Develop Healthy Habits with Proven Strategies

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When it comes to developing habits that improve health, many people find that stacking them one on top of the other makes the process a lot easier. This involves linking a new healthy habit to an already established habit so that you don’t have to focus as much energy on making the change. This approach is called habit staking.

What is Habit Stacking?

Habit stacking is a method of behavior change that involves creating a list of small, manageable tasks that you can complete each day to help you reach your goal. The best part of habit stacking is that it doesn’t require a huge time commitment – you can start small and gradually add on as you go.

There is a lot of evidence behind habit stacking, and research has shown that it can be an effective way to make changes in your life. One study found that people who stacked their new habits were more likely to stick with them over time. In addition, they found that when people tried to make too many changes at once, they were less likely to be successful. So if you’re trying to adopt a new habit, it might be helpful to stack it on top of an existing one.

What are the methods of habit stacking?

Chain Method

Chaining involves linking a new habit to an established one. For example, you might want to start taking recommended supplements every day, so you chain it to an existing habit like brushing your teeth. Every time you brush your teeth, you take
your supplements right after. Set yourself up for success by keeping the supplements right next to your toothbrush – you want to make it as easy as possible to add the new habit. The easier and more convenient the chained habit is, the more likely it is that you’ll adopt it.

Sequence Method

Sequencing involves doing a series of existing, related habits in order and adding in a new one. For example, if you’re looking to increase your intake of water, you might want to wake up, make coffee, drink a glass of water, eat breakfast, and then brush your teeth. Sequencing your habits can be helpful because it can make them feel more manageable. When you have a specific order that you do things in, it can make it feel less like you’re just randomly doing things and more like you’re following a plan. Plus, it can help you to remember to do all of your habits, since you’ll know that you have to do them in a specific order.

Pairing Method

Pairing involves pairing two habits together so that they happen simultaneously. This can be particularly powerful if you “temptation bundle” – pick something you really love doing and add a new habit to the mix. For example, let’s say you
really love listening to podcasts or audiobooks – bundling this existing pleasure with a new habit like walking. Maybe you’re enjoying a new TV series – download it on a mobile devise and view it while on the treadmill. This way you will naturally look forward to your daily exercise as it is associated with something you really enjoy.

Choose a Trigger

The first step with any type of habit stacking is to choose a trigger. A trigger is something that you do on a regular basis that you can use to remind yourself to perform your desired behavior. For example, if you’re trying to eat more fruits and vegetables, you might use the trigger of brushing your teeth in the morning as a reminder to eat a healthy breakfast. Or, if you’re trying to cut back on sugary snacks, you might use the trigger of taking a break at work as a reminder to eat an apple instead of heading for the vending machine. Choose a trigger that is already part of your daily routine so that it’s easy to remember.

Start Stacking

Think about the different types of habit stacking and start with a new habit that fits well into your daily routine. Begin with stacking one habit to an established one. Perform the stack for at least one week or two until it seems easier. Once you’re in the flow, you can add another habit to the stack. Research shows that it takes 3 or more weeks to establish a new routine so stick with it.

The key is to create a chain of healthy behaviors that becomes automatic and second nature. Eventually, these behaviors will become part of your daily routine without any effort on your part. And when they do, you’ll be well on your way to
improving your nutrition and overall health!

5 Strategies for Meal Prep to Make Back-to-School a Breeze

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Are you a parent of children who are heading into another school season? If so, then you might be feeling overwhelmed by the preparations that need to be made for this time of year. 

There is so much to do before that school bell rings! One thing I’m really looking forward to this fall is a new well-oiled meal prep routine.

One important strategy to lighten your load this school season is your meal prep strategy. In this post we will explore five strategies for back-to-school meal prep that will save you time and energy. Plus, you’ll love that your family is eating well.

I hope it helps make things easier for you and keeps everyone happy and healthy during these busy days!

