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a day in the life of a nutrition coach (and part-time librarian)



I’m always interested in how other people live their day-to-day lives behind the scenes, so I thought I’d share what I do. There’s nothing earth-shattering about it, just a series of small habits strung together throughout the day. Here's what a typical day looks like for me:

5:00 wake up. I get dressed and drink a glass of water while my coffee is brewing. I used to add all sorts of things to my coffee, like collagen, turmeric, and cinnamon, but since I've been clean-fasting the last two years, to avoid any insulin response, I drink it black.

While I drink my coffee, I stretch a bit, look at my plan for the day, fill my water bottle, and read for a few minutes. On the weekends, when I have more time, I like to journal and then read for a longer time.

After about a half a cup, I go for a run or walk for 30-45 minutes. After a long hiatus due to foot and knee issues, I am trying to implement a little bit of running each day. This is when I listen to my favorite podcasts and check out what's new in nutrition and fitness.

After that I get ready for work and off I go to the school library!  I'm on my feet for most of the day and when I'm sitting, I use a wobbly chair to help keep me upright and mobile.  (I'm really just an overgrown child with ants in my pants!) It's pretty easy for me to get my 10,000 steps in that way.

I don't usually eat much at work.  Instead, I drink another cup of coffee (ok, I may have a problem!), and lots of water--bubbly and otherwise. I bring a few snacks, like nuts or beef sticks, in case I get really hungry, but usually I’ll wait until I get home to eat.

After work is when I have my first big meal--sometime between 1:00 and 3:00, depending on the day.  It's usually something like chicken or beef from the night before, some Greek yogurt or cottage cheese, and some veggies.  If I don't have any leftovers, I'll eat a can of tuna or salmon or hard-boiled eggs that I cooked on the weekend.  

I'll do some weight training after my lunch (Caroline Girvan on YouTube has my favorite workouts) then sit down to work on my blog or reading.  (Sometimes this is also when you'll find me snoozing on the couch.  Sleep is a priority, after all!)

Around 5:00 I'll make dinner so that we're done by 6:00. (I try not to eat anything within three hours of bedtime.) Dinner is usually some sort of meat, a vegetable like broccoli or cauliflower, maybe some cottage cheese or egg salad, and fruit for dessert.  

When it's not too hot out, my husband and I will take a short walk around the neighborhood after dinner. When it's 100 and stupid degrees, like it has been this whole endless summer, we might paddle around the pool for a while instead. If I didn't get my weight training in earlier, this is when it happens.

Then it's time to veg for a while with a book or a show. When it's cooler, I’ll have a cup of tea, which keeps me from snacking. One of my newest habits is to stretch for 20 minutes in the evening. It has made a world of difference in my ability to start running again, and often serves as my meditation time, as well.

By 8:30 or 9:00, I'm getting ready for bed so I can get my eight hours in. I’ll set up the coffee pot, put out my workout clothes, brush my teeth and wash my face. I have a one-sentence journal that I write in each night, and I love looking back on the years past to see what we were doing on that date. If I'm not quite sleepy enough, I might read for a while, but that's usually not a problem!

So there's my day. It's not perfect, by any means, but it works for me. It’s evolved over the years, and it's a constant work in progress. When my kids were younger it looked much different, and during the summer it’s much more relaxed (though still the basic routine). I’d love to hear if you have some of the same habits and if there are other things that work for you, so please leave a comment or email me at the link below. 



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