Meal Prep for a Successful Fresh Start

One of the most important elements of a healthy lifestyle is a clean kitchen. No matter your goals, if you don’t have delicious and nutritious options on hand, you will find yourself fighting an uphill battle. Remember, no amount of training can undo a bad diet.

Luckily, getting your act together and being your best, healthiest self is pretty simple. By keeping a few things in mind, you can create a positive environment that will enable you to succeed.

Plan Your Meals For The Week

It may seem like unnecessary effort but if you skip this step, you’d be surprised at how quickly things can go flying off the rails. Pick a day when you have a little extra time and decide exactly what it is you think you’d like to be eating. Choose 3 meals a day as well as snacks. Make sure your meals contain a combination of protein (chicken, eggs, dairy),  carbohydrates, (fruit, whole grains, brown rice), and fat (avocado, olive oil, salmon, nuts and seeds).

Eating well doesn’t haven’t to mean eating the same thing every single day. There is no need to bore yourself and there is no need to starve yourself. Pick meals you’ll enjoy. There is no sense in trying to force yourself to eat things you know you don’t like.

If the idea of weekly planning feels overwhelming and you’re not even sure where to start, we can help. The BodyRock Meal Plan will help you navigate healthy eating without robbing you of flavor and variety. We’ll give you 30 days of balanced, nutritious meals while helping you learn and understand exactly what a healthy meal consists of. And the best part is, each week of the BodyRock Meal Plan comes with a comprehensive shopping list so every time you go to the store, you know exactly what it is you’ll need. No more guessing, no more forgetting ingredients.

Shop with a purpose

Never hit the grocery store without a purpose. Wandering the aisles without having a clear idea about what you need or want, can lead to impulse buys and unfortunately, those are rarely healthy.

Always bring a list. Whether you’re using the list from the BodyRock Meal Plan or have created one of your own, sticking to the list will prevent you from becoming distracted by the flashy displays and tempting junk foods. Try to stick to the outside aisles of the store. That’s primarily produce, meats, and dairy.

When writing up your list, take a little extra time to check your cupboards. Are there any staples you can stock up on while you were there? Things like pumpkin seeds, for example, can function as an easy snack or increase the nutritional value of that salad or smoothie. Canned beans, tuna, lentils, chia seeds, steel-cut oats, coconut or olive oil, and a variety of spices are useful to have around. It is not necessary to get all these things in one trip (unless you need them for that week’s meals), try to build yourself a stockpile over time. By filling your kitchen with a bunch of healthy staples, you ensure you are never be without something good to eat.

A little prep goes a long way

When you get home from the store with your grocery haul, plan to do a little meal prepping.

Life can get crazy busy, we know, so taking a little time now can save you hours of headache later. Try to prep as many elements of your meals in advance as possible. Peel and chop all the vegetables you’ll need for the week so they are ready to be cooked for dinner time or can be used as a quick snack. If mornings are hectic, prepare and portion out the fruit you need for smoothies so that all you have to do is dump it in the blender and go. Hard boil a bunch of eggs to use as snacks or to top salads, and while your at it, cook things like chicken in advance and store in the fridge until needed.

Don’t think of meal prep as a chore, turn it into something fun. Pump your favorite tunes, stream your favorite show, or get the kids involved. Whatever you do, enjoy yourself. When you are prepping ahead of time, remember, there is no rush, there is no pressure, and you are actively taking steps to help yourself succeed.

Planning, shopping, and preparing your food in advance may seem like work, and it may seem complicated but it isn’t really. It is basically a little bit of effort that produces a whole lot of benefit. As with anything else, it can feel foreign at first but the more you do it, the easier it will become and the better you will feel!