We live in a world saturated with information. Credibility is no longer anchored in evidence or expertise, but in how confidently something is said and how closely it aligns with what we already believe. The more compelling the voice, and the more it echoes our own preferences, the easier it is to trust.

In seconds, you can open social media or YouTube and find something that doesn’t just inform you, but affirms you. And so, without even realizing it, belief is shaped less by truth and more by comfort, less by fact and evidence and more by what feels right.

The fitness and nutrition world is especially loud right now. It is more saturated than ever with information—or rather, disinformation, a lot of the time. Trends, soundbites, and exaggerated advice spread quickly, often playing on people’s insecurities and desire for fast results.

You’ve probably seen some of these popular “health” claims lately:

• You shouldn’t be doing zone 2 cardio.
• Intense exercise increases cortisol.
• Loading your spine is dangerous.
• Your knees shouldn’t go over your toes.
• You should never exercise fasted.
• Women need completely different training and nutrition because of their hormones and cycle.
• You should lift to failure, or never lift to failure, or only lift in certain rep ranges.

The problem isn’t that these topics are entirely false. The problem is that they are often taken out of context, exaggerated, or turned into all-or-nothing rules. At the core of it all, many of these messages shift the focus away from what truly matters: consistent habits, appropriate training, recovery, and, most importantly, long-term lifestyle choices.

The better question to ask

So how do we know what to believe? Which expert should we follow?

In health and fitness, the truth is that a lot of things can work. Just not in exactly the same way for everyone, because no two bodies are exactly alike. What works for me may not work for you in the same way.

The better question is this: What principles consistently hold up, no matter who is talking?

When you learn to filter advice through that lens, the noise starts to quiet down.

Four ways to think more clearly about fitness advice

1. Remember the principles that never change

Trends come and go, but there are fundamentals that have stayed consistent for decades:

• Progressive overload builds muscle, and strength training matters. Muscle is a key driver of longevity.
• A calorie deficit drives fat loss.
• Adequate protein supports recovery and helps preserve muscle mass.
• Sleep and stress management matter more than most people want to admit.

If someone’s advice regularly contradicts these basics, that’s your first red flag.

2. Look for evidence, not just confidence

The most trustworthy experts tend to:

• Acknowledge nuance. Sometimes the honest answer is, “It depends.”
• Reference evidence, including real studies and research.
• Leave room for individual differences.

Be cautious of people who:

• Speak in absolutes, like “This is the only way,” or “You should never do that.”
• Promise fast, dramatic results, like “This one exercise will fix your back pain,” or “Lose 30 pounds in 10 days.”
• Build an entire platform on fear, urgency, or outrage.

That kind of language is your second red flag.

3. Prefer boring consistency over exciting hacks

What actually works is usually not very exciting:

• Strength training 2 to 4 times per week
• Eating mostly whole foods
• Getting enough protein
• Moving daily
• Sleeping 6 to 8 hours
• Managing stress

Sound too simple? That’s because it is.

Most of the things that truly improve your health are not flashy. They are repeatable. They are sustainable. And they work.

If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

4. Become a scientist yourself

Don’t blindly believe someone just because they use exciting words and have six-pack abs.

Test ideas for yourself.

Try something for a few weeks and track:

• Am I getting stronger? Write down your workouts.
• Do I feel better? How is my energy?
• Is my body changing? Think less, “Are my jeans smaller?” and more, “Do I look and feel better?”
• Is this sustainable for me long term?

Pay attention to how you feel, how you perform, and how your body responds over time. Adjust when needed. Keep what works, and let go of what doesn’t.

Four practical ways to stop being a passive follower

1. Move your body with intention. Schedule your workouts like appointments. Strength training should be a priority.
2. Eat in a way that supports your goals. Focus on mostly whole foods, including both plants and animals, plenty of protein, and less sugar and processed food.
3. Prioritize sleep. It is a biological requirement, not a luxury.
4. Stay consistent with one thing long enough to see change. The body changes quickly, but it reveals change gradually. Give your experiment 8 to 12 weeks to produce meaningful results.

Final thought

Tomorrow morning, take your first sip of coffee without distraction.

You do not need a perfect plan. You do not need a new hack. And you do not need to chase every trend that shows up in your feed.

What you need is awareness, discipline, and the ability to think clearly in a noisy world.

Become your own most reliable expert.

January 1st arrives, and you start that strict diet and exercise to exhaustion and it feels really good! Until it doesn’t. Until your motivation runs out. Until you forget your “why” behind it all.

Now it’s April and you’re wondering why the number on the scale hasn’t moved? Why don’t you feel stronger? Why are you so tired in the afternoon? Why don’t your skinny jeans fit!?

Sheri’s “Blueprint for a Healthier Life”

• Sleep (more on this later in a future article)
• Lift heavy things 3x/week
• Get your heart pumping (intentional cardio) 2-3x/week
• Move more (walk!)
• Eat real food – protein, veggies, berries, fat (doesn’t have to be much more complicated than that!)
• Eliminate alcohol, sugar, processed food. You don’t need them, and they make you feel gross.
• Spend time with real people (not a screen). Give your life a purpose.

The Barefoot Fitness fat loss competition

Every New Year at Barefoot Fitness we hold a fat loss competition. And every year members are met with excitement and disappointment. Some see great gains in muscle and loss of fat. Others feel let down and wonder “what went wrong?”

It can be incredibly confusing and downright maddening trying to find that magic formula that will give you the body you’ve always dreamed of.

• We are all flooded with information from Dr. Google and “influencers” on social media, telling us this one exercise will grow our butt or make back pain disappear.
• Industry experts have opposing views on fasting and on which diet is best for your body.

As trainers and coaches we hear you verbalize your frustration and we seek to find the answers to all of your common setbacks.

We want nothing more than to see you succeed!

In the wake of the fat loss contest this year I heard these questions and comments:

• “Why didn’t this work?”
• “What is the right formula?”
• “I’m doing everything right and nothing I do is working.”

You’ve seen my blueprint (above). You’ve heard my thoughts. I think you’d enjoy hearing from your fellow Barefoot members. People you see every day. People just like you with jobs and families and full schedules. People who have put in the work, who have tried and failed and kept trying until they found what works for them.

“You MUST choose to make your health and longevity a priority. How can I give my best to others if I can’t give the best to myself? I want to lead by example so my kids and others know it’s possible.” ~ Rory

I surveyed six men and six women, and here is what they had to say:

1. Abs are made in the kitchen

All of the members surveyed agree nutrition is the most important part of their journey to being healthy and strong. They prioritize protein, vegetables, and fruits and most of them eliminate ultra-processed foods, sugar, dairy and fast food.

If you want to see huge gains (or losses) it starts with what you eat.

