Prior planning and preparation is a vital part of insuring you follow a balanced and nutritional food plan. The benefits of good nutrition go far beyond weight management and sports performance. The food that we eat provides us with the necessary nutrients that we need to live, grow and function as we should. They include things like fats, proteins and carbohydrates along with a large array of vitamins and minerals. Healthy eating habits along with exercise allow our bodies to function optimally both now and well into the future. You can’t set out to accomplish any health or fitness goal without paying due attention to your nutrition. Put simply you get out what you put in. Use the following steps as a guide on how to plan your nutrition to allow you to better achieve the results you are searching for.
1. Plan your meals
Having a set meal plan will help give your body the nutrients it needs to fuel your day to day activities as well as your training. Your requirements and your plan will change in accordance to your everyday activity levels and most importantly your goals. It’s crucial that the meals that you plan provide you with the right amount of carbohydrate, fats, protein and vegetables that you require to meet your goals. It will be much easier to shop for the right food or ingredients if you’ve set out what you need in your meal plan. You will be less likely to make poor food choices if you plan ahead.
2. Prepare your meals
For myself I find it works best if I allow time for a bulk meal preparation twice each week. Fortunately I also work split shifts so this does allow some time during the day to do some preparation if need be. If you prepare your food into individually packaged meals it makes them easy to grab if you’re on the run. How much attention you need to put into weighing and measuring your food will depend on your goals. It is a good process to follow for everyone as this makes it easier to track what you’re eating, allowing you to identify and make any changes if necessary. It also allows you to identify what is working in case you need to refer back to this later.
3. Time you meals
Timing your meals appropriately will mean your body gets the right nutrients at the right time. Whilst the time of your pre and post workout meals is important you should never forget that it’s just as important to fuel your body correctly throughout the entire day. Skipping breakfast and lunch and then having an awesome pre workout meal will still leave you giving a more then lack lustre attempt at your training session. Having your meals on you all the time makes it a lot easier to stick to your meal plan and avoid skipping meals. This will stop you searching for the closest fast food option because you’re starving and there is no other option available.
Good nutrition plays a vital role in you achieving health or fitness related goals. As they always say it’s 20% what you do in the gym and 80% what you do outside of that. Unfortunately with training and nutrition there is no black and white. You will need to experiment to figure out exactly what works for you. This takes time and generally means you will get it wrong the first couple of times. This shouldn’t make you afraid to mix things up or try something new in an attempt at better results. Seeking good advice can speed up this process. Providing that you plan and prepare ahead and are consistent in following that plan, you should have your body primed for whatever activity comes next.
xx Tara
How do you handle your day to day nutrition? Let me know in the comment section below.
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