Maternity leave is ticking away, just two more weeks home with my boy and then it’s back to work full time. I have mixed feelings! I’m excited to gain a little more autonomy, see my team (they are the best!), reconnect with clients and work on new projects. But gosh I’m going to miss the lazy days and leisurely snuggles.

Atticus is so much fun right now! It’s always struck me as cruel that you have to head back to work right when the giggles and real interaction kick in. I wonder if they’ll notice if I stash him under my desk?!

I’ve been asked a lot lately if maternity leave has been different this time around. In many ways, I feel as if I had a lot of firsts again. Chloe is 17 and Belle is 14 so it’s been a long time since I changed diapers and battled with car seats and strollers.

Diapers with a boy has been interesting …. I’ve needed the reflexes on a ninja to keep everything where it should be.

Car seats are revolutionary … I now have the one that magically turns into a stroller at the touch of a button.

I also have a Brezza, a fancy machine that makes up a formula bottle (just like a coffee!) and a mobile breast pump that means I can pump on the move.

I’m no longer plugged into the wall, but I can do chores, drive, walk the dog, grocery shop … all while pumping and managing the baby. It’s revolutionary. I feel like I’m cheating!

What’s been harder? The sleep. Or lack of it. At 47, that’s brutal. Also, just being able to be enough for everybody.

To get everywhere and do all the things! But I think that’s more to do with jumping from two kids to three, rather than my age.

If anything, being a little older and having a big gap between the girls and Attix, has helped me be more relaxed this time round.

With the experience of hindsight, I know the hard parts get easier. I worry less about the little things.

I’m better at boundaries and asking for help. I’ve also been able to look after myself a little more.

When it comes to healthy living, the nutrition part came fairly easily to me. But boy did I have a lot of excuses when it came to exercise.

The weather was always too cold, too hot, too wet, too humid. I was either too tired or too busy. And although I’ve been fitter in my forties than I’ve ever been (thank you to running and Beat the Couch!) it’s still the area where I make the most excuses.

My lovely Dad has been here this week and rather than find ways to slide the exercise in, I’ve just told myself I’ll catch up after he leaves.

Not the best approach but it’ll work OK because I have an Irishman who is happy to help and make sure I get outside (probably for his sanity as well as mine ha!)

The problem of excuses came up recently when you started to send in your nutrition and lifestyle questions! It’s been useful actually, as making the list below has helped me refresh my intentions and resolve when it comes to fitness.

If you tend to put things off, hopefully this list helps you too. And if there are any more burning questions out there, please send them in!

Question:

“I keep finding excuses to stop eating healthy and stop exercising. I never stay on a path even when I feel committed. Anything can set me off … even my dog being unwell! How do I stay on track? Help!”

My answer:

So far in my practice I have identified a few consistent, key reasons why people find sustaining new healthy habits hard! Here’s a list and some ideas for you to consider. Good luck!

1, You haven’t fully identified or explored your “why”

This idea was introduced to me by life coach, Julia Pitt. She explained that most people get going with a new diet or exercise because they think they should or know they have to, but they aren’t specific enough about their goals.

Without exploring your goals and really connecting to your “why”, it’s easy to get thrown off track by the little things and make excuses.

I’m taking a complex concept right back to the very basics here, but she suggested asking yourself some key questions: “What does my life look like in three years’ time if I achieve my goal? What can I do or how do I feel, that’s different to or better than before? In contrast, what does my life look like in three years’ time if I don’t? What has stayed the same or got even worse?”

Try sitting down with a coffee, or a herbal tea, and really figuring this out. Visualising how good or bad life could be is so helpful for keeping you focused!

2, You’re forcing yourself

This tip came to me from Bermuda’s amazing chiropractor Reid Robinson: “only give up something once you want to” ― otherwise you’ll just feel negative and upset about it.

Humans are really not good at depriving themselves. This is the driver behind the Nutrifit nutrition classes that I teach.

By educating people with the science behind healthy nutrition habits, my goal is to get them to a place where they are choosing healthy options because they genuinely want to, not because they have to.

This is lifestyle gold, if you are healthy by choice (because you prefer these options and they way they make you feel), then it’s not a battle and there’s no exhausting cycle of overindulging and remorse afterwards.

How do you get to this point? By exploring the point above, by educating yourself as to why nutrition matters and by finding healthy options (or exercise) that you genuinely love. When you enjoy something, it’s easy to maintain!

3, You’re aiming too high (or too low)

I see this all the time in my practice. People fall off the wagon and start making excuses because they aim so high that sustainability is simply unrealistic. Or they aim so low that it’s not enough of a challenge to be interesting or to yield good enough results.

Find some middle ground. If you have never run before, aim for a 5k rather than a marathon. If you’re eating junk, try picking two or three healthier habits and really getting to grips with them, rather than juicing yourself to death.

4, Your lifestyle is at odds with your goals

Let’s say you ignored the advice above and have decided to train for a marathon. But it’s also busy season at work, you have endless client dinners lined up and you’re drinking way more than you should.

If you are permanently a little hungover you are never going to want to go out and run and nutritionally, you’re not in a good spot to facilitate muscle recovery. In this instance, you need to fix your lifestyle first!

5, You don’t have a supportive environment

Simple but crucial. If you don’t want to eat ice cream but it’s in your freezer, what’s going to happen at 11pm when you’re tired and cranky and had a hard day? You have three excuses right there to eat it!

So, you just need to not have it in your freezer. It’s fine to have things like ice cream occasionally but probably best to have them when you are out rather than keeping them in stock at home.

6, You come across an unexpected, off-putting obstacle

This is where the excuses start to feel justified. Despite how safe Bermuda feels, I don’t love running in the dark. I always have one earbud out if I am running on a trail or somewhere more isolated because you just never know and as a woman, I guess I’m just more primed to be cautious.

This became an unexpected obstacle for me when I suddenly found that the only time I had time to run was when it was dark (first thing in the morning or last thing at night.) If something very valid like this gives you an excuse, you need to brainstorm to see how you can adjust your time or situation.

7, You haven’t planned for the expected obstacles

Another tip from Julia Pitt! Most of us have tried and failed at a healthy resolutions before. The trick here is to learn from previous experience.

When you’re starting afresh with a healthy goal, make sure you reflect on where you have succeeded and failed in the past. What can you put in place to make sure the successes are supported and the failures prevented? Don’t use old excuses. That’s twice as frustrating!

• The advice given in this article is not intended to replace medical advice, but to complement it. Always consult your GP if you have any health concerns. Catherine Somorjay Burns BA Hons, Dip ION, BNTA is a fully qualified Nutritional Therapist trained by the Institute for Optimum Nutrition in the UK Join Catherine on Facebook: www.facebook.com/nutrifitandnaturalnutritionbermuda or instagram @naturalbda