Happy New Year! Chances are you\u2019re hard at work chipping away at those annual declarations of self-improvement<\/a>. Keep it up!<\/p>\n If you\u2019re anything like the old me, the new year has you amped up to make some serious changes in your life and body, but you\u2019re no stranger to summer indulgences and often struggle to keep your motivation on pace and nutrition intact throughout the year to reach your fitness goals<\/a>. Sound familiar? You\u2019re not alone.<\/p>\n Year after year, I\u2019ve made dozens of resolutions trying to create discipline and structure around my nutrition and eating habits. Every year I\u2019ve held on strong for a few months and seemed to have fallen off by the time the weather turned the corner. But not anymore, and you don\u2019t have to let your hard work dissipate with the sunshine either!<\/p>\n As we raise the bar<\/a> together across Burn Nation<\/a>, we must first understand that physical fitness requires proper nutrition to fuel our bodies and help build strength. Creating a lifestyle with whole foods and healthy habits can be overwhelming though. You may ask yourself questions like, where do I start? How do I stay motivated? What if I fail? What if I\u2019m addicted to sugar?<\/p>\n Let 2018 be the year you finally forego those predictable resolutions and commit to a lifestyle change, once and for all. As you\u2019re raising your bar<\/a> inside the gym and taking your PR\u2019s to a new level, consider taking your nutrition to the next level as well. Small changes create BIG impact!<\/p>\n Below are my top 10 tips and tricks for staying on track<\/a> with nutrition year-round.<\/p>\n Meal prepping is the secret to success. It requires just a couple of hours every week, yet still saves you time. Having food pre-cooked (and already portioned if you\u2019re on the go a lot) will keep you from making impulsive decisions that hinder your goals.<\/p>\n I use different seasonings, dressings, and\/or marinades from week to week to change flavors, and I also change my vegetables from week to week to keep my meals interesting<\/a>. Simply adding hot sauce can make a meal feel completely different!<\/p>\n I don\u2019t overcomplicate meal prepping. Instead, I find creative ways to combine my favorite foods to create endless options. I cook 8-10 chicken breasts every Sunday, a few pounds of ground turkey, and 3-4 different kinds of vegetables that I like. I may toss chicken and vegetables in marinara sauce one day, toss in coconut aminos and cauliflower rice another day, or make a naked burrito bowl out of my ingredients the next day. I may change seasonings from lemon pepper to Italian to garlic to onion.<\/p>\n Not only can you switch up flavors to add variety, but you can also change your method of cooking to prevent meal prep burnout. For example, you can bake, sous vide, shred, or grill the same chicken breast to make it feel different each time!<\/p>\n If I\u2019m looking for a recipe, I always rely on the Burn Community for new ideas. Meal prepping gives you the ability to always be prepared and grab something healthy even when you\u2019re on the go. Remember, failing to plan is planning to fail.<\/p>\n Regardless of how healthy a certain food may be, I only eat what I like. For example, I don\u2019t like eggs and I don\u2019t like fish\u2014both of which I\u2019ve tried to force feed myself. I failed.<\/p>\n If you try to eat foods you simply don\u2019t like, a healthy habit will never be created. Just because you\u2019re eating healthy doesn\u2019t mean you can\u2019t look forward to meals<\/a> anymore. Know what you like and rely on those foods to make up your healthy habits!<\/p>\n If you have favorite meals (mine is spaghetti<\/a> and meatballs), find healthy swaps so you can still enjoy your favorite foods. For example, try swapping ground beef for ground turkey, or swapping spaghetti for zoodles<\/a> or spaghetti squash. Being disciplined doesn\u2019t mean you must feel deprived.<\/p>\n When you meal prep, you no longer have an excuse. Whether you\u2019re going to work<\/a>, going out of town for a long weekend, or just traveling down the road to a child\u2019s birthday party, you can plan for all of this.<\/p>\n You may want to consider bringing a cooler of food or eating before you go if you know you\u2019ll only be gone for an hour or two. Don\u2019t put yourself in a situation in which you know you\u2019ll be hungry\u2014and therefore more likely to indulge!