Nutrition by Dawn - Blog

With school starting back and fall air settling in, September brings a sense of change each year. Autumn has arrived here in New England, and my family’s routine is already shifting around school schedules, extracurriculars, and all the fun fall activities we love. 

I am a creature of habit, and when I find myself away from my routine, I sometimes have a tough time sticking to my healthy habits. However, as our routines shift, our sometimes rigid plans need to change, too. It can be tough to make adjustments if you feel like you’re already locked into routines you love, but the reality is that as life changes around us, we have to adapt ourselves and our schedules to keep up with the hustle and bustle. 

 This week, I’m sharing three tips to ease into fall routines without getting thrown off track. 

1. Stay Prepared With Healthy Snacks. 

You might find that your busy fall schedule keeps you away from home-cooked, healthy meals, and maybe your lunchtime now happens from the car since you have to be picking your children up from school. It may be tempting to swing by a fast food restaurant, but doing that frequently will undoubtedly halt your progress. 

My personal trick to avoid this pitfall is bringing along a cooler bag with me when I’m leaving the house for a few hours. I keep it packed with things that are easily transportable, nutritious, and have a long shelf life. And it’s insulated, so I can also add in food that needs to stay cool.

I keep it packed with a packet of Origin, my favorite plant-based shake that I can easily mix with a bottle of water when I’m on the go. I also stick in some balanced bars, like Daryl’s Performance Line protein bars, and things like beef jerky and nuts that will keep me satiated for a long time. My bag is always prepared to support me for 3-4 meals in case I get caught out, but if I’m planning to be gone longer, I can stick even more healthy snacks in to stay on track. 

2.  Reschedule Your Workouts When Life Gets in the Way. 

I'm a morning workout person, so I like to get up and get moving right away. Now that school is back in, I’ll have to shift my workout back a little bit so that I can get my kiddo up and to the bus on time. On the other hand, if you’re used to evening workouts, you may need to start earlier to make up for the changing daylight hours. 

If you have something that has to be planned for the middle of your workout time, you can always plan to do half of your workout before and half after. It may not be ideal, but whether or not you can learn to shift your routines around your changing to-do list can be what makes or breaks your forward progress. 

3. Find Time for Things That Make You Smile and Bring You Joy. 

Your schedule will fill itself up as much as you allow it to, but it’s really important that you block out time for yourself each day. I personally like to block out time in the middle of the day and at the end of my day for a walk that helps me clear my mind. Yes, sometimes things get in the way and I have to be flexible, but knowing that my me-time is already scheduled on my calendar helps me ensure that it isn’t being skipped over. If it doesn’t get planned and put on the schedule, it will never happen. 

My challenge to you is to take some time to plan because planning is the key to success amidst shifting routines. 

If you need some inspiration for healthy living, please join me in my Facebook group Never Diet Again for a great community filled with great discussion! 

What’s your favorite thing about fall? Let me know in the comments!

We have our October beer pairing event coming up soon, so if great beer and great food lights you up, don’t forget to grab your ticket and join us. Save your spot today right here, and invite a friend to join you!