Hi All,

We are excited to announce that we will be starting a weekly blog and practical tips that begins this week!

Look for these emails and blogs to be a bit shorter and practical (warm-up routines, self massage and mobilizations, basic nutrition tips and recipes, along with more philosophical health and fitness articles).

We realize that many of you don't have time to read an extremely lengthy or in depth blog and we want to be able to still give you the best of the tools we offer many of our in-person clients.

This week we will kick things off with some helpful tips on developing what we believe may be at the heart of your healthiest relationship with food and food choices. What people refer to as "intuitive eating" might just be the missing piece in your daily nourishment routine. Simple practical (things you can practice and do on the daily) structure wins results every time over complex routines or overly technical focus! Tracking and calculating macros and other nutrients can be a very helpful tool, but what if you're missing the big picture? Whether you eat perfectly balanced meals or not, making sure that you are actually giving your meals (and yourself) the attention it deserves can be the difference between properly digested meals that leave you satisfied and nourished versus overly full and bloated with feelings of guilt. Tracking food doesn't always solve this, but being more in touch with what you are doing when you eat your meals by slowing down and focusing on SATIETY can be huge!

For the next week (or better yet, full month) at meal time, see what you can do to sit down for at least 1-2 of your meals each day without distraction. This means no devices or if you are someone that works while you eat, make sure to take a full break. 

• Devices off or away from you (stop working if you tend to eat while at your computer for instance)

• Note what PHYSICAL and PSYCHOLOGICAL sensations and signs of hunger you notice and try to distinguish these. Physical sensations would be an empty stomach, low energy, etc. Psychological signs could be boredom or looking for distraction for example

• Mark what level of PHYSICAL hunger you are at and aim to begin eating at no less than a 2-3 on a scale of 1-10 with 1 being starving and 10 being overly full (think stuffed).

• Eat slowly, fully chewing your food (especially proteins) and aim to finish your meal at a 7-8/10. This would be when you notice you are no longer physically hungry and feel "satisfied". You should still be able to move comfortably and not be too full.

• If you are unsure wait 15 minutes before getting more.

• Focus on getting full with your protein (30-40g a meal) and plants (veggies and also fruit) with lots of fiber and hydration.

BONUS: Set aside ~20 minutes for your meal minimum and see if that helps with the above exercise. 

After some practice and usually a week or 2 of trying this out, you may find that initially you didn't know or notice what physical hunger cues were but that you are much more in touch by the end. You may notice that you also feel more satisfied with less food or are less likely to over-eat. You may even notice that you digest your food better (less gas or bloating) and feel calmer throughout the day.

Give it a go! If you would like some extra help, read this article on slowing down or send us a message. We can help you find out a way to make this stick for you. 

Here is one of our favorite overnight oat recipes to give you a really tasty morning treat to try your slower eating to satisfied with:

RB Build Strength & Conditioning membership is changing!

We hope you have a wonderful rest of your week and look forward to seeing you in the studio! If you have any questions about this weeks article, please send us an email or reply here.