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Good morning! Thank you all for your sweet comments on my earlier post. I wasn’t sure if any of you could tell at all but it’s nice to know it was a surprise!

So, lately I’ve been all about challenging the normal “routine.” I posted about this on Instagram earlier this week. This notion about challenging your normal “go-to” food choices.

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Generally, routines are a good thing, right? They’re comfortable. They are easy to fall back on and plan for.

But, while they can do great things for us when we’re in our home environment, what happens when we’re traveling or the environment doesn’t allow our routine?

To be able to tackle these situations and go about our day without it ruining it, flexibility is key.

Sometimes, we get so stuck in our routines that we don’t look beyond the telescope. We have total tunnel vision, where even if that food doesn’t sound good, we’re eating it because it’s what we’re “supposed to eat”, or it’s “just what we do.”

When my clients have certain fear foods that they’re afraid of including, we talk about including them. Slowly.

What’s a safe and fun way we can add a little bit? It takes time, but the only way to move beyond our “safe” foods is to include new foods.

Maybe, it’s chocolate in the morning. Maybe we can add a few chocolate chips to oatmeal or pancakes.

Or maybe it’s bacon. And we can add a few bits to scrambled eggs or omelets. It doesn’t have to be over the top, but just something different. To build confidence. To build autonomy in your food choices.

Because the truth of the matter is, you’re a person who may have different food needs and wants every day.

Some days you’ll need more, some days you’ll need less. Some days you’ll need heavier meals, or more snacks, and other days maybe less snacks.

It really doesn’t matter because every day is different.

Which is why having this food flexibility, and giving yourself permission to eat outside of the normal “routine” time or food can earn trust from your body.

You could be doing yourself a disservice by eating oatmeal every morning because it’s easy. What if you really want pancakes or eggs?

Or, maybe you had a tougher workout the night before and you need more protein, but you have an early morning? Maybe a protein shake would be a good, portable choice for you.

There’s no set rules.

You can have pizza for breakfast as far as I’m concerned if that’s going to help you feel less restricted.

I want to make sure my clients are making decisions based on what they want, not what they “think” they should eat.

You choose food autonomy when you don’t choose the lowest calorie option. When you choose what will be most satisfying for you.

Intuitive Eating is never achieved. And it’s not something you can only accomplish one meal a day. It can always be there, when you’re open to it.

Breakfast is a great place to start if you’re stuck in your routine.

Easy ideas to change it up

Grab breakfast with a friend and DON’T look at the menu beforehand. Let her pick the place!

Don’t fix your breakfast the night before – make it in the morning based on what you really want.

Try a higher protein vs a higher carbohydrate breakfast and see which makes you feel better.

I’m not saying to abandon a routine if it works for you. Routines can be great for everyone and can instill healthy habits, which for many of my clients = success.

But, if you’re working towards intuitive eating, know that it could be a good thing for you to try something different depending on the day.

Do you have a strict go to routine, or does it vary depending on the day?