So I hear this a lot – I tried to be healthy this week and it just didn’t work, I ended up at Chick Fil A – or whatever – and then just doing pizza with the family for dinner. Oh well I’ll start over tomorrow and do it for sure!!!
ERRRRRRR Houston We Have A Problem. Cause I’m going to put $10 on the table now that tomorrow its not going to happen either and if it does the next “fail” day is just around the corner. And our typical response to this is “because I just don’t have time, I’m so busy that I forget” – actually nope, that’s not it. We have time to do all kinds of things, read blogs, be on facebook, write blogs, watch YouTube videos – we just need to take that same time and implement it in our health lives and PLAN!
Because you don’t have a plan
If you were going to go out of town and on a big vacation, even people that don’t like to plan will plan something. How are they going to get to the airport, what time is their flight, where will they stay when they get there, what spots do they want to make sure they get in. So why wouldn’t you leave your house today without a plan?Ok I do it too, being completely honest. And it usually ends in frustration. I leave the house say 10:30 and think well I only have a couple of things I need to go do before lunch and I had a good breakfast so I’ll just head out and be back home by lunch time – easy!But here is the thing, I don’t control the day or the universe – shocker!!! So why did I think that little optimistic thinking was going to work?What ends up happening, I get hungry earlier than I thought I would, or the errands take me longer or things get thrown in the mix I didn’t plan for, next thing I know I am “STARVING” and now I don’t have time to go home for lunch, drive through. And now I have to finish these errands and I have very little energy or patience and I’m ticked at myself so pizza for dinner is looking more and more like the end result.
What should I have done?
Plan and stash. This is what I have to do, when I leave the house I leave with a bag of food or throw stuff in my purse. It’s usually got an apple, banana, maybe some nuts or a Larabar, string cheese, other fruit, protein cookie that I made, protein shake. If I’m heading to the office then it’s got my lunch. Depends on how long I think I’ll be gone. In the car I always keep a bag of nuts and Larabar, I usually eat on the Larabar like it’s my last one and pop a few nuts and I’m fine.
This keeps me out of the drive through, allows me to complete my errands without getting tired and cranky. Then home to prepare dinner. If I screw up it’s to the grocery store I go!
Dinner is a plan in and of itself. I keep veges stocked and lay something out, I have a stash of meats in the freezer ready to go. If I screw up then once again, it’s to the grocery store I go!
Grocery store snacks:
Screwed up and didn’t plan your snacks while you were out or at work, run to the store. Ideas of things to grab are…
1. Water, hydrate, and stay away from the tempting sports drinks, don’t kid yourself you didn’t just finish a marathon!
2. Apples, bananas, cucumbers, carrots. They are easy to wash with that big jug of water you just bought and easy to eat on the go. Apples and bananas are a go to as they are the most filling.
3. The bins – nuts are a great snack just eat a small amount, dried fruit is pretty good but read the labels and make sure no sugar is added.
4. Jerky – halt a moment on this one – this is like deli meat, lots of sugar and preservatives in most jerkeys, so if they don’t have a nitrate free skip it, and look at the sugar content on the label – if it’s high per ounce skip it. (this is the shadiest of all the options as its the hardest to get the right kind) – edit: just found this company http://stevesoriginal.com/store and I’ll be trying them out – they sound awesome – grass fed, nitrate free jerky
5. Cheese – individual string cheese or those little baby cheeses in wax are great. If they don’t have individual options buy a little net package of the wax ones as they’ll keep the best till you get home. (eat one or two, that’s it!)
6. Sprouted grain craters – I’m not talking wheat thins here, sprouted grain with lots of seeds and that’s it, the lable shouldn’t sound like a shampoo label with all the chemicals!
7. Small packages of nut butter – this is harder to come by in your run of the mill stores, but often stores will have these little single serving packages that are great.
8. One yogurt – go for something like chobani or Fage where it’s all natural and not yoplait where it’s all sugar and preservatives – Chobani even restrains from using dyes in theirs, instead for yellow they use turmeric and for red they use beet powder. (make sure you grab a spoon)
9. Small bottle of Kefir or a milk if you drink milk.
10. Larabar, Kind Bar or Vega bar – there are A LOT of bars on the market and most are CRAP!! Sorry but they are loaded with sugar and chemicals making them no better than a candy bar. Same thing with protein milks. (Power one has a a good one that is light, go for that) But Larabars are made with dates instead of flour or soy or rice, Vega is a vegan option and Kind is pretty much all fruit and nuts, so I will recommend them.
Quick Dinner Plans
1. Salmon/fish – put in foil, top with oil, little salt, herbs and cover with lid – done in 5 minutes (most fishes fall in this same plan)
2. Steam some broccoli, buy one of those basket steamers, put in your pan with water, put the broccoli in and steam it. Top with a little oil or butter and salt (nutritional yeast a good option too)
3. Shrimp – super easy to cook
4. Stir fry – easy
5. Tacos – ground turkey meat, corn tortillas, toppings, done son!
6. Big ol salad – all kinds of easy options, including canned salmon – I know shocker, but its a good cheap option.
You know those nights you just end up doing sandwiches – the big ol salad is my easy go to option.
7. Egg night – easy breezy! Can put all kinds of veges and avocado!
Edit – I’ll be trying this company out soon http://stevesoriginal.com/store these would make perfect on the go snacks! Grass fed jerky.
Note: Even the best plans have their holes – I left the house today with a bag packed – it’s 3:30 and I’m hungry and have gone through all my snacks – even the protein shake – but I’m holding off on devouring the banana till closer till 4pm b/c I have pilates at 5pm – I guess my lunch wasn’t enough b/c I have been on a feeding frenzy today. I even tapped into the car snacks – but I’m glad I had something or today would have definitely been a Taco Drive Through day!