Be Prepared Print E-mail



Prepared for what? Be prepared for anything and everything that might stand in the way of your progress. It's going to be challenging to apply all of the nutrition strategies including eating enough total energy, employing the principles of nutrient timing, following good post-exercise nutritional strategies, etc. Putting together a plan is nothing. Changing your habits so that you adhere closely to the plan is something else altogether. Remember, it's not that it's difficult. It's just that most people overestimate how hard it will be and underestimate how long it will take. However, with any degree of commitment, you'll be a Jedi nutritional master in no time. As master Yoda says, "Try? There is no try; there is only do and do not."

Do you currently have strategies for getting in your meals under unknown conditions? If not, you'd better develop some. The secret to success in bulking up (or getting lean, for that matter) isn't novelty. No special program, special supplement, or special meal plan (that you follow only 50 percent of the time) will swoop in to give you the gains you seek unless you follow it regularly. Consistency is the secret to uncommon results. And consistency knows that life is bound to get in the way, so it plans for obstacles and finds alternate routes around them.

So up out of your chair; it's time for a store run right now. That's right, we're getting bossy. Without some food preparation and storage support systems, you'll be fumbling around your kitchen until you finally consider your efforts an exercise in futility and go back to your old ways.

One countertop grill: Make sure to get one with a large surface area because this makes cooking all your lean beef and chicken sausage for the day a simple, 10-minute process.

Five large plastic or glass rectangular containers: These containers should be airtight and will be used to store anything from cooked quinoa and yams to cut fruits and vegetables in your refrigerator. One successful preparation strategy is to cook some of your food for the week on Sunday night so that you can easily spoon it out when it's time to eat each day. Also, you can precut your fruit and veggies and spoon them out when it's time to eat them or package them up for the day.

Five small plastic or glass square containers: These containers should also be airtight and will be used to carry all of your meals with you each day. You're going to want to package all your meals unless you absolutely know that you'll be eating elsewhere. This way if you get stuck in an unexpected situation, you'll have food nearby and won't have to miss a meal or make a poor food choice (i.e., vending machine or fast-food joint).

Four plastic or glass shaker bottles: These shakers should be 1 liter in volume and have a good screw-on top to prevent leaking. You can put your powders for the day in these bottles, and add water when needed.

One cooler/lunch box: Your cooler/lunch box should have enough room to store all of your meals for the day including your three or four shaker bottles. Keep this cooler nearby so that you'll have access to your food whenever it's time to eat.

One watch with alarm: If you don't already have one, a watch with a timer is critical for the initial stages of your program. Set your watch to the specific times of the day when you need to eat.


 
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