Robyn Spurr

Personal Health and Weight Loss Coaching For Women

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Eating Healthy Doesn’t Have to Be So Damn Complicated

The allure of a new diet is tempting. Starting over. Renewed hope.

Maybe this one will work.

This time I’ll stick with it.

20 pounds in 30 days!

But as the days and weeks pass, the new diet becomes overwhelming. The strict rules are frustrating. If you eat something you’re supposed to avoid, you feel guilty. If you’re at a social event flush with foods not allowed on your diet, you feel miserable and alienated.

There’s another way.

It’s not a fad. It’s not sexy. It won’t promise you rapid results. There are no foods or food groups to avoid (yay carbs!). No restrictive guidelines. It can be adapted to every social situation. And you can indulge in your favorite treats without feeling guilty on occasion.

It’s what I call The Vanilla Diet.

Plain. Simple. Uncomplicated – and delicious (in my opinion).

The Vanilla Diet generally consists of:

  • a variety of whole, minimally processed foods;
  • prioritizing fruits and vegetables;
  • including a good source of animal or plant protein with most meal;
  • a healthy mix of different fats;
  • plenty of water;
  • a variety of high-fiber “smart” carbohydrates based on activity levels;
  • eating to the point of satisfaction without getting stuffed;
  • enjoying your favorite not-super-healthy foods occasionally.

This way of eating is flexible and stress-free. It can be followed at restaurants, on vacation, at a party – anywhere.

No more obsessing. No more counting. No more cleanses. No more pencils. No more books. Sorry, I couldn’t resist.

If trying to keep up with the diet flavor of the month has left you worn out and weary, maybe it’s time to come home to the basics. Because eating healthy doesn’t have to be so damn complicated.

XO ~Robyn

I work with women who want to learn how to create real + lasting health changes. We’ll use a sustainable, practice-based approach to build healthy habits into your life, one day at a time for an entire year.

As your coach, I’ll provide accountability + direction + support every step of the way. I’ll help you stay consistent, no matter what life throws at you.

If this approach resonates with you, CLICK HERE for details on how to work together.

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The Truth About Willpower + Weight Loss

There is this belief that willpower is a finite resource.

Research done in the 90’s + early 2000’s hinted at the idea that if you use a bunch of willpower early in the day, it will become depleted. Then later in the day, you’ll make all these decisions you might not have otherwise made if your willpower tank was full.

This hasn’t exactly been debunked, but what’s true (based on what we know today) is that willpower is a finite resource or something that strengthens with practice depending on WHAT YOU BELIEVE.

Say what?

If you believe willpower is a finite resource, then it will be for you.

But if you believe willpower is muscle that strengthens, not weakens with use – then you will actually have MORE willpower after exercising it.

Ah – the mind twisting science of psychology.

But to be perfectly honest – willpower is irrelevant in behavior change.

White knuckling your way to a lifestyle change doesn’t work. You just get good at white knuckling (dieting) and saying screw it.

Changing our lifestyle is a lot like learning to play guitar (or golf or piano). We have to build up our skills (reading music, tuning a guitar, reading tabs and chords, etc.) before we can rock out a Jimi Hendrix solo.

If we want to lose weight + keep it off, we need basic skills like tuning into our hunger signals, planning and prepping, eating slowly, etc.

Starting another restrictive diet is a lot like picking up a guitar and trying to play it like a pro. It wastes a bunch of time and energy and gets you nowhere.

The next time you find yourself thinking…

“But I want to lose weight quickly!”

…ask yourself how long it might take you become a decent guitar player – or golfer.

Practice leads to skills and skills lead to achieving goals.

XO ~Robyn

To learn more about Private Weight Loss Coaching, click HERE.

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Give In Or Discipline?

We all feel like giving up sometimes. What a relief it would be to not do the thing we’re supposed to do. To skip the workout. Call in sick. Eat all the things. Say, “eff it,” or, “it doesn’t really matter.” Just for today. And maybe tomorrow.

It’s not just me, right?

Despite our immediate desire to resist or avoid the task at hand, we all know that doing (insert task you don’t want to do) will leave us feeling better. Even if our heart isn’t in it. Even if it’s C+ work.

The simple act of showing up is a victory worth celebrating.

The reason most people don’t change is because we don’t want to experience discomfort. What’s the point of being uncomfortable when you can just stay the same?

I love what behavior change expert James Clear has to say about discomfort…

Relative to the time in your normal day or week, nearly any habit you perform is over quickly. Your workout will be finished in an hour or two. Your report will be typed to completion by tomorrow morning. This article will be finished in just a moment.

Life is easier now than it has ever been. 300 years ago, if you didn’t kill your own food and build your own house, you would die. Today, we whine about forgetting our iPhone charger.

Maintain perspective. Your life is good and your discomfort is temporary. Step into this moment of discomfort and let it strengthen you.

Our first instinct is to resist discomfort. To complain about it. Obsess over it. Make it bigger than it is.

This approach will wear you down. Fast.

Peacefully coexisting with the minor discomfort required for change keeps you in the game. Instead of obsessing + resisting + whoa is me-ing — invite it in. Embrace it. Look forward to it.

Look forward to it?

Yes. Because on the other side of temporary discomfort is something you will feel great about. On the other side of it is accomplishment and success.

Our daily lives are made up of thousands of little decisions to either give into the ease of immediate gratification or experience the discomfort of discipline. Your life is the sum of these seemingly tiny choices.

💙 Robyn

Interested in a one-on-one coaching relationship with me? It would be an honor to work with you if and when the time feels right.

To learn more about Personal Health Coaching click HERE. 

To schedule a Discovery Session click HERE.

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The “Chapters” of Habit Transformation

This inspiration poem by Portia Nelson somehow escaped me until very recently.

Human beings make mistakes. That’s a given.

It’s important to understand the process of learning. To analyze our mistakes, to learn from them – and to not repeat them.

Sometimes we are just not paying attention – or are living our lives on autopilot. The beauty is – it can be changed.

Autobiography in Five Short Chapters

by Portia Nelson

Chapter 1
I walk down the street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I fall in.
I am lost. I am helpless.
It isn’t my fault. It takes forever to find a way out.

Chapter 2
I walk down the street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I pretend that I don’t see it.
I fall in again.
I can’t believe I am in this same place.
But it isn’t my fault.
It still takes a long time to get out.

Chapter 3
I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I see it is there.
I still fall in. It’s a habit. But my eyes are open.
I know where I am.
It is my fault.
I get out immediately.

Chapter 4
I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I walk around it.

Chapter 5
I walk down another street.

XO ~Robyn

I work with women who want to learn how to create real + lasting health changes. We’ll use a sustainable, practice-based approach to build healthy habits into your life, one day at a time for an entire year.

As your coach, I’ll provide accountability + direction + support every step of the way. I’ll help you stay consistent, no matter what life throws at you.

If this approach resonates with you, CLICK HERE for details on how to work with me.