Healthy living (which includes balanced movement and nutrition) doesn’t have to be complicated! This may come as a surprise to you.. So….. SURPRISE!
Achieving results in the gym and within your body is actually a very simple process and I want to break down a couple of ways we can streamline and simplify our routines for movement and nutrition….ANNnnd still see the results and lifestyle we crave!
I want share this with you because I am so passionate about people breaking free from being a slave to the gym and kitchen. Movement and nutrition are such a wonderful addition to our lives and therefore we shouldn’t feel burdened by having to make this meal or spending this amount of time at the gym.
A few keys to simplifying life inside the gym and kitchen!
1 – You don’t need to spend 5 days, 2 hours a day in the gym to get fit. I’ve written about this before, but for me, I chose 3 x week of moderate weight lifting movement. All workouts are about an hour, give or take. Each workout consists of the major strength compound movements: squat, push (think push ups, or bench press), pull – horizontal and vertical (think dumbbell or barbell row, chin up / pull up), Hinge (think RDL, Deadlift, kettle bell swings). If you’re just starting out, think 3 sets of 12 at 60-70% max effort (getting tired and fatiguing near reps 9-12.
2 – Simplify your meals. Simplify your life. One of the first things I coach clients who are seeking weightloss/gain or aesthetic goals is to choose a few meals and SIMPLIFY. Let’s take breakfast and lunch as an example here. Choose a healthy breakfast and lunch and repeat it for the week. It may seem boring at first but once you get the hang of it, you can spice it up. For example, my go-to breakfast is a ½ cup un-cooked rolled or steel cut oats, ¼ cup of berries or similar fruit, and a protein shake (3 egg whites). For me, when I was learning how to manage my weight and eat moderately (which allowed me to spend LESS time in the gym), it was important to create a framework that I could easily execute and easily evaluate for effectiveness. So, by simplifying and taking the guess work out of 2 major meals a day, breakfast and lunch, I made things easier!
3 – I LOVE having a few pieces of gym equipment at home. There are days when I am pressed for time and don’t feel like getting back to the gym after finishing up with clients or a long day of computer work. A variety of kettle bells, including a light weight, moderate and heavy weight, TRX straps or suspension trainers, and some bands is all I need to get in powerful movement for the day. And talk about a workout! Whoa.
4 – I’m not saying you aren’t going to have to spend SOME time in the kitchen – how much time, is relative. But, we can adjust our mindset so that we ENJOY cooking/cleaning. So, choose to enjoy the moment(s) you spend cooking – turn on your favorite playlist, pour a small glass of wine, and enjoy! When we actually enjoy the sometimes ‘mundane’ tasks of cooking and cleaning, it grows from being a ‘chore’ to being fun (and time we can spend with ourselves, enjoying the preparation of healthy foods to nourish our bodies).
5 – Crock Pot! If you’re like me (and most people), by the middle of the week we can sometimes lose steam in terms of cooking. This is when my crock pot comes in handy! Be it seafood gumbo (recipe on the blog!) or steak tips, potatoes and curry sauce (also on the blog), having 2-3 go-to crock pot meals will keep us eating healthy during our midweek rut!
6 – Find a good protein supplement and keep it handy for when you’re super busy. I keep a small tubberware with 2-3 servings of protein powder in my bag at all times. This way, in case I’m out of the house running errands longer than I expected, I can still get a protein boost from this easy supplement.
These all sound pretty simple and common-sense, huh? Well, that’s because living a healthy, active BALANCED lifestyle IS simple and intuitive. We simply can get a little lost along our path and convince ourselves of the difficulties and challenges we face to lead a healthy life (and I’m not saying there aren’t some). But here we have a handful of ways to make movement, and healthy eating EASY (and effective)! Because let’s face it, I love a physical, movement orientated life too! But I also love fly fishing and spending time with family and friends!