For most of us this feels like the hardest part. Don’t check out here! Keep reading!

Food: What is good? What is bad? When should I eat and how much? All of the information (and misinformation!) feels so overwhelming that it seems easier to just keep doing what you’re doing and never take the first steps to fueling your body well.

Let’s get familiar with some simple facts and changes you can make today. When you are confident with the simple, you can take a deep dive into the more complex later.

Focus on the foods we get to enjoy! The list is long!

(For a more in-depth list check out Casey Means’ book Good Energy or Precision Nutrition: What Should I Eat infographic )

“Being healthy is a lifestyle. It’s a journey. It’s a marathon not a sprint. It’s eating real food, setting realistic goals. Giving yourself grace to fall short of those goals but not giving yourself permission to give up.” ~ Jason

Protein

If you add one thing to your menu today, let it be PROTEIN!

Protein is the building block of a strong body.

• Meats
• Minimally processed dairy products: Greek yogurt, cottage cheese
• Eggs
• Legumes (beans, lentils, peas)
• Nuts and seeds
• Minimally processed protein powder

Fill the rest of your plate with these:

Vegetables and Fruits

All the antioxidants and micronutrients you never knew you needed are found in vegetables and fruits.

• Eat them all!
• Frozen veggies and fruit are ok too!

Fiber and Fats

Say “goodbye” to inflammation, and “hello” to a healthy gut by eating fiber and fats.

• Seeds
• Beans
• Fish
• Avocado
• Olive oil

Ultra-processed Food

If you subtract one thing from your menu today, let it be ultra-processed food.

What IS processed food?

In her book Good Energy, Casey Means explains it this way:

“To make ultra-processed foods, manufacturers break down whole foods into parts and then often combine these parts with synthetic chemicals to create shelf-stable chemical imitations of less processed foods [it’s fake food]. They may add things like natural flavors, colors or proteins and oils. Ultra-processed foods include breads, cakes, cookies, nut milks, nuggets made of ground meat or soy, chips, crackers, flavored yogurt, and granola bars” [most grab-and-go snack foods].

While tempting and convenient, ultra-processed foods have minimal nutritional value and are not adequate to fuel your body’s daily needs. To simplify this list, if it comes in a package with a label and multiple ingredients . . . you may want to pass on that. Your body deserves better!

“Less emotional eating and more emotional movement. Get out in nature. Drink less. And don’t underestimate surrounding yourself with people who have similar goals in mind and push you to work towards them!” ~ Lindsay

The 80/20 rule

Precision Nutrition teaches the 80/20 rule which is a sustainable guide for all of us.

If you are successful in eating these things (proteins, veggies, fruits, fats, fiber) 80% of the time, the 20% you let yourself indulge in a sweet treat will not derail you. And letting yourself have that 20% may be the difference between sticking with it long-term and giving up altogether.

100% compliance is not the goal. Life-long sustainability is.

2. Our bodies are uniquely designed to MOVE!

“Exercise is for my mental health more than my physical growth.” ~ Scott

All of the members surveyed prioritize movement throughout the day, every day. These people make a conscious effort to go for a walk, a bike ride, or a hike.

During the 3-4 hours per week they spend purposefully exercising at Barefoot, they prioritize moving medium to heavy weights most of the time.

Metabolic rate

Your body’s metabolic rate (how fast it burns energy/calories) is made up of four portions. Two of them are in your complete control.

1. Basal metabolic rate: The amount of energy/calories your body uses just to keep you alive. Things like the heart pumping, the lungs breathing, and maintaining its temperature.
2. The thermic effect of food: When you eat food, protein in particular, your body burns calories digesting it.
3. Exercise: This is your 3-4 hours per week at Barefoot. It’s the one we focus on the most, but actually, it plays a pretty small part!
4. Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis (NEAT):  All the movements we do throughout the day. These are things we do outside of a planned “workout.” And THIS is where you will see big changes in your body. Go for a walk, clean the house, take the stairs, park farther away in the parking lot, fidget (insert “habitual leg shakers” here), play tag with your kids, go for a bike ride, hike Lookout Mountain, paddle board, or hunt.

We all have portable computers in our pockets or on our wrists that track our movement throughout the day. Keep your step count up and move your body in fun ways outside of the gym.

The change and growth you’ll see physically and mentally will amaze you.

3. Conᐧsisᐧtenᐧcy : noun. Steadfast adherence to the same principles until a practice becomes a habit.

Consistency is your road to being healthy, fit, strong, and capable that starts with one small practice. Right now. Today. It’s one practice you will keep practicing until it becomes a habit. Routine. Like brushing your teeth.

And then adding another and another.

“Be consistent no matter how I’m feeling. Even if it means I lifted light or didn’t walk as far as normal, at least I showed up and moved my body. There’s always a reason to NOT do something. If it’s a choice, it’s only yours to make.” ~ Amanda W.

What does consistency look like for YOU?

1. I’m assuming you already show up for 2-3 classes every week at Barefoot. Keep showing up!
2. Starting right now you can commit to drinking only water or zero sugar drinks for two weeks.
3. After those two weeks you will still drink only water. Now add protein to two meals every day for two weeks.
4. Two weeks later you’ll drink water, have protein at most meals, and go for a 30-minute walk four days every week for two weeks.
5. You’re still practicing the first three changes: drinking only water, eating protein at most meals, and walking 4x/week.
   1. Now, add veggies to two meals/day for two weeks.
6. Two weeks after that you’ll be drinking only water, eating protein and veggies at most meals and walking 4x/week.
   1. Now practice replacing an ultra-processed snack with a nourishing whole-food snack.
7. Two weeks after that you’ll be drinking only water, eating protein and veggies, walking more, and eliminating processed food.
   1. Starting this week you’ll commit one Barefoot workout each week to moving heavier weights than usual.

“We push each other, we challenge each other, and celebrate everyone’s accomplishments. There are days I’m not exactly thrilled to go put myself through the workout, but I still make myself get through the door. After that it just becomes second nature. The health and strength benefits I gain are great, but I’ve got kids and I’m trying to be the best example I can be for them.” ~ Clint

The result?

By January 1st, 2026 you will be unrecognizable.

Not only will you look different physically, you’ll feel different emotionally. You’ll have stronger muscles and a stronger mind.

“Take the first step. Then take the next step. Then another. And when you slide back, forgive yourself and take another step forward.” ~ Becky

Part of being consistent is practicing patience.

The twelve members surveyed unanimously agree: progress takes time and is not linear. One month you may gain weight. Next month you’ll lose some. Some workouts you might feel stronger, others you’ll lack energy. Life happens. Schedules change.

The good news for us is that there is no end. We are in this for the rest of our lives. Look at the big picture. It’s not an eight week contest. It’s the next 20, 30, or 40 years if we’re lucky.

