TOP TIME Management for Health - PGA of Canada€¦ · smell of a delicious crockpot meal ready to go. (See Recipe 1: Crockpot Pound Stew) So just grit your teeth, pull out a pencil

TOP TIME

Management for HealthWRITTEN BY:

HEIDI SMITH - SPORT DIETITIAN & CO-FOUNDER OF VITALITY AT WORK

How do you manage to get your work done, prepare healthy foods, manage a family and care for yourself? You may achieve varying degrees of success depending on the week! After 20 years of consulting for busy professionals and athletic families, I began to see some patterns for those that were achieving a successful balance. Here are some of the top time management tips for health used by busy individuals to fuel their mind and body.

Plan Meals ahead of Time

Many people dislike the thought of meal planning but LOVE the results when they do it. Nothing is better then arriving home from work to the smell of a delicious crockpot meal ready to go. (See Recipe 1: Crockpot Pound Stew)

So just grit your teeth, pull out a pencil and get it done. Even better, you can amp up the efficiency and plan your meals using a calendar file. This allows you to repeat successful weeks and steal ideas from past planning sessions. You can download a meal planning kit from my website by clicking here: www.heidismithnutrition.com

If you’d like a head start, I’ve crafted a 4 day meal plan with 3 of my favourite make ahead meals and snacks. Start with Day 1 being your day off, so you have time to get groceries and do some meal prep for the week. See Recipes at the end.

DAY 1

Day Off from Work

1. Make a big pot of steelcut oats. Keep the extra in the fridge. Reheat portions over the next 3-4 days. 2. Mix up a large batch of trailmix and pre- portion into small containers or ziplock bags for a portable protein/carb/fibre snack.

3. Fill a fruit bowl on your counter. If fruit is visible – you’ll remember to grab it on your way out the door.

4. Cook extra chicken at dinner for salad lunch portions

5. Pre-wash and assemble salads for the week

B: Steel Cut Oats, add 1 tbs. Seeds (ie: chia, sunflower, flax, pomegranate), 1 Tbs of Nuts (Ie; Walnuts, almonds) and 1 cup of fruit (berries or apples), 1 tsp brown sugar and cinnamon (optional).

L: Leftovers from the night before or Soup and Salad.

S: Fruit and yogourt

D: Baked or grilled chicken breast sprinkled with seasoning of choice (Cook Extra Chicken for salads), whole grain rice (Cook extra for day 3) and Greek salad.

Having some wholesome easy to grab snacks and meals on hand each week goes a long way toward managing your time and better fuel for your body. When you prepare food at home, you can pack a real nutritional punch into each dish by including more whole grains, lean protein sources, vegetables and fruits. These elements are usually what is lacking when relying on processed convenience foods. Bulk items you can pre-make include: Muffins, cookies, grain salads (quinoa, rice, pasta), trailmix, soups and green salads measured into individual portions. Try to stretch each dinner into at least 2 other meals. Cook once – eat twice. We lead busy lives… there’s no reason we need a different meal every day! Pack leftovers up quickly into individual portions. Refrigerate and use within 2-3 days. Or freeze, label and use within 2 months.

Keep Some Emergency Meals on Hand

Even with the best planning, unexpected late days can happen! Keep some fast, healthy emergency meals on hand. Knowing you have food at home allows you to skip the take out. Your wallet and your body will thank YOU. One of the fastest and healthiest meals you can prepare is fish. Aim to have fish at least once per week to benefit from the heart healthy omega-3 fats. If you enjoy salmon, it defrosts in less than 5 minutes in the microwave and cooks at a rate of 10min per 1 inch of thickness in the oven or on the grill. White fish can easily be coated in spices and pan fried in less than 10minutes.Other emergency meals could be an egg/veggie omelet, pasta and red sauce, quesadillas with leftover meat and frozen leftover portions of stew or lasagna. If you have some favorite emergency meals you’d like to share – please send me your recipes at [email protected].

DAY 2

Work Day

DAY 4

Work Day

DAY 3

Work Day

B: Breakfast Smoothie

L: Salad in a Jar

S: Trailmix and fruit

D: Crockpot Beef Stew and Cabbage Salad

B: Breakfast Smoothie

L: Salad in a Jar

S: Trailmix and fruit

D: Omelet with leftover asparagus and cheese

B: Warm up precooked oatmeal and add fresh toppings

L: Beef stew in a thermos or warmed up at work

S: Leftover coleslaw

D: Grilled or baked Salmon, leftover rice, steamed asparagus and grape tomato, mini boccocini cheese and fresh basil salad with balsamic vinaigrette

Cook Once – Eat Twice. Bake and Prep in Bulk at least

once per week

Breakfast to GO! Smoothies.

We’ve all heard breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but have you heard that eating breakfast helps you fight excess weight gain? That’s right. Your morning meal gets your metabolism burning and helps reduce late night hunger. If you struggle to find time for breakfast in the morning, turn to your blender for help. Keep bags of frozen fruit on hand and follow the simple formula of 1cup frozen fruit , 1-2 cups milk (soy, almond or dairy) and an optional scoop of protein powder. Pour into a travel mug and top with hemp hearts, flax seed or high fibre cereal (ie: bran buds) to make it more filling with an added crunch.

