My #1 Hack for Staying Consistent When Life Gets Busy
Healthy, Helpful Habits for Busy Moms and Endurance Athletes: How to Stay Consistent With Nutrition, Fitness, and Life
Believe me when I say, I am living one of the most insanely busy seasons of my life right now.
We are in the midst of moving, trying to sell our house (and keep it clean with an almost 3-year-old), navigating a sleep regression, dealing with staffing changes at work that have amped my stress levels by about 1,000%, all while entering my third trimester and realizing I have not put one thought into a registry, A NAME, or anything related to the season we are about to enter.
You guys… I’m EXHAUSTED!
And yet, I’m still training. I’m still fueling myself. And I’m still prioritizing (or trying my best to prioritize) sleep.
I don't say that in a braggy way, I promise!
I share this because I think there is something really important to recognize when life gets busy: you don't have to keep improving in every area of your life all the time.
Instead, you need a baseline.
ABOUT US: SPOKANE NUTRITIONISTS
We are a group of registered Spokane dietitians and personal trainers who have a passion for helping you feel in control of your health.
We work mainly with athletes, those with chronic GI conditions, and women in perimenopause and menopause. We create customized nutrition plans to empower and educate you in your health journey.
What Is Your Baseline?
I was speaking at a Women’s Wellness Conference this month, and one of the speakers talked about recognizing whether you’re living in the green, yellow, or red.
Green: Life feels manageable and is coming at you at a pace you can handle.
Yellow: You’re still managing, but you’re feeling more stretched and pushed.
Red: You’re completely maxed out and probably not functioning at your normal capacity.
Right now? I am firmly in the red.
But here’s the thing: I still have a baseline that I fall back on.
And that, I think, is my number one hack for staying consistent during busy seasons.
Focus on your baseline.
I talk about this a lot with my clients, especially endurance athlete moms, because I think it is such a helpful concept.
We can’t always be improving.
Let me say that again:
In a world obsessed with optimization, we have to recognize that there are seasons where the goal is simply to maintain.
Different seasons of life require different goals.
When life is mostly in the green, we can optimize.
When we're living in the yellow, our goal may need to become maintenance.
And when we're living in the red, this is where we fall back on our baseline.
What Does a "Baseline" Actually Mean?
Your baseline is made up of the habits you don't really have to think about anymore because they are ingrained into your routines.
They're the things you know help you feel your best, but they don't require a ton of extra mental energy to execute.
For me, my baseline currently looks like this:
1. I try to move or train most days
I may be taking back the intensity or duration of my workouts, but I am still getting movement in most days.
As I've mentioned before, this is actually one of the things that keeps me grounded during stressful seasons because it is something I can control.
As someone who works as both an endurance athlete coach and dietitian, I know how easy it can be to fall into the mindset that every workout needs to move you forward.
But sometimes the purpose of training isn't improvement.
Sometimes the purpose is simply to maintain fitness, support your mental health, and give yourself something that makes you feel like you.
And that's enough.
2. I make sure I'm eating regular, balanced meals and snacks
I'm still aiming for three meals a day plus a couple of snacks, and I'm trying to make those meals and snacks well balanced.
Does that mean they're sometimes more thrown together than normal?
Absolutely.
Are we eating out more than usual?
Yep.
But I am still trying to build meals and snacks around a combination of:
Carbohydrates
Protein
Healthy fats
Fruits and vegetables
That gives my body the energy and nutrients it needs to keep up with everything I'm asking of it.
As much as I have wanted to just have ice cream for dinner some days, I know that isn't going to set my energy up for success.
So instead, I'm choosing balance over perfection.
And honestly, that is something I encourage my clients to do all the time — whether they're busy professionals, parents, endurance athlete moms, or navigating a major life transition.
3. I grocery shop intentionally
I really try not to fall into a place where I'm running to the grocery store every single day.
Instead, I try to plan at least a couple of days of meals at a time and shop for the foods we need.
Does this mean I have a perfectly planned meal every night?
Definitely not.
It simply means I have enough food in the house to give myself some options.