When you are consistent over the months and years you will see steady growth in the right direction.

The value of community

If you’re a member at Barefoot Fitness you already have a community of like-minded people standing next to you to help you. To encourage you. To pick you up when you fall short. To remind you that you are strong and capable.

1. You CAN do it!
2. Keep moving forward.
3. Trust the process.

Resources

What’s written here is a simplified version of what can be a more complex conversation. For more information on some of these topics here are some resources for you.

A Simple Book of Strength by Tim Anderson

Good Energy by Casey Means, MD

Outlive by Peter Attia, MD

Building The Elite Podcast episode on Spotify: “Becoming Clear on What Matters”

Resources specifically for women

Huberman Lab Podcast episode on Spotify: “Dr. Stacy Sims: Female-Specific Exercise and Nutrition for Health, Performance, and Longevity”

I recently had a conversation with a nutrition client about this. She shared that she always had a goal of reaching a certain number on the scale. However, she was feeling really good about where she was currently at. Her clothes were fitting well, she was performing well and seeing improvements in her workouts. She was happy with her food choices, and didn’t feel restrained like she was on a diet. And I can clearly see in her progress photos that she is leaner and fitter. She hadn’t yet hit that perceived ideal number, yet was very happy with both her physical and mental progress. 

Can you cancel the goal? Is it ok to be happy with where you are? Yes and yes. 

Sometimes we need to evaluate the tradeoffs and decide if it’s worth it. That’s where our conversation led. She reached a point where she was physically healthier, fitter, leaner and stronger. She also had a healthier relationship with food. So basically, kicking butt. That elusive number hadn’t yet been reached. And she didn’t know if she really wanted it anymore. She didn’t know if she wanted to push for it when she felt so good already. She is healthy, fit, and happy. That doesn’t sound so bad, right?

Sometimes the tradeoffs aren’t worth it. You don’t always have to be in pursuit of changing your weight or your body. You don’t have to live in restriction. You can take a break from reading the endless tips and tricks online. You can have flexibility in your diet and still be healthy.

That’s where she found herself. In a place where she ate healthily most of the time and is consistent with her workouts. She is taking it day by day. Focusing on doing these practices each day and not worrying or stressing about a big goal. 

Exercising regularly, eating mostly nutrient rich foods, and getting plenty of rest and recovery is living a healthy lifestyle. Even when you aren’t trying to achieve the next thing.

PS: In the months since we talked about this, she’s now moved quite close to her original target scale weight. But that didn’t happen until she became more relaxed and started focusing on each day instead of the finish line. 

I will leave you with a couple strategies to organize your efforts in the pursuit of health and fitness. These will help you plan and build skills without getting confused, overwhelmed, or worrying about details that don’t really matter.

Outcome Vs Behavior Goals

Outcome goals describe what we want to achieve at the end of the process. There is nothing wrong with seeing the finish line. But we shouldn’t only focus on that. Outcomes are affected by external factors that we don’t have control over. You might miss workouts due to a sickness, your work has you traveling more, or you don’t have the opportunity to eat at home most of the time.

We can control what we do. That’s where behavior goals come in. You focus on the things you have control over and commit to doing those practices regularly.

Example:

Outcome goal: I want to lose 10 lbs 

Behavior goal: I will eat slowly and until satisfied at each meal

Outcome goal: I want to PR my deadlift

Behavior goal: I will Deadlift 3 times/week 

Both goals are trackable. But the behavior goals give you daily practices to do and track, making them more likely to be successful in the long run. 

How to set behavior goals.

1. Write down the outcome that you want to achieve.
2. Write down some skills you need to achieve that outcome. For example: if you want to do more meal prepping, maybe you need to learn to grill or try new ways to prepare veggies.
3. Write down a few behaviors that will help build those skills. Going back to the meal prep example: This can be really basic like writing out a meal plan or making a grocery list.
4. Lastly, do these behaviors regularly. Daily where it applies. Think about what behaviors you can do today, this week, and this month.

Approach vs Avoid goals

Avoid goals are the things we vow to stop doing.

Stop drinking soda. 

Stop eating sugar. 

Stop stress-eating. 

Doing this is pretty straightforward. Just stop, right? However, most of the time this is mentally counterproductive. The more you tell yourself not to or you can’t, the more you want to. Then when you slip, and you will, it feels like a failure and all the wheels fall off. 

They are also exhausting. You end up spending a lot of mental energy thinking about what you can’t do anymore, how to keep avoiding, and beating yourself up for not moving on.

Approach goals are adding in the good things we know we should be doing. Adding these things in, sneakily leaves less room for the things you want to avoid. Approach goals feel good. You get to focus on adding in good and healthy practices rather than taking away and feeling deprived. 

Example:

Avoid goal: Stop eating sugar

Approach goal: have fresh fruits and vegetables on hand ready to eat

Avoid goal: stop drinking soda

Approach goal: drink at least 100 oz of water each day

Avoid goal: Stop stress eating

Approach goal: Create a list of stress relieving strategies to use in stressful situations

How to set approach goals:

1. Write down the bad behavior you want to change.
2. Write down a relevant good behavior to replace it. For example: If you usually have an afternoon cookie, have fruit or yogurt instead.
3. Write down an “approach” goal that supports the new behavior. Using the same example: make plans and preparations to have this ready for you.
4. Consider all the benefits that this new approach goal offers you.
5. Find what works and repeat!

What is macro counting?

Macros (short for macronutrients) are carbohydrates, fat, and protein. When someone is counting macros, they are keeping track of how many grams of each they are eating by means of weighing and measuring everything they eat. All three categories can be manipulated based on your goals.

There are benefits to tracking what you eat with almost any system. It helps to get a visual on what you are actually eating in a day, and it can help with body composition goals or to improve performance. 

There positives with macro counting, but there can be some drawbacks and side effects with macro tracking. Consider:

Pros

Understanding of intake and portion sizes

Many people overestimate the size of their portions and eat too much at each meal. Similarly, many people underestimate their total consumption for each day. Having a tool to keep track can assist in managing portion sizes and total intake for each day. 

Can help you understand full and hunger cues

As you become more aware of proper portion sizes and how often you eat, you will become more in tune with your body’s hunger and full signals. You can more easily recognize and then stop at the satisfied feeling, instead of finding yourself over full.

Understanding the difference between full and satisfied plays a major role in losing/managing weight. Often we eat to full or over full and completely miss satisfied. 

Creates awareness of what you are truly eating in a day

We often think “I eat pretty well” but don’t see the fruit of our “balanced diet”. Often once we start tracking our meals, we will find that there are more things sneaking in that we didn’t notice or that there is not enough of something. I commonly see that people aren’t getting enough protein. Or that they are eating way more snacks between meals than they realize. 

