By Anita Nall Richesson, Olympian & Nutritionist
I’m sitting on a 3.5-hour airplane ride and the thought occurred to me that most people really struggle with their food plan when traveling. After I smelled Cheetos and peanuts wafting through the air, I realized that not everyone packs their own snacks and thinks ahead about food before traveling.
Here’s the thing guys… if you want to have success with your food plan, you’ve got to plan/think ahead. Food can’t be an afterthought if you really want to thrive in the area of nutrition. You all know what happens once you get hungry right? Most people will eat anything they can find once their hunger threshold is reached, hence the term HANGRY. The only person I’ve ever met that would rather starve than eat junk is my husband, and he is rare.
When I say plan ahead, I’m not talking about creating some big meal plan and spending a bunch of time on it, just think ahead a little. For example, I was at Target today before my plane ride getting stuff for my trip and just grabbed some raw almonds, unsweetened dried fruit and MSG-free beef jerky. That’s it! Target had everything I needed to get me through. I didn’t even have to go to Whole Foods or anywhere special.
I understand life gets hectic and it’s easy to get into the routine of making food an afterthought, however, I am urging you strongly to shift this mindset NOW. When food becomes the priority, the impact of eating healthy is pervasive and everything else takes care of itself because you feel great and have stable energy levels throughout the day. The time you invest in your food prep will directly correlate to your health and pay off.
Here are 4 simple tactics that will put food at the top of your priority list:
- Don’t think about dinner at 5:00. Prep a crockpot in the morning before you leave for work. When the protein is already cooked for the evening, it makes dinner simple.
- Keep a few healthy snacks at your work desk, athletic bag, purse, diaper bag, etc. This will help keep you out of the drive thru.
- Create a GO TO breakfast smoothie recipe that contains some protein, healthy fat and carbohydrate to start your day when in a rush. Too many times people use the excuse of, ”I was in a rush this morning and couldn’t eat breakfast”.
- Have 1 or 2 GO TO quick dinners that you can throw together quickly when you don’t have a planned dinner. The old rotisserie chicken with steamed broccoli is one of my favorites. Maybe it’s just sandwiches. Whatever it is…it’s probably better than running through McDonalds.
Anita Nall Richesson Biography
Olympian, Nutritionist, Life Coach & Wellness Expert
Setting the swimming world ablaze at the young age of fifteen with 2
Courtesy of Anita Nall Richesson
world records in one day propelled Anita into the fast lane of success. After swimming for the cycle (gold, silver, and bronze) in the 1992 Olympic Summer Games in Barcelona, many health challenges hampered her attempts at returning to an Olympic level.
Challenged by a series of “mystery illnesses” that lasted a decade after the Olympics, Anita rediscovered health through food. Traditional medicine’s failed healing attempts drove her towards a personal quest for wellness and a passionate understanding of the healing power of food. Her profound experiences with illness, healing and professional athletics have given her a unique perspective she shares with clients.
After completing her undergraduate degree in Communications and Spanish from Arizona State University she pursued holistic nutrition education at Southwest Institute of Healing Arts in Tempe, Arizona. Anita is a Certified Holistic Nutrition Specialist, Life Coach and accomplished motivational speaker. Anita is also an elite member of the International Swimming Hall of Fame. She completed 3 NFL seasons as Nutrition Consultant for the Jacksonville Jaguars NFL Football Team and works with various elite professional athletes including UFC fighters, boxers & world-class swimmers around the country. She writes nutrition & wellness articles for various groups and recently began an empowerment program for teenage female athletes that centers around motivation, nutrition & increased self-esteem. http://www.anitanall.com
Read the following articles to learn more about Anita:
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/writers/kelli_anderson/07/25/Vollmer-wins-first-US-gold/