One of the greatest perceived obstacles that I hear from people about why they eat like crap is that ‘I don’t have the time to eat healthy’. Well this one is for you. You who gets up at the crack of dawn to start the daily grind. You who has many many meetings each day. You who drives all day. You who goes straight to the gym after work.

 

1. Cook your breakfast the night before

Breakfast is undoubtedly the most important meal of the day. Get it right, and your energy levels are set for the day, and you will skip into work ready for anything the world can throw at you. Get it wrong, and you will feel like handing in your notice before lunch time. When your time is limited in the morning, prepare your breakfast the night before and have it ready to go. Hard-boil your eggs, grill your fish, put your nuts into a bowl, chop whatever needs chopping, and have your sh!t together to reduce the amount of time you spend as little time trying to get your bearings in the morning.

 

2. Chop all your veg in one go.

When you come back from your weekly shopping trip, chop as many of your vegetables as possible straight away. Vegetables will keep in the fridge for 3-5 days once they are stored properly, and this will save you so much time later in the week. You could have a stir-fry on the go within minutes!

 

3. Cook loads at dinner

If you are cooking for one, or for two, cook as much as you can in any one go. Have the foresight to know that you will have to eat again tomorrow, and cook enough food so you can bring lunch/ dinner in to work with you the next day. This will save you a lot of time, and will spare your weekly food bill as well. Things like stews, steaks, chicken, and fish, are all great to cook in bulk.

 

4. Have quality lunchboxes at hand

If you are going to partake in #2, you might as well have some high quality lunchboxes at hand to transport your lovely food around. I use stainless steel and glass lunchboxes myself. The main things to look out for is that the lunchboxes have a good seal when the lid is on. Spilling juices from a meal into your backpack or down the cracks of your car seats is not cool. Not cool at all.

 

5. Make a shopping list

Every time you go shopping, know what you want to buy, and where you need to buy it. Making a shopping list and laminating it can be a great time saver as you can whip around the grocery store in quick-time and be confident that you have not left any vital ingredient out. Also great if your better half is in charge of the shopping from time to time, or if you want to bribe someone to go shopping for you!

 

6. Know where to get good food

Its important to know where you can get your shopping list in your locality, but it is also a great tip to find out where you can go to eat out for lunch or dinner when you are having a business lunch or didn’t have a chance to bring your lunch boxes with you. Having this information at hand will avoid ending up in a greasy diner, and make sure that you stay on course with your nutrition plan even when you are eating out. Explore the café’s and restaurants in your area!

 

7. Keep a bag of emergency nuts handy

Sometime you just get caught out and need some emergency supplies! Having a pack of mixed nuts in the glove compartment or your brief case can tide you over and keep you away from the service station sandwich selection until such a time that you can get your hands on some real food again. They keep for a long time, and are packed full of nutrients.

 

This Article is by ACLAÍ Owner, Ainle Ó Cairealláin MSc CSCS. Ainle is strength and conditioning coach for the Cork Senior Football team, has worked with Adelaide Crows Football Club in Australia, lectured in the University of Limerick PE and Sports Science Department,  contributed to the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, and also works as a tutor with Strength and Conditioning Institute, Setanta College.