Paying attention to quantity every day, whether too much or too little of something, can make big changes. How often do we eat just one mini candy bar (several times in a day!), or finish off your child’s plate without “counting” that in what you ate for the day?

Easy to track when cooking plain/basic meals

If you like to eat a more bland diet, this works well. Because weighing and measuring is involved, it is much easier to track plain chicken breast, brown rice, and broccoli than it is a combination meal like stir fry.

Cons

Consumes a lot of time and effort

This takes the time of meal prepping a step further. Macro counting requires you to weigh and measure everything you eat. Having to input everything into an app also takes a lot of time. Every time you put anything in your mouth, you have to pull up the app, find the food, figure out your quantity, and enter it. It drains your time as well as your battery.

Doesn’t account for quality of food

When someone is tracking macros, it is easy to get so focused on meeting the number requirements that the quality of the food is forgotten.This can easily cause someone to choose food based on their macro needs instead of nutritional value. Micronutrients from fruits and vegetables are a vital part of a healthy diet and should not be minimized or left out.

There is a term in macro counting called If It Fits Your Macros (IIFYM). This means you can eat whatever you want, as long as it fits into your daily set macros. While this is really appealing and allows for flexibility, it also opens the door to lesser quality options (like donuts for breakfast over fruit or oatmeal) more often.

Can create or exacerbate eating disorders

There is a lot of attention paid to weighing, measuring, recording, planning, and checking labels. Because of this, unhealthy and obsessive thinking can manifest. What started as a way to reach a healthy goal, can blossom into disordered eating. 

Temptation to eat packaged food over fresh

Trying to weigh and measure every ingredient in your dish can be stressful and time-consuming. Because you can find nutrient facts on foods with labels, it becomes easy to choose packaged food over fresh that is more nutrient dense. 

Can reduce variety of foods eaten

Because of the time and effort it takes to prep, weigh, measure, and record, it is easy to get in a rhythm of “go-to items” so you don’t have to think so much. While this is a way to save time, eliminating variety can reduce the vital micronutrients you need and potentially invite food sensitivities.

Also consider these questions to decipher if macro counting is right for you.

1. Is it sustainable?
2. Does it cause stress or interfere with your quality of life? Example: Can you dine out with friends and be ok with not knowing exactly what the macro breakdown is?

Can macro tracking be a beneficial? Absolutely! Is there an easier way to keep track that requires less math? Why yes, there is. 

The experiment

A while ago I decided to experiment with macro tracking. I wanted to know how close my hand method (details below) would be to a set macro count. I find tracking in this much detail very cumbersome and…well…annoying. But curiosity won. For 1 month I tracked my macros. I used my hand method to build my template for each meal, and then inputted that meal into a macro tracking app.

My Method: The Precision Nutrition hand-based portion calculator

In summary, you use your hand to calculate appropriate portion sizes. Since your hands are relative to your body size, this works really well. It’s an on the go, personalized measuring device. You can easily portion out your meals correctly wherever you are without needing the help of measuring cups, scales, or your phone.

• Your palm determines the protein portion size (meat, fish, eggs, dairy, beans)
• Your closed fist determines the veggie portion size (broccoli, carrots, greens, etc)
• Your cupped hand determines the carb portion size (oats, rice, fruits)
• Your thumb determines fat portions portion size (nuts, seeds, oils, avocados)

I knew that I needed 3-4 palm-sized portions of protein, 4-6 fist-sized servings of vegetables, 3-5 cupped hand sized servings of carbs, and 3-4 thumb-sized servings of fat. 

I found that using my hand method, I was nearly spot on most days with what my macro goals were set for. (Cool! My hand is so fancy) Was it perfectly spot on every day? No. But does our nutrition need to be ruled by a calculator or an app? No.

In fact, it’s effectively impossible to precisely know your calorie intake or to know exactly how many calories you’re burning on a given day. No matter how carefully you weigh, count and measure everything, calorie math has multiple layers of imprecision on both the “calories in” side and the “calories out” side. (<- the articles in those links explain why)

As you are learning to use your hands, remember to stay flexible and adjust your portions and meal frequency according to your body’s hunger and fullness signals, your daily routines/schedules, and your individual goals. 

You can use this method for any type of goal: weight loss, muscle gain, body recomposition (fat loss with muscle gain), performance, or to improve your health.

No idea how much you should be eating in a day? We can help you to set appropriate portions for you based on your individual goal!

Contact Abby in Watertown at abby@barefootfts.com

Or

Janaye in Spearfish at janaye@barefootfts.com

• Training without shoes helps our instructors to better see everything that your body is doing so that we can provide more effective coaching feedback while you train.
• Barefoot training helps to improve joint-by-joint movement quality for safer training and a stronger, more resilient body.

Yes, at Barefoot we really do train without shoes. Obviously, a lack of footwear is only one small piece of the overall picture, but our gyms are outfitted with dense MMA mats, and the majority of the workouts we do take place barefoot on those mats.

You might be wondering, “Why train barefoot?”

Our training philosophy centers on a handful of principles.

Quality comes before quantity. Before you do an exercise a lot, it’s critical that you do it well. We master a movement pattern first, and then we apply stress to it. Once we apply stress, we do it with well-practiced exercises that keep the risk of injury low while allowing you to truly push the limits of your strength and work capacity.

In most gyms, you’re limited by trauma risk. If you go any harder, you’ll blow a shoulder, tear a ligament or pull a muscle.

At Barefoot, because we control quality and follow a stress inoculation process, you’re limited only by how hard you can push yourself metabolically. You slow down because you’re too tired to keep going, not because you’re about to snap an ACL.

This means that as much as you’re changing your physiology, you’re also changing how you think about your abilities. The adaptations are mental as well as physical. An average female client in one of our gyms can do multiple slow, controlled, bodyweight pull-ups, because here, it’s normal. The way we think about strength is different.

We prefer skill over ornamentation.

Progression over novelty.

Resilience over randomness.

You can see this demonstrated at this year’s Tactical Strength Challenge.

The competition is a max-effort deadlift, as many kettlebell snatches as possible in 5 minutes, and a max-rep set of pull-ups.

Abby, at a bodyweight of 123 pounds, pulled a 295-pound deadlift, did 14 straight pull-ups (no, we don’t do kipping) and 142 snatches with a 12kg bell in five minutes.

Luke, at 187 pounds, pulled a 485 deadlift and knocked out 25 pull-ups and 133 snatches with a 24kg bell.

Elliot, weighing 184 pounds, pulled a 425 deadlift, 27 straight pull-ups and 122 snatches with 24 kilos.

If you scroll through the rankings, you’ll see another dozen or so Barefoot members with similarly impressive showings.