Having a plan makes it much easier to throw together a balanced meal when I'm exhausted and less likely to default to ordering takeout simply because I don't know what we're going to eat.
And sometimes takeout is the right choice.
The goal isn't to make every meal from scratch. It's to make feeding yourself easier during a busy season.
4. I prioritize sleep
As tempting as it is to stay up late every night to get more done — or to take a little more "me time" after my toddler goes to bed — I don't.
I try to stick with a normal bedtime and my normal bedtime routine.
Even though stress is keeping me up more than usual right now, I'm at least giving my body the opportunity to rest and relax.
This is another area where the goal isn't perfection.
It's simply asking:
What is the minimum I can consistently do to support myself right now?
5. I recognize that I'm living in the red
This one might actually be the most important.
I'm trying not to set my expectations of myself too high during this season because, as I mentioned above, this isn't a season where I need to be operating at 100%.
I'm pregnant.
I'm parenting a toddler.
I'm moving.
I'm running a business.
I'm managing staffing changes.
There is a lot going on.
So expecting myself to train at my normal level, meal prep every Sunday, sleep perfectly, crush my business goals, keep my house spotless, and somehow prepare for a baby would be…well, unrealistic.
Recognizing that I'm in the red allows me to adjust my expectations instead of constantly feeling like I'm falling short.
Your Baseline Doesn't Have to Look Like Mine
One of the things I love about working with people 1-on-1 in a dietitian private practice is that there is no universal baseline.
Your baseline should be built around your life, your priorities, and the habits that genuinely help you function well.
For one person, that might mean:
Eating breakfast every morning
Getting outside for a 20-minute walk
Taking medication or supplements consistently
Going to bed at a reasonable time
Drinking enough water
For someone else, it might mean:
Three balanced meals
Two strength workouts per week
Planning a few easy dinners
Getting 7+ hours of sleep
Taking one evening completely off
And your baseline may change throughout your life.
For example, the baseline that works for an endurance athlete during a marathon training cycle may look completely different from the baseline that works during the postpartum period.
A perimenopause dietitian might also help a client identify different foundational habits during perimenopause than they would have prioritized during another stage of life.
The point isn't what your baseline should be.
The point is figuring out what your baseline is.
Your Baseline Can Actually Get Stronger
Here's the part I really want you to hear:
In my best seasons — when I'm thriving and have more capacity — I can function above my baseline in all of these areas.
I can train harder.
I can cook more.
I can be more intentional with my nutrition.
I can prioritize sleep more consistently.
I can take on more.
And by doing those things during seasons when I have the capacity, I'm naturally raising my baseline for future crazy seasons.
That's the goal.
Not perfection. Progress.
So, What's Your Baseline?
Whether you're in a surviving season or a thriving season, I want you to think about 2–4 things you do on a daily or weekly basis that help you feel grounded, keep your energy steady, and help you function well.
Write them down.
Those are your baseline habits.
If you're in the red…
Focus on those.
That's it.
You don't need to add five new habits.
You don't need to optimize your morning routine.
You don't need to completely overhaul your nutrition or training.
Come back to your baseline.
If you're in the green…
Look for ways to gradually raise that baseline.
Maybe that means:
Finding a few more easy meals to keep in your regular rotation
Moving your bedtime up by 15 minutes
Getting more consistent with balanced meals and snacks
Adding one additional strength or endurance workout
Finding a simple way to make grocery shopping easier
Preparing a few grab-and-go snacks for busy days
Small improvements during seasons when you have more capacity can make your next busy season feel a little more manageable.
Because the goal isn't to be "on" all the time.
The goal is to know what keeps you going — and to have those habits to fall back on when life gets crazy.
And trust me, life will get crazy.
Your baseline is what helps you keep going anyway.
Need Help Finding Your Baseline?
Whether you're an endurance athlete mom trying to balance training and family, navigating the changes of perimenopause, or simply trying to take better care of yourself during a busy season, your nutrition and fitness plan should fit your life — not add more stress to it.
At Fuel to Thrive, our dietitians and trainers provide personalized, evidence-based guidance to help you figure out what actually matters for you right now.
Ready to build a plan that feels realistic?
Work with Fuel to Thrive!