Self-employment is on the rise, even in times of unemployment. Many dietitians know early on in their education that they’ll open a private practice, providing nutrition counseling outside of traditional healthcare settings.

Some of us may be basking in the middle of the holiday season, but others may be thinking ahead to the new year.

As we push forward and set goals for the new year, we may reflect and take stock of the past year. If this year was a tough one, spend some time dissecting the root of those troubles. Making improvements in those areas are a great way to set meaningful new year resolutions. 

If you can't drill down to specifics, or if this year went pretty well for you, don't give up on us just yet. In today's post, I have 3 things you may consider in your new year resolutions, and you may not have thought of them before. 

Whether you've never taken the RD exam or if you're quite familiar with it, these 10 tips will help you keep your nerves and take advantage of the hard work you've put in so far. 

Often when people think about getting in shape, they turn to cardio fitness. They think - if I run more, I'll lose weight. This strategy falls short in several ways - the most common cardio activities, such as running or jogging, are pretty tough on the joints, and upping your cardio leads to fat loss, but no muscle gain. Muscle is the Midas gold of exercise - the more muscle you have, the more calories you burn (even when you're not working out). 

Over the past few years, you  may have heard "sitting is the new smoking". And what makes sitting even worse? Poor posture. Staring at your phone or computer can give you tech neck, leads to rounding of the upper back and shoulders, and weakened abdominal and back muscles. The answer? Core strengthening! 

Whether you have a exercise regime in place and are looking for new activities to spice it up, or want to jump right in, we'll talk about several activities that are not only great to strengthen your torso muscles, but fun, too. 

Active learning techniques utilize different brain pathways to consolidate information efficiently and effectively. 

I often talk about studying for the RD exam, and I'll use it as an example in this post, but active learning techniques can be used at every stage of school and life.

The figure below shows the movement of information from resources like textbooks and study guides, to your typical type of notes, but then we go a step further with active learning. I talk about these in my post Study Tips for the RD Exam so head over there for a more in-depth description. But for now, we're going to talk about these active learning techniques in the context of studying overall. 

I've been meaning to write this post for awhile, as most of my workouts are outdoors, at a local park, with my dog! 

Jogging, walking, and hiking are great cardio activities and combine the beauty of the outdoors with improving your heart health. (Did you know even 10 minutes of continuous aerobic activity can improve your cardiovascular fitness? So get that lunchtime walk in!) 

Colleagues often talk about how bad they feel about staying indoors, working, on a beautiful day. Not only does enjoying the fresh air and being in the moment make you feel centered, but pining away looking out the window can do the opposite. 

Photo by Alison Marras on Unsplash

Disclaimer: This review was written in exchange for a free 1 week trial of GreenBlender, a service that provides home-delivery smoothie ingredients. The links in this post are "affiliate links", which means if you subscribe to GreenBlender via one of my links, or use one of my coupons, I will receive a small amount of compensation. If you have any questions, please let me know! Affiliate links in this post are "GreenBlender" and are bolded. 

Hey there! I hope you had a very happy holiday season. With the New Year upon us, many will be making New Years Resolutions about their health - whether joining a gym, starting a new diet plan like Paleo, raw, or Whole30, or starting an at-home fitness regimen like P90x. 

Some people poo-poo on New Years Resolutions, but some are the jumpstart you need to launch yourself into a healthier you. This post isn't about New Years Resolutions or goal setting - it's about my experience with Diet-to-Go. 

If you're thinking up some goals come January 1st, I encourage you to read up on my previous post regarding setting SMART goals and the stages of change. 

This post isn't about a particular food tracker. I was using a mobile app and was actually a huge fan. This post is about my experience with food tracking overall. 

Everyone is different in their eating habits, and not surprisingly, people respond differently to getting a grip on their eating habits. 

Note that I said eating habits and not preferences. When I say eating habits I mean:

• Doesn't like to eat in the morning 
• Tends to be hungrier certain times of day
• Forgets to eat when stressed
• Overeats when stressed
• Feels better/worse when eating mostly carbohydrates
• Feels better/worse when eating mostly protein
• Specific food rules
• etc.

This long list is one of the many reasons there are so many "dieting" options out there, but also why so many one-size-fits-most don't always work. For example, I have more than a few friends who's stomach would really prefer they stay away from meat. But I exclaim, that's how I feel about carbohydrates! Others can't stomach the idea of eating first thing in the morning. For me, it's a must! And then I'm usually done with the whole eating thing around 4pm. 

Alright, so I want to tell you guys about a kickstarter I've consulted with a bit in the past few months (gratis, no worries, not a shareholder). 

Their idea is so simple it's genius, and as a dietitian I'm going to tell you, that estimating portion sizes just doesn't work (remember my blog post on simple changes to make in the kitchen?)

