OK, so I’m no boy scout. (Always Be Prepared is their motto, if you’re wondering what in the world I’m talking about). But what I have realised is that I take being prepared for granted. It is a given that we know what is for dinner each night of the week at our house, and that our meals are made up of a variety of red meat, white meat, fish and vegetarian meals. I take it as normal that there are at least 5 training sessions in my diary, with scope to add a few more. And I manage to have large chunks of the weekend to myself without any planning at all. But it took a lot of sub-conscious fine-tuning to get to this point. Which is what I’d like to help you out with now.
1. Meal planning
When the fridge is starting to look a little bare, it’s time to make a plan. Quickly check what is left in the fridge, in the freezer and in the pantry, so you have some sort of guidance. And then plan your meals for the next 5-7 days. You might like to read your week on a plate for guidance. Basically, make sure your meals aren’t all following the same formula. And if you tend to go out a lot, have a few unplanned meals in your week, otherwise you’ll end up with a fridge full of rotting food.
Once you have a plan, either make the time to head out and buy what is on your list, or order it online. Grocery shopping seems annoying and time-consuming, but it is tonnes quicker than starting from scratch at 6pm each day.
This advice is nothing new. The key is to follow it. Figure out when in your week you have time to plan your meals and when you have time to do your shopping. If you are always home late on Tuesdays, plan a super simple salad or have leftovers in the freezer. Once you’ve been planning your meals for a few weeks, you’ll fall into a rythm and wonder why you didn’t do this earlier.
2. Training regime
Exercise is just like eating. Doing the same thing every day isn’t much good for us. So take a look at your week and decide where and when you’re free to train. Ideally your week would include a couple of fitness sessions (like spin classes, zumba, going for a run, swimming or a brisk walk) a couple of strength sessions (like pump classes, weights at the gym, circuit training or boot camp) and something calmer (like yoga or pilates).
To make it more entertaining, try to do some of your exercise with others. Swim squads, running groups, lunchtime training groups, going to the gym – anything timetabled will help you to structure your week.
Another useful tip is to always have a back-up plan. Something about training sessions makes them particularly easy to skip. So plan to do more sessions than you really intend to do. Simple tricks, like having a copy of the gym timetable in your phone and keeping training gear at work will make it easier for you to take up last minute exercise opportunities.
And always take a day of rest per week. Even if you’re feeling invincible.
3. Me time
This one varies depending on which stage of life you’re at. It is a sweeping generalisation, but if you don’t have kids, you’re probably managing to get enough time to yourself. If, however, you do have a bunch of little darlings pulling you in all directions, time out takes planning, discipline and the ability to ask for help.
Firstly, a disclaimer. I don’t have kids. So feel free to laugh at my advice. But I do have plenty of friends and family members with little ones and I can see which ones have mastered the art of keeping it together.
Ideally, you’d have tiny moments to yourself most days. This is where discipline comes in. You need to be strong enough to turn your back on the messy kitchen or the pile of washing and do something you actually enjoy, rather than another household chore. Read a chapter of your book. Have a coffee. Watch bad TV. Or good TV. Stare vacantly out the window. Whatever you feel like doing. For the most part you can do boring jobs when the kids are around, so choose not to waste the time you do have to yourself.
But these little moments of calm aren’t necessarily enough to keep us emotionally balanced. This is where planning and asking for help comes in. You’d ask someone to mind the kids so you could go to the doctor, so why not occasionally ask someone to look after them while you go for a walk? Or to get your hair done? Even a very helpful partner might need to be asked to look after the kids by themselves. So do it. Healthy kids are raised by a community, not by a super mum battling away by herself.
Keeping it together
If you can balance what you eat, how often you train and enough time to yourself each week, you are well on the way to being a healthier version of you. The key is to keep on fine-tuning, especially in chaotic and stressful times. Good luck!
