You want to make the team, so you work hard, practice hard,
and put precious time into making yourself the best you can…welcome to the
team. You want to get into a good school,
so you work hard, study hard, and put precious time into preparing for tests
and applications…welcome to a good school.
You want to learn a new skill to further your career and impact more
lives, so you work hard, study hard, practice hard, and put precious time into
learning a new skill…congratulations, welcome to the next step in your career! You want to become a more fit you, so you work
out hard, push hard, and put precious time into exercising…welcome to a more
fit you.
You want to support your fitness with healthy foods, you
want to lose weight or manage a healthy weight, you want to control your fat
and sugar intake and get all the nutrients you need every day, so you…[ ]. How do you fill in the blank?
I am so often faced with the task of providing a miracle
food plan that fits taste preferences, fulfills daily nutrient needs and
supports weight goals, but that takes ZERO time and ZERO effort. I am sorry to say, but that miracle does not
exist. Not many things in life take zero
time and zero effort to accomplish, and good nutrition and a healthy weight are
no different.
Sometimes in conversations about meal and snack ideas when I
have already taken taste preference and convenience into account, my ideas
still get shot down because, well, “that takes too much time.” A peanut butter and jelly sandwich takes maybe
1 minute to put together. Time yourself.
Unless you only eat pre-packaged,
pre-prepared meals (which you still have to wait like 2-5 minutes to microwave)
you are going to have to put two or three pieces together to create a meal.
Changing your mindset is the first step to changing your
intake. You can plan and eat
simple healthy meals and you can squeeze in the time to put a few things in a
lunchbox, it’s just not part of your current routine. Planning your food intake does take some
time, but with practice it becomes easier and is eventually simply a part of
your normal routine.
Start with one meal – breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Don’t overwhelm yourself by
overhauling your entire intake and pre-planning 21 meals worth of food on day
one. For instance if you currently skip,
eat a fast food biscuit, or scarf down a Pop-tart or other pastry in the car
for breakfast, choose breakfast.
Step 1. Decide you
are willing to make a change to this one meal.
·
“I would really like to avoid my mid-morning
hunger and get more nutrition out of my meal.
I am willing to change my routine to make this happen.”
Step 2. Determine
what foods you enjoy at breakfast.
·
“I’m not a fan of eggs or oatmeal. I do like cinnamon toast. I do like yogurt (only flavored). I do like blueberries.”
Step 3. Make sure
these foods are already in your pantry or on your shopping list.
·
“Whole grain bread and cinnamon, check! Adding yogurt and fresh/frozen blueberries to
my list.”
Step 4. Pre-prep if
needed (wash or cut fruit, etc.) and plan in at least 15 minutes to eat at
home.
·
“No pre-prep necessary for my new breakfast. I’ll wake up 10 minutes early and shave 5
minutes off my shower/getting ready time.”
Step 5. Eat your new delicious
and healthy breakfast day 1.
·
Toast bread while scooping 1 cup of lower sugar
flavored yogurt into a bowl and pouring ½ cup of blueberries on top. Smear trans-fat free spread onto toast,
sprinkle with cinnamon and breakfast is complete (literally like 3 minutes).
·
Enjoy!
Repeat steps 4 and 5
the rest of the week.
Willingness to make a change in your current routine to make
room for better nutrition is step one.
Having the right food on hand is step 2.
After that it’s just execution.
Healthy does not have to be complicated, but you do need to
offer yourself the chance to prove that healthy can fit into your day. Are you willing to give your nutrition a
little of your hard work, your planning, and some precious time?
It’s worth it and it only gets easier the more you do it.
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