Science-backed. But does it fit your life?
The last warm days of autumn are giving way to golden leaves and cooler mornings.
I find myself lingering a little longer over a cup of hot tea, or taking an extra moment during a walk to enjoy the changing colors.
It’s that time of year when I naturally begin to reflect. On what has happened, what I’ve accomplished, and what might still lie ahead.
And I wonder how differently this time of year feels for each of us.
Some people are only just taking their summer vacation, enjoying the freedom of traveling outside the school calendar. Others have already moved on to fall breaks, Halloween preparations, and the first plans for Thanksgiving.
And before we know it, the holiday season will be here.
There will be celebrations, family gatherings, good food, busy schedules, and perhaps a little more time to reflect.
For some, looking back on the year brings a sense of satisfaction. They’ve accomplished a lot, overcome challenges, and have good reasons to feel proud.
Others realize that, somewhere along the way, they’ve lost sight of themselves.
And then there are those who feel the pressure to accomplish just one more thing before the year ends.
Maybe it’s time to finally get serious about eating better. To become more active. To establish that morning routine. To follow through on something they’ve been meaning to change for months.
After all, there’s still time before 2027.
When we’re looking for answers, we find plenty
Sometimes we know exactly what we want to change.
But often, the feeling is much less specific. Something isn’t quite right. We want to feel better, have more energy, or simply take better care of ourselves.
We don’t necessarily know what we’re looking for. So we browse, scroll, explore, and see what catches our attention.
And there’s certainly no shortage of suggestions.
A new 30-day challenge. A promising 90-day program. An app that makes building healthy habits look surprisingly simple.
And, of course, those videos that appear while we’re scrolling.
A convincing explanation. A personal success story. A few scientific terms. Perhaps even a reference to a study.
Suddenly, something clicks.
That makes sense. Maybe this is exactly what I need.
There is nothing wrong with being curious, learning something new, or trying a different approach.
But there is an important question we don’t always stop to ask:
Does this advice actually fit me and my life?
When the advice doesn’t work
Perhaps you’ve tried following a particular rule.
Maybe it worked for a while. Maybe it was hard from day one. Or perhaps you followed it carefully and still didn’t get the results you expected.
What happens next?
Sometimes we question the recommendation.
But sometimes, and this concerns me much more, we begin questioning ourselves.
Why can’t I stick to this?
Why does it seem to work for everyone else?
Am I simply not disciplined enough?
A recommendation that was supposed to help us feel better can quietly become another reason to feel inadequate.
And this is where I think we need to look more closely.
Science-backed doesn’t mean one-size-fits-all
Scientific evidence matters. A great deal.
It helps us understand relationships, evaluate interventions, and make informed decisions rather than relying on promises or personal anecdotes alone.
But the phrase science-backed deserves a closer look.
What was actually studied? Who participated? Under which conditions? What outcomes were measured? And how strong is the evidence?
Take the familiar rule: Don’t eat after 6 p.m.
As if our bodies had a built-in clock that announces at 6:05: “Sorry, we’re closed for the day. Everything coming in now goes straight into fat storage.”
Of course, our metabolism doesn’t work that way.
Meal timing can matter. But so do our individual needs, daily routines, and the bigger picture of how we eat.
Even when research supports a particular approach, that doesn’t automatically tell us how well it will work in one person’s everyday life.
A recommendation can be reasonable in principle and still be hard to implement, a poor match for someone’s needs, or simply the wrong first step.
That doesn’t necessarily make the science wrong.
And it certainly doesn’t mean the person has failed.
There is a difference between understanding what may work and finding out what makes sense for a particular individual.
This is where my work as a coach begins
When a client tells me about a nutrition rule they’ve discovered, I don’t immediately tell them whether they should follow it.
First, I listen.
I’m interested in the rule itself, of course. But I’m equally interested in why this particular recommendation caught their attention.
What are they hoping to achieve?
What made them think it might be right for them?
Have they already tried it? And if so, what happened?
Then we take a closer look together.
We examine where the recommendation comes from, what the evidence actually supports, and what we can reasonably expect from it.
But we also look beyond the recommendation.
Because my client isn’t living in a research paper.
They’re living in a real world, with relationships, responsibilities, routines, preferences, and challenges.
There’s a partner, children, friends, colleagues, or roommates to consider. Maybe they’re caring for a family member. Maybe their work schedule changes every week.
And somewhere in that picture are their own needs, goals, and general well-being.
All of these pieces matter.
A large part of my work involves listening, observing, asking questions, and moving those puzzle pieces around until we understand the bigger picture.
Not to force them into a predetermined solution.
And certainly not according to the principle that if something doesn’t fit, we simply have to make it fit.
Only then do we begin developing possible solutions together.
We consider what might be helpful, try things out, observe what happens, and adjust when necessary.
And throughout that process, we keep asking:
Does this make sense for this person, in this situation, at this point in time?
Not just for the next few days, but also in the medium and longer term.
A better question
As the year draws to a close, there will be no shortage of advice about what we should still accomplish, improve, or change.
Some of it will be useful. Some of it may even be supported by good scientific evidence.
But before adding another rule to your life, perhaps it’s worth asking why that rule appeals to you in the first place.
What are you really hoping to change?
And does this particular approach make sense for you?
Because when good advice doesn’t work as expected, the answer isn’t always to try harder.
Sometimes, it’s to look more closely.
Food for Thought. Structure for Change.