This month we’re giving special focus to something that I know a LOT of you are interested in …Cleaning it up!  By that I mean, focusing on cleaning up our diets, our self-care and cleaning products, our homes, and even the info we feed our brain.

Let’s talk about ONE BIG AREA that a lot of people struggle with when it comes to cleaning up their nutrition –NIGHTTIME SNACKING!  I wanted to share something that happened with a client recently – because I know you will probably relate. (We all can!)

Have you heard of “ultra-processed foods”?   That’s the new buzzword for packaged snacks, pizza, and basically anything with a lot of added sugar, fat, salt, or other ingredients to make them tastier and more appealing.  These foods can actually trigger an addiction-like response in your brain, making you crave them.

AND … it goes without saying these foods aren’t at ALL helpful (and actually run counter) to any health or fitness goals you have.  Back to my client: She was CRUSHING her goals – exercising, drinking more water, eating clean meals, getting sun & fresh air, and she was feeling GREAT.  In fact, she even made a point to tell herself how proud she was of her actions! (LOVE THAT!)

But then every night when she finished cleaning up after dinner, she got a massive craving for those ultra-processed foods (even though she wasn’t hungry) …. and every night she gave in.  She’d been a nighttime snacker for years and it got even worse in 2020. She REALLY wanted to cut back on it but felt at a total loss for what to do.

We did some brainstorming on solutions that would work for her life and family, and we came up with an idea that might work for you.  It’s something I’ve recommended to a LOT of clients.

She changed up her evening habits to help her break the snacking cycle … and she did it in a way that short-circuited the “nighttime snacking” habit she wanted to get rid of.  For her, that meant tackling a home organization project and then going to bed early – and staying away from the couch and the TV (the trigger), which is where the snacking always happened.

This is a really great idea because it removed the automatic cue (TV + couch) to grab those junk foods.  And it worked! The first couple of nights she thought about snacking, but then she got busy with her project.  Sometimes in order to break a habit loop, you have to (at least temporarily) remove the triggers that cause the habit to happen.

It’s a great tip straight out of the book Atomic Habits by James Clear.  Think about how you can apply this in your OWN life. 

Do you have a time of day when it’s harder to meet your nutritional goals? You don’t always have to rely on willpower – a little brainstorming can help you find a solution that’s a LOT easier!

If you want expert guidance with this in your own life …. this is one of the things we do best!  A few simple tweaks can lead to GIANT results. 

Rob is the owner and founder of Fitness Lifestyle Personal Training.

He has been training for over thirty-three years; seventeen of those years as a personal trainer helping others reach their goals.