Delegate

No matter your children’s age, they can help at some level with meal prep and lunch packing. Unfortunately, this is one parenting lesson I didn’t learn early enough. So get the kiddos involved as soon as possible and make it fun! 

Kids love to participate in food prep. Whether it’s cutting up ingredients, packing sections of their bento lunch boxes or stirring muffin batter, giving them some responsibilities will help your child to eat their meals if they’ve had a role in their creation!

Kids are also more likely to try new foods – even fruits and vegetables – if they’ve helped to prepare them. I’ll never forget the time my daughter ate smoked salmon in 1st grade and loved the idea of packing her “lox in the box” for lunch.

Plan and prep ahead

It is hard for any of us to make the best food decisions when we’re tired or frazzled – even a dietitian! Having a plan A and even a plan B helps to keep meals running smoothly, no matter how the day unfolds. 

Using a meal plan as a guide can be REALLY helpful. It doesn’t mean that you have to make every meal on a meal plan but it can help to get started with preparing healthy meals the whole family can enjoy. Select three dinners and a few snacks for each week of the month. Stick with it until you have a repertoire of at least 10 dinner meals you can put into rotation – this can take up to 4-6 weeks. Dinners such as soups, stews, and roasted proteins make excellent lunch box appearances when paired with non-prep items such as fruits, vegetables, cheese, and crackers. 

My favorite dinner leftover combinations include: 

  • Shredded chicken tacos with salsa and prepared guacamole
  • Vegetable chili with cheese and crackers
  • Beef stew with rice 
  • Tofu or other protein kabobs with pasta and prepared pesto sauce
  • Broccoli Cheddar soup with whole grain toast wedges

A  helpful tip to leveraging dinner as lunch is to scale your recipes to ensure you have enough for lunch the next day. Also, pack lunches BEFORE you eat dinner to avoid adding burden to your already busy morning schedule.

Batch your work

We talk about batching work with tasks at the office, but what about in the kitchen? Same time-saving principle applies!

Here are a few ideas:

If your kiddos love smoothies for breakfast, batch your smoothie packs in cups or bags in the freezer so that breakfast is as simple as dumping the ingredients into the blender and adding their favorite milk or juice to blend. 

Cutting veggies take time so why not cut up your child’s favorite vegetables (or have your child do it with you) once or twice a week and store them in baggies that are ready to toss into the lunch box. Or store all of the sliced veggies in a container so that packing their bento lunch box is that much faster.

And if you know that you’re cooking two different dinners that call for chopped onions and celery, chop up enough veggies for both dinners. You’ll be thankful for less chopping when the time comes to cook the second recipe! 

Use a template

How else can we reduce your mental load? Follow a template whenever you can!

If your child uses a bento box to pack their lunch, assign a food group to each section. Whole grains go on the left, fruits below, a protein on the right, and so on. Discuss what “counts” for each section of their lunch and brainstorm choices that fit into each category. From there, your child can pack their lunch with less input from you.

And for dinners, have some regular meals that you can depend on to be quick and delicious, without needing too much brain power. For example, Taco Tuesdays! Use the crockpot to cook your favorite taco filling and dinner will be mostly ready when you and your crew get home hungry. A few other ideas are breakfast for dinner, pizza Fridays and getting a rotisserie chicken on Mondays. My favorite is sheet pan dinners where I roast pre-cut vegetables and protein coated with olive oil and our favorite seasonings in a 425F oven for 15-20 minutes. I have included the recipe for the Balsamic Vegetable Sheet Pan Dinner as a template below. Just vary the vegetables (remember to batch your work), protein and seasonings to make it your own.  

Adjust your expectations

When your circumstances change, so too does your patience and bandwidth. This is completely normal! In this back-to-school season, remember to be gentle with yourself. If you have more activities to attend and more to-dos each day, it is reasonable to look for ways to simplify and delegate. You do not have to do everything yourself, or create meals in the same way as when you have more time. You can have a happy and healthy family, even with a few shortcuts.

