Healthy Lifestyles with Amy Layne
Prepare for Success
It’s busy times, it seems it’s the one thing we all have in common. I often get asked the question, “how do I make my healthy lifestyle more efficient?” It’s so important to plan ahead and take these steps to make your healthy lifestyle simple and easy. My two main tips are always the same and are proven to work. They are ‘Pack a Cooler’ and ‘Sunday Cook-Day.’
My first tip is ‘Pack a Cooler.’ It’s 2010 ladies and gentleman, there are a lot of products out there to help transport your food to and from work or school! There is no reason to not have healthy choices with you. You will never find yourself saying “I was forced to eat a donut because there were no healthy options.” Resolve this issue before it happens. Every evening pack your cooler for the day. Included should be two meals and at least two extra snacks than you expect you will need. Always prepare for the unexpected. When cooking supper prepare extra protein (extra chicken breast, etc), extra sweet potato or brown rice, and some extra salad. Some other great items to have in your cooler are: tuna and a can opener, hard fruit or fruit with a peel, pre-portioned nuts or nut butter, yogurt, hardboiled eggs, portioned protein powder, whole grain wrap, and hummus with pre-cut vegetables. All these foods take minutes to prepare or throw together. Give yourself an extra 10 minutes the night before to prepare your cooler. Oh, and let me tell you, there are some very sharp looking lunch bags out there now! Have fun with it!
One thing everyone should do for themselves is ‘Sunday Cook-Day.’ What we do here is cook up food in large batches to make our lives easier during the week! It’s all about planning ahead and making the most out of our precious time. Great things to cook in large amounts and to have on hand are: steel cut oatmeal, quinoa, brown rice, baked sweet potato, baked chicken breast, turkey balls, salmon, hummus, washed and pre-cut veggies, portioned out nuts, and hardboiled eggs. All of these items can be stored in your fridge in large containers then portioned out, as you need them. All keep well and are yummy re-heated. For a bigger family and your proteins you may want to have Sunday and Wednesday Cook-Day.
Take these steps to make your success easier! These are really quick and easy when it comes to thinking of your overall health! Here is a quote that I feel is important for all of us who say we are ‘too busy’ for a healthy lifestyle, “those who don’t take the time for their health will have to take time for illness.” I think of this quote when I find myself saying ‘I’m too busy.’ I hope that you can use these tips to simplify your life!
As always, I love hearing from you! If you have any questions or would like me to discuss any topics, email me!
Amy Layne
amylayne@damyhealth.com
