How far from your optimal athletic self are you? What if the distance between you and your ideal self was measured in daily habits?
At MyFitFoods we believe our behaviors constitute the majority of our outcomes. We all have goals, we’re humans, and we innately strive to be better. We’re proud to help people achieve their fitness goals through education, lifestyle, healthy food and genuine care.
By developing healthy daily habits focused on hydration, nutrition, exercise, and rest we build a solid base for the realization of our better selves.
The MyFitFoods Moral: It's time to start creating better daily habits and it's never too late to reclaim health.
What's holding you back?
As a Trainer…
The most common things I heard from new clients were:
"I'm too old."
"My genetics stink."
And after years of hearing these excuses, my response and observation remained the same:
99.9% of the time, being overweight is related to your daily habits and behaviors.
This response may feel abrupt, even callous, but there’s nothing more empowering than this fact. If we address behaviors, we put you behind the wheel of your health journey. If habits are limiting your potential, that’s great news—because habits can change.
Every day, we make choices that determine whether we burn fat or store fat. Below we’ll explore how these fat-burn or fat-store switches are engaged, what triggers them, and the best ways to keep you in fat-burn-muscle-gain mode all day long!
Weight Gain 101
As our FitTip readers know, there are very few one-size-fits-all statements when it comes to health and nutrition. But here’s one maxim you can take to the food bank:
Weight gain happens when you consume more calories than you burn.
More great news – because the inverse must also be true:
When you burn more calories than you consume, you will lose weight.
Easier said than done, we know. Nevertheless, this is our north star. When we get blown off course, as we all do, this is the anchor we can always return to.
Lets talk about the daily habits that keep us focused on this north star, because these are doable.
Daily Habit 1: Water
Our bodies are 70% water, our brains 80%. Water is essential for thinking clearly, feeling good, and activating fundamental fat-burning and muscle-building processes like metabolism. No living creature can survive without it—there is no substitute. Coffee is not water. Soda is not water.
The You That Wins with Water
One version of you wakes up recognizing that sleep naturally leaves you dehydrated in the morning. Your first habit? Water. This is the first win of the day. Starting with water may seem like a minor habit, but it sets the tone for a strong foundation.
Drinking water first thing in the morning will:
Boost metabolism
Improve digestion
Enhance energy
As highlighted in our Water Before Coffee FitTip, delaying caffeine intake for 90 minutes and prioritizing water first will have big impacts on the day!
The Other You
You wake up feeling groggy and immediately reach for that very tempting cup of coffee. What's the big deal? Coffee first thing pours more cortisol on top of already elevated natural levels, leading to a cortisol overload. Elevated cortisol can:
Increase fat storage
Slow metabolism
Boost appetite
To make matters worse, let’s say this version of you adds creamer and sugar to your coffee. Now, the body is instantly switched into fat-storage-muscle-loss mode. By introducing sugar into your bloodstream so early, you've set yourself up for a temporary spike and an inevitable crash.
This destabilization will bring:
Lethargy
Decreased energy
More sugar cravings
Which one will you be?
By letting water be an easy win you've already made the choice towards pursuing healthy daily habits. Keep water nearby all day long and fuel your best self with plenty of it. There is no substitute.
Daily Habit 2: Eating
This is a big one. When we nail proper eating along with plenty of water, we’ve conquered more than half the battle. If clean, consistent eating is a challenge—as it is for many—MyFitFoods is here to help. Our meals are delicious, affordable, and packed with the nutrients needed to fuel awesome days.
If there is a version of you who doesn't think healthy food can be incredibly tasty, we dare you to visit one of our locations and see for yourself!
The You Who Knows
We’ve all heard that breakfast is the most important meal of the day—and this version of you knows why. Prioritizing a protein-rich, healthy fats and quality carbs breakfast sets the day up for success by:
Satiating hunger, reducing cravings later in the day
Stabilizing and increasing energy levels
Regulating blood sugar
Supporting muscle maintenance and growth
Say hello to fat-burn-muscle-growth activation. By starting the morning with a meal like our protein-packed Beast Mode Breakfast, you can say goodbye to afternoon crashes and junk food cravings. This is not an exaggeration—give it a try!
The You Who Doesn't Know
Now, let’s look at the other version of you—the one who just finished that sugary coffee and isn’t feeling hungry due to the temporary sugar spike that tricked your body into feeling satiated. Instead of a well-balanced meal, you grab a convenience store "breakfast" on the way to work: fruit juice and a granola bar. These products are marketed as healthy…
They're not.
Starting the day with refined carbs and sugar immediately shifts the body into fat-storage mode for hours. But don’t just take our word for it:
"Many commercial granola bars are laden with added sugars and refined carbohydrates, categorized as simple carbs. When consumed, these quickly elevate blood sugar levels, causing a rapid insulin response. This sudden spike and subsequent drop in blood sugar can contribute to feelings of fatigue and increased cravings for more sugary snacks." (1)
By reaching for this low-hanging breakfast, energy levels and appetite become unstable, and now the body is locked out of fat-burning mode for the first half of the day.
A Fork in the Road
The decisions made within the first few hours directly influence whether your body is in a fat-burning or fat-storing mode for a large portion of the day.
If a poor routine sounds familiar, don’t stress—these are straightforward (albeit not easy!) changes that can be made. Within the first hours of the day, we can build daily habits that facilitate energy and focus. Because we’re going to need it.
