We know your schedule is packed!
That said, eating healthy and taking care of yourself is essential for maintaining a demanding lifestyle. You want to be able to keep your energy high and be able to work at the pace you need to fulfill your ambitious goals – and meal planning can help you get there!
When we’re coaching, we are coaching the whole person and it’s very much integrated into how you maintain your heath so you can meet the demands of life. We understand that it can sound overwhelming and time consuming! It may seem odd for a money and business coaching company to talk about nutrition, but a balanced diet provides the necessary nutrients for optimum brain function and productivity. This ultimately makes you and your business successful!
From shopping smartly at the grocery store to using leftovers in creative ways, here are 4 ways ambitious women (like you!) can make meal planning more efficient.
1. Meal plan ahead of time.
Take some time out of your busy schedule to plan your meals. Decide on a menu for the week and create a shopping list. Picking a day of the week, perhaps Saturday or Sunday. The weekend serves as an excellent opportunity to prepare meals for the week ahead. Create a list of recipes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, then head to the grocery store to stock up on ingredients. Time spent planning ahead saves time during the week, allowing you to grab and go without much thought or fuss.
Meal prepping ahead of time also prevents impulse buying and encourages healthy eating habits. Instead of grabbing fast food on your lunch break or indulging in a sugary treat, you have a delicious and nutritious meal readily available to enjoy. We are all looking for motivation, and meal prepping can be just that! Planning your meals allows you to set and achieve specific goals.
Once you’ve got your meal prepping goals established, there will be much more time to focus on your business goals. By planning and preparing meals in advance, you can ensure that you are getting adequate nutrition to fuel your workouts and lead a healthy life.
2. Use time-saving techniques.
Meal prepping doesn’t have to take up your entire weekend, or cut into your workday. Use time-saving techniques like cooking in bulk, using a slow cooker, or pre-chopping your vegetables. This will help you save time and make meal prepping a lot more manageable. With a little bit of planning and preparation, cooking in bulk allows you to make multiple meals at once. This means that you don’t need to spend time cooking every day of the week, freeing up a lot of your time and energy that you can put into your business.
Utilizing leftovers for meals is a great way to save time and money when you have a busy lifestyle. It requires minimal effort and can provide you with delicious and nutritious meals.
Try repurposing the same ingredients in different ways throughout the week! For example if you have some cooked chicken breast from Monday night’s dinner try adding it to Tuesday night’s pasta dish, either as part of the sauce or diced over the top at the end of cooking. Or if you have some roasted vegetables left over from Sunday lunch turn them into a delicious frittata on Monday night.
Having pre-made meals in bulk can be a huge convenience when you’re short on time. You can simply reheat a meal you’ve already made, rather than having to start from scratch every time you need to eat. Knowing that you have meals on hand can reduce the stress that comes with trying to figure out what to eat every day, especially when you’re on the move. The last thing you should be worrying about as a business owner is what you will have time to get for lunch, so pre-making meals can really save you a ton of stress!
3. Don’t skip meals.
It may be easy to “forget to eat” when you’re constantly moving, but skipping meals can be detrimental to your health. When you skip a meal, your body is forced to reduce its energy usage and slow down its metabolic rate in order to preserve energy. This can lead to feelings of fatigue and sluggishness, as well as reduced mental clarity. Taking care of yourself by eating when you are hungry will help you avoid the feeling of lethargy throughout the day.
Not eating enough can also cause a deficiency in important nutrients such as vitamins and minerals that are necessary for the body’s normal functioning. Additionally, skipping meals may cause overeating later on due to extreme hunger, leading to unhealthy eating choices. Eating regular meals helps keep your energy levels up throughout the day and keeps your metabolism running optimally so that you can stay active and productive no matter how busy you may be. Therefore, it is most important not to skip meals when you’re a business owner.
4. Try a meal prep service.
If you know that you will never step foot in the kitchen and take the time to meal prep, consider a meal prep service. If you are looking to save time and reduce the stress of meal planning, hiring a meal planning service may be the perfect solution for you. With a meal planning service, you can have customized meal plans tailored to your dietary preferences and busy lifestyle delivered straight to your inbox or door.
When you use a meal planning service, you eliminate the need to spend hours each week planning meals, making grocery lists, and shopping for ingredients, so you can devote more time to growing your business. With pre-planned meals, you can simply follow the instructions and have dinner on the table in no time. This is a great solution for busy professionals, parents, and anyone else who wants to eat healthy without sacrificing taste or convenience.
If you’re in the Western New York area, Nutrition by Newman is a great local business that provides pre-portioned and pre-packaged meals, making it easy for you to stay on track with your diet and nutrition goals. All you have to do is heat them up and enjoy. They source their products from local farmers, ensuring that their meals are not only healthy, but also sustainable and environmentally friendly. All of their meals are made from scratch, using only natural ingredients and no preservatives or artificial additives. They also offer delivery services to some Buffalo area neighborhoods!
Not from Western New York, or looking for another option? Freshly is a popular meal prep service that offers chef-cooked and nutritionist-designed meals, ensuring that customers receive meals that are both tasty and healthy. Their meals are made with fresh, whole ingredients and without any of the harmful additives or preservatives that are often found in packaged foods. Freshly offers a wide range of meal plans, including gluten-free, low-carb, and vegetarian options, making it easy for customers to find the plan that best suits their dietary needs.
Eating healthy despite a busy business lifestyle is an important part of maintaining your health and wellbeing. It can be challenging to put together nutritious meals when you’re in a rush, but with some planning and preparation it’s possible to make sure that you get the nutrition your body needs even on those hectic days.
Incorporating more whole foods into your diet while avoiding skipping out on essential nutrients will help ensure that your body gets the fuel it needs to stay energized throughout the day so you can be the most productive in your business. No matter how busy life gets, planning ahead can help ensure that you are ready to own your business.
Ready to continue leveling up your business? Check out our business coaching online courses to get started!
