Nutrition Made Simple Podcast Episode 3: Healthy Steps Nutrition Framework: Support

Nicole Aucoin (00:05):
Welcome back to the Nutrition Made Simple podcast. At Healthy Steps Nutrition, we believe something as fundamental as nutrition shouldn’t be complicated, which is why we focus on a simple habit-based approach when working with clients. I’m your host, Nicole Aucoin, registered dietitian and founder of Healthy Steps Nutrition, CrossFit HSN, and HSN Mentoring. I’m also the author of the Healthy Kids Cookbook, 100% kid-approved recipes for the whole family. You can find that on Amazon.

Nicole Aucoin (00:37):
In this brand new podcast, I will be teaching you how to take one step at a time to become the healthiest version of yourself. Today, Ashley Osterman and I discuss the second pillar of the Healthy Steps Nutrition framework. When I take a look at the most important thing to help clients stay on track, it comes down to two things: having a plan and having the support system around you. In this episode, Ashley and I are going to take a deep dive into why support is vital for long-term success when creating a healthy lifestyle. If you are trying to lose weight, you don’t need a restricted diet. You really need a healthy lifestyle filled with habits and a support system around you to help you stay on track. We will get to this episode right after this message.

Nicole Aucoin (01:31):
Our mission is to empower 4,000 people this month in January to ditch the all-or-nothing mentality and take control of their health one step at a time by listening to this podcast. Do you know someone that’s looking to lose weight? We would love for you to share this podcast with them. You never know who could use some words of encouragement. Take a screenshot of this episode, post it on your social media, and don’t forget to tag @HealthyStepsNutrition so your friends can find this awesome free help. Also, please don’t forget to subscribe to this podcast. Enjoy this episode on support system.

Nicole Aucoin (02:14):
Ashley Osterman, welcome back to the Nutrition Made Simple podcast.

Ashley Osterman (02:18):
Thank you so much for having me, Nicole. Always a pleasure.

Nicole Aucoin (02:21):
Last week, we touched the surface on the first pillar in the Healthy Steps Nutrition framework, which is nutrition. But this week, we are talking about one of the most influential pieces that’s overlooked.

Ashley Osterman (02:35):
Yeah. It’s so important when we’re thinking about our goals and reaching those health and wellness milestones is who is there supporting us? One of the reasons that so many people fail their diets longterm is they don’t have the support systems that they need. Right? They don’t have that accountability and that support that you need to help you along the path because let’s be real. It’s not always a straight line. Of course not. There’s things that happen. There’s life that happens. But if you’re constantly tempted, eventually you’re going to give in.

Nicole Aucoin (03:11):
Absolutely.

Ashley Osterman (03:13):
Nutrition coaches are there to be the support system. Absolutely. That’s one person that’s there to support, but you have to have support beyond just a nutrition coach. And that’s why, honestly, I love CrossFit because you’re plugging yourself into a community of people that is there to support you, not just support themselves.

Nicole Aucoin (03:32):
Absolutely. It’s such an important piece of it because it’s a huge family community support system. Just the other day in one of the classes, everyone stood around and cheered until the last group got their workout done. Of course. That’s part of the community and CrossFit, and that’s what I love about our gym at Healthy Steps Nutrition and CrossFit HSN.

Nicole Aucoin (03:53):
I want to share a story first, so one of our nutrition clients who’s been working with us for a year and a half, he has quite a bit of weight to lose and he came in at one point, and he said, “Nicole, I’ve hit a plateau.” I was like, “You did not hit a plateau. Something’s going on where there’s not as much consistency that we would like. What’s going on? What barriers do you see?” And one of the things that he had mentioned was that him and his wife go out to eat often, and they are drinking on the weekends and just one thing turns into another, and the support system that he has around him wasn’t as positive as he really needed to achieve the results that he is looking to achieve.

Ashley Osterman (04:39):
Yep.

Nicole Aucoin (04:40):
So we talked about it, and I said, “We need to have a conversation. You need to have a conversation with your wife about your why.” And they ended up having a conversation. She ended up jumping on board with healthy habits, and then it became kind of a competition between the two of them. Like who’s going to do better? Who’s going to, and sometimes, that competition … My husband and I do it all the time, is good for you, and it helps keep you on track. But the cool thing was is he, quote-unquote hit this plateau. He wasn’t making very much change, but the next month he had made the biggest difference in his progress in over 18 months from having his wife on board, and they were able to be more consistent with their nutrition.

