my experience helping clients create a healthy lifestyle, I have discovered three non-negotiable keys to make lasting change a reality.

Here they are:

1. The Right Mindset 
2. The Right Plan
3. The Right Accountability 

These non-negotiables are requirements for success. And these non-negotiables are the foundation of our Master Healthy Habits Method.

As you read, consider which of these areas may need your attention or implementation. Let’s take a little time to discuss each one in order. Because the order is important. If you don’t have the Right Mindset, nothing else will fall into place.

1. THE RIGHT MINDSET 

No change will happen if your mind isn’t set on the right things. You must banish self-defeating thoughts. How you think about your situation dramatically affects your outcome. People can have the same goals and use the same tools, but the right mindset brings success. For example, you could say, “I am trying to lose weight, so I can’t eat that,” or, “Eating that doesn’t go with my healthy self.” See the difference in perception? One statement focuses on external drivers while the other declares who you are.

Here is a list of mindset shift categories commonly found among people who need and want to make healthy changes in their lifestyle.

• Victim to Victor. Declare your victory over your struggles from the beginning. No more “I wish”, “I’m trying”, or “If only” statements.
• Self-defeating to Life-Giving. Make a shift from those self-defeating and self-destructive untruths to more life-giving and truthful statements.
• Challenges to Opportunities. Challenges that arise when working on healthy habits aren’t roadblocks, but opportunities to get stronger.
• Perfection to Progress. Small changes over time lead to better success than trying to make all the changes at once. Give yourself grace for mess-ups.
• Selfish Care to Act of Love. Self-care and taking care of your wellbeing isn’t selfish. It is actually a form of love because it enables you to serve others better.

To help you make the mindset shift, consider writing down your current mindset regarding your wellness goals. Then, write down the new mindset you need to have. Cross out the negative thoughts. They are no more. Circle the new. They replace the negative. You may have to work on your mindset everyday. Get out of bed with thoughts of victory every single day! You could even put affirming sticky notes on your mirror to read while you brush your teeth.

For more on each of the categories above with examples, see the article How to Shift Your Mindset for Healthy Habit Success, and download the accompanying infographic.

Once you make a mindset change, the next non-negotiable is establishing habits. But we’re not going to focus on the big goal first, instead, we’ll tackle small habits as part of the Right Plan.

2. THE RIGHT PLAN 

If you have struggled with success, it may be that you haven’t been using the best system to set yourself up for victory. The Right Plan focuses on habits rather than goals and considers the challenges to prevent success so you create a plan and prepare anything you need. You have to get out pen and paper and write down your game plan. There is power in making a written plan. Let’s focus on winning one week at a time.

Here are the steps in brief. For more see, the article 5 Simple Steps to Create Sustainable Habits.

1. Note goal & pick habits. For the goal you want to achieve, pick 1 to 2 habits to focus on for about 4 weeks. Work to create consistency one habit at a time. Pick habits you are confident about achieving. Break the habits down to smaller ones, if necessary. 
2. Define why. Note the reason, the driver, your why for wanting and needing to work on these habits and reach your health goals. It is important to keep this in the forefront of your mind.
3. Identify challenges. Identify challenges that would keep you from achieving your habits for the week and think of ways to overcome them.
4. Plan and prep. Write up a plan to be successful at your habits for the week and do any prep that is needed.
5. Take action. Do the thing. And trust the process.  

For our free tool to help you create a plan to focus on healthy habits, get our Healthy Habits Starter Guide.

Now, that you have refocused your mindset, picked your habits, and planned and prepared for a week of success, let’s not let all that effort go to waste. The cherry on top to ensure success is an accountability system.

3. THE RIGHT ACCOUNTABILITY

Accountability can be tricky. Coming up with an accountability plan means you are committed, you REALLY want the change. Without a system of accountability, you could fall off the horse and not get back on because you don’t have a driver to push you back or keep you where you need to be. 

• Simplest: Create a calendar or check sheet to mark your success.
• Technical: Use technology such as apps on your phone, smartwatch, or digital program.
• Social: Post your goal on social media along with your progress. 
• Group: Get a group of friends and work out together or join a group.
• Friend: Share your goals with a family member or friend who will support you.
• Hire: Get yourself a coach and increase your chance of success by 95%.

Setting up an accountability system may sound a little nerve wracking. It makes me nervous because I can’t back out of the habits I am trying to create. Although it may seem like you are restricting yourself, you may just find it can be freeing to openly share your challenges and have accountability support.

For more on each of these accountability methods, see the article How Accountability Makes Healthy Habits Happen and download the companion infographic.

Paper trackers can be one of the best methods. Our Healthy Habits Starter Guide includes an accountability calendar for all your gold stars.

So there they are - the system for victory - the three non-negotiables for reaching your health goals so you can feel good and overcome your previous health struggles. This is the foundation of our Master Healthy Habits Method. 

If you have tried in the past to create change, which one of these three non-negotiables was missing? Which one do you need to implement now to achieve your goals for your future self? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below.

We would love to help you reach your (im)possible goals.

To your best health and wellness,

Coach Jen

Watch the Webinar: 3 Non-Negotiables for Reaching (Im)possible Goals.