<\/p>\n I\u2019ve taken food with me to the strangest places and have always been grateful to be prepared. If you\u2019re going to a party where you know pizza and cake will be served, eat before you go. Don\u2019t allow yourself to be influenced by these temptations every time. Once you feel the physical difference of nourishing your body with whole foods, you\u2019ll look forward to these meals on the go!<\/p>\n Eating healthy doesn\u2019t mean you can never sink your teeth into a slice of double chocolate cake or greasy New York-style pepperoni pie. Allow yourself one cheat meal per week, plan for it, and enjoy it. Don\u2019t settle for an alternative, and don\u2019t waste your cheat meal on something that\u2019s not going to satisfy your craving.<\/p>\n When we settle for cheat meals that are only \u201cokay,\u201d we\u2019re still left with that desire to cheat which often leads to a multi-day binge of a few bites here and few bites there trying to satisfy that craving! For example, if you want pizza, get the best pizza possible\u2014don\u2019t settle for a frozen alternative or your child\u2019s half-eaten pizza rolls. If you want cake, don\u2019t settle for a few bites if you\u2019re not fully satisfied\u2013eat the whole slice.<\/p>\n When you gain control over your temptations and plan for cheat meals, you\u2019ll no longer experience that black cloud of guilt we often face.<\/p>\n Staying hydrated is a true test of hunger. When we\u2019re dehydrated<\/a>, we tend to snack more. When we\u2019re both thirsty and hungry, similar messages are sent to our brain and how we respond to those signals are often mistaken.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re a heavy snacker, ask yourself if you\u2019re drinking enough water. I strive to drink one gallon of water a day (about 8 water bottles). When I fall short, I tend to lose focus, develop a headache, and dip my hand into my child\u2019s snack trap. Be proactive about drinking water, because when you feel thirsty, you\u2019re already dehydrated! Prevent thirst and unnecessary eating by drinking your gallon a day.<\/p>\n There is a reason that Olympians and bodybuilders don\u2019t drink alcohol. Alcohol prohibits fat loss, makes us feel lethargic, and impairs our judgement.<\/p>\n Have you ever seen someone drink too much alcohol and then eat a grilled chicken breast with broccoli? Probably not. When we drink alcohol, we\u2019re more likely to make decisions about food we normally wouldn\u2019t make. If I\u2019m going to be in a social situation where I may want to both drink alcohol AND eat unhealthy foods, I\u2019ll normally pick one or the other. Prepare for these situations and commit to your decision!<\/p>\n When I first started my fit journey<\/a>, I logged every bite of food<\/a> that I ate. This was the only way I could wrap my head around what I was putting into my body when it came to my macronutrients. I quickly learned the macronutrients for the foods I was eating daily, which has allowed me to make changes to meet the 45% protein, 35% carbohydrates and 20% fat target we recommend at Burn Boot Camp.<\/p>\n I committed to logging food every single day for several weeks. This was time-consuming, but so was the energy I wasted feeling poorly about my postpartum body. Logging food kept me disciplined and focused. I stopped snacking because I didn\u2019t want to log 37 goldfish and stopped drinking alcohol because I now felt accountable.<\/p>\n I became familiar with my own macros and found myself eating many of the same foods every day to stay on track which later made logging food a breeze. Logging food is the most time consuming when we\u2019re not eating whole foods.<\/p>\n Today, I log occasionally. Even though I\u2019m aware of the macro content in my meals, it\u2019s important to log occasionally to spot-check my macros. If you\u2019re on point, perfect! If not, it\u2019s an opportunity to make changes to get back on track. We often only need to make small tweaks<\/a> to get our macros back on track and refocus on our goals.<\/p>\n If ice cream is your guilty pleasure, don\u2019t leave ice cream in your freezer! If it\u2019s in your house, you are much more likely to eat it when you\u2019re stressed, bored, exhausted<\/a>, or overwhelmed.<\/p>\n My kids have never had a bowl of sugary cereal at home<\/a> or experienced the joy of an Oreo cookie. It\u2019s not because I\u2019m supermom\u2014it\u2019s not because I don\u2019t allow sugar from time to time. My kids are deprived of these things because if they are in my pantry, I WILL eat them.