... even when you’re busy and stressed
to you
An overwhelming majority of our Fitfilled clients face a common struggle – they’re too busy to spend a lot of time preparing meals.
And I don’t think that says anything about our clients other than the simple fact that being very busy is a very common characteristic of modern life.
But even as busy as we all are, how often do you hear someone say they don't have time to shower, brush their teeth, fix their hair, or get dressed?
Sure, maybe you don’t want to do these things, but you do them anyway because the benefits heavily outweigh the consequences of not doing them.
Healthy eating shouldn’t be any different.‼️
During my PhD, my diet remained fully intact, without compromise, throughout four years of an insane workload and the significant amount of stress that came along with it.
Even when my parents passed away, which brought on months of stress, turmoil, and extra things to do, my diet remained intact – both times.
And right now, as I’m spending ~20 hours per week studying for the board exam I’ll be taking next month (in addition to running Fitfilled), my eating habits haven’t changed.
In fact, getting back to the daily hygiene analogy, there’s a better chance of me skipping a day of showering than there is of me eating a poor-quality meal just for the sake of time. (Don’t worry, both are very rare.)
To put this into perspective, a day of poor eating can be a lot worse for you than a day of not showering. But that’s unfortunately not how most people think of it.
If you’ve been neglecting your diet for months, years, or even longer, imagine neglecting your hygiene for that long … as in not showering.
Shouldn’t it be just as off-putting (if not more) to consistently facilitate a decline in your health and wellness?
Perhaps it would be easier to commit to healthy eating if the only alternative were to smell like a sweaty armpit!
What you need is a SYSTEM.
A system is something you can rely on, over and over again – even when you’re significantly pressed for time or motivation.
The examples I gave for the durability of my own eating habits have nothing to do with willpower or persistence. Instead, they have everything to do with having a repeatable system to rely on.
But it’s not just about having a system – it’s about having an efficient system. (It typically takes me less time to prepare a meal than it does to take a shower – and I take quick showers).
As you develop your own system, yes, there will be an additional time commitment. But let’s be honest:
Saying you don’t have enough time is really saying it’s not a top priority.
I’m at least a couple of decades into constantly having a list of important things to do that easily exceeds the time I have to do them. Everything I choose to do doubles as an active choice to let something else go undone.
I never have enough time. But I always have priorities.
So should you! And if you want to give yourself the best chance of having a great quality of life, your health and wellness should rank high (if not the highest).
What you eat (and don’t eat) is foundational to that priority, and having a system is what makes it very doable without taking a significant amount of your time and energy.
Here are the four most important parts of creating that system:
1. Know your go-to foods
Variety is important for both health and satisfaction, but variety shouldn't turn into complete randomness (which is really just chaos that will inevitably cause stress and invite poor decisions).
In my diet, there’s good variety in what I eat throughout the week, but from week to week, it doesn’t change much.
That translates into much less time I have to spend planning meals or a grocery list – and much better odds of maintaining healthy eating habits, no matter how nasty of a curveball life throws at me.
2. Have a meal structure
By structure, I mean dividing each meal up into components.
For example, the structure that Coach Kayla and I encourage our clients to try, and have used ourselves for many years, consists of:
- a main protein source,
- a primary vegetable,
- a secondary vegetable (optional),
- miscellaneous additions (if desired),
- and an oil or dressing.
Once you have that structure, meal planning is much simpler – like painting by number instead of feeling the pressure to create a masterpiece from a blank canvas.
Painting by number may sound underwhelming, but intending to create a masterpiece when you don’t have the time or motivation (which will likely be most of the time) will invite regrettable choices.
3. Simplify food prep
Yes, for a truly healthy diet, some cooking is required, but not always. And there are many ways to make it quick and easy.
Cooking a protein source can be as easy as putting it in a baking dish, putting it in the oven, and setting a timer. I can do that in less time than some people spend brushing their teeth.
Steaming veggies takes a little more time, but not much – just a quick rinse and some cutting as you fill the steamer pot. Still quicker than brushing your teeth if you follow the 2-minute per quadrant rule.
When you do cook, make intentional leftovers to give yourself more time before you have to cook again.
And, whenever possible, opt for foods that require less preparation, like pre-cut and pre-rinsed vegetables, and pre-cooked protein sources. Just watch out for added ingredients.
4. Emphasize taste and variety (but not too much)
As the saying goes, variety is the spice of life – but too much spice will get you in trouble!
Your meals should indeed taste good enough to be satisfying. But expecting every single one of them to light you up like a hit of dopamine is setting yourself up for failure. (The dopamine analogy is actually quite fitting for the hyperpalatability of most processed foods.)
What this ultimately comes down to is experimenting to determine which healthful foods you like most. A key part of this, especially if you’ve been eating processed foods for a long time, is understanding that you’ll need to give your taste buds a chance to adjust (which they will).
There it is – the basics of a simple system to ensure that you continue supporting your health and wellness – no matter how busy you are!
Make it a top priority to build your own system, then enjoy a lifetime of easy benefits … on autopilot!
To healthy eating finally becoming an easy habit,
Dr. Vin
🆘 Want help building your system? This is one of our specialties! We’ll walk you through every step of it and help you overcome every obstacle along the way. Schedule a free call with Coach Kayla to learn more!