I've been asked over and over how to meal prep, what to eat, and how to fit in exercise. I decided this was the best option to direct people to some basic guidelines when it comes to making time for health and fitness.
First, lets cover meal prepping. It's not for everyone. Some people really don't want to eat the same meal over and over every single day. I get it. Who wants chicken with broccoli and rice for the fifth time this week? Not me! Did you know that you can meal prep different ways? You can prep for the next day or even just the next morning, if it helps. Another option is prepping snacks. I love making snacks readily available for me throughout the week (boiled eggs, veggie tray, fruit bowl, and prepacked mixed nuts for on-the-go). If all else fails, you can always find a base ingredient (like quinoa or rice) that you want to use 2-3 nights throughout the week. That way you can make one big batch and reheat portions when you're ready to serve!
Another way I enjoy meal prepping is making a big dish for the family to eat that night and then freezing the rest for later. A great example of this is my Homemade Chili.
Homemade Chili
(4-6 servings depending on your portion size)
1 cup dry kidney beans
1 cup dry black beans
6 cups water
1 quart canned whole tomatoes (homemade)
1 packet of low sodium chili seasoning
1 lb ground beef
1 yellow onion (chopped)
1 tablespoon olive oil
Place kidney beans, black beans, and water in a slow cooker. Set to high for 2 and a half hours (stir occasionally). Once beans are cooked all the way through, drain excess water and add tomatoes (with juice) and chili seasoning to the beans. Pour olive oil into skillet and brown the ground beef with the chopped onion. Once beef is cooked all the way through, drain excess fat and add to the beans and tomatoes. Stir it all up, and keep it warm in the slow cooker for dinner time! This recipe fed me and my husband for dinner, and the frozen portion will feed us sometime next week. Little steps like this will make your life easier in the future. On a busy night, instead of reaching for the frozen pizza, I can reheat this chili and know that I made the healthy decision.
The second topic I want to discuss is fitting fitness into a daily routine. If you can't make it to the gym five days per week, get up just 10-15 minutes earlier than normal and MOVE every morning! Lunch breaks are usually an hour. Go for a walk before or after eating for just 10-15 minutes. Add those together, and you have 20-30 minutes of activity for the day! It is recommended to get at least 150 minutes of exercise every week. Reach that 30 minutes every day, and you will hit that recommendation.
Here is a simple workout routine you can put on repeat every week to watch yourself progress. Demonstrations pictured below (in order of the listed exercises). Set a timer for 10 minutes and do as many rounds of the following exercises as you can before the timer runs out!
10 Pushups
10 Squats
10 Situps
If you do something as simple as this workout routine every morning, I am certain you will begin to feel a difference in your mood and possibly your waistline! If you can't quite make it to 10 minutes, it's okay! Make a note of it and try again another day. Progress is progress (even if it's slow).
I hope these tips help when you plan your next week's meal plan and workouts. If you're like me, I plan, and then something happens and messes up that plan. So, be lenient and give yourself some grace for the first few weeks. It takes time to make big changes!
Make time for your health and fitness.
1 Corinthians 6:19 (NIV) Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own;
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