Ready or not- 5 Steps to a GREAT Week!

The weekend went by way too fast! It’s 8:30 on Sunday night and I should be asleep by 9 if I’m going to be up at 4:30. Yikes. The saying goes like this…

If you fail to plan, then you plan to fail.

And for some, this is a corny catch phrase, but it perfectly describes my Sunday nights. I have a list that I keep in my head…oh who am I kidding, I have it written down with all my other lists that I try to check off. That list includes things that need to be completed in order for my whole week to rum..RUN…smoothly. Because I live about 20-30 minutes from where I work and play, when I leave the house, it’s for a long day. The list is relatively short—just a few things—but it takes time to complete.

Sometimes I wonder if I spend way too much time thinking about food and work and working out. Then I remember that exercise only makes up 10-20% of the whole health package. Nutrition is 80-90% of the puzzle. You know those people who work out like crazy, eat junk, and wonder why they don’t lose weight or their health numbers are not up to “healthy” standards. I’m not talking about BMI. I think that’s the most worthless measurement ever. I mean cholesterol, average blood pressure, glucose levels, body fat percentage, etc.  Yeah, that used to be me. I thought as long as I ran 3 miles, those extra cokes and tacos would be no problem.

One of the most important things I’ve learned is that clean eating means eating MORE often. I can’t eat just 3 squares. My sugar levels bottom out, I’m not fueled for workouts, and I’m just cranky. So unattractive. I eat every 3-4 hours. It’s not a lot, but I try to keep a steady supply of GOOD CLEAN FOOD going.

The LIST.

1. Laundry—enough for Monday.

You thought I was going to say have it all done, every stitch, every sock, every shoelaces, right? Nope. All I want is enough clothes to be ready for Monday. I’m one of those that can do a load of laundry at any time and do not feel the need to have it ALL done at one time. I need a set of work clothes that is easy to travel and change into at the gym. I need a set of workout clothes that I can pull on before I’m good and awake. That’s it! 2 sets of clothes.

2. Grocery store

Ideally, I do my grocery shopping Saturday. If not, I do it asap on Sunday. But I HATE having to go to the store after work. HATE IT. I try to have all my food prepped and ready for the week. I wash and store all my produce, make sure the pantry is organized enough to grab stuff quickly. I keep the fridge well stocked with clean food and no junk..except for Stephen’s 435 gallon jar of jalepenos. I decided to compromise on that one.

3. Plan meals for the week.

I cook most nights. We might eat out once a week, sometimes twice. So, dinners have to be planned before I go to the store. I write down what I’m making for dinner each night, what I’m taking for lunch the next day—which is usually leftovers, and I plan out some snacks. I easily get into a snack rut so I write down ideas depending on what produce is on sale. I’m a huge bargain shopper. If grapes are on sale, I’ll be eating grapes that week. I write ALL that down and smack it on the fridge. One of these days, I’m going to type it out in a google calendar so I can access it on my crackberry. I’m getting tired of tracking down a piece of paper. But that’s another story.

4. COOK!

Here is where the time part makes a difference. I’m a creature of habit in some ways, in others, I have to have some variety. I cook at least 2, maybe 3 dishes on Sunday that will be easy to take for lunch or easy to add to for dinner. Think Robin Miller but without the annoying…..whatever it is about her that annoys me to no end. I almost always roast some veggies with a grain—quinoa, rice, lentils, etc. I always cook up some chicken breasts in the crock pot or make a pork loin that I can slice for sandwiches. If I’m really creative and have nothing else to do, I’ll make a soup and/or a breakfast quiche or fritatta that’s easily portable.

5. Have everything ready for the next day.

*workout clothes

* workout bag

* work clothes/shoes/jewelry

*lunch, breakfast, snacks

* vitamins, water, shake to drink on the way. It’s the only way I can fuel at 5am. I drink my nutrition.

So that’s it! It takes a lot of work, but it’s worth it. If I walk out of the house without my bag of food, I’m either not going to eat (dangerous) or I’m going to scramble for the least crappiest food. (blech).

Now, time for sleep.

Project 365, Year 2

Days 12 (forgot to post!) and Day 15

“Feel her body rise when you kiss her mouth
Among the fields of gold
I never made promises lightly
And there have been some that I’ve broken
But I swear in the days still left
We’ll walk in the fields of gold
We’ll walk in the fields of gold”

—–Sting

“My heart is dancin’, to a November tune
And I hope that you hear it, singing songs about you”