Ashley Osterman (05:21):
Such an amazing story. That built-in support system, that built-in accountability, outside nutrition coaching, when it’s a positive one is just going to do leaps and bounds for a client with reaching their goals. When it comes to working with kids, I’ve seen this several times in working with families and kids, where we have a child who comes in that wants to get healthier and start maintaining healthy habits. And we know that with children, the support system is the parents or caregiver. They’re the ones who are going to be implementing the plan, ensuring that the plan is being followed, so we need to have them on board as well.

Ashley Osterman (05:59):
And one of the really cool things that I find when working with kids and families is that by helping them dial in their nutrition and get these healthy habits started, the whole family starts to do these healthy habits and make these changes. And when I’m celebrating success with my clients, I’m often celebrating success with their family members who are also seeing that positive change because they’re all there supporting each other and keeping each other accountable. Especially when working with kids-

Nicole Aucoin (06:30):
Especially-

Ashley Osterman (06:31):
This is so important because what can’t happen is, “Oh, Susie, you can’t have this, but your brother can.”

Nicole Aucoin (06:37):
Oh, yeah.

Ashley Osterman (06:37):
Or, “You have to have a special dinner, and we’re going to have this other thing.” Like that’s not fair and that’s not creating and fostering a positive relationship with food at a young age. So getting everyone on board with healthy habits, even if … We have some pediatricians that refer clients to us. A lot of them have high triglyceride levels. They have fatty livers coming from the food that they’re eating, and their parents don’t even realize it.

Nicole Aucoin (07:01):
Right.

Ashley Osterman (07:02):
But we start talking to them and helping everyone understand and cut through the noise with misinformation about nutrition out there, and everyone starts seeing differences. And to be honest, when we work with kids, that’s one of the screening questions that we ask before we even give parents the link to sign up for nutrition coaching for their kid. Right? It’s like, are you on board? Are you ready to make the change, too? And if they don’t say yes, then this isn’t going to be a good program for you because it’s going to be a frustrating relationship between the coach, the nutrition coach and that family.

Ashley Osterman (07:38):
Because at the end of the day, you can’t sit down with a child and help them see these amazing results. It comes from who’s doing the grocery shopping, who’s providing food to the child. Everyone has to be on board.

Nicole Aucoin (07:52):
Everyone has to be on board.

Ashley Osterman (07:53):
We see this also with our adult nutrition clients. If I have a client who isn’t doing the shopping, isn’t doing the cooking, I’m going to want to bring that significant other into the conversation and help educate them to help support their significant other on their goals.

Nicole Aucoin (08:10):
Absolutely. You know what? Having a support system is so important. And one of the things that we do with nutrition clients, a lot of times, is an inner circle inventory.

Ashley Osterman (08:18):
Yes. Taking a minute and really sitting down and thinking about who are the five people who are most close to you? Who do you spend the majority of your time with? You’re the average of those five people. You really are. And if they are not a positive influence on you, they’re weighing you down.

Nicole Aucoin (08:38):
Absolutely. And we have them use the inner circle inventory worksheet, and it kind of goes through thinking about those people and deciding, do they have a positive mindset? Do their core values align with your core values? Will they support you with their goals? And a big part of that, too, is do they understand the why behind your goals? Will they help keep you accountable? Do they have a growth mindset? And will they bring you up? Those people who score the highest on that inner circle inventory are going to be a positive influence on my clients, and I’m going to encourage them to spend more time with them, bring them closer, let them know about their goals, and the why behind them.

Nicole Aucoin (09:21):
But if those people on there aren’t scoring high on those questions, we might want to think about other people to bring closer to help keep us on track. Because when it comes down to it, with the support, you can achieve any of your goals. You have to have a positive support system. And you’re a thousand percent right. When you do that inventory, and looking at who are those five people? Are they a positive or negative influence on you? You have to be intentional with bringing those people that are positive closer. So it might look like texting someone and doing a meal prep together or asking someone to go to the gym with you or just meeting someone for coffee that can help bring you up.

Nicole Aucoin (10:08):
I heard a long time ago, if you’re the smartest one in the room, you need to leave. You need to go to a different room. Right?

Ashley Osterman (10:12):
Right.

Nicole Aucoin (10:12):
While it might be uncomfortable to not be the smartest one in the room, most of your growth will happen in that room.

Ashley Osterman (10:19):
Right.

Nicole Aucoin (10:20):
Right?

Ashley Osterman (10:20):
So plug yourself into a community that is where you want to be.