From a husband and wife dynamic duo, a marathon running nurse and a guy who dropped some serious pesos, I present to you: MugDiet. ​

Their rationale? Those lean cuisine type meals typically come in around 300 calories. That's barely enough for me, let alone a bigger dude trying to lose weight as well. 

You plug in your stats and you get a different mug size then Joe Schmo next to you on the subway. What about when you lose weight? How do you keep on with MugDiet and your goals? No worries - you can trade in your MugDiet for your new size. ​

Check out their site for more info. I've worked with them to make the science easy to understand with easy flow. 2 pages on their site is all you need before you click over to their Kickstarter page. www.mugdiet.com 

I'd love to answer any questions you have. Hit me up in the comments!

​Bailey

Did my title hook you in? Good! Now don't worry...this post is in fact about running for beginners, but more of a tell-all of my experience (second time around!) and my tips and tricks. I'll link you up to some great programs that I have used and highly recommend, as well as some products I've found to be super helpful.

This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase an item through my link, I get a small compensation, which supports the fitness and health messages I love sharing. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me.

I'm not a big fan of the dreadmill, but no judgment if that's your gig. My go-to necessities are geared towards outdoor runners, and my program and app recommendations are geared towards beginners. 

Every method out there to help you eat healthy serves a certain purpose. However, your approach to eating and fitness dictates which purposes you need to employ in the first place. 

Methods for an "eat to live" person will be very different than those for a "live to eat" person. Similarly, if you struggle with cravings, your best approach likely won't work well for someone who struggles with feeling hungry all of the time. 

Today I'd like to share with you 3 simple changes I have made in the kitchen.

Did you open this post thinking it was going to be another bouncy six-pack twenty-something sharing her early morning 10-minute workout? So sorry if I disappointed you. 

Perhaps I should have titled it "how to stay sane while trying to stay fit in grad school". The school gym isn't very far from me - but it's not very close either. I've heard there's showers in the basement of the school - maybe I could go for a run in between classes (in the southern heat) like the girl I see everyday at lunch. PS I'm pretty sure shes running to and from her Athleta (Lulu Lemon, Fabletics) photo shoot. 

​So what am I going to talk to you about then?

I'd like to share the conversations (arguments?) that go through my head at least weekly, if not daily as they pertain to academics, wellness, social life, and literally just maintaining function. 

Since being recognized as a Top 100 Weight Loss Blog, I find my thoughts meandering back to this side of the site more and more often. The truth is, I'm going through the same weight loss and fitness battle that you are. And yeah, I'm a dietitian. I know what I should be eating. I even know the science behind it. And I'm a certified trainer. I know how much and what type of exercise I should be doing. 

But I'm also human. I found myself in this slump because I didn't recognize the role my job as a personal trainer played in my wellness. I didn't realize how key it was to maintaining the fit persona that became so intertwined with my identity that I still feel like that fitbunny at the gym - until I look in the mirror. 

I understand how my past clients saw me. A perky, 18 year old college student ready to help them down the road to success, but without a clue what it was like to have your thighs rub holes in your jeans, to not recognize yourself in the mirror, or to try to fit beautiful curvy hips in a dress. But I have a clue now. ​

Cravings seem to take two forms with most of us. 

For some, Cravings is that friend from high school that is a whole lot of fun to go out and party with. She comes into town, calls you up, and part of you is excited, but the responsible part of you is tugging at your shirt. You know it will be a great time if you go...but that you'll probably regret it in the morning. You give in and you go, and you indulge all night long. Waking up in the morning, your head is pounding and you think "That night was not worth what I'm feeling now."

For others, Cravings is a different type of friend from high school. You see her around town every once in awhile, and it seems like her life is just like yours. Every month or so you meet for lunch, and chat pleasantly about whats new and reminsce on old times. As you're driving away, you let out a breath and think "I had a really nice time. That was great." And that good feeling holds you until next time. 

The old nutrition mantra "Calories in, calories out" is losing ground everyday. On the flipside, "You are what you eat" is gaining support, but probably not how you think. ​

POST UPDATED 11/8/2017

Are you midway through your dietetic internship and starting to worry about the RDN exam? Or maybe you're a few years out from your internship and are trying to brush up on material? I have devoted time, space, and energy to including information on the Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN) Exam on my website through posts, study materials, and tips. I get comments and emails with questions, and wanted to provide a place for you to reach out to me and ask comments in one spot. 

Learn about my Study Smarter Method for the RD exam to revamp your study strategy. 

I have answered FAQ below. If you have a question about my experience prepping, studying, or taking the exam, please leave a comment on this post. 

Has your school or place of work ever done a "stairs" contest where everyone commits to skipping the elevator and taking the stairs instead? I know that I typically feel better when I make that choice, but sometimes its daunting and simply the last thing I want to do.

This group in Stockholm, Sweden took it a step further! They hypothesized: would people choose the stairs over the elevators if it was fun?

Watch and find out!

Do you know of similar events? Post below!

-Bailey