"If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail." - Benjamin Franklin
This quote can be applied to any area in life but today we will talk about it in the context of nutrition and meal planning. I was talking with a client of mine the other day about her unhealthy food choices over the weekend and we discussed how she could plan ahead for the upcoming weekend to make healthier choices and stay on track nutritionally. I think this is a common struggle with many people, whether it is on the weekends, at work, at school or on vacation. There will always be temptations and excuses to get off track and I know how frustrating it can be to feel like you are starting over every Monday, every few weeks, or sometimes every day!
If you find during the week, there is no time to cook healthy meals for your family and often resort to fast food, frozen meals or easy boxed meals, try meal prepping one morning or afternoon over the weekend. You can chop fresh vegetable and have them ready to snack on or to add to meals over the course of the week. Roast a chicken, hard boil several eggs, and brown some ground beef or turkey in batches. Plan out recipes for the week in advance so that there is no temptation to make unhealthy meal choices. Prepare healthy casseroles, meatballs, protein bars, etc. and store in freezer to pull out for use when you need them. When we make homemade pizza, we make two large pizzas at a time and freeze the leftovers so we can pull out a couple slices here and there when we need a quick meal option.
The other must-do is to take healthy snacks with you wherever you go! Even when out for an afternoon of shopping, I keep a bag of almonds, a banana or healthy protein bar with me and always a bottle of water to be ready when hunger hits! Whether it is a long day at work, school or an all-day soccer tournament on the week-end, you are not at the mercy of the break room, food court or concession stand! If you are often rushed in the morning, (as we all are sometimes!) get everything ready the night before. When preparing my kids' lunches at night before bed, I get my snacks or lunch ready for the next day, too!
It's also nice to have a buddy that has common health goals to help you stay on track. Try sharing lunch with a work colleague or friend by bringing healthy leftovers from the night before or going to a café with a quinoa & kale salad instead of Chinese buffet with the rest of your work crew. I have found that most people really want to be healthy, they just lack discipline or knowledge. You may find that many people in your circle of influence have the same goals as you and can all support each other!
As all thing in life, there will be challenges. It is how you approach them and react as to what makes the difference! Plan ahead so that you can make a healthy choice and remember no one is perfect! There will be hard days, but don't let one bad choice take you off track. Get back on track and plan ahead!
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