The Importance of Meal Prep

diet tips Jul 27, 2021

As gyms open back up, more people are renewing their commitments to their fitness goals. However, our lives are busier than ever, and ensuring you get the right nutrition can be a challenge with a full schedule. The Conversation reveals making time to cook can be easily thwarted by unpredictable work schedules and time conflicts. Especially if you have a young family or a demanding job.

Whether you’re a busy parent or a young professional that likes to go to the gym, eating healthy can be quite the challenge. Fortunately, there are ways to save time and reduce your effort while still ensuring you receive the right nutrition. Meal preparation is an important aspect of fitness for various reasons, and doing it successfully can help you reach your fitness goals.


Better nutrition

Having an effective exercise regimen is only half the battle in fitness; your diet matters just as much as the work you put in the gym. Meal preparation allows you to choose the right balance of macronutrients while staying within your daily calorie goals. Not only that, but it can also help you create a better relationship with food and how it fuels your body’s needs.

You can combine this with eating schedules that allow you to feel full throughout the day as explained in our previous post ‘What is Intermittent Fasting?’ The result is less of a tendency to give in to cravings and learning how to develop healthier eating habits.


Less stress

For some people, thinking about what to eat and then making their meals daily can get overwhelming. You may give up cooking from scratch and order takeout instead. Doing so then affects your progress at the gym, especially since takeout food isn’t exactly the healthiest source of nutrition. It can also hurt your wallet and take up more time.

Researchers at McMaster University found that good mental health was a significant part of the agency to exercise, which means that the reduction of stressors should be a priority to encourage fitness. Meal preparation can help you avoid these stressors by focusing on the time-consuming preparation beforehand and simply finishing or reheating your meals throughout the week.


Avoiding food allergies

A benefit of meal prep is knowing exactly what goes into your food. This gives you the freedom to omit anything you dislike or foods that will cause allergies. In a health feature on Woman’s Day, Dr. Mariea Snell says that it’s important to stay away from these allergens since they're culprits to nausea and the stomach acting up. Dr. Snell is a respected assistant director of the Online Doctor of Nursing Practice program at Maryville University, which focuses on various specializations, including allergies and immunology.

By avoiding known allergens, you can prevent heartburn and other allergic reactions that may otherwise cause you to fall ill and lose the progress you made in your fitness journey.


Healthier finances

Planning your meals in advance can also benefit your personal finances. Rather than ordering out, which can quickly add up, you can get whole foods from the grocery store allowing you to better control your food costs. One good test is to compare how much a takeaway meal costs compared to a home cooked meal.

Better financial security will also give you the freedom to spend on more quality ingredients and gym paraphernalia, resulting in better overall health.

Meal preparation is an excellent way to keep your health in check as you work to achieve your fitness goals.

 

Written exclusively for allisonjacksonfitness.com

by Jaclyn Blevins

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