If you want it. Plan for it.
Anyone who knows me will know I’m a big fan of a good plan.
When the kids were young, I only had limited access (after separating with their mother) so I made sure our time together was well spent, even if that was just planning for a movie night, snuggled up on the couch together with popcorn and hot chocolate.
As a running coach I think about what the group I’m working with are training for and map out our weekly runs.
Personally, I decide on what big goals I have for the year ahead (marathons, ultra marathons and, currently, swimming challenges and events) and make a training plan for how I am going to build up to the distance.
And as someone who wants to live a long, healthy life, I make sure to plan what I eat.
Taking responsibility for what we eat has a huge impact on our health. You might want to eat a healthy meal on any given day, but it’s not going to happen if you arrive home and have nothing healthy to cook because you hadn’t time to shop.
It all starts with a plan. We do one big shop on a Friday. I say one, but, in fact, we tend to need a number of supermarkets, the health food store and the farmer’s market.
Fiona and I use a shared shopping ‘note’ in the Google app, Keep. Throughout the week, if we notice we’re coming to the end of something, we’ll stick it on the list. Come Friday morning, we do a quick stocktake of the pantry and fridge.
Our weekly staples:
I do a quick stock check of what we’re running low on
Vegetables:
Tender stem broccoli, asparagus, cauliflower, brussels sprout, radishes, celery, avocado, kale and/or spinach, salad leaves (e.g. rocket), beetroot, sweet potatoes, onions, spring onions, ginger, turmeric and bean sprouts.
Fruit:
blueberries, mango, melon, water melon, passion fruit, pomegranate, bananas, APPles, lemons, limes and oranges.
DRY / pantry GOODS:
Seeds, nuts, dates, oats, nutritional yeast, brown rice, oat cakes, peanut butter, almond butter, tinned tomatoes, coconut milk, chickpeas, butter beans, plant milks, Coconut yoghurt, herbs and spices.
Our go-to recipe books are our inspiration
A typical day:
Breakfast:
Celery juice (15 minutes before any solid food)
Oats with frozen berries and seeds or a fruit salad
Coffee
Lunch:
Spicy tofu served with baked sweet potato
Dinner:
A large green salad with steamed vegetables or soup and homemade oat bread
Snacks:
Fruit
nuts
Oatcakes and hummus
Oatcakes and peanut butter
Fiona will usually have seen a new recipe on instagram or in one of our cook books that she wants to try out so any new ingredients get added to the usual list. The whole week’s food and healthy eating come down to the preparation. It all takes discipline, commitment and effort. When it works, the result is feeling good and energised.