You’ve probably heard this a million times: “By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.”
You’ve heard this a lot because it’s true, especially when it comes to your fitness journey. Fitness is 70% nutrition and 30% exercise. That means that even if you’re hitting the gym or pressing play every single day, you’re just not going to see the results you want if you’re not cleaning up your nutrition. You can’t out-run, out-jump, out-dance, or out-yoga a poor diet. (Okay, there are some genetically-gifted people who can, but I promise you, if you eat a diet full of garbage, you are anything but healthy)
I get it. Meal prepping is tedious. It’s time consuming and frankly, a little boring.
However, it’s well worth the time investment if you’re truly committed to your fitness goals. Not to mention, you are far more likely to stick with your fitness and nutrition plan if you constantly have healthy food within reach. Better nutrition means better sleep, better exercise performance, and better results. So, it’s worth it to be prepared.
Here are a few tips to make meal planning a breeze:
- Make it fun. I’m fairly certain that the majority of people don’t meal prep because it’s tedious and can be a little time consuming. It doesn’t have to be! Set aside a day and time in your week just for meal prepping and add in other things that make it fun. Listen to your favorite playlist or podcast. Hop on Facetime or video chat with family and friends and catch up while you prep. Whatever you need to do to make meal prepping more fun, do it. I promise, adding an element of fun to your meal prep routine will make the time fly by and before you know it, your meal prep day will be a breeze!
- Track everything. It’s really easy to feel like you’re eating healthy when you’re not. There are also foods that to not agree with our particular bodies and can actually hinder weight loss. And yes, it is possible to overeat healthy foods. The only way to bring awareness to any of it is to track your foods and portions. Using a handy app like Beachbody Nutrition+ or MyFitnessPal can make tracking easy and show you exactly what you’re taking in and how it is affecting your weight and progress. Armed with this knowledge, you can tweak your routine and nutrition plan as needed.
- Keep it quick and simple. Now is not the time to try some super-complicated recipe you found on Google that has 80 different ingredients (unless that’s your thing, then GO FOR IT, you budding chef, you!). In reality, most of us aren’t chefs or fans of spending a great deal of time in the kitchen. The more complicated and involved it is, the less likely you are to prep week after week. Pick a protein, pick a carb, pick a veggie, pick a healthy fat and build your meals. Save the fancy stuff for the weekends or a special occasion.
- Prep versatile foods in bulk. Pick one or two proteins and keep their flavor profiles simple with some salt, pepper, and garlic, that way you can use them in several different meals like salads, fajitas, soups, or just by themselves with some veggies and sweet potatoes. Lean ground beef can make healthy tacos, sandwiches, etc. Just because it’s simple doesn’t mean you can’t have a little variety. Build your weekly meal plan around things you can use in different ways to help keep you from getting bored. Bored people have a tendency to fall off track. Keep things fresh and you’ll have no trouble sticking with your nutrition plan.
I could go on and on about the importance of preparation when it comes to living a healthy lifestyle, but I’ll just leave you with this: It’s a LIFESTYLE, and that requires a new system for doing things. If meal prepping is a drag, it’s your job to make it fun. If your nutrition isn’t working for you, you need to track it and make adjustments accordingly. A little tweak to your routine will turn you into a prepping machine. You’ll be AMAZED at how your body will change with a little consistency. Now, get prepping!
So tasty you won’t notice it's good for you!
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