3 Steps To Better Lifestyle Nutrition

In today’s society we look for a few major things when it comes to eating; convenience, cost, and taste.By this I mean we want what’s right there for us, ready to go and easy to grab.We want something that wont break our bank.And last but not least, it’s got to taste good too!The crazy thing about these three factors is that they’re the major reasons stopping people from following a healthy eating plan and also the biggest things keeping people on track with a healthy eating plan…“Wait, what?! Those two statements are completely contradicting!”You’re right if you’re your thinking that, they are contradicting. But it also makes complete sense if you think a little deeper.So many people now days eat fast food because it’s quick, cheap [not as cheap as it seems!], and it tastes good.But then there are the people who are staying on track and compliant with their eating plan because they prep their food in advance making it convenient, cheap, and extremely tasty!You see if we buy in bulk, cook in bulk, and then throw the dishes together to make up a meal it can accomplish all the same things our society needs in food. Except with this plan its REAL food, can contribute to our fitness goals, and will not affect our health negativity.So today, I’m going to break down the “Strategies For Dietary Success” – A.K.A. the strategies I personally use as well as the successful clients we work with here at Vigor Ground Fitness and Performance.

Strategy #1 – Pick Your Meals!

The first step is simple; all’s you need is a pad and pen or your food diary app [Such as myfitnesspal].All’s we’ll need to do for this first initial step is to plan ahead and figure out what we’d like to eat each day.Do we want a shake for breakfast? Or maybe an egg scramble?How about lunch at work? Salad? Stir-fry? Salmon and veggies?What’re your post workout meals going to look like? Rice or yams for your carb source? Steak or chicken kabobs for your protein? Sautéed veggies or blasted broccoli?This step is crucial as it will directly influence the next strategy in line, plus it gives you an outline which stops you from last minute decisions. Most of the time when we fall off our plans or don’t stay in line with our eating plan it is because of a lack of planning. We eat clean all day, follow our guidelines, and then dinner comes… we have no idea what we’re eating, so we stress out and decide we’ll just grab whatever’s close. This typically eats to grabbing foods that don’t adhere to our plan and can also lead to over-eating because as humans once we screw up, we turn to the “Screw It!” attitude.So stop this from happening, focus on the goal at the end of our journey, and practice the 3 P’s- PLAN – PREPARE – PROCEED -

Strategy #2 - Sunday Prep Ritual!

Once we know what our meals are all going to be looking like, time to start making the meals!Sunday’s seem to be the most popular day because most of us have that day off and can spend some time in the kitchen, but this could be any day of the week that is convenient for you or it could even be two separate days of the week so you do not need to prep as much food. But ultimately this is the first step and strategy for success on your eating plan.This is the day to prep all your food in bulk, so first lets start with protein.Pick your proteins; my suggestions are chicken breast, ground turkey, extra lean cuts of steak, fish, and eggs. Another suggestion I always give, is choose at least 2-3 different ones because nobody wants to eat the same exact thing day after day – Just because you CAN do it, doesn’t mean you NEED to!So pick a few that go with the meals you’ve already planned out, fire up the grill and the oven, and get to cooking!

Next are veggies! This is a food that many people skip out on too often, whether it is because of taste or inconvenience – there is NO excuse to skip out on your greens. Veggies should be in 75% or more of your meals every single day and this strategy makes it 10x easier to manage that habit.The way to do this is simple, cut up all your favorite veggies into the sizes you like to consume them in and pack them up into separate containers.

When it times to throw a salad together, cook an omelet, or grill up a delicious stir-fry the veggies are ready as ever and can be tossed right into the bowl or frying pan!Last but not least, carbs!This is done the same way as the rest, cook it up and throw it in a container.If you typically choose sweet potatoes for your starch, chop them up into the chunks you prefer or if its rice you like, cook a pot and throw it in a container in the fridge for the week. When it comes to fruits; wash them all, cut them up and toss them in a container as well.See how simple this is?! All’s we’re doing is cooking a large amount and packaging them up into the fridge!

Strategy #3 – Putting It ALL Together!

This is the part where we make the culinary magic happen!So now you’re thinking, “Ok… I got plain chicken and ground turkey, bland green veggies, some chopped peppers, and a bucket of rice in my fridge… Does NOT sound tasty to me! I want a burger!!”I can understand this thought, believe me, but hold your gun! It gets better, I promise!Here are three great ways you can put together three excellent meals in a very short amount of time.

Meal #1: Breakfast Muffins

Ingredients:

• Lean Ground Turkey
• Eggs/Whites
• Spinach
• Chopped Bell Peppers [Or your choice of veggies]
• Cayenne Pepper or Seasoning of Choice

Directions:

• Drop eggs/whites into a bowl and whisk [My recommendation is 1 whole egg to every 3 whites]
• Spray cupcake cooking sheet with cooking spray/oil or use cupcake liners
• Throw your chopped veggies and handful of ground turkey into the cupcake cooking sheet
• Poor eggs from bowl into a cupcake cooking sheet over the other ingredients
• Put into the oven at 350 degrees and bake for 20-25 minutes

Meal #2: Chicken Teriyaki Stir Fry

Ingredients:

• Grilled Chicken Breast
• 1 Teaspoon Coconut Oil
• Diced Onions, Mushrooms, Garlic and Bell Peppers
• White Rice [If post workout meal, leave out if you’re going for a low/no carb meal]
• Braggs Liquid Aminos [Organic Soy Sauce]
• Franks Hot Sauce [Optional… I put this Sh!t on everything! ;)]

Directions:

• Add Coconut Oil to Pan
• Throw All Diced Veggies into Pan to Sauté
• Add Chicken into Pan Once Veggies are Cooked
• Add Rice to Plate, Drip SMALL Amount of Water Over the Rice and Heat in Microwave For 2 Minutes
• Add Liquid Aminos and Franks into Pan, Let All Ingredients Cook in the Sauce While Stirring Around
• Pour Over Rice

Meal #3: Super Salad

Ingredients:

• Small Handful of Fresh Blueberries OR 1-3 Tbsp. Dried Blueberries
• Palm-full [Smaller than a handful] of Pecans [Chop after Measure]
• Handful or Two of Diced Grilled Chicken
• Spinach
• Sugar Free Raspberry Vinaigrette Dressing [I like Walden Farms Zero Calorie Dressing or Maple Grove Farms Sugar Free]

Directions:

• Throw a Bunch of Spinach on Your Plate!!
• Add the ingredients
• Drizzle the Dressing
• BOOOOOM!! Delicious!

So as you can see, all three of those meals are quick and easy but also taste amazing. They all took pre-cooked ingredients, they all can be taken with you to work in a container, and all take no time at all to put together.All’s it takes is designating a specific time to prepare some food in bulk, plan our what your meals are going to be looking like, and then embracing the process of putting them together so you can enjoy the flavor, convenience, and RESULTS!Now it’s your turn to take these strategies and run with it, get creative with your spices and ingredients, and proceed on your plan that you prepared!!