You have probably heard that it takes 21-days to create a
habit and good habits, along with consistency, are what you need to help you
reach goals in all areas of your life.
That is so true for your fitness and nutrition goals as well.
Here are some habits that can help you stay on track and
reach your goals.
1) Plan your week
First, plan your workouts.
Whether you exercise at home or go to a gym or yoga studio put your
workouts on your calendar. We plan our
vacations but rarely do we plan our everyday activities that we are so
motivated to do, until something else more fun presents itself. When you have it on a calendar, it just makes
it easier to stick to it.
2) Plan your meals
The first step in
being successful with your diet plan is to plan your menu for the week. Write it out on a calendar or other form that
works for you. I have
a magnetic pad that sticks to my refrigerator and has two sections. The top section is an area to write down your
meals for that day (I just plan dinner because I have several different options
that I always stick with for breakfast and lunch) and the bottom half is
perforated with an area to make your grocery list, because that is the next
important step.
3) Make your grocery list
As you plan your menu for the week, look to see what you have in your pantry, fridge
or freezer and go from there. Double
check to make sure you have all the ingredients, including spices, and also
scan the recipe to make sure you don’t need a certain tool or gadget that you
might need to pick up. There’s nothing
like getting half-way through meal preparation and finding out you need a garlic
press or food processor. Save yourself
the frustration and make sure you have what you need.
4) Prep your food
If you bought fruit for snacks (and I hope you did) , wash
and peel or slice fruit and put it in clear, BPA free container so you and your family can see what
there is easily. Otherwise, you tend to
clean out the fridge the following week and through away a lot of good
food. Also, when you’re hungry, don’t
you always walk to the refrigerator, open the door and stand there, expecting
something quick and yummy to pop into your mouth? By planning ahead you can make sure you are
ready so that you don’t sabotage all your good work.
Also, if you’re making something with lots of fresh
vegetables for dinner, prep them ahead of time too. You can store them in prep bowls or zipper
bags so that cooking dinner will be simple and easy. You can even measure your spices ahead of
time and have them ready to add to your dish.
5) Enjoy! You will be amazed how easy it is to eat healthy
when you spend a little planning time and get into the habit every week of
planning workouts, meals and grocery shopping.
Remember, if plan A fails, there are 25 more letters in the
alphabet so be flexible if plans change at the last minute. You don’t have to give up your success that
you have attained. Just go to plan B, C,
and D and so on. In 21 days you will
have a new habit that will help you be successful in reaching your health and
wellness goals.
