Who's Looking After You? Tip Six, Eating Well

Being really honest this is the tip I struggle with the most.  Like you, I know that the food and drink I put in my body affects my performance both mentally and physically.  

When my life is running on rails I do eat healthily, preparing meals from scratch and limiting the amount of high sugar, high fat products I consume.  However it's not often that my life runs on rails and I find myself grabbing convenience foods and my favourite of all comfort foods – chocolate.   Does this sound familiar?

Perhaps you always eat well no matter what is going on around you but if not here are some tips for you and ME!

• Be prepared.  When we’re busy it’s hard to find the time to prepare meals so my advice is to plan ahead and do it in advance.   A pain I know but better than filling your body with empty calories that aren’t going to do you any good.
• Limit your access. How many of us have emergency ‘food’ stored in our desk drawers so that if the moment arrives when you just have to have something sweet, you know exactly where to go? My tip - empty out your drawers so that next time you want to give in to temptation there will be nothing within easy reach.
• Buy pre-prepared. When time is of the essence buy pre-prepared fruit and vegetables. Now I know some people may not agree with this tip but surely pre-prepared fruit and veg is better than none at all?
• Don’t skip breakfast.  It used to be said that breakfast was the best meal of the day but now research divides us.  Some people believe that breakfast is a must if you want to look after yourself whilst others believe that you shouldn’t eat if you aren’t hungry.  I don’t know the answer. What I do know is that if I don’t have something to eat in the morning (even just a banana) then by 10am I am feeling tired and sick, which is not a great feeling.
• Keep hydrated.  Keeping ourselves hydrated is key to looking after our body and mind.  Ideally we should have a minimum of 6 – 8 glasses of liquid per day.  Water is best because other drinks such as coffee, sugary fruit drinks and alcohol do not hydrate us as well.  If we don’t drink enough we can wave goodbye to feeling our best and say hello to headaches, mood swings and tiredness.  It’s a no brainer really!