Daily Habit 3: Activity
Just 2.5 hours of exercise per week can lower all-cause mortality by over 20% (2). Movement is non-negotiable—but it can take on many forms.
As a personal trainer for over a decade, I advised my clients to never go more than two hours without some kind of physical movement. Many of us work in office environments, but a sedentary job doesn’t have to mean a sedentary life.
You Move
This version of you understands the importance of movement and finds opportunities to stay active despite a busy schedule.
You wake up and take a short walk after your Beast Mode Breakfast. A brief walk after each meal helps regulate blood sugar and aids digestion—a benefit proven in studies showing that even a two-minute walk after eating can regulate blood sugar.
You fit in a 30-minute walk at lunch, covering roughly one mile or 2,000 steps. It may not sound like much, but it’s enough to keep the fat-burn switch engaged.
If you’re still skeptical, our FitFam member John demonstrated that steps can change lives.
"In this cohort study of US adults, the number of days per week taking 8,000 steps or more was associated with a lower risk of all-cause and cardiovascular mortality. These findings suggest that individuals may receive substantial health benefits by walking just a couple of days a week." (3)
You Don’t (Move)
Now, let’s look at the other version of you—the one running on a granola bar and fruit juice. Energy levels spiked and are now crashing, and as a result, it's hard to get motivated for even just a 15-minute walk around the block… sound familiar?
By not prioritizing daily movement, the body remains in fat-storage mode the result of which produces many short-term effects:
Slower metabolism – fewer calories burned, leading to increased fat storage
Weight gain 101 – remember, all its takes if for calories consumed to exceed calories burned
Blood sugar regulation – glucose builds up in the bloodstream instead of being used by muscles during activity
Loss of muscle and bone strength – if you don’t use it, you lose it
Beyond daily habits, the long-term impact of an inactive lifestyle can lead to a myriad of chronic illnesses and diseases.
Two Paths, One Choice
In time we will graduate from walking, to running, jumping and moving in fun and dynamic ways. Movement doesn’t need to be complicated. It just needs to happen. Even small, consistent actions can keep the body in fat-burning mode and set the stage for long-term health.
The choice is yours.
Daily Habit 4: Rest and Recovery
Just like staying hydrated, prioritizing rest is an easy win.
For the version of you that ate well, worked hard, stayed focused, and exercised, ending the day strong won’t be complicated, you're tired anyway. By avoiding food too close to bedtime, your circadian rhythm and biological processes will work in your favor, setting you up for restorative sleep.
As expanded on in this FitTip, avoiding food for 3–5 hours before bed facilitates:
Improved sleep duration and quality by keeping the circadian rhythm undisturbed
Enhanced overall wellness as the body focuses on recovery instead of digestion
A natural spike in human growth hormone (HGH), fueling recovery, muscle growth, and fat burning
Decreased resting heart rate and increased heart rate variability (HRV)
Getting quality sleep also plays a key role in regulating hunger and appetite hormones.
A well-rested body is better equipped for weight management, ensuring you don’t flip the fat-storage switch before bed or during the night.
The You That Meets Paco
Now, let’s look at the other version of you—the one that's “starving” by dinner. This day has been a rollercoaster of energy spikes and crashes, fueled by chasing that illusive white dragon, sugar. And it all started with that dang sugary coffee and granola bar.
Without exercise to help process glucose, fat-storage mechanisms remain engaged in an inactive body. Then my personal nemesis, Paco, the late-night hunger monster comes knocking, and you snack right up until bed.
Late-night eating flips the fat-storage-muscle-loss switch all night long and robs you of restorative sleep. Here’s how:
Circadian rhythm confusion – eating late signals "go time" when the body should be winding down
Blood sugar spike – the pancreas stops producing insulin to regulate blood sugar once melatonin is released in the evening
Disrupted sleep– higher chances of waking up due to bathroom trips, heartburn, indigestion and more sugar crashes
Slowed metabolism – metabolic rate drops by about 15% at night
Reduced HGH release – high blood sugar blocks the natural spike of human growth hormone
Increased heart rate, not allowing your cardio system to rest
How to Improve Sleep Quality
Beyond avoiding meals before bed, other simple ways to optimize sleep include:
Avoiding screens and blue light stimuli at least one hour before bed
Keeping your sleep space dark, cool, and quiet
Sticking to a consistent sleep schedule to support your circadian rhythm
Drinking rooibos tea which helps relax ones body
Supplementing with magnesium towards the end of the day
Take 20 min to slowly stretch out your body
Tomorrow is a Win Before it Begins
The quality of sleep tonight directly shapes your mood and energy tomorrow. By stacking good daily habits—including deep sleep—you can set yourself up for success before tomorrow even starts…
Give yourself a high five, you just got better. And that's what its all about.
Which You will You be today?
Your daily habits and behaviors significantly shape your current state, much more than genetics or age do.
Every day is filled with countless small decisions, each influencing the larger picture of your health and well-being. When we acknowledge how these seemingly minor choices—what we eat, how we move, when we rest—directly affect our long-term goals, we gain the power to build better habits with purpose and intention.
By making simple changes to our daily habits and behaviors, we have the knowledge and resources to turn every fat-storing day into a fat-burning one.
Consider letting MyFitFoods help you get the party started: Our 21-Day Challenge is a proven way to help build the foundation for a new, healthier life. Let us take care of the meals, while you focus on moving, drinking water, and getting rest.
The first weeks of any big change are often the hardest—but you don’t have to go it alone. MyFitFoods is here to help!
