It’s been a challenging couple of weeks. My neck has been on the fritz again, which is keeping me from following my workout schedule and is requiring me instead to spend 2 hours a week in the physical therapist’s office.
My husband came home for a weekend visit (from his 4-month-long out-of-state school via the Coast Guard) to celebrate our son’s birthday. The visit was awesome, we thoroughly enjoyed having that time as a complete family, but with the anticipation of his arrival plus the birthday party planning, and then devastating news of his flight plans being cancelled last-minute because of weather, and then 16 hours later getting a call from him that he finally was able to find a flight that would get him here (after the birthday party was over) and packing in as much quality time as possible during his very short stay, my schedule and nerves were stretched and contorted every which way. And then in an instant, he was gone, and we were snapped back to reality.
Trouble is, I’m not very skilled at snapping back so swiftly. It takes me some time to find my feet again, get back into my groove in the midst of emotional kiddos who miss their daddy, and missing him a whole helluva lot myself. You’d think after nearly 13 years of being ‘married to the military’ it would be all smooth sailing every time he comes and goes, that I’d have my own routine down that I can stick to whether he’s home or not. Much as I would LOVE that, it is evading me still. Anyway, it’s been over a week, and I still can’t seem to get caught up or organized with anything… which I’ve allowed to keep me from sticking to my meal plan as well as I should have been, even as I’ve been sort of -on hold- with my P90X3 program.
I’m starting to notice that when I let my nutrition slip (I eat more crackers and cheese, pretzels, and processed ‘convenient’ foods, and less fresh fruits & veggies), it is even harder to function through this rollercoaster ride it sometimes feels like we are on. I lose my focus and my energy. Every little thing that goes wrong or is somewhat difficult feels monumentally HARD to get through. I know how much better I feel, both mentally and physically, when I am eating right and getting exercise. For me, I find it’s very hard to have one without the other. If I’m doing the program, I’m doing ALL of it, or none of it. However, this past weekend, I decided I’m not going to let circumstance rule my life. I can’t do all the workouts according to my schedule for now, but I CAN do X3 Yoga, Isometrix, and Eccentric Lower Body. I can also use my elliptical to continue getting some cardio work. Most importantly, I CAN stick to my meal plan no matter what my limitations physically for the workouts.
The number one best way to make this happen is to PLAN ahead and PREP. So on Sunday, I invested just one hour of my day into doing some food prep to make it EASIER for me during the week. I say invested, because I will get a return – I put in ONE hour of prepping to save myself SEVERAL hours during the week, which I will use to take my kiddos to the park, sit and read a book, etc. And we will all be eating well while we do this! Here’s a pic of the foods I prepped. Most of it is snack stuff and things I can put in my son’s lunchbox. I find that when I have CUT veggies and fruits in the fridge, we eat these foods more often, and I throw out less because we eat it before it can go bad! (Yay! Saving money is always a bonus!)
Carrot sticks
Watermelon
Kiwi
Hard boiled eggs
Honey Cinnamon Flax Granola (get my recipe)
Zucchini, onions, and red bell peppers – used for shrimp & pasta dinner
Citrus Vinaigrette dressing (get the recipe HERE)
Orange Basil spa water (purified water, orange slices, and a few fresh organic basil leaves – fun, refreshing way to get all the water you need throughout the day!)
I normally base my prep off of my meal plan, which I developed based on my P90X3 Nutrition Guide. I share this complete meal plan (portion sizes, what & when to eat) here.
Hope this prep idea helps you! I’d love to hear what YOU do to make eating healthy easier for your family! Please comment below!
Ready to Get Healthy!