We’re all guilty of being so busy that we skip meals or eat food that isn’t healthy for us. However, if this becomes a habit, then we’re consistently not managing our time well, and that points to a problem.
Days may be full of meetings and phone calls, which are important to keep your life organized, but your ability to perform well decreases with regular lack of nutrients.
It’s easy to dismiss eating in lieu of a priority-1 call or meeting…but, we need to provide for ourselves despite the time constraints we may have in the day. When you include food as a necessity to your day, then you begin to take better care of yourself.
Planning Meals with Your Best Planner Ever
- Plan ahead. If you know the day will be a million errands or packed with phone calls, pack food ahead of time. I’ll often make my lunch for the next day when I’m preparing dinner the night before.Do you send your family out the door without food? Probably not. Treat your own needs the same! It’s really okay :)We require nutrients to think clearly and to expend our energy, and we get those nutrients by eating. Don’t push yourself without giving yourself the fuel to get there.Keep bagged snacks in a place that’s easy to reach (my top desk drawer) or portable fruits like applies and banana in a bowl by the kitchen door where it’s easy to grab and go.
- Plan accordingly. The days can be crazy so use the weekly Dinner planner (in the 6 month version) or the daily meal planner (in both 12 and 6 month version) to plan meals according to the busy in your day.For example, I know Wednesday’s are a really hard day for me to cook. That’s my long coaching day and I’m often not off the phone until after 6. I always plan a Slow Cooker meal on Wednesdays. This way, dinner is done and I’m not tempted to just order pizza because I’m too exhausted to cook.
- Plan actually. As in, actually write in your Best Planner Ever when you will put food in your system and what you will eat. So rather than just write down, “Lunch,” think about the food that will be at lunch, and list these items: Banana, protein bar, nut snack pack in the space provided.Make it even simpler by writing out your meals in advance. I find that when I make the decsion about what I’m going to eat BEFORE I’m dying of hunger, I’ll actually stick to a healthier diet. I don’t have to make a decision when I’m hungry or stressed, what I’m eating is already written down, and if I prepared it ahead of time I just have to eat!
Give yourself the time and attention that you deserve. We hear all the time that nothing works unless we put ourselves first, and part of that comes from self-care with our nutrition.