Key takeaways:

Change always comes with a bit of stress, and back-to-school is full of changes! Be patient  with yourself and your family as you establish new routines. Consider what steps you need to take to ensure that you’re eating the meals that help you to thrive. Plan ahead and don’t forget to make that plan B!

How to Manage Fibromyalgia Symptoms

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Fibromyalgia is one of the most common chronic pain conditions. Although there’s no cure at this time, we do know that self-care is very effective in managing Fibromyalgia symptoms and minimizing the impact on daily life. 

Individuals with Fibromyalgia experience pain or tenderness that is very sensitive to the touch and in greater intensity than others, even under gentle pressure. Therefore, Fibromyalgia is considered to be a “pain regulation” or “neurosensory” disorder.

The pain can happen just about anywhere throughout the body, and lasts for days, weeks, months, or longer. It can also come and go throughout the body in “flares” and it often occurs along with stiffness, fatigue, “fibro fog,” and mental health issues. It can sometimes feel debilitating and cause a lot of distress.

In the U.S., it’s estimated that up to 7.7 percent of women and 4.9 percent of men experience fibromyalgia. These rates are higher than in Europe or South America. 

Researchers still don’t know exactly what causes fibromyalgia, but it does not seem to be the result of physical damage to the bones, joints, or muscles. The pain may be triggered and worsened by infections, injury, inflammation, or emotional stress. Fibromyalgia tends to occur in families, however no specific genes have yet been found that predispose someone to getting it.

Typical symptoms of fibromyalgia

Some of the common symptoms of fibromyalgia include

  • Pain or tenderness in the muscles, soft tissues, and/or bones throughout the body (muscle pain, joint pain), including the arms, legs, head, chest, abdomen, back, and buttocks
  • Numbness or tingling in the arms and legs
  • Fatigue, inability to get a good night’s sleep, restless leg syndrome, feeling stiff upon waking up
  • “Fibro fog” (memory problems, confusion, inability to pay close attention or concentrate)
  • Headaches (migraines, tension headaches)
  • Pain in the face or jaw, temporomandibular joint (TMJ) syndrome
  • Increased sensitivity to light, odors, noise, and temperature
  • Mental health issues (anxiety, depression)
  • Gut ssues (bloating, constipation, IBS, GERD, difficulty swallowing)
  • Painful menstrual periods
  • Overactive bladder, pelvic pain

The risk for fibromyalgia is higher in people who experience other conditions such as chronic back pain, lupus, polymyalgia rheumatica, spondyloarthritis, osteoarthritis, inflammatory myopathy, systemic inflammatory arthropathies, hypothyroidism, endometriosis, and IBS (irritable bowel syndrome). It is also possible to experience several of these at the same time. Fibromyalgia is difficult to diagnose because there isn’t a definitive test for it, however your doctor will likely do a physical exam and medical tests to try to determine which of these you may be experiencing.

Nutrition and fitness strategies to deal with fibromyalgia

There are many things that you can do to help alleviate these symptoms and reduce the impact of fibromyalgia on your life. The first thing is to know that even though it’s difficult to diagnose and doesn’t have a definitive test, fibromyalgia is a real disease and research is being done to try to better understand and eventually cure it. 

While there isn’t a cure just yet, there are ways to manage fibromyalgia symptoms and self-care plays an important role in reducing its impact. According to the American College of Rheumatology, “patient self-care is vital to improving symptoms and daily function. In concert with medical treatment, healthy lifestyle behaviors can reduce pain, increase sleep quality, lessen fatigue, and help you cope better with fibromyalgia.”

Exercise

While more research is underway, physical exercise is currently considered to be the most effective treatment for fibromyalgia. Cardiovascular fitness training (“cardio”) can ease symptoms by helping with pain and improving sleep. Ideally, doing 30 minutes of cardio three times each week is recommended. Low-impact exercises like walking, biking, stretching, yoga, tai chi, and water-based exercises are helpful. If regular exercise is new for you or feels like a lot, simply start low and go slow to create a comfortable routine. It may take time to build up your endurance and the intensity of physical activity that you can do.

