I am so excited to have Nicole Wilson as my guest blogger today. I met Nicole at Can Fit Pro in Toronto last August. She's a true fitness and health enthusiast and a great example of how to make Eating Clean work on the road (she's a sales rep). Best of all she has generously offered a pair of Skechers GOrun shoes to give away to one lucky reader (find out how below)! Take it away Nicole!
Over the past year, my relationship with fitness got serious after I decided to compete in my first fitness competition. That decision turned into an amazing journey that taught me that living a healthy lifestyle can not only change your body but improve your overall quality of life.
Since I started training, I learned that getting “jacked” wasn’t about living at the gym but a balance between the gym and food. This got me hooked on creating new and fun ways of being a “clean eater.” It was hard at first but Oxygen Magazine has great recipes and workout tips that are now an integral part of my life. In addition to Oxygen, Tosca Reno’s books on eating clean have also helped by providing great tips such as ordering dressing on the side and skipping bread at dinner by kindly asking the waiter to not bring any to the table. These simple ideas go along way!
Eating Clean was not just small adjustments but an overall adjustment of my old motto, “burn what you eat.” I thought a long run meant I could eat whatever I wanted, but this caused a lot of frustration because I never saw results. After learning the importance of food I realize that all the books and fitness magazines aren’t lying when they say that 80% is diet and it’s not a quick fix, but a lifestyle. One I’ve learned to love!
Learning how to eat clean was difficult at first because my job as a sales rep means I spend the majority of my day on the road and eating on the go. The biggest tip I can suggest regardless if you work in an office, drive a truck or work shifts is carry a cooler! It may seem time consuming to make snacks and lunch every day but it will not only benefit your bank account, you will feel better and your clothes will fit like they did in your 20’s. It doesn’t have to be fancy and you can treat yourself to a restaurant meal here and there without not feel guilty.
Tosca’s books have some great recipe ideas on what to pack and how to get you started on your journey. It's something I wish everyone would triy because it feels great to be happy and EAT CLEAN!
Yours in health and fitness,
Nicole
Interested in a pair of Skechers GOrun shoes care of Skechers Canada? Be the first to comment with your tips for packing an Eat-Clean cooler.
do all the prep work on the weekend and divide into individual servings. then in the morning it's easy to just toss whatever you need into a cooler and go. No fuss no muss!
ReplyDeleteKeep it simple!!! If you try to pack complicated recipes in your cooler, you will drive yourself crazy. My favorite snacks to pack are simple two or three ingredient recipes. Plus, don't be afraid to try something new. You never know what might become your new favorite thing. ;)
ReplyDeleteI always have a 'stash' ready to go if I need to pack quickly - almonds, fruit, veggie sticks, chicken or turkey breast, tortillas and hummus to make a wrap on the go. When there are leftovers from our clean dinner they get divided up into single servings and are good to go for the next day.
ReplyDeleteI make a plan for the week. Do my cooking on Sunday, dividing all my portions out and placing them into individual containers. I can grab and go. I keep a cloth napkin and utensils in my cooler too so that I'm never without. I make tiny little containers of homemade dressings, or salsas for easy add-ons to throw in there too. Plus, we constantly fill our metal water bottles with filtered water so that there is always one to grab out of the fridge! It's easy, peasy! I'm an avid foodie, so I scour the magazines (Oxygen, Clean Eating) and web for fun new ways to make old standbys. This way, my competition diet never gets boring. I'm planning on competing in my first fitness competition in March!
ReplyDeleteGetting the kids and myself out the door in the morning is chaos - so I pre-portion oatmeal, nuts and protein powder in snack bags and grab one on the way out the door...pour in a bowl and add hot water at work!
ReplyDeleteI make a sample meal plan and/or reference recipes the week before so I know what groceries to buy and what I'll need for the week. Then I prepare it all on the weekend. I also premeasure all of my dry ingredients into small containers so that my morning shake is 1/2 ready before I even get out of bed! I even do the kids AND the 4 dogs food this way! It makes life so much easier and keeps me on track for the week!
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DeleteI prep my food on Sunday evenings for my work week ahead. I cook up a ton of chicken breasts :) and peel/cube sweet potatoes, get my greens ready, etc. All the foods that I require for the week are prepped and ready to go. Each type of food has a container so on Mondays I just grab the containers that I need of each food type and pack it in my bag. That way, I won't rely on "panic eating" e.g. didn't plan so I'll grab something at noon and make a bad choice... I'm set and on track! It's all good! :)
ReplyDeleteI should also have mentioned, I have a microwave in my office so I can cook my sweet potatoes right there! They are yummy, hot, and deliciously fresh! Sometimes I cook a batch of SP up on Sunday, and whip them with a big of rosemary for a deliciously yummy taste! Again, I portion these out and grab a container each day! and warm it up at work!
