Editor’s Note: The following biweekly column is sponsored and written by Disrupt Fitness.
It’s late, you’ve worked all day and haven’t had anything to eat since lunch. You need to get home and cook dinner but you’re starving. As you drive home, you’re dreaming about how good some piping hot french fries and a chocolate shake would taste. The thought of cooking something healthy seems utterly exhausting.
We’ve all been there. Let’s face it, with our lives so crazy busy these days it seems as though we never have enough time to eat the way we should. Over the years I’ve developed some habits that help me stay on track even during the busiest of work weeks. Here are a few:
Plan ahead. Planning is already an integral part of your daily life. You plan what you are going to wear to work tomorrow. You plan when you need to leave the house in order to get to work on time. You plan what you are going to say — and not going to say — in tomorrow’s meeting. We really spend a lot of time planning what we are going to do in any given day. But unfortunately, we don’t seem to practice this enough when it comes to our own health and wellness.
Eat breakfast. Your body is ready to go, return the favor and give it something to run on. You wouldn’t drive to work on an empty gas tank, would you? So why ask your body to do the same.
Pack healthy snacks. Never leave home without ’em! They will tide you over until you can get home to prepare a healthy meal and keep you from giving in to the enticing neon hue of the drive thru window.
Pack your own lunch. Every day at work I see throngs of people marching into the food court across the street to get their lunch. When someone tells me they don’t have time to pack a lunch, I say hogwash, you’ve got time.
For the record, when I say “Pack your own lunch,” I don’t mean throwing a Hungry Man or Lean Cuisine in a bag and calling it a day. Pack a lunch that will leave you feeling energized and ready to face the afternoon.
Do some research. If you can’t pack your lunch, make sure you are picking places with lots of healthy options. Check out online menus in advance to see if there are healthy items available. Consider finding a juice bar or a health food store, as they usually have healthy salads and sandwiches for lunch. There are healthy options out there folks — it just might take a little leg work on your part.
Remember, eating healthy during the work week is really about planning ahead, about knowing the landscape that is coming, and preparing yourself with good options. Always set yourself up for success. Where your health is concerned, settling for less shouldn’t be an option.
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The views and opinions expressed in the column are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of ARLnow.com.