If You’re Serious About Hitting The Gym, You Should Definitely Be Meal Prepping

You are absolutely religious about your workout routine. You get up early, cancel other plans, and schedule your entire day so that you don’t miss your daily run or weightlifting session. You hit a best time during your last run, lifted a weight so heavy you never would have imagined it a couple of months ago, worked up a crazy sweat during your hot yoga class. In short, you are crushing it. 

And yet, physically you aren’t hitting your goals the way you’d like to. If you’re trying to lose weight, the scale has stopped moving. If you’re trying to increase your muscle mass, you’re struggling to see growth. 

You might be thinking, “why is all of my hard work not paying off?” 

Here’s the sobering truth: no matter how much work you’re putting in at the gym, none of it is going to give you the results you want if you are not eating correctly. Your body is a finely tuned machine, and the food you are eating is integral to its performance and for the results you want to achieve. 

Consistently eating healthy might seem a little more daunting than hitting the gym because it needs constant vigilance and effort, whereas you can knock out your workout in a couple of hours. However, meal prep makes this process crazy easy. You’ll always have the fuel that you need right at your fingertips, and the payoff is huge! 

Here are some guidelines to keep in mind as you begin to meal prep for your fitness goals: 

• Time is money. If you’re committed to crushing your workouts, you know how important time management is. Getting to the gym if you already have a busy workday can be challenging, but you do it because you want those results!
  
  You should be applying the same principles to the food that you eat. Having an amazing workout but eating non-nutritious foods after will just cancel out all of your progress, so make sure that you are dedicating just as much time to the food you eat if you don’t want to waste all that time and energy you spent working out.
  
• Your protein intake should be sufficient for the type of activity you are doing.Eating the right amount of protein is hugely important when you are physically active, no matter what your goals are. If your focus is to lose weight, you need to have enough protein in your meal prep to keep you satisfied throughout the day. If you’re trying to increase your strength or muscle mass, your body needs that protein to recover and grow.
  
  Aim to fill your meal prep menu with complete proteins – these generally come from animal sources, like meat, dairy, and poultry. However, if you don’t eat meat, would like to decrease your animal food intake, or just want to diversify, it’s an excellent idea to incorporate plant-based proteins like legumes and wheat products. Generally, proteins from plant sources are incomplete, so if you go this route, make sure to get a good mix of them to make your protein intake complete.
  
• Fuel yourself with carbohydrates. Yes, carbohydrates are actually good for you! Carbs are incredibly important to power your heavy workouts – ever heard of athletes “carb loading” before a big game or long run? This macronutrient is your body’s primary energy source, so it really is all about moderation here.
  
  When it comes to your meal prep, make sure to incorporate plenty of whole grains in your weekly meals to keep your brain and your body functioning at their optimum. Portion out some brown rice, whole wheat pasta, or thin-sliced whole grain bread to get a boost right before a big workout.
  
• Keepportion sizes in mind when preparing your meals.For someone who is especially physically active, meal sizes should be just large enough to keep your satisfied and help your body recover – especially when you’re trying to lose weight! It may seem sensible to cut out as many calories as you can in this situation, but this could very likely be one of the reasons you aren’t progressing as much as you think you should based on your activity level! 
  
  If your workouts consistently include heavy lifting, long distance running, or any other intense exercises, aim instead to fill your meal prep plan with plenty of nutritious and healthy foods to help your body recover from your workouts. Using a meal prep service is a good way to know exactly how many calories you are consuming, not to mention the portion sizes of your carbs, proteins, and fats.
  

If you are starting to feel stuck and frustrated in your workout routine, meal prep may be the missing ingredient. Give it a try today and really start to see those results you’ve been busting your behind for!