Building a healthy body means paying attention to what you do and what you ingest. Getting enough water can be as simple as getting a pair of stainless reusable bottles, a quality filter, and keeping those bottles filled up and right at the front of the refrigerator. Food planning can also be simple, but it will take a bit more time.
What is a Meal Planning Guide?
A meal planning guide is a tool to reduce the number of choices you have to make when your brain is tired and your body is hungry. Like habits, developing a plan as to
- What you eat
- When you eat it
- How much time it takes to fix it
can make it much easier to make smarter choices and fix a healthy plate. Meal planning starts with a grocery list and does not stop until you lift your fork.
Why is Meal Preparation Important?
If you do not have an effective plan and a schedule for preparation, you may fall back on convenience foods or a restaurant. While many restaurants can offer terrific food, the portion sizes are often far too big for someone with specific weight control or carb control goals.
Meal preparation can often be done when schedules have a bit more room. For example, you can shop on Thursday evening and pick up a quality convenience meal for Friday evening, then do your real food prep on Saturday. This can include
- chopping greens
- making dressings
- splitting out snacks
- boiling eggs
- cooking single servings of chicken breast, for example
and anything else that makes putting together a healthy meal an easy default instead of a challenge.
How to Teach Your Clients to Meal Plan
Start with a list of fitness and health goals. Is your client working hard to build muscle, increase flexibility, lessen the signs of aging, or lose weight? Each of these goals takes healthy food, but each can also be tweaked with custom meal plans that offer a way to personalize the process that can be inspiring.
For example, your client may be focused on weight loss and general detox. A focus on antioxidants can lead to a whole collection of recipes that include berries, or salads that focus on kale for a high dose of antioxidants. Each client will have the ability, once their needs for carbs, protein, and fresh produce are defined, to create a custom meal plan for long-term health.
From the outside, meal planning can look like a lot of work and hassle. Why spend your weekends taking on another chore when you already have enough to do? However, the right meal plan, starting with a detailed grocery list, can reduce the number of questions your client has to face at the end of a long day. A plate of veggies, protein, and just a bit of healthy starch may not sound like comfort food, but knowing that dinner is ready to roll can be comforting at the end of a busy day.
