29
Mar 14
Guest Post by Lisa Bullock
“Organisation is the mother of all successful weight loss” And if Shakespeare didn’t get around to saying that, he should have! You’ll have heard that other famous quote “Failing to plan is planning to fail”.
I was chatting to a client last week about the frenetic pace of her life (I was exhausted just by listening!) and we discussed how to fit in healthy meals around a full time job, care of 3 teenagers, her added responsibility for the weekend care of a sick relative and her efforts to take care of her own health and fitness. Sound like anyone you know? Help is on the way here.
When life gets very busy, one of the first things to go is healthy meals. I’ve included some ideas to freshen up your weekday snacks, most of which can be done in advance. Try packing these in small containers in pre-prepared quantities – have you ever tried to restrict yourself to just 12 almonds when you have the whole bag there? Make it easy on yourself and don’t trust to just willpower – planning will save the day!
I always ask my clients to have a list of “default” meal and snack ideas on their fridge for the very busy times. You’re standing there exhausted, not an idea in your head for what you need to eat right now – except that you WANT to eat, RIGHT NOW!! Like shopping when you’re hungry – there’s a real potential to throw your healthy eating to the winds and dive on into what’s closest, so list out your healthy, handy meals and stick to that plan. Your list could include:
Handful of nuts
Vegetable sticks like celery and carrot with healthy hummus or tzatziki (recipe follows)
Protein powder and a bottle of water ready to mix (keep this with you ALWAYS)
Small cans of tuna
Protein and low carb muffins
Hard boiled eggs
Apple and natural nut butter
Small tub of cottage cheese with fruit or veggies chopped through
Small bowl of natural greek yoghurt with berries and cinnamon
Healthy granola bars (pictured above, thanks to Diana, author of Real Healthy Recipes)
For more great ideas, go here
Try this fabulously tasty and healthy recipe for hummus with a twist!
Sun Dried Tomato and Basil Hummus
- 1 (15 oz) can garbanzo beans/chickpeas
- 2 Tablespoons tahini (feel free to leave this out if you’re on a strict low-fat diet)
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 Tablespoon water
- 2 garlic cloves, mashed
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons soy sauce
- 4-6 sun-dried tomatoes
- 1/4 cup basil leaves
- Throw all the ingredients into a food processor and combine until smooth. For a thinner consistency add water, 2 Tablespoons at a time.
12 servings
Nutritional Analysis: One serving equals: 72 calories, 2g fat, 100mg sodium, 8g carbohydrate, 3g fiber, and 3g protein
Make it easy for yourself and take a little time on the weekend to plan for the week ahead. These ideas and many more can be found at Family Friendly Fat Burning Meals – enjoy!
Lisa Bullock is a Personal Trainer based in Melbourne, Australia. She’s run her successful fitness business for over 15 years and has trained over a 1000 clients helping them reach their health, fitness and wellness goals. Married for 27 years and mother to a daughter (22) and son (19), she is a proud proponent of the philosophy “keep on keeping on”. She believes that consistency is key to achieving goals. Lisa loves weight training with a passion; she’s boxed for over 12 years and sees no reason to stop soon! She’s faced her own health and weight issues and come out fighting. “I believe in training for the long haul” she claims, “I fully expect to be doing handstand push ups when I’m 60!.”
My passion is teaching people how to work fitness into their daily lifestyle in order to improve their quality of life. Let’s work together to help you reach your fitness goals!
