There are many reasons why we decide to embark on a personal fitness journey. If you’re looking to lose weight, gain muscle or feel more energized throughout the day, success often relies on the ability to form a routine.
Whether its preparing meals and eating at the same time every day, or coming to Manduu on a set schedule, repetition is a proven method for helping us achieve our fitness goals. Unfortunately, the last few weeks of sheltering at home have been anything but conducive to helping us maintain consistent routines.
But there are plenty of things you can do, especially in the kitchen, that will help you stay on track and feel great.
Avoid Boredom in the Kitchen
In this case, avoiding boredom in the kitchen has two meanings:
First, try not to eat when you’re feeling bored. Working from home and not leaving the house nearly as much can make the days feel longer, and when the days feel longer, it’s harder to keep yourself occupied. And when you don’t feel occupied, that’s when you find yourself raiding the fridge or eagle-eyeing the chips in the pantry.
If you’re craving munchies, you may not be drinking enough water. I recommend drinking half your body weight in ounces per day.
Boredom in the kitchen also stems from eating the same thing all the time. I see this in clients during the beginning stages of trying to eat better. Once they learn a few foods that are better for them than what they’re used to, they’ll stick exclusively to those foods and burn out quickly.
Don’t be afraid to mix it up a bit in the kitchen, but remember, moderation is a good thing.
A good rule of thumb: Listen to your body’s natural hunger cues and maintain a balance of one serving of carbs, one serving of fat and one serving of protein at each meal.
Eat Fresh
If at all possible, choose fresh foods and avoid overly processed foods whenever you can. I know this is a tough ask when you’re trying to cut down on store visits.
But here’s a good reason to avoid processed foods: Researchers at the National Institutes of Health found people ate an average of 500 extra calories a day when fed mostly processed foods, compared to people who were fed minimally processed foods. That’s because processed foods tend to be full of salt, sugar and fat—all things to steer clear from, especially if you’re exercising less these days with no Manduu workouts in your routine.
So, the next time you go shopping, stock up on fresh ingredients like fruits, veggies and reduced-fat dairy items. And be sure to use these ingredients up first!
A good rule of thumb: Check the ingredients of packaged foods, and if you can’t pronounce it, don’t eat it.
Watch Portion Sizes
If you find yourself cooking a lot more of your meals at home due to the coronavirus outbreak, way to go! But it can also be difficult to get the right portion sizes when you’re making new things for the first time.
Why do portion sizes matter? Because if you have a large portion in front of you, you’re going to eat more. And a larger portion will have more calories. This sounds completely obvious, but you’ll be amazed at the results if you just put a little less on your plate. If you need to, use smaller plates and cups when serving your meals.
A good rule of thumb: Eat two-thirds of what’s on your plate. You don’t need to be a member of the “clean-plate club.”
A little bit of effort will go an extraordinarily long way toward maintaining your fitness at home when you can’t make it out to the gym. Good luck!
