Today is Day 16 in our 31 Tips to a Healthier You series! The tip I want to share today is simple but essential to a healthy lifestyle… I want you to start (if you don’t already) packing your own lunch. Just like when you were in elementary school!
When you pack your own lunch you become more in-control of what you are eating. You don’t have to rely on what you can possibly find or pick up at the market/fast-food joint/coffee shop. Packing your own healthy lunchbox eliminates all possibility of falling off plan during the day!
All you need to do is bring a soft cooler with you everywhere you go. You need to make sure to have lots of balanced snacks and at least one healthy meal in the cooler each day. Fruit, nuts, homemade trail mix, canned tuna, and so much more can be easily carried on the go! If you want something delicious that you know you will love choose from this list of healthy snacks.
Packing Your Cooler
Bring a small cooler to work! There are LOTS of products out there to help you transport your foods to and from work or school. There is no reason to not have healthy choices with you! The night before work pack your cooler. Have all your go-to foods with you. This is easy and will save your healthy lifestyle. It only takes 15 extra minutes to pack your lunch at night. I like to make a bit of extra protein (tofu/fish) the night before with supper. Then refrigerate it so you can add it to a salad to add to your healthy lunch. Then simply put your portion of nuts in a zip lock bag, pack your yogurt and your fruit, measure some hummus and raw veggies! Easy!
And let me tell you, there are some very sharp looking lunch bags out there now! Have fun with it!
I want you all to remember Sunday cook night. I love to cook up some things in large batches on Sunday nights to make my life easier. Place all your options in containers and refrigerate so that they are ready when you need them. For those of you that have a bigger family you may want to have Sunday and Wednesday cook night. Planning ahead is key when it comes to having a healthy lunch. Make the most of your time and get multiple lunches prepared at once.
What to Prepare in Advance – Lunch Options
Here is a list of great things to cook in large amount and have on hand so that you aren’t scrambling to get your healthy lunch together:
- Steel Cut Oatmeal
- Quinoa
- Brown Rice
- Baked Sweet Potatoes (have you tried them in coins? soooo good!)
- Baked Chicken
- Turkey Balls
- Hummus – small to-go containers
- Nuts and Dried Fruit – Put your nuts and dried fruit in zip-lock bags pre-portioned
- Nut Butters – Portion out your serving size of nut butter in small containers
- Yogurt – Portion out some yogurt in small containers
- Fresh Veggies – Cut up some fresh veggies that are easy to grab for a snack.
- DAMY Protein Muffins and Bars
- Homemade LARABARS
- DAMY Energy Balls
- DAMY Protein Balls
Take these steps to make your success easy. These are really peanuts when it comes to thinking of your overall health! I read a quote tonight that really stuck home for me, and all of us that say we are “too busy” for a healthy lifestyle may resonate with it: “Those who don’t take the time for their health will have to take time for illness.” It really rang true to me today! Hope it does the same for you!
Task for the Day
Start packing your own healthy lunch. Use the simple tips above to make sure you stay on track while you are away from home during the week. You can do it!
Reminder: Drink 2.5L of water today!
P.S. Did you arrive here via Stumbleupon? This tip is number 16 of a 31 part free email course called 31 Tips to a Healthier You on how to improve your health and jumpstart your weight loss one day at a time. Learn more about it by signing up here.
*Please be sure to consult a physician before embarking on any weight loss program. These tips are meant to be part of a healthy lifestyle and are not in any way meant to cure disease.
