I don’t have time to eat healthy!
By Coach Jimmy Hays Nelson
Lately I have been hearing this issue come up with my clients, friends, and family. People who want to improve their nutrition, but feel like they don’t have time to prepare healthy meals when our society has become overrun with fast processed options that seem more convenient.
Our lives seem to get busier and busier each year. I know mine does, I thought I was a busy guy THEN my wife and I welcomed our first child into the world this past year! Talk about a busy world immediately getting a little more crowded. Yet, throughout it all I have been able to use a few steps to continue my healthy eating routine. (I didn’t even gain sympathy weight when my wife was pregnant. For all the Dads out there, you know how challenging this can be!)
How to Eat Healthy
First, you have to make ‘Eating Clean’ a priority. It’s basically become a non-negotiable issue in our house. We have all been given one body and this machine is given a limited number of days for us to enjoy it. If you feed it junk, it runs like junk. But when you put high quality real food into your machine it is amazing how many areas it effects: Mood, Energy, Digestion, Skin, Hair, Relationships, Outlook, Clearer Thinking!
Second, you need to have a healthy meal plan. It amazes me how many people made New Year’s resolutions to start eating better, but never took the time to plan HOW they were going to do it. If you were going to take a road trip across the country, wouldn’t you take the time to put the destination into your GPS so you could see how you were going to get there?
Third, this simple plan I lay out comes from a guy who DOES NOT COOK. Ask my wife! I eat from the same basics every day, and none of it requires any fancy cooking instructions. I live my life by:
“I’m hungry. I want to eat NOW”!
A Successful week of eating for me begins on the weekend. I usually go to the grocery store on Saturday mornings. Two important things to do before you skip off to the grocery store:
- Make A List
- Eat before you Go!
If you don’t have a list and shop hungry, you will waste time and money wandering around the store buying whatever strikes your fancy!
How to Eat Healthy: Get a Shopping List
I’m going to share with you the staples I get EVERY WEEK:
- Chicken Breast Family Pack
- Sweet Potatoes
- Avocados
- Raw Spinach
- Bell Peppers
- Lemons
- Oatmeal
- Almond Butter
- Green Beans
- Mustard
- Mrs. Dash
Since this article is about TIME – notice that I can be in and out of the grocery store QUICKLY when I know what I want, and where to get it.
How to Eat Healthy: Meal Prep
Once I get home I cook all of my food in bulk for the entire week. It only takes me about an hour!
Here are a few easy steps I use in my food prep:
- I slice my sweet potatoes and lay them flat in a large pan that I have coated with cooking spray
- All chicken breasts are placed into a large pan that has been coated with cooking spray
- Chicken Breasts and Sweet Potatoes are put into oven that has been set to Bake at 400 degrees. I let them cook for 45 mins.
- Green Beans are placed into my steamer
- Raw Spinach is washed and put into large freezer bags to lay flat in the refrigerator
- Bell Peppers are sliced and put into easy-to-access Tupperware containers
While the chicken and sweet potatoes cook, this allows me time to prep Spinach & Bell Peppers. If you wanted to take it a step further, you could even separate bulk oatmeal into serving size baggies. I choose to let the avocados ripen and use them as needed.
After the chicken and sweet potatoes are done, you have a couple of options:
- You can actually put individual meals together in zip lock bags or plastic ware. This way all you have to do each morning is grab the meals you need for the day, and be off.
- If you are home through the day put food in large containers or freezer bags in the fridge and serve yourself for each meal
To see what I eat at each meal, how much, and when, visit my Blog Post: What I Do: Food, Supplements, & Habits!
The key is to keep it simple! When we have a TON of options we are paralyzed and frozen by too many options. Once I narrowed down my options, I started seeing very quick results. Because I no longer had to wonder about what I was going to eat each day. It took out the variable of having the option to choose something that was going to keep me from my fitness goals.
If you eliminate options during the day of what you are going to eat then the temptation for a fast cheeseburger in the middle of the afternoon won’t be there!
I use many different kinds of spices to give me flavor variety from day to day: Cinnamon, Cayenne, Basil, Mrs. Dash, etc
It’s not a flashy plan, but it works! You can still eat healthy even when you think you don’t have time to!
I would love to hear your feedback as you adopt some of these strategies to fit into your skinny jeans! I invite you to leave a comment below, and let me know of your success!
Don’t forget, I’m in this thing WITH YOU! – Coach Jimmy
Jimmy Hays Nelson Beachbody Coach is a self-proclaimed ‘former fat guy’. In his mid 20’s he was an overweight college dropout, who found himself living back at home with his parents. Knowing something had to change, he took action.
Through his transformation journey he lost 100 pounds, started his own business, was featured in the Shaun T workout series INSANITY, and has been seen multiple times on QVC with his buddy Tony Horton promoting P90X.
He founded NELSONGY FITNESS with his wife Kelly to reach out to give hope and support to those that are dissatisfied with their current situation. Whether you are lacking physically, emotionally, financially, or nutritionally we are here to help you see REAL RESULTS!