4 Simple Nutritionist Approved Ways to Get Started when You Feel Stuck
Do you have a desire to improve your health, but you find yourself not knowing where to start?
Does a holistic mind, body, and soul approach feel good to you? Let’s walk through some basics that may be just the thing you need!
Making small changes and shifting based on how your body responds is a simple way to get started on your health. The goal is balance, right? Having the energy to do the things you desire, while feeling really good and being productive so that you can be your best self… You deserve that!
Now, you may think that untangling health imbalance is complicated… and it can be! But, getting started is quite easy.
Here are my 4 Simple Nutritionist Approved Ways to Get Started when You Feel Stuck:
#1. Identify Areas That Need Support
The very first thing you need to is to identify the areas where you need support. Do you struggle with digestive issues or acne or PMS? Are you getting enough sleep? Do you need to lose a few pounds? Or maybe you need time management strategies to help balance time for work, home, social life and self-care?
#2. Track The Basics
Jot down how you sleep, how you feel, your energy level, when you poop (and the quality of your poop).
Why journal? Easy – taking a mental note doesn’t let you review and assess. Actually jotting down the basics lets you actually SEE what’s going on rather than guessing. It may seem overwhelming to journal like that… and if it does, I want you to ask yourself what’s more overwhelming: jotting down a couple things during the day or continuing to feel off your game and not knowing what to do about it?
The beauty of this step and this “ask” is that it’s all about your individual path to wellbeing; no one else’s. You
#3. Track Your Diet
Before you raise your hand and point out that this is another thing to jot in your journal, know that I get it… this is a slightly bigger ask. Thing is, this is no more difficult and really doesn’t take much time. Just jot down what you eat in addition to basics or use an app like MyFitnessPal, to track your diet each day (BONUS points if you track what you’re doing for fitness too!)
Thing is, you don’t have to track forever. This is a for now thing. This is a couple of weeks thing.
Doable, right?
#4. Assess and Respond with One Shift
- You made a list of a few things that you think need support.
- You tracked the basics for a few weeks.
- The next thing to do is review your work and assess the situation.
It may surprise you to see that you feel snippy the day after you eat dairy or have less energy on days when you drink less water. Be on the lookout for shifts in focus and memory when you have a difficult night’s sleep and look for changes in your poop around your monthly cycle (yep, that’s a thing).
Once you have the data, one or two things will probably stick out. It may be obvious what action to take to support yourself. For example, if you bloat or breakout after eating dairy, then the logical step would be to ease off the dairy.
If nothing sticks out, go back to your list of things that you know need some work. My suggestion is to experiment for a few weeks and see what happens if you avoid gluten, dairy, caffeine and processed sugar. Those four things are known troublemakers that can disrupt hormones, sleep, digestion/absorption and blood sugar. So many health issues are rooted in those four factors.
Why This Process Works
This process is similar to the model I use as a Functional Nutrition & Lifestyle Practitioner. The ART of Functional Practice includes Assessment, Recommendation and Tracking. Basically, we can’t know what steps to take until we have a clear picture of what’s happening. It’s why I don’t recommend particular supplements or targeted strategies to people in the produce aisle and the same reason neurosurgeons don’t diagnose people at the dinner table. Trusted practitioners take the time to use the tools and training that we know will get results and ensure your safety.
Tapping into the Functional process provides you with a framework not only for action, but for success! Take the four simple steps outlined above and get started. You’ll see that it’s easy to step out of overwhelm when you break it down and start slow. Track your basics and use that information to improve your quality of life as you continue your journey to overall wellbeing.
Start your journey from stuck to health savvy.
Action Steps:
- Download your free journal page by clicking here (no strings attached – it’s instant access!)
- Print as many copies as you need AND commit to use them for at least 2 weeks.
- Post below and let me know if you like the worksheets and if this strategy is helpful.
Making a ton of changes all at once can actually cloud the picture! Try the 4 simple ways I outlined above and get started when you feel stuck… your mission is to start small, keep it simple and keep it up!