Plan Ahead to Have First Things First

Being a mama who works outside the home, I've found that effective time management is critical. If every moment is not intentional (including free time) I don't keep it together very well. An area where I've found I can save time and also be more successfull with my health goals is meal planning.

And I don't mean just making a grocery list.

I mean making every single meal for the week in a couple of hours, sometime during the weekend. The last thing I want to do on a Sunday afternoon is cook. However, I want to do it even less during the week and am more likely to binge on non-optimal food choices when I'm tired and hungry. When my food is already prepared, it's a no-brainer. Plus, I'm gaining start-up and prep time each day that I have a already prepared meal.

It sounds daunting, but I actually prepared the main course for dinners and lunches for one work week for both me and the husband in about 45 minutes.

If anyone is intersted, I can share some photos and some sample menus for the week. One word of warning: when using this method, I repeat two to three meals throughout the week, so if you can't function without variety, this method might not be for you. I actually got this idea when I read the 4 hour body by Tim Ferris. This is how Ferris suggests you eat when adapting this particular diet. You can ready more on why in the book (quite interesting I might add). This is what we are eating this week:

* Dinners: Either Ranch Burgers with Black Beans and Guacamole, OR Greek Shawarma with Hummus.

* Lunches - Chilli, Nuts and Greek Yogurt

* Snacks - Shakeology, apples

* Breakfasts - Shakeology and/or Hard Boiled Eggs

For me time-management is really all bout keeping your priorities in line. When you are seeking first things first, you find ways to eliminate waste and leave more time for the "first things."

An Apple a Day: Prioritizing

Although eating an apple every day in 2012 is sort of a silly idea, the impact it's had on prioritization for me had been a surprise. In a good way. If you are familiar with one of my favorite bloggers, Gretchen Rubin, you know that she writes alot about yes resolvers and no resolvers. I think I've always known that I'm a yes resolver, but until this year have not found a good way to make that quality play to my strengths when it comes to health. But my eating an apple every day, it reminds me to eat the good stuff first. So instead of constantly telling myself, "No, you can't have that!" I've saying YES to good foods first before I even go down that road.

And it's working!

I'm finding myself satisfied by nutrient rich foods and with more energy. This in turn makes me feel great about my choices. My apples are also serving as a daily reminder to keep my priorities in line in different areas of health (like exercise) as well as in other areas of my life that are priorities like family, and finances.

So, although I don't think the act of eating an apple each day along is going to change my life, the symbol and reminder that it has become can and has. What kids of things do you have in your life that help you keep your priorities straight?