The more my blog evolves, the more I find myself writing for busy women. Probably because I am one myself, so I understand the need to want to get more done in less time.
But being busy doesn’t mean you can’t be healthy. So I’m starting a new series of posts to provide you with some tips to help you “hack” your health without using up lots of your valuable time.
First up: Automate your eating.
How much of your time is spent thinking about what you’re going to have for your breakfast/lunch/dinner? Only to then go home and throw a frozen pizza in the oven because you just can’t think about it any longer?
Trust me. I’ve been there and if I’m honest, unless I plan – it still happens.
By automating your eating and planning your meals ahead of time helps you prevent making unhealthy last-minute food choices.
Automating your eating isn’t about eating the exact same thing every day. You can have a small – and make sure it’s small because the point of this exercise is to make your life easier – rota of foods that you can choose from. When you get up in the morning and you know what you’re going to be eating for the day – that’s one less decision you need to make.
Dr Oz has famously said how he eats blueberries and greek yogurt every morning because it saves him time debating over what to have for breakfast and therefore avoids the dreaded decision fatigue that so many of us encounter on a daily basis.
The more things we can automate in our lives, the more space and mental energy we free up to make the big decisions.
But the key to automated eating is in the planning. So that you don’t end up eating the exact same thing for the rest of your days, or getting bored and going off on one big binge, it’s important to decide on what you’re going to eat and when.
Not only does automating your eating free up your time but it also helps save you money and prevents waste. When you plan what you’re eating, you just buy what you need. No need to pop to the supermarket after work either and if you’re anything like me and you pop in for a pint of milk and end up spending £50 then that’s a huge bonus.
I’ve put together a printable weekly menu (and shopping list) for you to download – completely free – just to make your life a little easier.
Want a copy? Just click HERE and enter your email.
So give automating your meals for a couple of weeks and you’ll be surprised at just how much time you save.
I meal plan but just for our evening meal….The kids are at school so have lunch there and for breakfast it’s usually cereal or toast….I have found it really does save money!
I couldn’t agree more Rachel. I find planning a cmplete faff, but life is so much easier (and cheaper) when I do!
I really need to try and follow this better I am such a grab and go person and that isn’t good. x
Ooh thanks for the printable! I’ve found meal planning is helping me to eat better, slowly but surely/
I love Dr Oz and I really like all your tips, so useful since I’m trying to maintain my weight 😀
This is fantastic I am often overcome with fatigue after a long day at work and it can be all to tempting to just eat rubbish! Thank you for sharing!
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This is very me. I tend to blame my bad choices on being busy/tired etc. I do love a plan and always eat better that way. Need to stop being so lame and actually do it consistently x
I really need tips like these, I find tea time a nightmare when I’ve been at work all day. Great ideas x
If I didn’t plan my eating I would end up having crisps and chocolate all day. I always take a couple of hours on a Sunday to plan meals and make sure I have at least an hour a day spare for preparation and cooking.
I have only recently started making weekly meal plans and already noticing a huge difference. Interesting, this concept of automating things on a daily basis.
I love seeing what people have on their weekly menu but the hours I work wouldn’t allow for much planning so I tend to eat a decent lunch and a smaller tea x
Being prepared is great advice! When you don’t have a plan it’s much easier to eat for convenience rather than for health.
I’ve done this with breakfast for many years – yogurts, chopped grapes and crunchy cereal set me up for the rest of the morning and its amazing how much energy I have. I intend on moving it forward to lunchtime – thanks for the reminder
This is so me, I always plan in my head and just throw anything int he oven. Thanks for this post.
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i think having a weekly menu is a great idea. i never plan what i’m going to have.
I never do any meals plans. I hate shopping lists not because I don’t believe in them but simply because I always have trouble with sticking to them. I buy what’s on offer and then cook around it.
I’m new to meal planning, so this is really useful, thanks for sharing x
This is a great post. I am fairly new to meal planning and I am struggling some weeks.
Brilliant post – I really need to plan our meals – I waste too much and want to eat better too! Kaz x
This is a great idea! I have been implementing this for the past few weeks and I have saved so much money, wasted less food and my partner and I are now eating far healthier!