Another of the principles underlying our philosophy is that humans are more important than hardware.

This emphasis on movement quality and training as skill development would be impossible without a knowledgeable instructor guiding every workout.

Without an instructor, the gym is just a room full of pull-up bars and kettlebells. The equipment matters far less than what the instructor helps you do with it.

The rapid feedback loops provided by this coach make it possible to develop physical skill rapidly, safely and reliably.

This means that a good instructor is constantly observing your movement, providing feedback and helping you apply the right amount of stress to a high-quality pattern.

One of the things that we watch while doing this is your feet.

By training barefoot, we have a quick, reliable indicator of how weight and force is being distributed in your body. Subtle shifts in the position of your arches and ankles or the way weight is being balanced through your heels and forefoot give us a lot of critical information that helps us to constantly reinforce quality.

Beyond improving coaching feedback, there are a number of biomechanical advantages to training without shoes.

(A quick caveat: Not everyone should train without shoes. If you’ve got certain foot issues, you may be better off training in a supportive shoe, preferably with an insole custom-made by an expert in biomechanics. This happens occasionally, and we let people train with shoes as long as they keep them clean when they’re on the mats)

A lot of athletic footwear has heavy cushioning, a lot of heel elevation, and is overly restrictive in a way that prevents your toes from spreading and gripping the ground as they’re meant to. Research has actually found the more expensive your shoes are (which means that they probably have all kind of extra features cushioning), the more likely you are to be injured while wearing them.

An elevated heel can be especially problematic by altering the way joints such as your ankles, knees, hips and spine function.

This pattern tends to increase lower back and knee tension and makes it more difficult to keep your pelvis and lumbar spine in a neutral position. You trade hip extension for lower back extension.

The loss of ankle mobility will alter your gait mechanics and limit your ability to squat well without lifted heels. You may find yourself turning your toes outward in a squat in order to compensate for a lack of ankle movement. When you can’t squat with your heels solidly rooted to the ground, you lose hip strength and increase stress on your lower back and knees.

Interestingly, padded shoes do not reduce impact force on your body. In fact, they can increase it. Your body is incredibly complex and built to work with countless feedback loops. One of those feedback loops comes from sensation delivered via the 200,000 sensory nerves in your feet. When that feedback is blunted, you can lose some of your ability to properly absorb impact.

Your own bodyweight is multiplied by as much as 12 times simply by the forces applied by running. While a layer of rubber under your feet is great for protection from pointy rocks, it’s not doing to do much to absorb the impact of your entire body multiplied many times over. That’s what your joints, muscles and connective tissue are for.

In a 1997 study, researchers Steven Robbins and Edward Waked at McGill University in Montreal found that the more padding a running shoe has, the more force the runner hits the ground with: In effect, we instinctively plant our feet harder to cancel out the shock absorption of the padding. (The study found the same thing holds true when gymnasts land on soft mats—they actually land harder.) We do this because we need to feel the ground in order to feel balanced. And barefoot, we can feel the ground—and we can naturally absorb the impact of each step with our bodies. “Whereas humans wearing shoes underestimate plantar loads,” the study concluded, “when barefoot they sense it precisely.”

This loss of sensory feedback alongside altered joint mechanics can also directly influence your gait pattern, or the way your body moves when you walk and run.

With padded shoes and an elevated heel, you tend to take longer strides and strike your heel first. Without shoes, you’ll take shorter strides designed to absorb impact force and land with a more balanced, mid-foot strike.

Now, this does not mean that if you’ve been running around in squishy high-heeled shoes for your entire life that you should take off for a 5-mile run on pavement in minimalist shoes. It takes a long time to alter your whole-body joint mechanics and gait pattern, and it takes a long time to change it back.

If you were to jump into barefoot or minimalist running right away you’d likely be at an increased risk for injury because you’d still have the movement patterns that you developed for padded shoes, but without the protective footwear that makes it possible.

In the gym, however, we have far more control over things. We can change your movement patterns from rep to rep, and we aren’t subject to the same repetitive impact forces as while running. This makes the gym a perfect place to reintroduce your body to unassisted, barefoot movement.

If you were to wear a cast on your arm for a few weeks, you’d expect to see significant atrophy in the muscles of that arm. The same thing happens when you live in restrictive shoes. The muscles in your feet and ankles have much less to do and grow weaker. By training in the controlled, safe environment of the gym without shoes, you’re able to restore joint function throughout your body as well as directly strengthen the musculature in your feet.

In short, training barefoot in the gym ties into two important pieces of how we do things:

1. It helps to build movement quality and strengthen the body as an interconnected, resilient, complex system, and
2. It improves the feedback that our instructors provide while monitoring your technique.

(See: The Key to Abs. You may want to read it first for to get some background and visuals)

What does your posture have to do with lifting? Well, everything.

We need a well balanced core on all sides to get the most out of our ab exercises. We also need that balance plus an appropriate starting position to produce a strong lift.

Imagine a fit, strong looking person who can move some heavy weight. (Maybe you are that person.) But in order to get those big lifts, they twist, turn, or sharply arch their back. Our bodies are smart and will compensate for us. When one area isn’t doing its job, another spot will kick in and give you that big lift.

You may be thinking, “But I’ve always lifted this way and I’m strong and good at it.”

For now.

It will work until it doesn’t. Eventually, compensated posture leads to physical breakdown. And it can show up anywhere. Your back, hip, shoulder, neck, knee…

In addition, starting in an inefficient position is a roadblock to even bigger lifts. It isn’t adding years to your lifting career either.

Now imagine you are setting up for a squat. You start by getting a nice big chest. And you’ve been told you don’t want your knees to come forward so you reach your hips waaaay back. Because you have a big chest and want to stay tall, you arch your back. But now it’s hard to get any depth. Why? When you are already at max or near-max extension at the pelvis and spine, you get stuck. So you reach harder, get bigger through the chest, and arch more.

In this heavily arched position, your “sealed can” structure is gone. It’s nearly impossible to get and maintain control of your pelvis when you start in this position. Instead, you shift tension out of your abs and into your lower back. Your glutes and hamstrings struggle to do their job of hip extension because of their poor positioning.

What is the best position to start a lift in? With the ribs and pelvis in the fully exhaled position. (See: The Key to Abs)

Now imagine a new squat setup. You exhale your ribs down, feel your abs kick in and work to breathe and move from that ribs-down/hard abs position. As you inhale, you feel a 3D expansion as air fills your upper chest and mid-back, rather than just pushing your belly out to get air in (and letting your abs go). Your pelvis is in a neutral position and stacked below your ribs and your knees are slightly soft.

From here, with this neutral core-engaged position, you have room to ask for depth. Depth without compensation.

