“Success is where preparation and opportunity meet…”

When Dave got home from a big gym session after work he was tired and hungry. He opened the fridge and found it bare! What could he have? He wanted to be healthy but didn’t have anything in the house and couldn’t be bothered to walk to the shops. He settled for a takeaway…

All that hard work almost undone by not being prepared. Fortunately, there is an easy solution. It does require a little planning, but it’s worthwhile.

Always at hand

If you can have some snacks in your house which are healthy you can always reach to them when you’re in need of something quick while you make a meal or pop to the shops. What kind of things? Here are some examples:

• Canned tuna/salmon, sweetcorn, salt, pepper with olive oil
• Frozen vegetables which you can microwave in a few mins
• Protein shake
• Mixed nuts
• Almond/peanut butter

These are all long life items, so you can just stock up on them and keep them in your cupboard.

Other uses for these snacks

The same is true for work where you are trying to resist the temptation of having some of Wendy’s birthday cake. Stock up on nuts, seeds, fresh fruit, hummus, peanut butter, etc.

You can snack on them first and then decide if you really need Wendy’s cake. Sound like a fair compromise?

An impaired decision making process…

When you’re hungry, your body just wants energy. It will crave higher sugar and fat foods, so you’ll reach for them and be tricked into thinking that is what you need.

Having a few emergency snacks on hand to help you through those times is the way forward.

Decide first, think later exercise

The same is true for exercise. Deciding what to do when you’re at the gym, tired and part way through a session is always hard. You are more likely to cut the session short when you feel tired.

Pre-planning your sessions is essential if you want to see good results.

A proven to work, tailor made program for you is ideal. The best bit is, it doesn’t cost that much to get a personal trainer to create an online programme for you.

Not comfortable with the moves and machinery in the gym and on a budget? Having a few 1-to-1 sessions with a PT to go through the exact routine will allow you to do it by yourself for a few months.