02-04-2026

Hello Reader,

One thing surprised me about doing the Habits Challenge this month. It was how good it felt to finish something. There are two days left, but it already feels like a win!

I finish a lot of things every single day. But it has been a while since I focused on a small daily habit that was just for me. Most days, finishing things looks like work tasks, household responsibilities, or taking care of someone else.

This felt different.

Not in a dramatic, life-changing way. Just a quiet sense of completion that was genuinely gratifying.

There was no pressure to be perfect.

No feeling like I was constantly behind.

No sense that missing a day meant I had failed.

That is not how most January goals feel.

So many resolutions are all-or-nothing. You either keep up or you fall off. And once you fall off, it becomes hard to want to restart.

What I loved about the challenge was that it created momentum without perfection. That is exactly how I hope it will feel for everyone doing it.

It reminded me that progress comes from doing a few meaningful things consistently enough, not from trying to do everything at once. As someone who can easily slip into the perfectionism trap, that was refreshing.

Letting go of that tendency has been a lifelong practice, and this simple 30-day reset helped reinforce it.

Health does not fall apart because people stop caring. It falls apart when real life demands take over without a solid foundation in place.

Completing the challenge felt less like checking a box and more like reinforcing a skill. The skill of showing up without needing to do everything right.

And the best part is that this approach is not limited to January.

If you are ready to build momentum without burning out, you can start the 30 Day Healthy Habits Challenge anytime, including right now!

​https://healnourishgrow.com/foundations/healthy-habits/​

If January did not go the way you hoped, that does not mean you are behind. It simply means it is time to approach progress differently.

Speaking of approaching things differently, here is what I've been reading.

What I've Been Reading

I recently read a brand-new Endocrine Reviews paper on carbohydrate intake during exercise that challenges a lot of long-standing sports nutrition dogma. One of the co-authors is Tim Noakes, the author of The Lore of Running, who spent years promoting carb loading before publicly changing his views after his own experience with insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes.

That story matters, because many people still think diabetes automatically means insulin. In reality, type 2 diabetes is most often driven by insulin resistance, and for many people it can improve dramatically, and sometimes go into remission, with dietary change and weight loss. That shift in understanding is a big reason why blanket carb loading advice deserves a closer look.

From a practical standpoint, the takeaway is refreshingly simple. Recreational exercisers do not need aggressive carb loading or constant fueling during workouts to make progress. Consistency matters more than precision. Fuel in a way you can sustain, prioritize protein, and use carbohydrates intentionally based on your training and goals rather than out of fear that you are doing it wrong.

And zooming out, a lot of people feel better when they are more intentional about added sugar and highly refined carbs. For many, that also creates more room for the nutrient that tends to get crowded out, protein.

Cheering you on!

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