Spring is here and the days are getting longer, the weather is getting nicer, clothes are getting lighter \u2013 finding motivation and energy is easy at this time of year. So you\u2019ve made the decision; you are going to eat healthier and you\u2019re going to start on that new workout plan that you\u2019ve had in your mind since the beginning of January.<\/p>\n
But even with motivation it\u2019s easy to lose track. What you need is a good plan and preparation<\/strong> to help you stick to it. Have a look at my top tips below, but don\u2019t be afraid to freestyle and change these recommendations to suit your own taste and dietary requirements.<\/p>\n Do you sometimes skip breakfast because you snoozed too many times, and putting a bowl of porridge in the microwave for two whole minutes is definitely going to make you late for work? So later in the morning, with two hours still to go before lunch time, you are so hungry that you have to get something from that vending machine, or you might overeat at lunchtime instead.<\/p>\n With some planning, and not too much effort, you can have the whole week\u2019s breakfasts ready on Sunday evening!<\/p>\n Overnight oats is a great breakfast which is easy to prepare, gives you a slow release of energy, and provides you with fibre, vitamins and minerals (depending on what you put in them). Make a big batch that will give you enough for five portions, if you use fresh ingredients it will easily keep for five days in the fridge. The internet is overflowing with recipes<\/a> for overnight oats (soaked oats\/bircher muesli), but even if you just freestyle it, it\u2019s hard to go wrong.<\/p>\n Basically, you need five portions of oats, try our Protein Porridge<\/a><\/strong> oats and you will get an extra addition of whey protein, making your breakfast even more nutritious – and perfect if you eat it after your morning workout. Mix the oats with milk of your choice \u2013 cow\u2019s milk or a dairy free alternative and add some natural yoghurt as well (can be left out). This is the base and from here you can add pretty much anything; a grated apple works great for texture and a bit of freshness, seeds<\/strong> and nuts<\/strong>, dried fruit<\/strong>, cinnamon, MCT’s<\/strong> and lemon juice are also great additions. For a bit of sweetness apple juice or honey is often used, but try adding one of our Zero Calorie Syrups<\/strong><\/a> and it will take it to a whole new level!<\/p>\n Dish up your soaked oats into individual containers, maybe along with some fresh berries and a dollop of nut butter, <\/strong>and you\u2019ve got breakfast sorted for the whole working week!<\/p>\n So you get home from work and you\u2019re hungry and you can\u2019t wait until dinner. You open the cupboard or fridge and grab whatever quick fix you find in there. We all know this happens, so planning ahead here is key. Make sure your fridge and cupboards are stocked up with good stuff that will make easy snacks, so that when you get home from work you can grab maybe a handful of fruit, nut, and seed mix<\/a>, <\/strong>or a boiled egg, or maybe some avocado or nut butter<\/strong> spread on crisp bread.<\/p>\n If you\u2018re lucky enough to have a blender sitting on your kitchen worktop, why not make a quick nutrient-packed smoothie? If you like the idea but you\u2019re just too tired after work to start washing and cutting up fruit and veg then it\u2019s a great idea to get them in powder form instead. No fuss, no mess and still packed with nutrients<\/strong>!<\/p>\n Try greens like spinach<\/a>, kale<\/a><\/strong> or broccoli<\/a><\/strong> in powder form, or why not the superfoods Maca<\/a>, Spirulina<\/a> or Baobab<\/a><\/strong>? These superfoods are high in micronutrients and will help make sure your intake of vitamins and minerals is sufficient. A vitamin deficiency will most likely make you tired and that is not going to help with staying motivated and sticking to the plan.<\/p>\n Again – planning is key. On the weekend, make a plan of what meals you are going to cook during the week<\/strong> and make sure you have all the ingredients you will need. You don\u2019t want to end up in the situation were you\u2019re tired and you realise you can\u2019t cook the healthy meal you had in your mind because you’re missing ingredients. In that situation ordering a take-out might be quite tempting, or maybe skipping dinner altogether, which isn\u2019t great either. So make plans and shopping lists and if you always make a bit extra you will have lunch for the next day as well!<\/p>\n Following just a few of these tips on planning and preparation will help you achieve your goals. You\u2019ll feel more prepared and motivated to stay on track with your food\/nutrition plan, and in addition you\u2019ll feel healthier day to day with more energy to hit the gym and train hard!<\/p>\n So plan ahead and stay on track.<\/p>\n About the Author:<\/strong><\/p>\n Karin has a degree in Food Science & Nutrition and works within the BULK POWDERS\u2122 product team. She is passionate about fitness and healthy eating and her role at BULK POWDERS\u2122 is to help make sure that all our products hold the highest possible quality.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Spring is here and the days are getting longer, the weather is getting nicer, clothes are getting lighter – finding motivation and energy is easy at this time of year….<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":9608,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[352],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9597","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nutrition"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bulk.com\/uk\/the-core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9597","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bulk.com\/uk\/the-core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bulk.com\/uk\/the-core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bulk.com\/uk\/the-core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bulk.com\/uk\/the-core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9597"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/www.bulk.com\/uk\/the-core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9597\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18627,"href":"https:\/\/www.bulk.com\/uk\/the-core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9597\/revisions\/18627"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bulk.com\/uk\/the-core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9608"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bulk.com\/uk\/the-core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9597"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bulk.com\/uk\/the-core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9597"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bulk.com\/uk\/the-core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9597"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Breakfast.<\/h3>\n
In Between Meals.<\/h3>\n
Main meals.<\/h3>\n