Brunswick Blog

The Grocery Store

7/25/2021

In my last blog, I discussed how making a grocery list can be a lifesaver when trying to stick to your nutrition goals, and how it is part of having a plan before stepping foot into the grocery store. If you haven't got a chance to read it yet, you can check it out BELOW.

IT ALL STARTS WITH PLANNING

Making a list can be a huge benefit to staying on track and giving yourself a headstart on your weekly goals. But what about when you get into the grocery store and you see all these yummy foods that you just can't resist?

First, this is where we practice mindfulness and remind ourselves of our goals and how we are going to reach them. Second, we stick to the list! You should be prepared for this and know exactly what you do and do not need, kind of like putting your blinders on and not allowing yourself to look for those other foods. Third, I can guarantee that if you are trying to eat more whole foods and less processed foods, you need to stick to the perimeter of the grocery store.

Some of you may have already made this connection which is awesome, but think about the layout of your typical grocery store: all of your produce, meats, poultry, dairy and whole foods are on the outer walls of the grocery store. If you find yourself spending too much time in the middle aisles picking up food in bags, cans, boxes, or products that have a shelf life of 3 years, you may need to re-evaluate your list.

There are of course exceptions to the rule, as we find our whole grains, rice, and beans in these aisles, but it is important to be mindful of what we are adding to our cart and from where. This can be a great way to stay away from those foods that may trigger your cravings. If you avoid the aisle where these foods are located completely, it is much easier to avoid those foods when they are out of sight and out of mind.

When looking at your shopping cart try to visualize the ratio of nutritious, beneficial foods compared to your more filler foods that aren't as nutritious, but may still play a part in your diet. We want a bigger ratio of healthful foods over those not so nutritious foods. This is one way that helps me to stay on track and not add too many goodies to my shopping cart. I pride myself on all the good food I am taking home with me and you should too! Feel good about fueling your body with nutritious food. Everything in moderation, I truly believe in the 80/20 rule and that we must still enjoy life and our favorite treats.

Every step we take towards meeting our nutrition goals should be done with mindfulness and an eye on the bigger picture that is our goals and the reasons behind why we try to achieve them.

Be Mindful:

With your list you created specifically to help you reach your goals
About where you are in the grocery store (outskirts or middle isles)
What your cart looks like (ratio of nutrient dense vs calorie dense foods)
That you are human, practice discipline and moderation

If you follow these simple mindfulness principles when doing your grocery shopping you can’t go wrong. Remember, making lifestyle changes is a process. Work on making small improvements with each visit to the grocery store and learning from the little slip-ups as they occur. Each time you visit the grocery store it will become easier and easier to make the best choices and avoid those temptations. You’ve got this!

Are you ready to commit to healthy living and looking for a little support? We’ve got your back! Schedule a brief, no obligation phone call with us to learn more about how our programs can help support you in reaching your health & fitness goals and to get all of your questions answered. We’d love to chat with you! www.wilcoxwellnessfitness.com/getstartedbrunswick.

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June's Client of the Month

7/2/2021

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Please join me in congratulating Jenna Muzzy as our client of the month! We are all so proud of Jenna and her incredible commitment to her health & fitness. Jenna makes such an amazing example of what it means to make a commitment to one’s self. Her secret to success is consistency. Despite a busy work schedule and hectic schedule as a Mom, she always makes time for her training sessions. Whether we see her at an Early Bird Session, a bit later in the morning, or after work, she always makes time in her schedule.

“By putting my training sessions into my calendar people can’t schedule over me. Anytime I see meetings crowding my day I know that I have put aside time for the gym and for myself”, says Jenna.

This is such an incredible strategy! By putting your training sessions onto your calendar you are making a more deliberate commitment to yourself.

We rarely cancel other appointments that we have on our calendars even when life gets busy, so why would we cancel our training sessions? On the flip side, if we leave scheduling our training sessions to a last minute decision we’ll always find other more pressing responsibilities getting in the way.

This is all well and good, but all so often I have conversations with people who are working on getting to the gym for the first time. This can be a daunting experience especially if you’ve never been in a gym before, or if it’s been a really long time since your last gym experience.

When I asked Jenna what advice she’d give to someone who was trying to commit to becoming healthier, this is what she said:

“I would tell people that the gym is the easy part so start there. Someone also told me that the gym is the only place you'll never regret going. I tell myself this a lot.”

I hear people say all of the time that once they get into the gym they start feeling better. They have more energy, they are more likely to drink more water due to being thirsty during their training sessions, and they find themselves eating healthier food because their body starts craving healthy fuel after a fun and challenging training session. I see a lot of wisdom in Jenna’s advice. It may not seem like a lot of fun replacing french fries with broccoli, but I would argue that replacing sedentary activities with joining a community of amazing people to get moving through fun and dynamic exercises in a supportive environment is a nice trade off!

Way to go Jenna! You are an inspiration to the training team and to others throughout our community. Keep up the great work!

If you or someone you know is looking to commit to health & fitness and begin their journey towards feeling better, stronger and happier, we are here to help! Check out our Greatest Gift as a way to get started. We call this offer “The Greatest Gift” because we truly believe that health & fitness is the greatest gift. Visit www.wilcoxwellnessfitness.com/gift to learn more and get signed up.

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It All Starts With A Plan

7/2/2021

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When you think of what it means to be healthy, what is the first thing to come to mind? Is it getting more exercise? Eating fruits and vegetables? Maybe it's eliminating all the junk food in our diet. Or maybe it's about how you feel. There is no right or wrong answer here, but there are easier ways to meet our goals than others. No matter what the first thought you had is, the first step we have to take is planning. Without any plan it is hard to take action, and then it becomes hard to follow through on your goals. This will usually leave you feeling pretty defeated.

I want to talk more about the planning it takes in relation to our nutrition and how to reach those goals we are trying to meet. Take a second and think about your habits now, and try to determine whether they help you or deter you from reaching your nutrition goals. It is important to recognize the habits that may not be beneficial, and replace them with good habits that result in positive experiences. Everything in life has a ripple effect and taking time to plan will lead to a positive ripple in your life.

There are so many avenues to take when it comes to planning, but I think one of the first things we have to talk about is our grocery list. Before we even step foot into the grocery store, we need to have a reason as to why we are there and stick to a plan. When writing out a grocery list, think of the meals you want for the week, what you already have, and what you want to be kept out of the house. Consider buying ingredients that are already prepped for you such as pre-chopped vegetables. It is always easier to avoid foods we are craving by not allowing them into the house in the first place.

If you need any meal suggestions we have an awesome meal prep guidebook with fun easy recipes that can be super useful when getting started!

Meal Prep Guide

Easy One Dish Dinners

Once you have your grocery list and your meals planned, I always recommend eating something before going to the grocery store. A small, healthy snack with a good balance of carbs, fats and proteins could be a good way to ward off any cravings that walking around the store might induce. This can be a huge life-saver when staying away from foods not on our list. STICK TO THE LIST. Once you have all of your food it is so much easier to meal prep by cooking all your meals for the week at once, or having the food on hand to cook throughout the week when you are ready. It is easier to stay away from take-out when you know you have all kinds of delicious nutritious food waiting for you in your fridge.

This small act of taking 15 minutes to plan out what you want for food in your house and going into the grocery store with a set plan can help you stay on track with your nutrition goals. Try it out for a few weeks and see if you notice a difference in your diet when you have a plan and stick to it.

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The Grocery Store

June's Client of the Month

It All Starts With A Plan

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