Nicole Aucoin (10:26):
Absolutely.

Ashley Osterman (10:27):
Plug yourself into people who are going to support you and are going to support your growth, no matter what aspect of your life.

Nicole Aucoin (10:37):
Personally, that’s why I love CrossFit communities so much because every single person, and I have never met another community like this besides our church … Everyone is there to support each other.

Ashley Osterman (10:50):
Yeah.

Nicole Aucoin (10:50):
We are honestly there to help each other become the best versions of ourself, and that looks like become the healthiest versions of ourselves. And if you’re thinking and you’re listening to this episode and you’re like, “Oh my gosh, I do not have that community,” you have to go out and seek it. You have to find it. That’s what, in my opinion, what sets CrossFit apart from any other type of gym.

Ashley Osterman (11:15):
Absolutely.

Nicole Aucoin (11:16):
And if you’re not involved in a gym or you’re not involved in a space where you do have that support, I encourage you to just seek it. Look online. Look for like-minded groups. I know I’ve found so many great support and accountability partners through Facebook groups, through finding people who have the same goals as me, who are like-minded, who are busy moms. Whatever that might be, look and seek it out and find those people. Even if you don’t know them in real life, sometimes a text when you have a bad day or a rough spot can be exactly what you need to know to get back on track. We have a Facebook group, Nutrition Made Simple, which is a great place to just get some different ideas of healthy meals and different strategies to help you make health a way of life.

Nicole Aucoin (12:05):
Our church has connect groups, and every single season, we’re intentional about plugging into those connect groups so we can just connect with new people and build those relationships because you have to surround yourself with positive people to help you achieve lasting results.

Ashley Osterman (12:23):
Yes. One other thing I tend to find when working with nutrition clients is if we do have people around us who might not seem to be supporting us in a positive way, take a moment to sit down and talk to them. I find that if you explain your why, explain that emotion behind what you’re doing and the path that you’re on right now and how you want to better yourself, that if a person really loves and supports you, they’re going to want to see you do good and help you succeed. Sometimes it just takes that communication with some people for them to become a positive support in your life.

Nicole Aucoin (12:58):
I love that. Sometimes you have to have those tough conversations to help people realize how important this is for you.

Ashley Osterman (13:06):
Yes, absolutely.

Nicole Aucoin (13:08):
Any final thoughts about support system before we jump off? Next week, I’m super excited, we’ll be talking about the next pillar in the Healthy Steps Nutrition framework. Any final thoughts before we jump off?

Ashley Osterman (13:18):
I really encourage and challenge all of our listeners to take a minute and do an inner circle inventory. Think about the people who surround you. Think about five people, and identify the ones that are a positive influence, and maybe even note if there are some people around you who might not be a positive influence that you can sit down and talk to and explain your goals and your why behind reaching those goals.

Nicole Aucoin (13:42):
I love it. Do that inner circle inventory. Connect with those people who are super positive. Just send a quick text. Hey, can we grab coffee? Or can we do a Zoom meeting? Just to catch up and have that positive support. Because at the end of the day, that’s what you need to achieve lasting results.

Nicole Aucoin (13:59):
Next week, we are talking all about stress management, which is such an important topic when thinking about staying on track with your nutrition. So tune in next week.

Nicole Aucoin (14:15):
Support system is vital to your success. You must be intentional with the people you surround yourself with, personally and professionally. You shouldn’t have to be alone. You really need a tribe of people who will support you. This is one of the most amazing things that I love about CrossFit. You have coaches and a community of people who are all excited to see you win. Everyone needs these people. It’s vital for your long-term success. Look at your inner circle. Who are the people that you surround yourself with? I look for the people that I spend the most time with, those five people. You have to be intentional and spend more time with people who are going to support you, people that are doing what you want to do. Positivity breeds positivity, and their behaviors are going to rub off on you.

Nicole Aucoin (15:07):
Tomorrow, we are talking about stress management and mindset. Stress management is the most important thing when you think about how to take control of your health when so much chaos is going around. So many people use food as comfort, and we really have to foster a healthy relationship with food and find an avenue to help you manage stress that doesn’t involve you just going to the pantry and the kitchen.

Nicole Aucoin (15:33):
Before we go, though, are you loving this podcast? Our mission is to empower 4,000 people this month, in January, to ditch that all-or-nothing mentality and take control of their health one step at a time by listening to this podcast. Please don’t forget to share this episode, and don’t forget to subscribe and leave a review. Thanks! See you tomorrow.