Slow Time Down

Do you ever feel like there’s a truck at your heels going just faster than you can run? That is a quote from the Mindfulness researcher, Jon Kabot Zin to describe how we can feel when a time crunched lifestyle leads to chronic stress. Kabot Zin recommends taking time in your day to practice mindfulness.

WATCH THE 5 MINUTE VIDEO: WHAT IS MINDFULNESS

There are many health benefits to directing your awareness to the present moment. It has the feeling of slowing down time by actually noticing your thoughts, emotions, and signals from your body (hunger, muscle tension, fatigue). Mindfulness is becoming a movement in North America. Kabot Zin has worked with many fortune 500 companies including Google and appeared on 60 MINUTES to take Anderson Cooper on a mindfulness retreat.

WATCH THE VIDEO: ANDERSON COOPER AND MINDFULNESS

People are taking “mindful minutes” where they just focus on their breath for 1 minute. It has an immediate calming effect by actually changing your brain waves toward more calm and focus. You’ll also see some top athletes using mindfulness as part of their sport psychology routine to improve performance. Try sitting for two minutes using this video and see how slow time can go… close your eyes and see what signals your body is giving you right now. http://www.donothingfor2minutes.com

There are also many apps you can use to help you train your brain toward better mindfulness: Check out Buddify and Headspace for an array of short audios to help you “slow down” and tune into your body.

References

MINDFULNESS SLOWING DOWN TIME

PRO ATHLETES USING MINDFULNESS

RECIPE 1

Crockpot Pound Stew and Coleslaw

WATCH THE VIDEO: CROCKPOT STEW AND SLAW

OLD FASHIONED POUND STEW: MAKES 8 SERVINGS

1 pound lean beef cubes or boneless skinless chicken

2 tbs of flour

1 pound carrots cut into 1 inch thick pieces (I use baby carrots if I’m rushed)

1 pound potatoes washed and cut into 1 inch cubes (or small pre-wahsed potatoes)

1 pound frozen pearl onions (I use cooking onions cut into wedges)

1 cup broth (beef, vegetable or chicken)

2 cups frozen peas

Coat the meat in the flour and brown in a lightly oiled non-stick skillet for 5 minutes. (If you are in a hurry you can skip this step and add the floured meat directly into the crockpot ). Transfer the beef into the crock-pot and add all ingredients except the frozen peas. Mix and Cover. Cook on low until the veggies and meat are tender, 8-10 hours. Stir in the frozen peas and cook on high another 5-10 minutes. If you like a thicker stew you can dissolve 2 Tbs of cornstarch in 4 Tbs of water and stir into the hot stew just before eating.

QUICK COLESLAW

Mix 1 bag pre-shredded cabbage, ½ can crushed pineapple, 2 Tbs light miracle whip, 2 tbs raw hulled sunflower seeds (optional).

RECIPE 2

Balanced Trailmix

RECIPE 3

Salads to GO!

A mid afternoon snack can balance blood sugars, boost energy and stave off hunger until dinnertime. Trailmix is a great portable snack used by many golfers while on the course and professionals while in the office. It has the benefit of packing protein, healthy fats and fibre into one easy to carry package.

A great rule of thumb for any meal is to aim for ½ plate vegetables. Since we typically don’t eat many veggies at breakfast, a main dish salad is a perfect lunch. Just be sure to include a source of protein, grains and healthy fat to keep it filling. Use a mason jar for quick clean up in the dishwasher, easy storage in the fridge and portability. Here’s a simple Chicken Caesar Salad. Follow the image order of ingredients. Experiment with new ingredients and come up with your own mix!

CHICKEN CASESAR SALAD TO GO

1-2 Tbs Caesar salad dressing

¼ cup Slivered Carrots or broccoli flourettes

½ Chicken breast diced

2 Cups romaine lettuce or mix of romaine and baby kale

1 Tbs parmesan cheese

½ cup dry croutons

Add all ingredients to a mason jar in this order starting with dressing at the bottom and finishing with croutons at the top. Keep in the fridge for up to 3 days. If your croutons are getting soggy by the 3rd day you can add those just before you eat. Shake and eat from the jar or empty onto a large dinner plate. Enjoy!

1 cup cereal (cheerios works well) 1 cup nuts or roasted soya beans 1 cup dried fruit (raisins, craisins) ½ cup bran cereal ie: bran buds½ cup dark choc chips ½ cup sunflower seeds Per ½ cup serving: 175 kcal, 20g carbohydrate,

9g fat, 4g protein, 4g fibre

WATCH THE VIDEO: MASON JAR SALADS TO GO

Heidi Smith is a Sport Dietitian and Co-founder of the company “Vitality at Work”. She consults for all levels of fitness enthusiasts from beginners to competitive athletes. She is the author of 2 practical handbooks “Nutrition for the Long Run” and “Food, Hunger and Habits”. Heidi delivers live and online programs designed to inspire individuals to listen and respond to their body cues for hunger, fatigue and emotion with the ultimate goal of improved health, performance and happiness.

heidismithnutrition.com / vitalityatwork.ca

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