Changes I’ve noticed as a nutritionist after six-ish months of moving my body consistently.
Spoiler alert it doesn’t include counting grams of protein or managing macros.

Your body really isn’t about the numbers

I want to share with you the shift I felt when I focused on nourishing my whole self instead of managing the size of my body, because I know you might be having the same feelings.

I barely noticed the changes until I had no other choice. Before I knew it, I had transitioned from a reasonably active person into someone who was only slightly more than sedentary. The reasons were many, but they don’t really matter here.

The reality is it happened, and more quickly than I ever would have thought.

My lightbulb moment was a humbling re-introduction to the sport of cross country skiing on a sunny winter day in late January. I failed miserably and finished the day feeling frustrated, defeated and sore!

A day full of promise ended with me lying in the snow feeling defeated, embarrassed because I needed help getting up, and thoroughly tired of being tired.

I had finally gotten to the point where I couldn’t ignore how lousy I felt any longer.

My body had unequivocally shown me what not being able to take part in life the way I’d imagined for myself actually looked like.

Intentional Movement and Fitness

It was time for me to get intentional about being stronger and more mobile.

After more than a few false starts, (generic online programs, free reels and trial memberships) I found a solution that worked for me, at a local gym with a very unique (maybe one-of-a-kind?) approach to movement and fitness.

Small groups moving in a genuinely supportive and inclusive environment, led by compassionate and knowledgeable trainers.

(I know it sounds too good to be true, but I have the receipts - and the contact info here - if you’re curious.)

It’s been almost 6 months

I haven’t measured anything and my pants don’t feel any different, but my entire body feels a whole lot better. I’m moving more easily. I have more energy. I’m sleeping better and I’m genuinely enjoying movement in a way that I haven’t for a very long time.

The biggest surprise of all is the changes I’ve made to how I’m eating, but not in the way you might think.

You wouldn’t be wrong if you assumed that, as a nutritionist, I would have automatically dialled in my eating along with my increased activity. Maybe doubling down on counting calories, weighing food or even pulling out a scale, just to “track my progress”.

It wouldn’t have been a stretch to think I‘d gotten more obsessed with eating “right” and making every meal perfect.

But that’s not what’s happened at all.

The biggest shift: Intentional eating

I'm actually less interested now in what specifically I’m eating, but I’ve gotten more intentional about simply eating. And I’m paying more attention to how the way that I’m eating is impacting what I’m able to do.

I’ve reconnected with food outside of its potential to impact the scale.

I’ve discovered it really sucks trying to work out when you’re hungry. I’ve learned my body finds it challenging to go again the next day if I haven’t topped up my tank today.

Whether it’s a work out, a walk, some light stretching or not doing much of anything, I’m paying much closer attention to how what I’m eating is making me feel.

Diet culture is still lurking

Turns out this shift mattered more to me than I realized.

My nutrition training had focused on eating the “right" foods, and most especially cutting out the “wrong” ones. There was definitely a strong moral hierarchy running in the background.

Old ideas are tough to shake, and even if I know better now, I still catch myself second guessing my choices based on old paradigms.

But now I’m much more focused on how I want food to make me feel, and that makes it easier to push those diet-culture thoughts to the side.

I’ve come a long way since nutrition school, but these past few months with this gym have helped me untangle diet culture in a way that nothing else quite has.

I’ve experienced first hand how freeing it is to support my body in a way that feels good, instead of using food as a way to manage something that was never in my control in the first place.

Food is no longer a project for me. It’s one of the many ways I support the life I’m living now, and the one I want to have in the future.

If my story resonates with you and you’d like more practical, non-diet nutrition support that meets you where you’re at, I’d love for you to join me in the B’hive.

You’ll get recipes, nutrition guidance and more all delivered free to your inbox.

If you’re curious about 1:1 support for navigating your nutrition in midlife, book your free connection call with me here!

Diet-free shifts I’ve made in midlife, with amazing results