Fail to Prepare, Prepare to Fail
We all have had that moment where we forgot our water… or we just don’t have any food with us, and we’ve been running errands all day and are STARVING!!! We constantly tell ourselves ‘Oh I’ll be back home before I have to eat again…’ WRONG! We can’t predict the future. It is harder to stay on top of your goals when you aren’t prepared. That is why the saying is true… Fail to Prepare, Prepare to FAIL.
PACK A BAG
There are all kinds of meal prep bags, containers, to-go merchandise, etc. that are being advertised. The one bag I love to travel and be prepared with is my Qontevo bag. This design helps keep my meals cool all day while traveling. I don’t have to worry about food spoiling. It comes with ice packs that stay cool. Qontevo also has perfect Tupperware that seals tight, you do not have to worry about anything leaking or popping open in your bag. They also have accessories to make the bag feel customized to you and your personality. I love the utensils that come in a carrying case so I am not worrying about where or how I am going to eat. The design is durable and long-lasting. It is convenient to fit other items, whether it be your laptop, your gym clothes, or other personal items you need throughout the day. I was able to stop being the crazy bag lady, and instead, I started combining multiple bags into the one bag I have now. The design has multiple pockets to store items and make it easier to get to while traveling. If I did not have my bags compacted down to one bag, I’d be eating out more, and not following my healthy lifestyle.
Prepare the Night Before
Since I food prep and have all food for the week ready to go, the night before, I prepare myself for success the next day. Whether I am staying at home and relaxing, going to work, or running errands for the day I put all my meals for the day into individual Tupperware for the next day. I found that if I did not prepare the night before, something always came up the next morning. An emergency call happens, I oversleep, or as I’m packing the food in the moment (rushing) I spill and lose my food. When I take my time and carve out time the night before I am able to concentrate, measure precisely, and execute my food for the next day. I found I was following my lifestyle more and eating out less. My stress level wasn’t as high because I was sticking to a routine. I was no longer improvising.
Cook Your Food in Advance
This was touched on in the above point, prepare your food ahead of time. I made a post prior about prepping, ways to prep, habits, etc. There are so many ways you can prep your food ahead, so you are not feeling overwhelmed the day of or even the night before. Preparation is the true key to this article. I personally like to prep all my food a week in advance. I seal my protein in one container, I keep my veggies fresh and in a different container, and my starches go into their individual spots as well. However, this method does not always work for others or their lifestyles. It is ok to trial and error on what method works for your household and you. My sister is a person that preps 3-4 days at a time. She makes sure all her food is already in Tupperware for those 3-4 days and ready to pack the morning of. The big thing is making sure your food is ready ahead of time, however that fits in your schedule. That way you are not trying to cook, pack, measure, and stick to a routine the day of. We can never plan for the unexpected, however, we can be prepared for those emergency moments.
As you keep making adjustments to your healthy lifestyle transformation, I hope being prepared helps you accomplish the impossible. Remember to give yourself grace in case one scenario does not work out the first time around. It is always ok to fail and rework the strategy to find which method of preparation works best for you. And if prepping on a day-to-day basis does fit your lifestyle, make sure to carve out time management slots for emergencies. If you need help making a lifestyle transformation. CLICK HERE