Instead of sitting back, sit down. Your knees will naturally track a bit forward, your heels will stay rooted, your ankles will flex and your hips will shift a little bit behind you. Keep active tension in your abs.

Let me be clear on one thing. I’m not saying extension is bad. In fact, we need it. Our bodies should extend, flex, and be able to come back to neutral. The problem lies in too much extension, too often.

You can get more out of the squat in the fully exhaled start because you are neutral and stable first. As you drop down, you will naturally extend your spine and pelvis somewhat. Heavier lifts will typically require more extension.This is normal and ok. Hyperextension at the setup or in the middle of a lift – especially when these are training reps and not max-effort testing – are where the danger lies.

This doesn’t only apply to squats. This is how you should start any lift. Including but not limited to: overhead presses, deadlifts, pullups, kettlebell exercises, bodyweight exercises…

Here is a short clip showing how to apply this setup to a deadlift.

It might look a little strange to you. Notice how he exhales his ribs down, keeps his pelvis from tilting too far forward, and reaches forward. What you can’t see is that his abs are contracted hard because of it. Also notice that he doesn’t lift the bar in that rounded position. He is simply holding on to his contracted abs and neutral pelvis.

Once again, we need someextension.

If he started with a big pulled back chest and arched back, he would have lost his abs and relied on his back to do the work.

I adapted the setup on my lifts and movements a few years ago. I would be remiss if I didn’t tell you that it’s like starting over. I had to eat a big slice of humble pie and be ok with not being “as strong’ for a while. But it was a false strength. Full of compensations calling on strength from the wrong places and in a poor position.

So, I went back to square one. I practiced getting set up in the better position. I practiced holding on to my abs better. I practiced moving differently. And soon, I was strong again. Stron-ger in fact. Strong in a better way. In a safer way. In a sustainable way. In a way that doesn’t hurt.

The thing is, you might be really strong right now. I’m daring to say it is possible that by being more efficient in your lifts, you may have untapped power and strength you haven’t discovered yet. And as an extra bonus, a healthier body long-term.

Your friend in strength,

Abby

Specifically, you have to get better at exhaling.

Most of us are dysfunctional when it comes to breathing. This affects our posture and we get stuck in a state of hyperinflation (hyperextension) that we can’t get out of.

Sounds kind of silly right? If you are reading this, you’re still on this earth. So, you must be doing something right when it comes to inhaling and exhaling air. 🙂

Starting any ab exercise in a hyperinflated “stuck on the inhale” state makes it less effective. If you aren’t in the right starting position, your core exercises aren’t working as well as they could. I can hold a plank with poorly engaged abs for several minutes. But a plank in a better starting position is a whole different beast.

Plank position with a poorly engaged core.

Core engaged plank.

When doing ab exercises, a lot of people focus on the big six-pack muscle, the rectus abdominus. But the core goes way beyond them. There are several lesser-known muscles that also need attention. So before we move on, let’s do a quick review on the core muscles.

Think of your core as a 3 dimensional cylinder, like a soda can. It has muscles on all sides, on the top and bottom, and all need to work together to support you. Training all the smaller core muscles also helps to give you the cool look you want.

The front of the cylinder (anterior core) is the inner core and houses the tranverse abdominus, with the the rectus abdominus over the top.

The sides (lateral core) have your internal and external obliques and serratus anterior. (Note: the serratus anterior isn’t traditionally considered part of the core. They are located on top of your ribs and are referred to as the “boxer’s muscle”. I’m including them here because a well functioning serratus plays a role in thoracic positioning which plays a role better core engagement. Plus, a developed serratus completes the look of a defined core.)

The low back (posterior core) has little muscles called multifidi as well as your spinal erectors.

The top is your diaphragm, the main muscle in breathing.  

The bottom is your pelvic floor.

Generally, we like to see the diaphragm (the top of the can) stacked evenly over the pelvic floor ( the bottom of our can).

Using the soda can analogy, imagine you have a full can that you want to crush. You can try stomping on it to crush it, but it will prove nearly impossible even though the exterior aluminum isn’t very strong on its own. This is due to the pressure created in the sealed can, providing support and strength.

If you opened the can and released the pressure, you removed the strength and support and could now stomp it and crush it flat.

Our core is like the soda can; structurally weak, but functionally strong when positioned well. If we are in the right position when we train, we can strengthen the entire core. Not only does this make us more athletic and resistant to injury, but working all of the core muscles gives a better looking stomach than only worrying about the six-pack.

When we are in a hyperinflated (hyperextended) state, our core becomes less stable, just like a soda can with a dent in the side. The lower ribs flare out and up, and the pelvis tilts forward. Signs of this positioning include hyperextended knees, rounded upper back, overly-arched lower back, and protruding abdomen. Not the look we were going for.

Notice how the ribs are flared up, the lower back is overly arched, and the abdomen is distended.

In this position, we lose our strong, “sealed can” structure.

We can’t effectively engage our abs in this position. Instead of our ab muscles getting stronger, they get stretched out, lengthened and less active. Without your abs doing their job, your lower back happily takes over and picks up extra tension. What comes next is low back discomfort. (And also shoulder/upper back/neck issues but that is another post entirely) And the diaphragm and the pelvis cannot work together as they were intended.

What does exhaling have to do with this all?

A good exhale is where it all begins. We don’t mean take a nice big sigh. Exhale hard and fully and wake up the core muscles that help drive air out. Just when you think you are done exhaling, exhale more. Keep going until you physically can’t get any more air out. At this point, you should feel your abs start to quiver.

While you are exhaling, your respiratory diaphragm will dome upward like a parachute, allowing your ribs to drop back down to neutral. Tuck your tailbone slightly underneath you. Now, you are in the optimal position. This is the posture to start all your ab exercises in.

Correct Posture. Notice how the rib cage is down and the pelvis is slightly tucked. The soda can is now evenly stacked and the core muscles can do their thing.

At first, it can be hard to get into this position. Especially if you are chronically in the hyperextended/hyperinflated state. It’s helpful to take 2-3 full exhales first before starting your ab drills. At least until you get the hang of it. Once your abs start to shake, you are ready.

The final trick is to hold this position while you are doing your exercise. Hold this “exhaled” position, and breath and move without losing your ab contraction, arching your low back, or flaring your ribs. It can be an ego check because it’s harder than you think. Starting in the right position will make even the most basic ab drill more challenging.

Summary

Great abs aren’t just about the six-pack muscles. We need a completely balanced core on all sides to get the most out of our ab exercises. Master the exhale and the exhaled posture and you are on the path to great abs.

Take care,

Abby

If you aren’t familiar with Paleo, here are the very basics: Remove dairy, grains, processed foods, sugar, and legumes. Your diet revolves around protein, fruits, veggies, nuts, and seeds.

