Get Cooking!
A current trend in the health and fitness industry that I am not a huge fan of is the emergence of meal prep companies. In the long run it could maybe do you more harm than good. These companies at first glance are a good idea because the owners of these businesses actually have your health in mind. They are preparing food that is paleo friendly(sometimes), gluten free, low in sodium, or low in carbohydrates/fats. Healthy, fresh pre-made meals, so what's your beef Corey? Well, I have one and I don't. I love the fact that there are more options out there for those of us trying to be lean and fit and I would maybe take advantage of such a service if my kitchen blew up but it hasn't yet. You see, one of the most important skills I believe anyone that is trying to live a healthy lifestyle should have is the ability to cook a meal. As a society we are really really good at buying food ready to eat. Frozen meals, fast food, ordering take out, we are pros at acquiring food that we can eat asap, but not many of us know our way around the kitchen. The ability to lead a healthy lifestyle relies on the healthy habits we have learned along the way and buying meals that are ready to consume is just reinforcing a habit we have down pat. These meal prep services are far and away better than throwing a frozen dinner in the microwave but nothing can compare to going to the grocery store and making healthy options there first and then going home and preparing that food in bulk and in a healthy way. But..But.. "I'm too busy to cook!" First off, shush. Secondly, no you're not! Being too busy is an excuse. What you are really saying is, "I'm lazy and don't want to learn how to cook.," and I'm here to tell you that if you think you can out work a bad diet you are sadly mistaken and being lazy and wanting to be fit just don't jive so make up your mind. Stop buying into the idea that you can't cook a meal because you are a busy mom or dad and life is just "too crazy". That's exactly what TV ads keep telling you and want you to believe! Throwing a pork tenderloin in the oven and roasting some veggies to go along with it takes no time and minimal effort so stop telling yourself that you are so swamped the only way anyone is getting fed is if someone else cooks dinner. Priorities one and two if you are wanting to be healthy and fit are eat healthy meals(mostly) and enough for your goals and exercise often, and the absolute best way to make sure you are eating what you should be and as much as you should be is to make it yourself. There are tons of videos and recipes online on how to prepare food in bulk or in advance that are so simple even people starting out can follow them.
I know your favorite athlete on social media is always posting about an awesome meal they just had to keep them fueled for the day by some company that sends them meals every week or whatever but that food is free for them or greatly discounted and if they had to pay full price for all those meals I betcha they would be in line with the rest of us at Costco. Not to mention their training schedule plus work/school schedule may just be crazy enough to justify having meals delivered to them. We are not professional athletes and might I add plenty of the pros, actually the large majority, cook for themselves. Learn to cook, know exactly what is in your food because you put it there, and finally have some control over your fitness goals.
