When it comes to healthy eating, preparation is the key to success. But if your personal training or nutrition client loves the convenience of prepackaged foods and restaurant meals, it might be hard for them to go cold turkey on their take-out routines. Planning and preparing meals ahead of time will make healthy choices a no-brainer for your clients.
Plan Your Meals Ahead
Select one day each week that will be devoted to meal prepping and help clients be creative with their meal ideas. Tacos on one night can turn into taco salads the next. Menu planning with grocery lists also reduces that sneaky impulse to buy random items at the grocery store, which not only helps keep clients on track nutritionally, but aids in reducing unnecessary (and often expensive) purchases that are devoid of nutritional benefits.
Cook Once and Eat Twice
This meal prep hack is all about leveraging leftovers, repurposing ingredients, and cooking in bulk. With their busy schedules, it can be tricky for clients to prepare a full meal every night of the week. Selecting one day a week to prepare several items allows clients to plan for leftovers throughout the week. For example, grilling or baking several chicken breasts on one day provides a lean protein for that night’s dinner as well as a key ingredient for chicken salads for a meal the following day. This reduces cooking time and makes meal prepping faster on subsequent weeknights.
Become a Fan of One-Pot Meals
Toss prepped ingredients together with a little olive oil, salt, pepper and a variety of spices and roast in the oven. Or encourage clients to invest in a crockpot or instant pot and experiment with making homemade soups and slow-cooker meals. A little chicken or vegetable broth with fresh vegetables, diced sweet potatoes, and lean protein (such as chicken or loin meats) make a tasty and nutritionally balanced meal.
Use Your Freezer Space
Freezing leftovers and prepped meals is genius. When time is lacking or energy is waning, clients can pull out a frozen veggie lasagna or soup a day or two in advance and have meals ready to go after work or when the kids come home from activities.
Use Containers
The right containers are a must for successful meal prep. Encourage clients to invest in a variety of sizes and styles of containers. Select options that allow for freezing leftovers, storing produce for the week, and pre-packing lunches and snacks. Yes, clients will have to spend some money if they don’t own these handy tools already, but they are an investment that will pay for themselves in short order.
How You Can Help
If you want to help clients with food, diet, weight management and improving the results of their fitness routines, the Fitness Nutrition Coach course is for you. You will learn about optimal nutrition, including proven techniques for increasing energy, optimal health and decreased dependence on medications. Instantly increase your job and career opportunities with this popular professional credential.
You can become a Certified Personal Fitness Chef and expand your current personal chef business, or add a new profit center for your fitness or wellness business. Many personal chefs cook and coach people in groups to help more people and earn more money per hour. Some chefs provide weekly meal prep service for health-minded customers and athletes.
Check out what it takes to start a career in personal fitness training. This is your most affordable and fastest way to become a highly qualified personal trainer.
NESTA coaching programs are open to anyone with a desire to learn and help others. There are no prerequisites.
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