<\/p>\n Yes, they still beg, harass, and plea for tastier snacks, but I never cave. When my kids snack, they eat cheese sticks, fresh fruit, Cheerios, Goldfish, applesauce, and other healthy snacks. These are all foods I either don\u2019t like, that don\u2019t tempt me, or that I also enjoy and can share with them.<\/p>\n Your home is a safe place. You shouldn\u2019t feel threatened or tempted by foods that will hinder your goals. If it\u2019s too hard for you to avoid certain foods, simply get rid of them.<\/p>\n Focus meetings aren\u2019t just for newbies. I still have focus meetings and walk away every single time with either a tidbit of new information or feeling reenergized<\/a> to tackle my goals. Having a log of measurements allow me to see progress or gives me a wakeup call when I\u2019m off track.<\/p>\n Focus meetings are meant to keep us accountable, focused, and constantly learning. There is always more information to learn, recipes to be shared, and tips and tricks to help us stay focused. You are never too fit<\/a> for a focus meeting! Fitness is a journey, so leverage the resources available to you. (To schedule a focus meeting with your trainer, download the Burn Boot Camp app<\/a>!)<\/p>\n Perfection is impossible, so why would anyone expect to be perfect<\/a> when it comes to nutrition? Well, I did\u2026and failed. I was so strict that when I did \u201cfall off,\u201d I reverted to unhealthy eating habits. I lost control and lost all semblance of balance.<\/p>\n Being disciplined means wanting to achieve your goals more than giving into temptation. It means saying \u201cno\u201d because you know how happy you are when you feel good. Discipline doesn\u2019t mean perfection. We\u2019re all human. We lose focus. Life gets in the way. Understanding that set backs ARE part of the fitness journey will prepare you to handle situations better.<\/p>\n So, you ate a hot dog when you shouldn\u2019t have, let it go. You haven\u2019t meal prepped in weeks, move on. Leave these setbacks in the past and simply do better next time. Balance, balance, balance!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Chelsea Theodoropoulos is the owner<\/a> of Burn Boot Camp Manchester (St. Louis, Missouri)<\/a>. Her life transformation<\/a> through health and fitness began three years ago as a member at Burn Boot Camp Huntersville<\/a> which led to a career in the fitness industry and mission to change lives. Simple \u201crecipes\u201d with macronutrient breakdowns can be found on her Instagram @chelseatheo_fit<\/a>. <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Chelsea Theodoropoulos Happy New Year! Chances are you\u2019re hard at work chipping away at those annual declarations of self-improvement. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":17644,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[769,24,770,283,767,14,15,771,495,768],"class_list":["post-17642","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nutrition","tag-fitness-goals","tag-healthy-eating","tag-kitchen","tag-meal-prep","tag-meal-prepping","tag-meals","tag-nutrition-2","tag-setting-goals","tag-trainer","tag-trainer-advice"],"acf":{"hide_blog_author":false,"publication_link":"","print_circulationviewership":"","unique_monthly_visitors_":"","before_image":false,"after_image":false,"location_page":""},"yoast_head":"\n
\n1. Always meal prep.<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\n
Meal prepping gives you the ability to always be prepared and grab something healthy even when you\u2019re on the go.<\/h3>\n<\/blockquote>\n
2. Don’t eat what you dislike.<\/strong><\/h2>\n
3. Travel with food, or eat before you go. <\/strong><\/h2>\n
4. Enjoy cheat meals. <\/strong><\/h2>\n
\n
When you gain control over your temptations and plan for cheat meals, you\u2019ll no longer experience that black cloud of guilt we often face.<\/h3>\n<\/blockquote>\n
5. Drink lots of water.<\/strong><\/h2>\n
6. Drink less alcohol.<\/strong><\/h2>\n
7. Log your food (occasionally).<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\n
I became familiar with my own macros and found myself eating many of the same foods every day to stay on track which later made logging food a breeze.<\/h3>\n<\/blockquote>\n
8. Don’t buy food that tempts you. <\/strong><\/h2>\n
9. Schedule focus meetings.<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\n
There is always more information to learn, recipes to be shared, and tips and tricks to help us stay focused.<\/h3>\n<\/blockquote>\n
10. Don’t expect to be perfect.<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/b1719269.smushcdn.com\/1719269\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Chelsea-1-150x150.jpg?lossy=1&strip=1&webp=1\")
<\/em><\/p>\n