Tam’s Tips
 Fuel up your workday
Like many of you, my schedule often is unpredictable. With my long commute each day, and variety of activities before and after work, I am always considering my nutritional needs in combination with the limited free time I have to meet them.
One of my biggest challenges has been finding ways to take care of all of my daily nutritional needs without disrupting my workday. With some experimentation, I have found a mix that really works for me from Monday to Friday. I hope that my tips & hints will help you on your way to a healthy – and enjoyable – lifestyle.
Here’s to you and your success!
Watch it, I’m packin’!
When you’re dedicated to meeting your fitness goals, it is key to know what you are eating. And this is really driven home if you make it, pack it, and record it yourself.
When I am fully responsible for preparing my own food, and I’m schlepping it from home each day, I am much more aware of my consumption habits.
Not only are my meals more affordable by brown bagging lunches & snacks, but I know what is in my meals, and I am less likely to choose junk foods by mid-afternoon if I’ve got healthy snacks prepared.
TIP #1: BE RESPONSIBLE FOR MAKING YOUR OWN MEALS.
Two words: Make Ahead.
Now, I’m not the best at planning a week’s worth of meals, but, I can plan a day’s worth of meals & snacks one night ahead. I plan my breakfast, lunch, and two snacks, and have them all ready to go before I head off to bed. In the morning, I just have to remember to pull my stuff out of the fridge (believe me - forget once and you’ll never forget again) and I’m set for the day.
TIP #2: MAKE YOUR MEALS A DAY AHEAD AND STORE THEM TOGETHER, IN THE FRIDGE, TO TAKE TO WORK WITH YOU IN THE MORNING.
The ‘Private Stash’.
Rarely are the roosters crowing when I wake up in the morning so I’m just not ready to face eating breakfast before work. For this reason, I often keep a stash of food at work. A week’s worth of snacks including oranges or other peelable fruits, trail mix, and even oatmeal or other high-fibre cereals are easy to store. Now, studies show that people who keep food at their desks in plain view are likely to consume more than those who keep them hidden from view, so, to prevent over-consumption, I suggest dividing pre- measured portions into separate baggies and keeping them in a desk drawer. Measured servings help you to know that you have eaten one serving at time. The ‘private stash’ method also works for my vitamins.
TIP #3: TAKE CARE OF YOUR SNACK AND BREAKFAST NEEDS BY KEEPING A WEEK’S WORTH OF NON-PERISHABLES & PEEL-ON FRUITS AT YOUR DESK.
A/C & Indoor Heat – Trickery & Dehydration.
Drinking enough fluids shouldn’t seem like an insurmountable task. My solution: The pint glass, aka the 2 cup mug. Here’s the conversion: 1 cup = 250 ml = 8 oz. So, 2 cups = 500 ml = 16 oz.
My rules are that by noon, I must have consumed a full mug of hydrating fluid (water, or herbal or decaffeinated teas). By 4pm, another full mug. If I’m feeling ambitious, I’ll squeeze in another ½ mug. That’s 5 cups of fluid. Over half of my daily requirement before dinner! Drinking the remaining few cups is no problem. And, since most of my fluid intake happened during the day, I have deleted that 4am trip to the washroom…
Big bonuses come with staying hydrated: it helps you avoid afternoon sluggishness (it really is better than coffee to perk you up) and your skin and lips will stay smooth and lovely through the winter. Won’t your colleagues wonder what your secret is? Mine do…though I still don’t know how they haven’t figured it out.
TIP #4: MAKE DRINKING YOUR FLUIDS EASIER BY BREAKING UP THE TOTAL INTO MANAGEABLE PORTIONS THROUGHOUT YOUR DAY.
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