I’m not writing this to persuade you one way or the other. I have had several conversations about this recently, and I want to share my experience because it applies to many restriction-based plans. Keep in mind that we’ve all got a unique path and mine may not look the same as yours, but I hope there are some useful nuggets here for you.

I learned a lot about myself during my hardcore paleo time. Many good changes came from it.

So why did I stop?

A lot of cons came with the pros. And that is what I want to share with you.

Before

My old way of eating could best be described as “college kid trying to adult.” Many meals I made were heavily processed. Some of my menu staples were Hamburger Helper (because it seems adultish) and frozen pizza (but not the cheap Tony’s, we are adults and buy the thick crust stuff now).

Lunch was coupled with chips and soda. I would buy fresh fruits and vegetables (adulting!) and watch them rot.

When I did cook a meal, most of the time a can of cream-of-something soup was a base. Or it was ladened with cheese/sour cream/butter. One of the main ingredients in salad was mayo, or marshmallows if it was fruit salad. If you grew up in the midwest, you know what I mean.

My mid-twenties brought something new with them…a metabolism that suddenly didn’t allow me to eat whatever I wanted anymore. I needed to make a change.

I tried to find what worked. Healthy Choice soup, SlimFast drinks, and lots of Special K cereal. (Remember the Special K diet?) I also tried many other strange diets. Cabbage soup for a week, baked potatoes and green beans for a week, etc, etc.

As time went on, I kept trying and adding more fresh food like yogurt or fruit. I was slowly getting a “little bit better” than before.

During this time, Kelli (owner of Barefoot Fitness in Spearfish) introduced the Paleo diet to me. At first I thought the whole thing seemed crazy. No bread, no pasta, no milk or cheese and no peanut butter! I mean, what the heck do you eat? After seeing how it changed her, we decided to give it a try.

Pros

I decided to do a 30-day trial of the Paleo diet.

I loved it! I felt great. I saw less bloating, stomach discomfort, and I was getting leaner. Whoa! This Paleo thing is legit. So I adopted this way to cook and eat.

It threw my world as I knew it upside down. But I kind of liked the challenge. I was eating more fruits and vegetables than ever before. I learned how to really cook – not from a box.

I experimented with different foods and discovered new things I liked. My world opened up to new flavors and spices. And I learned that the base of all meals isn’t cream soup.

I found I don’t tolerate dairy or wheat well. Don’t get me wrong, I love dairy, but it does not love me back. In fact, it bites back. While it isn’t entirely wiped away, I am choosy about whether a food is worth the payback.

Removing these was major. Not only because it was hard at first, but because I finally realized that all the discomfort I was feeling wasn’t normal. And once I knew how good I could feel, there was a shift in my perspective. My cooking style changed and I enjoyed feeling better. More than I enjoyed adding cheese to every meal. Big time pro.

Cons

What about the other stuff? C’mon! Sometimes I like to eat natural peanut butter. Or real rice instead of cauliflower rice. I know the “rules” say I can’t have them but they don’t make my stomach angry. So I started making my own rules.

“I eat paleo except for sometimes peanut butter and sometimes rice. Sometimes I use oats, or corn starch, or soy sauce. I like beans in my chili, and I like potatoes sometimes…”

My “all in paleo” became “all in except…”

But guilt would set in. It felt like I was losing against the rules. I look back now and think, “how silly!” Instead of tuning in to my own body and doing what works best for me, I framed everything around an arbitrary set of rules.

I love cooking and experimenting in the kitchen. But as a “paleo person” I also spent too much time and effort on meals just to follow the rules. Usually, this was attempting to recreate a favorite meal and hoping it would taste the same. It almost never did.

And let’s be real. Almond flour doesn’t belong on or in everything. It doesn’t make a good filler in meatloaf or the best coating on chicken or fish. It has its place. But that place isn’t everywhere.

And what about bacon? Bacon is undeniably delicious. And Paleo people love it and add it to everything. “You can be paleo and eat a pound of bacon every day!” I’m absolutely not recommending you stop eating bacon. I’m still pro-bacon, but more of my protein comes from lean sources.

So why exactly did I break up with Paleo?

In an effort to be healthier, I added stress by trying to follow a list of rules that didn’t necessarily apply to me. Cooking, something I truly enjoy, became less fun. I began to vilify carbs. I attempted to “paleoize” favorite indulgences. How is this healthier?

I was on the right track when I started creating my own rule book. By taking the information I had about myself, (gluten and dairy sensitive), I started to adapt my diet around that.

I  wouldn’t be where I am now, if I didn’t go through that “all in” phase. I gained a lot of skills. I was able to abandon familiar comfort foods for a while, try new things, and practice self-discipline. I learned how to pay attention to my body and how it interacts with different foods.

Through practice and trial and error, I figured out what worked for me and what didn’t. I became efficient at menu planning and food prepping.  My kitchen skills improved to make cooking more efficient. But this all came from experience, not from a specific plan.

The transition from strict Paleo to today comes down to basic math. I added in what worked for me from Paleo, and subtracted what didn’t to make it my own.

Notice the common denominators in this diagram.

Most restrictive diets have many of the same things in common. It’s not about picking the right set of nutrition rules. It’s more about developing consistent behaviors centered on core principles, like the things that are in the middle of this diagram, shared by any common “diet.”

This is what we do in Barefoot Fitness Nutrition Coaching. We step people through a series of new habits that will give them the foundation of healthy eating and behaviors that will give them the skills to be lean and fit, for life.

I broke up with Paleo because I didn’t need it anymore. It took me through an important learning curve, but it was time to move on. I no longer needed the rigid framework. The goal with any diet or meal plan is to no longer need it.

Now, my relationship with food is defined by freedom. I understand which foods make my stomach turn on me. And I know which foods make me feel good, energized, and strong.

What do I do now? I eat foods I like and that make me feel good! (strange concept right?) A balance of real food, that I eat slowly, and to 80% full. And I am leaner now than I ever was as a younger paleo-ite. It looks something like this:

Protein – mostly lean

Fruits and vegetables – an assortment of them!

Fats – from high quality sources like nuts and seeds, avocado, wild-caught fish and whatever comes along with my protein sources

AND

Carbs: Yup, these too. Sources like quinoa, brown rice, steel cut oats, and beans. And sushi in a bowl like pictured above

And I have some “relaxed” foods. You know, ice cream or a big fat burger. But I enjoy these things, without guilt, because I am the creator of my own rules now.

This is my unique journey. It may look different for you. No matter the exact path you take to get there, you can’t skip the difficult middle part of trial and error. The journey is an essential part of getting to the destination.

Need world class help along your journey? Consider our nutrition coaching program.

-Abby

“I don’t know how to cook.”

“Healthy food tastes so boring.”