DeleteI plan ahead starting Friday Night, Saturday I go Grocery Shopping and do all my housekeeping so That Sunday Is all about cooking up Yummy eats for the week to come. I do my prep work by chopping washing/veggies, cooking up Chicken breasts for use in meals during the week, Boiling my eggs, Stewing my applesauce, Baking up my protein bars/balls/sweet potatoes and cooking up a big batch of soup and dividing it up in freezer containers for use during the week or even later. All this prep work on the weekend means that during the week I can just grab and go or quickly put together meals should I come under pressure...
ReplyDeleteI've only just begun the journey to eating clean, so I take in all these suggestions with great interest! However, something that I've already been doing is cleaning veggies & fruits when I bring them home and having them pre-cut for easy grabbing when needing a snack for myself or the kids. My daughter also found a nutritious homemade granola bar recipe this summer that we make up in a cookie sheet size, cut into portions and freeze.
ReplyDeleteMy 16 year old daughter and I pack our lunches together the night before and stick them in the frig. Makes it easy to grab and go in the morning, plus since we are making them the night before, it provides extra time for us to talk about what we want to make, check to ensure that all elements of good nutrition are present and allows her to have a say in what she eats, which makes her much more likely to stick to her clean lunch and not trade it off or hit the vending machine like most other teenagers do! We have been doing it this way for a number of years and I feel confident that when my daughter heads off on her own to college next year, she has all of the knowledge and tools to continue to make solid, clean, nutritious choices on her own!
ReplyDeleteI don't think there's something I could write that hasn't been said. My advice is to also add some snacks for the kids. For some reason the cooler is magical because they will eat almost anything out of it if they think it's coming from Moms special stash! Lol.
ReplyDeleteI travel for work so always have my cooler packed along with by distilled water from home. My basic goto's are apples, bananas, carrots, grapefruit, along with natural nut butter or unsalted nuts (I portion out nut butter and nuts so I don't go overboard). I like to freeze my left overs, its makes a great freeze pack for the morning & is thawed out and ready to reheat for lunchtime:)
ReplyDeletesome people are so organized woouu I'm very new in here so I'd like to read about others, what,when and how to eat and stay clean
ReplyDeleteGet up early, it's the biggest key to success in packing a cooler and eating clean all day long. A little preparation goes a long way.
ReplyDeleteI always pack my cooler the night before so there's no excuses in the morning if I'm running late. I also plan out meals over the weekend, make a little extra for dinners to have throughout the week for lunch.
ReplyDelete-Lisa
I get up early to pack my cooler with my protein & veggies. I've been doing this for two years. It's the best lifestyle changed I've made! Amy
ReplyDeleteOnce a week I cook and bake all my proteins (meat and protein bars and healthy muffins. I prepare individual portions in zippy bags so all I have to do it grab and thow them in my bag. I do the same for veggies. Cut everything up ahead of time. Sure, it's a pain but once it's done, it's DONE!! No excuses baby!!!!
ReplyDeleteEveryone has awesome suggestions and I have little new to offer. In the event that I have a day off, I'll also pack a cooler to make sure I don't stray off the beaten' path. The worst thing is to keep opening the fridge/cupboard doors to see what's in there. Just go to your cooler and eat what's in there! Makes for less distractions :)
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ReplyDeleteI'm new to eating clean (and love it!) I am a visual person so I make a list of what my daily food intake will be while I'm at work. I pack everything the night before and I put it in groups of snack, lunch, snack etc and then I pack my cooler including my list. This way I have it all in order on paper in case everything gets mixed up in my cooler I just have to look at my list and know what I"m supporsed to eat and when. I don't plan on using the list for long but for now it is my 'schedule'.
ReplyDeletePack fruit, a small variety of it & water. It'll get you through the day & bad snacks or meals become a thing of the past.
ReplyDeleteI'm noticing many of you cook your meals for the week on Sundays - does your meat stay fresh for the entire week?
ReplyDeleteI work a rotational schedule so on each round of days off I cook up a batch of food to last me until the next round (usually a couple of days). Having everything ready in the fridge and waiting or always having a bowl of fruit on the table and some nuts available is a quick and easy way to ALWAYS have food on hand...AND makes cooler packing easier. Just GRAB 'N GO!! :)
ReplyDeleteRegardless of what I am doing that day ie. work, shopping, errands, gym etc. I am committed to eating good food and not being tempted to grab a snack or meal out. I always grab some fruit, water, and a health snack or lunch.
ReplyDeleteFor work, I make a big batch of stir-fry, chili, soup etc. and portion it for meal-size and freeze.
It's amazing how much money and time you can save while eating things that make you feel great.