TIPS FOR MAKING CHANGES TO YOUR NUTRITION

If you’re reading this, then we know you want to make healthy nutrition your daily norm and not just something you can stick to during a challenge or for a few weeks.

That’s why it’s super important that as you embark on making changes to your nutrition, you go in with eyes wide open that the changes you’ll attempt to make, especially if new or next level, will take time, patience and a whole lot of practice before they become the consistent habits you’re hoping for.

As such, you want to have a simple game plan that will allow you to keep moving forward and find success in the changes you do make, however big or small. In this newsletter long-time OG Street Parking member Shanique Allen will cover 5 things to consider in helping you do so.

TIP 1: FOCUS ON ONE CHANGE FIRST

Trying to do too many things at once is the fastest way to reach burnout and overwhelm. Ease into making changes by focusing on changing one single thing at any one time. This may look like:

Adding vegetables to breakfast and lunch if you only have it at dinner or none at all.
Keeping a glass of water by your bed to have as you wake up if you usually skip it till lunch.
Ensuring you have protein with every meal regardless of what else is on your plate.

Then as you get the hang of doing that one thing with little struggle, only then do you look to incorporate another change.

TIP 2: MASTER THE BASICS

The basics create a strong foundation for any plan, so, learning to master them gives you a solid base on which your nutrition can stand regardless of the situation. You want to get really good at the basics before adding complexity to your nutrition.

Some basic things might look like:

Getting 1-3 servings of fruits and/or veggies each day.
Consuming whole foods at most of your meals.
Focusing on the Balanced Plate Method: having a protein, veggie, carb, and healthy fat source at every single meal.
Focusing on the Palm Method to measure your serving sizes for your meals.

Focus on dialing in at least one of these things before you even consider anything else like protein shakes, nutrient timing, or supplements if you are unable to consistently sustain these simple basics, you will struggle even more adding extra stuff into the mix.

TIP 3: SCALE BACK WHEN NECESSARY

Life may get busy or even messy as you are going through this challenge, making tasks you would typically find doable, suddenly overwhelming and stressful. If you find yourself here, it is ok to scale back a step. This may mean focusing on getting the basics done (Tip 2) or focusing on one thing (Tip 1).

Dialing it back may look like opting to focus on making the 3 meals you do get in as balanced as possible rather than stressing over missing the 4th because your day went really long. Or it could look like focusing on getting your veggie servings in every day since it’s the one thing you’re most likely to miss.

Remember, you are trying to make these changes last so being able to continue practicing them even if in a limited capacity IS the best way to do so.

TIP 4: KEEP YOUR EYES ON YOUR OWN PLATE

It becomes very easy in a community where people openly share their successes, for others looking for similar results, to get caught up in what they did or are doing to achieve it. You can easily avoid this trap of comparison that kills your joy, time, and energy by keeping your eyes on your own plate.

Use others’ meal ideas and suggestions as inspiration if you need to, but focus your attention on learning how to successfully navigate your own plate. This can look like consistently getting the basics on your plate, always having your intended servings at each meal or sticking with the foods you like from the food list.

As you continue to build this consistency through your own process, you will begin to see the changes you want to see and be proud of, because they are 100% earned from your own effort.

TIP 5: USE WHAT YOU HAVE AVAILABLE TO YOU

While there is a recommended food list provided by Street Parking, it is by no means comprehensive. Depending on where you live, you may not see the foods that are common to your location shown on the food list.

Do not panic. Use what you have available.

This means simply looking for the foods you have ready access to locally that fall under the categories of protein, veggies, carbs, and healthy fats and fitting them into your meals. Avoid going out of your way to get more expensive, imported foods to stick with the food list exactly when you have equally nutrient dense, less expensive and readily available options available. This not only saves you time and money, but it also saves you from getting bored with your food because of the seasonal variety offered by local foods.

Remember: Not every day will be the same, not everything will go as expected, nor will motivation always be in abundance. What matters in the face of these kinds of days is that you are always doing the best you can, in whatever way you can. Every little bit you do is something, and that is how you find consistency to make your changes be lasting ones.

Tips For Making Changes To Your Nutrition一And Not Get Overwhelmed