“My life is so busy I don’t have the time to cook healthy.”

“My kids won’t eat the healthy food I make.”

Can you relate to any of those statements? Maybe all of them?

That used to be me.

I went from not knowing what to make, to trying to pick the “right thing” and hating it. Then attempting to make advanced meals that were time consuming,  caused me stress, and ended up tasting awful anyway. I would buy fresh produce to watch it rot.  How frustrating.

I’ve learned a lot since then.

Like how to make nutritious, good tasting food that the whole family will like. Meals that aren’t complicated or time-consuming. And how to plan well so I no longer have wasted, unused food or have to scramble to think of something to make.

Now, I’ve taken all of that information and written it out into two different meal plan books.

I would love to share them with you!

As I’ve been developing these plans, I’ve been giving them to people to test out and try for themselves. I wanted to make sure that it works as well for someone else in a different context as it does for me. Here’s what one of our testers had to say:

These meal plans have been very helpful to me as I attempt to balance a busy life with lots of busy boys. If I can set aside a couple hours on Sunday afternoon, the rest of my week is so much less stressful.

I have found that if I get this done and have a plan for each day,  I meet my nutrition goals much easier. I don’t have to think.

My family would tell you also that when I do this, life after school is so much better. I’m not spending as much time in the kitchen and more time with them.

Breakfast,  snacks, lunches and dinners are all ready to go each day. Abby outlines each part of each day for you. The prep is easy to follow and grocery lists are so helpful.

The recipes are easy to modify as needed and my kids have done well with most of these recipes. For instance, one of the recipes had a sauce included that I left off for them but then added for my husband and I.

My personal favorites are the hot plates.  So easy to prep and so so delicious!

The hardest part is setting aside the prep time. But, when I do, I am so thankful all week. I am less stressed and have more time to spend with my kids each day. I highly recommend giving it a try.

– Jess

The ebooks are very user-friendly and easy to read. They come complete with a linked table of contents so you can easily access any page in the book!

Meal plans include:

• Recipes for all meals

• Daily meal plan: breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks included

• Step-by-step meal prep day (each book shows a different method to prepping)

• Grocery lists

Each meal plan can be done in two different ways:

Option 1: Cook and Play Meals

This version shows you how to cook all the meals for the entire week on prep day. Cook one day, play the rest of the week!

Option 2: Throw and Go Meals

This plan shows you how to easily do most of the prep work on one prep day. When it comes time to eat, you just have to throw it together and dinner is done!

There is a lot of variety in the meals. You can play around with the prepping to make it work best for you and your family. You can use either prep method for either plan.

Meal plans are just a guideline. They don’t need to be followed perfectly. Part of successful healthy eating is doing what works best for you and your family. Experiment, improvise and change it up as you want. Or *gasp* make Monday’s meal on Thursday!

The eventual goal of the meal plan is to no longer need the meal plan.  It is a temporary tool to guide you into mindful eating, efficient food prep and planning skills while building a healthy relationship with food.  My hope is that you use and apply these lessons and skills long term!

Buy yours today!

Price: $35 for one, or $50 for both

Meal plans will be sent to the email address entered. Please allow 48 hours to receive them.

Enjoy!

-Abby

10 delicious holiday desserts!

Download our free book of amazing holiday baking recipes. (<– click here for the recipes)

Banana Chocolate Bread Pudding with Cashew Custard

And guess what?  We have 2 versions of every dessert.

1. A traditional version with ingredients like butter, flour, eggs, milk
2. A “healthified” version made with more non-traditional or “paleo-esque” ingredients

Surprised?  Well, that’s why we’re doing it this way.  Many times people are puzzled to find out that we deliberately don’t eat 100% perfect all the time: That we sometimes go out for ice cream or pizza.  That during the holidays, we don’t bring a kale smoothie to a holiday gathering.  We enjoy (without guilt) the real deal goodies.

In fact, our families enjoy holiday baking together.  And we know how good it feels to see our kids’ eyes light up when they have holiday treats!

Walnut Pear Pie

“Healthy eating” isn’t about avoiding “bad” food and only eating “good food”.  Food is both fuel and pleasure. You don’t need to worry about getting it all perfect all the time.  Obsessing too much over “dietary purity” is unhealthy in itself.

Nutrition is a skill. Something you learn as you develop that skill is that it’s OK to treat yourself once in awhile and eat something solely because you enjoy it.  Understanding this and avoiding rigid all-or-nothing thinking helps to avoid a feeling of being deprived which can lead into a binge that leaves you feeling miserably guilty and physically gross.  Does that sound like we’ve been there before?  Good, because we have.

Almond Ricotta Cheesecake

There are a few behaviors to practice to enjoy your holiday treats without demolishing a whole tray of cookies.  

1. Focus on eating slowly

This habit is arguably the most important.  If you can master this, you have a giant head-start toward conquering other nutritional changes.  Slowing down causes you to pay attention.  It creates awareness of food smells, tastes, and textures, which enhances the enjoyment you get from each bite.  It enhances digestion and counteracts feelings of deprivations and restriction.  

Slow eating allows you to tune in to your hunger/satiety cues.  You may find that you eat less without even realizing it.  You’ll enjoy the food that you eat more, and inadvertently have less of it without feeling deprived.

While you’re eating, get rid of distractions so that you can focus on enjoying your meal and sensing into the sensations that it produces. Put away the phone and forget about your email for a minute (and you’re not eating while driving, right? Right?).  

Slow down, and take a drink or two of water (or your hot toddy, let’s be real, it’s the holidays) between each bite, setting your food/fork down between bites.

2. Stop eating when you are physically satisfied.  

Eating slowly gives the stomach and the brain time to catch up to each other.  Assess how you are feeling while you are eating (slowly).  Once you are satisfied, not stuffed, this is the best place to stop.  Stay in tune with with the signals your body is giving you.  

We call this eating mindfully.  

Enjoy your holiday favorites!  Just do it mindfully, slowly, and joyfully.  Instead of stuffing it down and waiting for the guilt to kick in, savor and enjoy each bite.  Take delight in savoring your favorite foods while basking in the company of loved ones.

You can enjoy food and be healthy and fit.  You can also do that while enjoying the company of friends or family.

You can use these skills, along with many others, to have a lifelong, healthy relationship with food.

Orange Cake with Almond Crust

Would you like to learn more about:

• Having a healthy relationship with food?
• Improving your health?
• Getting the body you want?
• And then keeping it for life?

If so, visit our nutrition coaching page. (<– Take a peek. Might change your life.)

We’re starting a new Precision Nutrition coaching group in January, and you can be a part of it.

Just want the recipes? Download our free holiday recipe book here. (you don’t have to enter your name or email, it’s just yours to keep)