Congratulations! You’ve made it! Nutrition Challenge DOWN. Whether or not your finished with authority or puttered out towards the end, you all have something in common: you completed it.
I’m guessing, too, along the way you learned a few things about your body and mind and the way both facets of yourself interface with the food you’re eating.
Here’s what you should do to ensure your continued success moving forward:
Enjoy.
If you take an evening, a whole day, or a whole weekend celebrating–that’s ok. Give yourself some leeway now and again will take the mental stress of dieting way down.
Reflect.
What were your experiences?
How do you feel when you ate “healthy” food? How about “unhealthy” food?
What have you learned? About when and for what you have cravings? How did you deal with them successfully or not?
How do you feel about your participation in the challenge? And how do you feel with your results? If good, identify which habits seemed to make the most benefit. If not good, identify which habits were just too much and keep in mind a few you can implement at a time.
Plan.
What tools from the nutrition challenge will you be carrying forward with you?
If you were great at getting in the three meals a day and cooking made that a reality for you, maybe you figure out how you can integrate that into your week.
Maybe you realized the benefits of drinking enough water. Plan to keep your intake in the realm of 1/2 oz. per pound of body weight still!
Sleep is huge. Did you get enough? If not, how can you prioritize your body’s recovery from training and stress so that you can be the best version of you every day?
Act.
Carry out and execute your plans on a daily basis. If you fall off the wagon, dust yourself off and get right back onto the plan.
Remember–life is too short to hate what you eat on a daily basis. Give yourself some leniency, but remember how you feel right now. Use that feeling moving forward as you continue your journey.
Stay tuned for our next Nutrition Challenge (as mentioned, likely will be occurring quarterly) as well as more awesome nutrition-inspired blog posts over the coming week!