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Nutrition

Eating a healthy and nutritious diet is also highly recommended. While there currently isn’t a huge amount of strong evidence to recommend one comprehensive dietary strategy to help with fibromyalgia symptoms, a few small studies show promising results for the following nutrition recommendations:

  • If you are low in vitamin D, taking a supplement can help reduce fibromyalgia pain. As with any nutrition supplement, ensure you are buying yours from a reputable source. Check out professional brands recommended by doctors and nutritionists in my wellness store. 
  • Additional supplements that may help include Chlorella green algae, Coenzyme Q10, acetyl-L-carnitine, magnesium, iron, vitamins C and E, probiotics, and Nigella sativa (Black cumin) seeds.
  • Different types of elimination diets have helped different people, such as the vegetarian diet (eliminates meat, poultry, and fish), vegan diet (eliminates all animal products including dairy and eggs), the low FODMAP diet (reduces intake of short-chain carbohydrates that are fermentable oligo-di-mono-saccharides and polyols), a low calorie diet (reduces calorie intake), gluten-free diet (eliminates the protein gluten), or a diet free from both MSG (monosodium glutamate) and aspartame (an artificial sweetener).
  • Reducing inflammation will provide some pain relief. An anti-inflammatory diet has been demonstrated to be effective for many people in my clinical practice.
  • The Mediterranean diet has been shown to decrease fatigue and improve moods.
  • The replacement of some foods may also help, including replacing non-olive oil fats with olive oil and replacing non-ancient grains with ancient grains such as Khorasan wheat, also known as Kamut. 
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This is a long list of potential dietary strategies and more research is needed. Because many of these should not be combined together, it’s wise to approach these dietary changes cautiously and work with a registered dietitian who is knowledgeable in dealing with your symptoms and can work with you to choose the best path forward.

Lifestyle tips to deal with fibromyalgia symptoms

Improving sleep patterns and sleep hygiene can also be very helpful if you’re dealing with fibromyalgia. For example, try to go to bed and wake up at the same time each day and limit stimulants like caffeine and nicotine as much as possible, especially in the evenings. Establish a relaxing nightly routine that may include reduced screen time, dimmed lights, soft music, meditation, and a warm bath. Also, keep your bedroom comfortable for sleeping by keeping it dark, quiet, and cool. If you suspect you may have a sleep disorder such as sleep apnea, reach out to your healthcare provider.

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Managing stress and moods can also help relieve symptoms. If you experience symptoms of fibromyalgia, pace yourself and balance your need to work and rest by taking breaks when necessary. Also, make time to relax each day and try deep breathing, progressive muscle relaxation, mindfulness, and stress reduction techniques. If you feel lonely or isolated, consider joining a support group that you find to be positive and encouraging—one that shares helpful coping techniques. Cognitive behavioral therapy with a therapist or counselor may help by focusing on how thoughts and behaviors affect pain and other symptoms. If you have any mental health concerns such as anxiety or depression, seek out professional help.

Final Thoughts

Fibromyalgia is a complex condition of chronic widespread pain. It’s thought to result from the brain becoming more sensitive to pain signals, as if even a small signal becomes amplified and feels much stronger. In addition to the pain, people with fibromyalgia tend to also have difficulty sleeping and experience fatigue, stiffness, changing moods, and “fibro fog.”

The American College of Rheumatology recommends that you “look forward, not backward. Focus on what you need to do to get better, not what caused your illness.” Self-care is the mainstay for improving symptoms of fibromyalgia. Current research suggests that the most effective treatment is physical activity. In addition to that, there are several dietary and lifestyle strategies that can help, including certain diets and supplements, improving sleep, and managing stress.