How To Build Healthy Habits This Summer!
Dr. Kate Irwin • May 29, 2021
Nutrition Tips You Can Implement Today!
We are in a weird world right now where social gatherings are limited. With the warm weather of the summer coming with the promise of outdoor activities and increased interactions, there will be more and more opportunities to indulge and honestly, we deserve it right?
While there is nothing inherently wrong with indulging in food, the problem arises when you do it over and over again throughout the summer and into the fall. As more social gatherings resume, this may take away from any progress you have made towards your goals. Nutrition goals vary from person to person and can include eating more fruits and vegetables, eating less calories for fat loss, increasing protein intake to help increase muscle mass or eating more natural less processed foods to improve overall health. No matter your goal, focusing on your nutrition throughout the summer will help keep you on track.
Now, the good news is that this doesn’t mean you can’t go out for dinner or have that glass of wine or a piece of cake at the family BBQ. It simply means becoming more aware of your food choices throughout the day and making decisions based on both your needs, wants and goals!
A few really easy and attainable goals with nutrition that you can start to implement today are:
1.
Chew your food slowly - This is a great way to help your body and mind connect while eating. Not only do you have an enzyme in your mouth that starts to break down food and can help with digestion and bloating, but when you chew your food fully you are able to enjoy the flavours more and it leads to eating less and enjoying more!
2.
Eat vegetables with every meal - This simple goal isn’t as easy as it looks but it can lead to eating more volume of food for less calories, increasing your nutritional intake of vitamins and minerals and contributing to better overall health!
3.
Eat without a screen - Screens are such a large part of our lives these days, increasingly more with the pandemic. Did you know that if you are distracted and not focused on your food you are more likely to eat more and feel less full? Put down the phone, turn off the computer and TV and focus on your food.
4.
Meal prep your food - Having cut up veggies and fruit in the fridge is key to success in consuming more. If you have to cut up your veggies each time you want to have a snack you are less likely to grab them. Meal prep can be as complicated as making your weeks worth of breakfast and lunch every Sunday, or as simple as cutting up carrots and cauliflower and pre-cooking a few chicken breasts so that you have a constant source of protein in the fridge! Don’t overthink this one, you don’t need any special containers to prepare all your food for the week, start simple and see where it leads.
5.
Eat until you are 80% full - As a continuation of focusing on your food with no screens, eating your meals until you are 80% full will allow your body to digest and absorb your food more efficiently. Chew your food completely and pay attention to how you feel, this doesn’t come easily and takes time to understand when you are truly stuffed (think Christmas Dinner) and when you have had enough to fulfill your body's need for nutrition.
6.
Write out your food and nutrition goals - Last but not least it to put your goals into writing! By writing out your goals, big or small, it makes them a reality and makes them more concrete. I always start with the simplest of goals such as eating veggies with 2 meals a day and then build on that.
Remember that any nutritional changes you make to help you towards your goals should be sustainable. While cutting out all carbohydrates may seem like a great option, for most that isn’t sustainable. Focus on small changes and build week by week and your results will come. Results come from consistency not perfection.
If you want some more tips to improve your nutrition this summer, click the link below to get started!
