Fit for Life: Preparation & Consistency = Success on Every Level!

Saturday, September 07, 2019

Matt Espeut, GoLocalWorcester Health +Lifestyle Contributor

Matt Espeut

I try to write articles that will either bring value to someone’s life, motivate people, or help someone accomplish something positive throughout their day.

The other day a member wrote to me and asked me for some tips on meal prep, so today, I’m hoping to give you all some useful tips that you can implement starting today!

Meal prep doesn’t need to be complicated. The fact of the matter is that you want to keep it as simple as possible so you can stick with it on a regular basis. Consistency is essential to achieve your fitness goals and maintain them!

The first step is to get prepared and have all the necessary materials to make things easy on yourself.

Purchase some uniform pieces of Tupperware that will hold all the contents of a single meal/snack.

I like the 7” square ones because they hold enough food and are easy to transport.

Next, make a list of what you will need to carry with you for the next 3 days.

Remember, grazing on small meals and snacks throughout the day will keep your metabolism stoked, and burning calories all day, so prep your menu to eat every 3-4 hours.

I recommend shopping and prepping on Sunday and Wednesday nights so it won’t take too much of your time and you will always have fresh food.

I generally eat breakfast at home, because breakfast food usually isn’t too desirable later on and reheated.

If you need to, hard-boiled eggs, overnight oats, protein shakes, fruit, and quality low sugar granola are some great options that you can easily portion out and take with you.

A good example of a healthy breakfast would be 2 scoops of Arbonne protein powder, 1 cup almond milk, 1 teaspoon almond butter, and 1/2 banana.

Another option would be 2 hard-boiled eggs, some cherry tomatoes, and sliced cucumbers. Simple and healthy.

When it comes to prepping snacks, make some trail mix, cut up some vegetables, grab a piece of fruit and a package of quality beef jerky and you will be all set for those between-meal cravings. Try to balance the macro nutrients by implementing protein, carbs and healthy fats at every meal. So, a good snack would be an apple and 1/2 oz of almonds, or some beef jerky and carrot sticks. Once again, super easy and healthy.

For lunch, you have a lot of different options, however, we want to keep things simple.

If you prepare a pound of ground beef, a pot of rice, and purchase a package of mixed greens, you will have 3-4 meals worth of food ready to go.

Just add a handful of greens, 4oz of beef, and 1/2 - 3/4 c of rice and you have a quick healthy meal.

Another option would be to purchase a rotisserie chicken, bake a few small sweet potatoes, and portion that out with some salad mix for another healthy option.

You should have enough snack material to carry you over between lunch and dinner.

When it comes time for dinner, you can simplify that too.

Have some protein to grill, choose a starch - either sweet potatoes, quinoa, brown rice, or legumes and fill 1/2 your plate with green vegetables.

If you neglected to prep your daily meals, this is a great opportunity to make extra food, then portion out a few Tupperware containers and save the leftovers for the next day.

Prepping is important because eating out is usually not the best choice, however, if you need to, find healthy options like Chipotle, Baja grill, or a salad bar at a supermarket. Just be cautious of extra calories like condiments, and other unhealthy options that appear on salad bars.

So, there is a simple way to have healthy nutritious meals and snacks throughout the day. It’s not as hard as you may think, and you will be pleasantly surprised at how much energy you will have throughout the day.

Remember, preparation is the key. If you fail to prepare, then you can prepare to fail. Stay with it, exercise some discipline, and be consistent on a daily basis. You will become the best version of you in no time!!

Committed to your success,

Matt Espeut, GoLocal's Health & Lifestyle Contributor has been a personal trainer and health & fitness consultant for over 25 years. He is the owner of Fitness Profiles, a one on one, and small group personal training company, as well as Providence Fit Body Boot Camp, located at 1284 North Main St., on the Providence/Pawtucket line. You can reach Matt at (401) 453-3200; on Facebook at "Matt Espeut", and on Twitter at @MattEspeut. "We’re all in this life together – let’s make it a healthy one.

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Fit for Life: Preparation & Consistency = Success on Every Level!

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