New Year, New You | Nutritional Tips

Written by Sarah Curran

New Year Nutritional Tips

The New Year is a time when many of us hope to make improvements to our nutrition, but it can be hard to know where to start! Here are some tips for getting your nutrition on track to help you hit your goals.

Eat To Train

Tailor your nutrition around your goals and activities. Make a decision on what your goal is for the next few months. If you want to gain some lean muscle mass, you will need to eat accordingly. This may mean you might need to add in some extra calories so that you have enough of a surplus to grow, but not gain unnecessary excess body fat in the process. If you want to lean out a little, you may need to plan ahead to reduce calories gradually and add in some extra cardio to achieve your goals.

The first step is deciding what you want and then implementing a calorie and macro plan to help you to achieve it. Ensure you also pack your diet with plenty of nutritious wholesome foods to ensure that you are fuelling your body for your workouts and not missing any vitamins and minerals necessary to keep you healthy and strong. Consider using an app such as my fitness pal to help you to keep tabs on your intake!

Prep Ahead

Prepping some food ahead can be such a timesaver when you have a busy schedule, and can also help you to avoid the temptation of ordering takeouts too frequently when you are stuck late in work or doing unplanned overtime and get home later than you expected. Make some space in your freezer so that you can store some ready-made meals that you simply have to pop into the oven to make life a little bit easier for you.

Make Use Of Special Offers

Keep an eye out for special offers, especially on fruit and vegetables and non perishable goods such as oats and rice. Foods with a long date are great to buy in bulk if you can to save money in the long term, and most fruit and vegetables can be frozen and used in soups or smoothies at a later stage.  It can also be worthwhile to buy other foods such as meats in bulk as the butchers may be able to do a deal with you and you can then freeze any excess for another time.

Get Adventurous With Recipes

Don’t get stuck in a rut where you make the exact same dishes day in and day out. Aside from the benefits a varied diet has such as a broader intake of vitamins and minerals, it can be really tough to stick to a food plan if it is too repetitive. You can modify different recipes to suit your needs, such as replacing cream or butter based sauces with tomato ones if you need to reduce the fat content, while still enjoying some of your favourite dishes and even discovering new ones.

Supplement When Necessary

If you are unable to fit the necessary amount of a macronutrient or vitamin into your daily diet, consider supplementing. Whey protein is a great supplement to have in your store cupboard as it has a long date on it and is so easy to make. It is also brilliant to use in baking to make healthy treats and also to give everyday meals an extra protein boost. If you are struggling to get enough protein into your day, consider adding a scoop to your oats in the morning or have a shake after a tough training session.

Invest In Some Tupperware’s

Tupperware is a great investment and allow you to bring meals you have prepared ahead on the go. They are especially good to bring into work, and if you get the ones that are both microwave and dishwasher safe they are super convenient too for both eating meals in and cleaning up afterwards. Try and get some that are freezer safe too so that you can prepare meals ahead and store them in the freezer, heat them up and eat them from the same container. Tupperware make sticking to your meal plan a lot easier!

Have A Healthy Snack Stash

Keep a supply close to hand with macro friendly snacks to help you avoid making choices that may hold you back from your goals. It is human nature to be attracted to the easy option, and by simply making the healthier snacks more available, you are more likely to choose them.

These tips will help you to stick to your nutrition plan and make life a little easier as you try to transition to a healthier lifestyle.

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