Manic Monday - No-Fail Environment (part1)
September12, 2016
It's Monday! Has it been off to a good start? Chances are in favor of most people starting Monday off with a bit of chaos ( or a lot of chaos). Some of that chaos involves a reluctant wake up time, a sluggish body getting ready for work or school, trying to find breakfast, and then all of the sudden realizing you are already running late! The hurricane becomes full force. I'm sure some of you can resonate. Wouldn't be nice it you woke up with a clear mind, walked out of your bedroom to a sparkly clean house, breakfast AND coffee was a simple task, you get ready for the day with ease, and you WALK ( not run) out your door ahead of schedule? Wouldn't stress levels be so much lower? There is something called "preparation" that is crucial in success without stress. Same goes with healthy living.
Preparation is a big part of setting the stage towards reaching healthy lifestyle goals. I love to train people into thinking that preparation is the process to create a no-fail environment. A "no-fail environment" is essential to win the battle over sabotage! Remember that word, sabotage. The meaning of sabotage is anything that interferes with production and is usually intentional. In the case of healthy lifestyle journeys, sabotage can be saying "yes" to the all-you-can-eat buffet or succumbing to the comforts of our couches with the tv remote in hand over physical activity or being productive. The killer sabotage is the unprepared environment. If your kitchen is exploding with processed foods, snacks, sodas, and frozen entrees..... -well, what can I say? You are going to fail at healthy eating. However, if you CLEAR out (get rid of) the processed food, junk, soda, etc., and replace your entire kitchen with clean foods (lean meats, poultry, whole grains, vegetables, fruit, nuts, and water) you will have a base for a successful environment. To make your environment optimal to the point where you cannot be sabotaged, you will need to prepare even further. Some preparations to integrate would be to schedule two days per week to do food prep. What I tend to do is use Sunday evenings and Wednesdays to grill several chicken breasts, cook venison or ground turkey and have these proteins organized in containers in the fridge. I then incorporate my meal planning and use those cooked items to have readily available. I have a freezer full of veggies that are quick to steam. I cut up our raw veggies and prepare a veggie tray for the week that I pull out every evening for the family to snack on. I also cut up mounds of fruit so that too is readily available for snacking. I make sure apples, bananas, and oranges are displayed nicely on our counter tops so that when our sweet tooth kicks in we can just grab a ready to eat fruit instead of a convenient cookie. Each of our family members has their own double walled cup so that cold water is ready to drink throughout the day. We don't keep soda, ice cream, chips, or baked goods in the house. They are treats when we have a night out to eat or attend a special event. It's funny how we survive living in our house with little to no junk food.... But we DO!
So what's your in-home food sabotage? Are you willing to make a no-fail environment? Take the challenge, clean out your kitchen this week and full it up with great foods that set you up for success!
**A Reminder: some of your sabotage type foods might be good foods that you eat too much of instead of in moderation. If you are not in a "safe zone" yet with these foods, please consider donating those items (if unopened), to the Sherrard Food Pantry! It will be a win-win for you AND someone in need!
Have a GREAT week!!
Rachel Zimmerman, Certified Personal Trainer and Life Coach
ACE/NSCA
Wife, Mother, and Friend
