Go Bravely Nutrition

Saturday marked one year since the official formation of Go Bravely.  I started the company with 3 beta clients and a burning desire to help people with food.  And I finished my first year having had the opportunity to share in the journeys of more than 30 incredibly strong, determined, extraordinary human beings!

For my full reflection on the year, click the link in the bio. But in short:

If you had asked me then how I expected to feel in a year, it wouldn’t have come close to the sense of pure joy, gratitude, and satisfaction that I feel today.

I believe it’s because I get to bear witness each day to small yet significant acts of human courage and resilience. I get to see the side of humanity that is vulnerable and honest, that holds hope for the future, that is open to learning and laughter, that seeks connection, and that is willing to try different things.

Nutrition and fitness are ultimately portals for self-discovery.  A window “in” to your values, priorities, assumptions, and views about yourself and your place in the world. It takes courage to play the long game, to answer the tough questions, and to own your actions, emotions, and stories. These are the victories that fire me up.

I couldn’t be more proud of the GB community or more optimistic about the future.  Here’s to another year of learning, eating, training, dancing, writing, and going bravely, together, into the beautiful and terrifying unknown.

______________

It is easy for the small stresses in our lives to “pile up” or impact us for much longer than is useful.

Unless we intentionally push pause, notice our thoughts and feelings, and choose the ones that empower us, it is all too easy for the stress of one moment to bleed into other moments.

But I’m here to tell you:

You have that power!  You can stop the bleed! In fact, you have to! 

You have ideas, talents, words, actions, and gifts that the world needs!  Your time and energy are way too important to be subverted by cranky bosses or sh*tty drivers or wrong orders or delayed flights or any other countless lowercase “s” stressor.  

Don’t you dare give them the power for a minute longer than they deserve!  Life is short and you are way too brilliant to surrender your precious time and energy to anything less than what brings you up.

When we choose thoughts that nourish us, we are much more likely to choose foods that nourish us.  And when we choose foods that nourish us, we are primed to put our best out into the world.

Making the choice to let go of small stressors and choose empowering thoughts is a skill. And like any skill, it takes practice. Start today. Claim your power, choose the story that serves you, and watch what happens.

Click the link to the full blog post on this topic in the bio.

__________________________

What is driving you?

Whether it’s a health and fitness goal, a professional goal, a relationship goal, or a personal goal, this fundamental principle remains the same:

Motivation is great, but you can’t rely on it for long-term results. Why? Because even for the most driven among us, it comes and goes!

Motivation is extremely powerful while it lasts, which is why it can feel so tempting to wait until we “feel motivated” to get to the gym, prepare a healthy meal, write that article, or complete that dating site profile.

But what do you do when the excitement of that inspirational movie or the novelty of that InstaPot wears off?

On the other end of the spectrum is obsession. Obsession is a driver that so deeply penetrates our physiology that we all but lose our ability to choose our actions.

Obsession can deliver incredible results… at first. But obsession has a shadow side: it often comes at the expense of other goals, values, or even our ability o meet our basic needs. Consequently, what appears to be our superpower becomes our downfall.

So how do we keep moving in the direction of our goals while neither depending on our feelings nor completely disregarding them?

In a word: Discipline.

When we are disciplined, we build systems, structures, and schedules that keep us moving in the right direction.

Discipline is making grocery shopping and meal prep part of a weekly ritual, so we do it even if we don’t feel like it. It’s saying no to opportunities that interfere with family time. It’s putting in reps at the gym even on days when your energy isn’t 100%.

At first, discipline can feel constraining and unfcomfortable. But it doesn’t take long to realize that it is actually liberating!

It is freeing to have systems in place that help us achieve our goals so we don't have to spend energy making tough choices.

Discipline is an exercise in commuting to and trusting the process. And when we trust the process, we not only move in the direction of our goals, but we free our minds to be more present and appreciative of the experience.

__________________________

Attention is the rarest and purest form of generosity.
- Simone Weil

Happy Thanksgiving!

For the many years I spent engaged in my eating disorder and in recovery, holiday gatherings that involved food felt particularly challenging.

There were seemingly endless decisions to make around when, what, and how much to eat.

For so long, I never thought it could be different. But FULL recovery and freedom from food fear IS possible.

One of the things I am most grateful for now is being able to enjoy friends and family around the holidays without crippling anxiety about my body.

I am grateful for the ability to be fully present. To be able to contribute the gift of my full attention to the people I am with.

Wherever you are in your relationship with food and your body this holiday, I see you and I have so much compassion for you!

And if you’re feeling unsure about how to approach social gatherings that involve food this week, you’re not alone. You can use this guide to help you, but above all, remember:

You are always enough.

_________________________

It ain’t always gotta be pretty, ya’ll.

Sometimes great nutrition comes down to having what you need on hand to make a QAM—a quick a** meal.

I love keeping some of these ingredients stocked in the event that I run out of time or energy to make, say, that awesome soup recipe I found on the internet. :)

Rice, beans, frozen veggies, and eggs may not be the most inspired dish, but I know it’s enough and I know my body will feel good for the next workout, meeting, or activity I want to tackle!

What’s your favorite QAM?

____________________

In nutrition, there are a number of “dynamic duos.”

Just like Thelma and Louise…
Scooby and Shaggy…
Mario and Luigi…
Woody and Buzz…

There are just some things that go well together. Like… Vitamins A, D, E, K and Fat!

Now that has a nice ring to it.

In simple terms, pairing fruits and veggies with a bit of fat can help our bodies absorb all that these great foods have to offer.

Try tossing a small handful of nuts into your Super Shake! Or drizzling some oil over your veggies! Peanut butter and celery? I knew mom was onto something!

_________________

Are you eating to nourish your body or are you dieting?

It turns out, the distinction matters! Dieting often invokes a scarcity mindset, a sense of deprivation, an exaggerated focus on appearance, and a skewed idea of health. Choosing and eating foods from this place rarely leads us to positive, lasting change in our habits, our health, or our bodies.

Alternatively, when we think about food and eating as a means of nourishment, we can approach our choices differently. Eating for nourishment invokes an abundance mindset, a sense of possibility and creativity, a focus on feeling and function over appearance, and an idea of health centered on living out our deeper purpose and values.

Framing food as nourishment can open up opportunities for lasting change. And there’s more! For the full presentation, head to my blog (see the link in bio).

_____________________

Stress. Let’s talk about it.

Stress has a direct physiological impact on our bodies AND it can impact the decisions we make around food.

Stress management is important. But for all of the deep breathing, long walks, hot baths, and candle lighting I’ve done, I’ve STILL found nothing as fundamentally transformative as this:

Choosing the way I pay attention to, interpret, and give meaning to all those stress-inducing things that happen in life.

That’s not to say that other stress management tactics aren’t useful—they are! But often they pale in comparison to preventing the stress in the first place… which is where choosing your story comes in.

If this concept is new to you, take your time with it. There is nothing wrong with you for choosing stories that are counter-productive to your goals. We all do it! As I explain in the graphics, those stories are usually valid!

And shifting our stories takes time. It also takes knowing the things we want to achieve, the big goals we have in our lives. And that’s no easy feat either!

For me, choosing the story I tell myself about events that happen is an active, effortful, daily practice. But perhaps one of the most worthwhile. How about you? How have you used stories to flip stressful life events from obstacles into assets?

And you thought nutrition was just about food! :)

________________________