
It All Began With Some Inspiration.
Find Your Role Model
One of my favorite bodybuilders of all time is Kai Green. As an aspiring fitness model I used to watch his bodybuilding motivation videos to get me ready to go to the gym.
“Proper preparation prevents poor performance.” – Kai Green
I still remember where my desire to put on muscle came from. I played Junior Football in 2012 and I was one of the smallest defensive backs on the team.
If I was going to put on any sort of size I’d have to eat like a HORSE!
The Size GAME
To Put on some Muscle I had to eat. The only problem was, it takes an excessive amount of time to make all of the food that I’d have to make. I’d watch these bodybuilding motivation videos though and even though this wasn’t my life (yet), I recognized that most of these guys carried around tupperware containers full of food. They had always spoke of “Meal Prep”
So I, myself, started preparing my food in advance.
And I reaped the benefits. From 2012 – 2013 I put on over 10lbs of muscle. I was eating big, I was lifting big, life was good!
Setting Yourself up for Success!
You’ve got a fitness goal, and it can be anything!
- Lose 20 pounds of bodyfat.
- Gain 10 Pounds of Muscle
- Have More Energy
All of these fitness goals require that you pay special attention to your nutrition and meal plan.
The Problem
Listen — going to the gym is easy. Put on your shoes, walk out the door, walk into gym.
Simply, This is the way our body functions as a system.
We go to the gym and tear our muscles apart. Then we go home and eat on the right nutrition plan geared towards proper growth and recovery. Then we rest, our body repairs itself with the fuel we’ve put into it, and we wake up one step closer to our fitness goals.
But wait…
Most people go to the gym, tear their muscles apart, then go home and put sub-optimal fuel in their body (fast food, processed garbage, low-protein diets). Then, when we rest our body can’t repair itself properly, and we wake up day after day, week after week, with a plateau and we can never seem to figure out why.
The Secret
Eating the right nutrition plan that’s geared towards your fitness goals? Not so easy. Cooking takes a long time. Grocery shopping. Planning your meals so they’re portioned properly. Making sure you’re actually eating them.
The key to nutritional success is to set yourself up for success. Take some time to plan out your grocery list, take some time to plan out what you’re going to be eating on a daily basis, and spend the time to make the foods in advance for 3-5 days.
What if you don’t have the time to do that?
Thankfully if you do not have time to prepare meals or to do “meal prep” if you live in Calgary there are services to prepare your meals for you. Lean On Meals is an excellent Company that many Competitors and Athletes Trust!
Either way though, it’s important to have healthy, pre-prepared meals in your fridge ready to go.
This is a MUST!
The Hunger Pains
When hunger sets in the last thing we want to do is go to Safeway, pick up a chicken breast, go home, and cook it, then eat it.
No.
When my hunger sets in, the beast needs to be fed.
I don’t care if I’m standing in front of Macs or standing in front of my fridge I’ma eat something.
That’s why the fast food industry is so profitable. As human beings, especially in today’s social media day and age, things happen instantly. We are creatures of emotion!
When we have a hunger pain, we want to satisfy it, instantly. We look for the most convenient food source.
Setting yourself up for success by having meals ready-to-go in your fridge will make sure that you satisfy those hunger cravings with healthy food.
Not only healthy though – those hunger pains need to be satisfied with foods that ACTUALLY TASTE GOOD!
I recommend checking out the Spices section of your local grocery store and getting some pre-mixed spices to make your food tantalizing.
I personally use Clubhouse spices to make my food taste bomb.
If cooking skills aren’t in your genes, then rely on Lean On Meals 🙂
Their team of Skilled chefs will make sure that you never miss fast food again.
If It’s In Your Fridge, You’re Gonna Eat It
Have you ever opened up your fridge just to explore?
How about opened up your cabiniet just to see what you can munch on?
If it’s in your house, you’re going to eat it!
Be clever about what you allow into your environment. Don’t allow cookies, and crackers, and chips, to set up shop in that cabinet of yours.
Otherwise they’ll also set up shop on your love handles.
And also be determined.
Be determined to fill your fridge and your environment full of healthy foods that are going to satisfy you and fuel your fitness goals.
Preparing your meals in advance and having healthy snacks on hand will make sure that all of your efforts in the gym will be rewarded.
The Time it Takes You to Prep 1 Meal is Almost the Same TIme it Takes You to Prep 6!
Let’s say that you do cook for yourself!
But you just haven’t implemented prepping in advance yet.
Think about this: it takes you about an hour to cook a meal for yourself (a good one, anyways).
I know from personal experience that it takes me about an hour and a half to prepare meals for 3-4 days in advance.
I’m all about efficiency, doing less and getting more, so in almost the SAME time it takes me to cook one meal, I can cook meals for the entire week.
In Summary
Meal prep is an essential part of any successful fitness journey.
Meal prep will make sure that your efforts in the gym are optimized.
Meal prep will eliminate the impulse to go for a quick-fix to satisfy your hunger.
And meal prep is the best way to make the most of your time in the kitchen.
Less time — more healthy food! And if you still can’t find the time to grocery shop, cook, package your meals, and make them taste good, then let the chefs at Lean On Meals take care of that for you.
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Order your Meals Online at : www.leanonmeals.ca
By Brian Mark, WBFF PRO Fitness Model
Owner of Aesthetic Nation.
Flexible Dieting Coach and Online Transformation Specialist.
For more information or help with your health goals, visit Brian at www.teamaenation.com