My 4 Nutrition Tips That Might Surprise You: Part 2

I know you want a list of foods to eat. Maybe you want what the media has “fed” you: a list of “eat this” “not that?” Maybe you thought I’d give you a list of foods with the least amount of calories. Are you stuck thinking some foods are better at helping you maintain – or shed some of - your body weight?I continue my campaign to help you avoid falling victim to what the media wants you to believe. They test their marketing messages and practices by spending billions of dollars on your spending patterns. “Eliminate this food group to lose weight,” “this food will help increase your metabolism”... “low carb _____” Sound familiar?How have these things worked for you in the past?  Read on to find out how I’ve turned my food approach for me and Alexandria Wellness clients’ into just one part of my wellness – and one that feels good and fuels my body and my life for all I want from it.If you have read any of my posts for the past seven years, my approach is different. My approach doesn’t subscribe to “deprivation dieting.” My program cherishes your love of you, your body, and the food you choose. Yet, even more, a new way to think about caring for you and your wellness.So here they are. Below are two of the four and next week’s tips will surprise you even more! Stay tuned.These are two of the four nutrition tips I live by and that have helped my concierge clients find their anchor with their food choices. 1. Eat mindfully.

  • • I constantly say, even to myself - as I can often find myself eating while computing - "Eat when you eat, work when you work. -Adrien Cotton"
  • • The brain is not a supercomputer. It can only do one thing well at a time. When you eat mindfully, you will also be more thoughtful about how full you really are. You will better focus on thoroughly chewing your food, a phenomenon that is not talked about much yet a big problem… especially among busy women.
  • • When you eat mindfully, you are not working, not reading, not really doing anything but eating. Tough, I know… I pretty much fail at this most days and feel it 100 percent of the time in my bloated belly.
  • • When eating mindfully, you can think about the food choices you are making and how they will fuel your beautiful body, giving you the energy you need to get through your busy day.
  • • We bloat less, we digest our food more thoroughly, and we know when we are full!

  2. Three Squares

  • • If you enjoy, and most women do, breakfast, lunch, and dinner, my philosophy, based on real hard science, salutes you. So eat the three meals. Stop fretting about Intermittent Fasting. If it is for you, you will know. Or sign up for my newsletter to learn about my online program, where I’ll talk much more in depth about the variety of programs out there.
  • • If you eat three meals, then eat Three Squares. Do not snack. The brain likes to do one thing at a time. When we snack, we interrupt the digestion process of the meal we ate previously. It takes the body over four hours, closer actually to six, to digest a meal. When it is digesting your lunch, the 3pm afternoon snack is an interruption to a very important process and can cause all kinds of challenges, like bloat and gas. 😞 Give it the time. You are not hungry. You are craving. See point about why above 😉
  • • Craving a snack? Go for a short walk instead, change a load of laundry if you’re at home, call a friend. Take your mind away from it.

  Stay tuned for next week’s last two nutrition tips – plus a bonus tip that will blow your mind. Sign up for our newsletter and get a free 5 Minute Flow and weekly emails with tools and strategies to be your best. 

Adrien Cotton

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ADRIEN COTTON believes the greatest gift you can give to yourself is the gift of wellness.

After serving in high-leverage professional roles, including being one of the youngest Communications Directors in the US House of Representatives, Adrien pivoted her career focus to helping clients capture their strength in all areas of life. An accomplished speaker, entrepreneur, corporate wellness educator, menopause expert, and wellness coach, Adrien has proven success in designing and implementing innovative wellness programs. 

With a Master’s in Public Policy from Georgetown University, Adrien sharpened her professional skills by working with individuals from all walks of life. This unique background allows her to tailor her services for each and every client, with optimization and long-lasting success as the goal. Her effectiveness is rooted in a solid foundation of growth-oriented principles, a proven history of helping clients transform their lives, and a deep level of relatability gained from her personal wellness journey.

Since founding her wellness enterprise, Adrien leverages her fitness and wellness background to guide people from a state of giving up to a place of proactive self-care. Her work extends beyond nutrition and exercise, emphasizing lifestyle and high-impact areas of focus visually represented in her Wellness Wheel. Incorporating strategies in stress resilience, sleep, calendar management, mindfulness, and menopause, she’s helped transform hundreds of lives.

Adrien is living her mission to support clients in shifting their mindsets and helping them leverage small habits that yield lasting results.

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