Guest Post: Friday FITspiration Week 2/4

For the next 3 Fridays, Stephanie from Infinite Life Fitness will be here to give us some tips & tricks to help us achieve our fitness goals. This chick is fabulous and the more I read her blog, the more motivated I get. She will also be hosting a giveaway here in week 3, so please make sure you check in every Friday to get the details of how to enter! 

Hey guys! This is Stephanie from Infinite Life Fitness here to share some more health and fitness tips with you!  Today I would like to share MORE meal planning tips with you!  Meal planning is one of the MOST important aspects to reaching your health and fitness goals. 

There is a little saying that I heard and like to share with the clients that I train…”If you fail to plan, than you can plan to fail!”  What that means is if you fail to plan out your meals and snacks, than it is likely that you will fail at staying on track with your healthy eating!  Most people say “I do not have time so I go grab food at this fast food place” or they run into the grocery store and just grab whatever is convenient.  Well that is not good planning! Planning out your meals (and even making them ahead of time) allows you to already know what you can/will eat and eliminates the need to go to the store or fast food place to “grab something quick”.  What I personally do is I will set aside one day a week (usually Saturday or Sunday) and I will make meals to last me all week!  Yes my fridge and freezer are FULL of Tupperware with my measured out correct portion sizes of my meals. 

I will bake a whole pack of chicken, fish, beef, or whatever meat I choose to eat that day.  I will make a big pot of rice (or pasta), and I will make a big pot of veggies.  In each of my Tupperware containers I will put 4-6 oz. of meat, 1 cup of veggies, and 1 cup of pasta or rice.  I will use these containers for lunch/dinner.  They are already measured out and in the Tupperware so when I am ready to eat all I have to do is grab a Tupperware with the meal I want, throw it on a plate, and heat it up! Talk about “fast food”!  It is pre-maid, healthy, and in the end it did save me money!

Like I said before you have to plan out your meals or you will be tempted to go to those restaurant or food places that you love, which will also tempt you to get the same less healthy foods that you should limit in your diet.

The same can go for your snacks.  You can create your own “snack packs” with zip lock bags or reusable Tupperware (so you can re-wash them and save money as well!).  You can buy the larger containers of yogurt or big bags of fruit/veggies and portion them out correctly into the zip lock bags/Tupperware.  This will allow you to have the right portion size and not tempt you to sneak another handful of chips, fruit, or whatever else you decide you want for your snack that day. 

Also, are you drinking enough water?  You should substitute water for one of your favorite cokes or red bulls during the day.  Most people do not realize that they consume most of their calories via the sugary non nutrient beverages they sip on all day!  Yes switching to the diet version of your favorite carbonated beverage is a good alternative, BUT you should slowly try to wing yourself off of those types of drinks in general.

So as the saying goes, “If you fail to plan, than you can plan to fail!”  So start planning out your menu to help you save time, money, and temptation to veer away from your healthy eating!

And as with any other extreme activities that you would like to do, please consult with your physician first before you embark on any kind of physical activity, meal plans, or any other activities that may be harmful to you or your health needs. 

I hope the tips I shared with you will help you guys start planning out your NEW and HEALTHIER meal menus for this week!  For other daily health and fitness tips please feel free to check out my blog at infinitelifefitness.com. Please feel free to check back next week to see what other health and fitness tips I share! Have a happy and healthy weekend!