Hot take: I don’t have my nutrition dialed in all the time.
Before anyone panics, no, nothing is “wrong,” and no, this isn’t a confession. It’s just the reality of being a human who runs a business, coaches people, has a life, is also busy parenting, and occasionally (frequently?) hits seasons where things get a little chaotic.
At the start of the new year, I noticed my own nutrition was getting a bit off. It wasn’t anything really dramatic, but I was finding myself missing breakfast and feeling crummy by midday. I knew I wasn’t drinking enough water (one cannot thrive on coffee alone). These habits were leading me to start the day already behind.
By mid-morning, my energy felt uneven. I was more likely to forget to eat until I was really hungry, and then grab whatever was easiest. None of this made me a “bad” eater. But it did mean I wasn’t feeling my best, physically or mentally.
Here’s the important part: nothing had gone wrong. I didn’t “fall off.” I didn’t need a reset, a cleanse, or a new set of rules. I just needed to refocus on the big rocks that help me feel my best.
Nutrition Needs Anchors, not Overhauls
When things get chaotic, I don’t try to fix everything. I go back to a few big rocks.
For me, that means focusing on two simple, foundational habits:
- Eating something in the morning
- Drinking more water consistently
It doesn’t need to be perfect, and it doesn’t need some monumental overhaul.
Breakfast didn’t need to be aesthetic or impressive. Some days it is quick. Some days it is repetitive. Some days it is just “better than nothing.”
I don’t need to track my water intake down to the ounce. I just work on being a bit more intentional about having water nearby and drinking it throughout the day.
Focusing on those two things didn’t magically make all my nutrition perfect, and that was never the goal. What it did was make the rest of the day easier.
Small Anchors, Bigger Impact
When I eat breakfast, my energy is more consistent, and my appetite is better through the day. When I drink enough water, my brain functions better and I don’t have a rager of a headache by 11am. When those two things are in place, I’m more likely to:
- Eat regularly
- Make choices that actually sound good and feel good
- Feel more patient with myself when things aren’t ideal
These things help my body feel supported.
That’s something diet culture skips over a lot. Nutrition is about creating a baseline that helps you function better in real life.
Progress Doesn’t Have to Be Loud
One of the biggest myths around nutrition is that improvement has to look extreme. You don’t need to overhaul your whole life, you don’t need to make some extreme and dramatic shift, and improving your nutrition habits doesn’t require you to give up on a bunch of stuff you enjoy.
In reality, the most sustainable changes are usually quiet:
- One meal earlier in the day
- One habit that makes everything else feel more doable
- One area of focus instead of ten
That’s what I mean when I talk about big rocks. They’re the habits that, when in place, make everything else wobble less, even when life stays busy.
You’re Not Behind
If your eating feels messy right now, that doesn’t mean you failed or need to start over. It might just mean you need to zoom out and ask:
What’s one thing that would make my day feel a little more supported?
For me, it was breakfast and water. For you, it might be something else entirely.
And that’s okay.
