In the last week I have met with five new nutrition clients and realized they all have the following in common:

1. Sit all day for work 
2. Struggle breathing during basic life activities 
3. Do not drink enough water 
4. Had tried an “internet” diet and were unsuccessful

All my nutrition clients to date have had something in common, but all of these in one week was a bit of a shock. The shock came when I realized these are basic human needs for survival: AIR, WATER, MOVEMENT.

The movement need is not listed anywhere as a basic human need; however, if a person cannot move to escape a threat, move to get to shelter (basic human need), move to get food (also a basic human need)…I think you get the point. We all need some form of movement in our life. 

Five clients, one week, and three basic human needs they were struggling with. I am so excited I get to work with them! 

I added #4, they had tried an “internet” diet and failed, because this was also interesting. What I mean by internet diet is they went on the internet and found the most recent fad diet and gave it a try: intermittent fasting, paleo, high protein low carb, Keto, weight watchers, counting macros, vegan diet, and so on… 

All those diets have a place and work for some people for an amount of time. For the majority of clients those types of diets are simply a tool they can use at some point on their nutrition journey.

For the most part none of the internet diets talk about water. 

Why would someone cut all the carbs out of their diet when they are not getting enough water? Is it still healthy to be Vegan if all you drink is carbonated sugary beverages and no water? 

We all need water to survive. If you get enough water, you can thrive! Try these steps to increase your daily water intake:

1. Drink a glass of water before you drink a glass of anything else.
2. Drink a glass of water first thing when you wake up.
3. Keep a full water bottle with you at all times.

Movement, let’s talk about how a person can get a little extra movement in their day:

1. Set an alarm during your work day every hour to remind you to get up and move around. 
2. Go for a walk before you sit down for the evening to watch TV.
3. Get up and start your day with movement: yoga, walking, or a fitness routine. 

What about AIR?

Breathing is an important part of everyone’s life. As a nutrition coach, I have nutrition related suggestions to help decrease bloating and inflammation in the body which may help a person who is struggling breathing. I am going to keep my suggestion simple and limit it to one for today:

1. Eat more whole unprocessed foods. This includes but is not limited to significantly decreasing the processed sugars in one’s diet. 

The habits stated above are simple to understand, but to actually put into practice every single day are challenging and take time. That is why my five new clients hired me, to guide them, hold them accountable and coach them through each and every day while they build their tool boxes and establish their lifelong healthy habits. 

If you take away just these habits from this, AWESOME:

1. Move more 
2. Drink more water 
3. Eat more unprocessed foods

If you need assistance in figuring out how the heck you put those habits into action, let me know! 

Coach Emily