Save time and stay on track for fitness

As a certified fitness professional, there are certainly a lot of tips and tricks that we use within the health and wellness industry. I wanted to share a few tips surrounding nutrition that has helped me personally as well as hundreds of my clients.

• Meal prep in advance is a huge game changer, especially for busy moms.

Stock your kitchen with plenty of reclosable-style plastic baggies of various sizes and several Tupperware-style containers. These will all come in very handy when you are preparing your food and it will save you lots of time and money. I have gallon-size baggies, freezer quart-size baggies, sandwich-size baggies and snack baggies. I probably have about 20 different sized Tupperware containers. It sounds like a lot, but trust me — you will use them.

• Do not go to the grocery store without a shopping list.

Get in the habit of planning your meals and snacks in advance and you will spend less time going to the grocery store during the week. If you can plan a week in advance — you will only have to go to the grocery store once. I hate going to the grocery store during the week for a few items here and there. Don’t you?

• While shopping, take advantage of larger, family-size packages of meats, veggies, fruits and low-glycemic starch options.

I buy huge, family-size options all the time. I freeze what I don’t cook immediately and always have extra on hand. For example, I buy chicken and lean ground turkey at Costco and transfer it to freezer reclosable plastic baggies. I also buy whole turkey throughout the year. This is an easy, inexpensive way to get your protein!

We cooked a 26-pound turkey, not that long ago and had many, many, many different meals out of it. Pick all of the turkey off the bone and put it in quart-size reclosable plastic baggies and put it in your freezer. That way, you can take out a bag at a time! Easy, right?

• Prepare items ahead of time.

Wash and chop fresh vegetables and keep in the refrigerator for easy access. I always have broccoli, spinach, Brussels sprouts, kale, cauliflower, cherry tomatoes and celery washed, sliced and in separate little containers. I also have a dozen hard-boiled eggs in the refrigerator. The more you prep and plan your meals, the easier it all becomes.

• Plan leftovers and always make enough extra for “another” meal. This is where all those containers will come in handy.

I hope this has been helpful for you! Start small and you will see big changes in a very short amount of time. Feel free to visit my website listed below for more tips and healthy recipes.

Natalie Dreger is a certified fitness professional and can be reached at nataliedreger.com.