Do you feel like you need a reset?! Guess what? Same. 

I am feeling SO blehhh these days. 🥴 This month has been insane. I had every intention to do Athlete 2.0 workouts and prioritize hydration and nutrition this October. Let me tell you how many workouts I’ve completed this month:

ZERO

Yup! Zero. Sometimes, life gets so overwhelming for me that my fitness and eating routines take a backseat. Yes, that happens to me too. This month, I was away from home a lot. I drank way more coffee cups than usual and had very little water. I also relied on takeout food a little too much, and my snacking was all over the place. 🫠

While I am a dietitian who eats ALL foods, I also know when I’ve gone too far. You know that feeling when you’ve gone out to eat so much that nothing sounds good anymore? You know that point where you feel like you’ve overdone it, and you are genuinely craving water and vegetables? At this point, you may be feeling sluggish and bloated, too.

That’s how I feel after all my travels this month, and now that I am back home, I am ready to stock my fridge with nutritious foods and start cooking. I am prepared to use my water bottle, which has been collecting dust over the last few weeks. I am also scheduling workouts for the next few days into my calendar to prepare for the week.

I know most dietitians (myself included) loathe the idea of restarts, detoxes, or resets. But I want you to know there’s nothing wrong with wanting a fresh start. The idea of a clean slate can feel exciting and motivating. But, when we approach these “fresh starts” with extremeness, like detox teas, juice cleanses, extreme diet and exercise programs, or fat burner pills, this concept turns for the worst.

So, what should you do (and not do) when feeling ready for a reset?

I give you a lot of dos and don’ts below. I’ve been guilty of trying to incorporate all of the “Dos” on a Monday, only to feel overwhelmed by Thursday. While all the “dos” are solid strategies, incorporating them at once can be too much. I recommend picking 2-3 of these to focus on for the week and go from there.

✅ Do: eat your regular meals and snacks. 

For me, that’s three meals and two snacks. Getting back to a regular eating schedule can be a form of a fresh start! 

🚫 Don’t: skip meals because you overdid it with food. 

Just because you overate does not mean you should try to eat as little as possible and skip meals or snacks to undo the damage. That’s not how our bodies work. Also, this approach leads to that toxic “restrict-binge-restrict” cycle. Instead of trying to “undo” your eating, focus on getting back to the basics. This alone will help you get back to where you were before. 

✅ Do: eat three colors each day.

I like this approach because it focuses on nutrition by addition. It focuses on ADDING nutrition (different colored fruits and vegetables) instead of removing foods. 

🚫 Don’t: I will NOT eat ANY processed foods. 

Do you hear the extremeness in that? First, unsalted canned beans and baby spinach that are packaged and prewashed are forms of processed foods. While eating foods in their natural state is an excellent idea, it’s not always feasible given our busy lifestyle. Nowadays, there are a lot of convenient foods that pack a lot of nutrition. If you are eating too many processed foods, consider reducing (instead of eliminating) your intake. 

Example from a client: I rely on ultra-processed packaged meals for lunch every day. To start, I will replace two packaged meals with homemade bean chili and a side salad this week. 

See? While this client would like to avoid eating packaged meals for lunch, she recognizes this isn’t a realistic approach. She’s tried that before and failed. This time, she will focus on reduction instead of elimination. From a health standpoint – this is a WIN! This reduction can improve someone’s health. It doesn’t need to be all or nothing. Find that middle! 

✅ Do: I will drink half my body weight in ounces (water).

Hydration is truly the one way you can cleanse or detox your body! Ha! How about that?! And it’s free. Being well hydrated maintains your kidneys in good function, and your kidneys are responsible for removing waste from your body. So, if you want to cleanse and detox, you can do that as long as you have a liver, a colon, and kidneys. Oh, and as long as you drink enough water and eat a fiber-rich diet.  

…You mean I don’t need some expensive detox tea, or a 300-dollar 10-day juice cleanse?!! 🫢

🚫 Don’t: engage in “drink as much water as you can” challenges.

The intention is good, but these challenges can be dangerous.

✅ Do: take a probiotic (or eat probiotic-rich foods) if your gut feels a little out of whack.

I love eating probiotic-rich foods, but while away, I hardly ate any, and I can tell. To get things back to normal, I am prioritizing probiotic-rich foods like Greek yogurt, kefir, kimchi, and cultured cottage cheese. If you are in the market for a probiotic to get that extra boost, I recommend THIS ONE! 

🚫 Don’t: buy a bunch of “detoxifying” supplements.

They are a scam. Just don’t. Save your money. 

✅ Do: reduce my consumption of _____________(alcohol, added sugar, sweets, etc.)

If you are hitting the candy jar too much or having daily happy hours, it’s sensible to want to cut back. I know eliminating certain foods or alcohol is simple for some people. If that’s you, feel free to eliminate whatever food you don’t want to eat. Here, I am referring to those who cut out the foods they love because they think they are bad. If you love ice cream or chocolate, you don’t need to cut them out entirely to improve your health or lose weight. Allowing yourself to have spinach, salmon, quinoa, and real ice cream is *exactly* where sustainability lies. When people find this middle, this is when they often succeed. 

🚫 Don’t: eliminate ALL ____________ (alcohol, added sugar, sweets, etc.)

I know those 21-day sugar detoxes are tempting. In my experience, anytime people do these, they don’t make it the entire time or binge on sugar when the challenge is over. Did you know that people only make it 10 days (on average) when trying to do a dry January? Look, you do you! If these challenges work for you and you like them, great! If you feel like you always fail at this type of thing, know that there is a middle ground. 

✅ Do: commit to joyful movement each day.

Walking one mile with my dog in the morning while listening to a podcast brings me joy. Following the BodyFit by Amy workout calendar makes me feel empowered and energized! 

🚫 Don’t: commit to an exercise regimen that makes you miserable.

You know what I am talking about… If you are exercising to burn calories and the workouts are a brutal and dreadful experience, it’s time to reconsider. Also, it’s not uncommon for us to hear that when someone is on a health kick, they like to double up on workouts. Adding movement is a great way to get you back into your fitness routine. Still, there is no need to be extreme and do four workouts per day to “undo” your “damage.”