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Do Hard Things Now, So Life Becomes Easier Later Modern humans default to the easy way but it's not our fault... Throughout human history, we were wired to survive constant hardship - scarcity of food, threats from predators, harsh environments and manual labor for everything. Our DNA evolved for survival in these conditions, not for modern living. Imagine an early human stumbling across a fruit tree. It made sense to gorge - there was no telling when the next meal would come. The human who gorged had a higher chance of survival than the human who only ate a few pieces of fruit. Practicing self-control in an environment of scarcity would have been a death sentence. Likewise, if given a chance to rest instead of walking miles or hunting, rest was the obvious choice. The problem? Our genes haven’t caught up with modern life. Today, food is everywhere. We don’t have to fight to meet our basic needs. Technology does the heavy lifting, cars replace walking, entertainment is on-demand and calorie-dense foods are always within reach. Left unchecked, our instincts will always lean toward easy options like overeating unhealthy foods (that are so easily accessible) or driving to the store instead of walking. In other words, we’re still hardwired to take the path of least resistance. But here’s the catch: Choosing easy now often means a harder life later and choosing hard now often means an easier life later. Most modern humans are overweight, stressed, tired and dealing with chronic health problems because we’re following outdated survival programming that no longer serves us. It’s time to become aware of these defaults. To override them. To consciously choose the hard thing - because doing hard things is what actually makes life easier in the long run. Hard things like: Going to bed on time instead of watching another episode Preparing a healthy meal instead of grabbing fast food Moving your body instead of sitting all day Walking or biking to the store instead of driving Managing stress with deep breaths and fresh air instead of pouring a drink Looking at your habits instead of masking symptoms with medication It might feel uncomfortable because it goes against everything your biological programming is urging you to do. But that’s exactly why it matters. Don’t think of it as punishment or sacrifice. Think of it as an investment. Every time you take the stairs instead of the elevator, cook instead of order out, or put your phone down to truly rest, you’re building a life that’s easier, richer, and more fulfilling down the road. And remember: Do easy things, and you’ll have a hard life. Do hard things, and you’ll have an easy life. Most of the above information is probably not new to you. That’s because we live in the information age with the internet and now AI - we already know what it is we need to do. The problem however is implementation. This is where having a customized plan and accountability comes in. If you know the hard things you need to do more of but struggle with breaking past your ‘default mode’ then contact us for a complimentary consultation HERE .
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We are back with our second series of 'Pod Calls' available exclusively to our Nova Health Club members. Don't miss these unique sessions to help you level up your health and wellness game! What is a Pod Call? A Pod Call is a live online (webinar like)_ session with a Nova coach, offering support and insights on key health topics like fitness, nutrition, recovery and overall wellness. Why did we create Pod Calls? Our goal is your success and your health goals can not be built on fitness alone. After delivering thousands of personal training sessions, we noticed a disconnect between fitness sessions we were delivering and the other pillars of health (and lifestyle habits that happen outside of the gym). To get the most out of your health and your fitness sessions at Nova we need to link other pillars such as mindset, nutrition, stress and recovery. Training coaches who care about your results will agree that a couple hours of personal training each week is not enough time to workout AND learn everything you need to know about maximizing those workouts... Things like how to eat before or after workouts, what recovery habits should be practiced or the link between stress and working out are all subjects that you need to know on your health and fitness journey. Pod Calls are dedicated sessions where we teach you essential health and fitness insights that we can't often cover during your gym workouts. We hope you take advantage of these expert-led sessions that will enhance your workouts, teach you new concepts about health and bridge the gap between fitness and overall wellness. Upcoming Pod Calls (all times in EST) Mon Jun 2, 2025 (6:00pm) Topic: How To Eat Carbs For Better Energy, Muscle & Fat Loss Coach: Josh Allen Wed Jun 4, 2025 (2:00pm) Topic: Hip Mobility Using the 'CARS' (active session) Coach: Kim Vo Sat Jun 7, 2025 (12:00pm) Topic: Benefits of Single Leg & Arm Training for Overall Strength Coach: Matthew Nadler Tues Jun 10, 2025 (6pm) Topic: Releasing Neck Tension Coach: Zack Fernandez Wed Jun 18, 2025 (1:00pm) Topic: Training The Backside of The Core Coach: Colin Soltesz Thu June 19, 2025 (7:00pm): Topic: Ayurveda for Healthy Ageing Coach: Kayla Hutchinson These calls are free for Nova members and Zoom links for each call can be found in the Nova Mighty Networks platform. If you are not a Nova member and would like to attend any of these please email Info@NovaHealthClub.com for a seat. We look forward to seeing you then!
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