Rituals are powerful things.
Rituals connect us to recurring schedules of events. Rituals organize us. Rituals ingrain us into a regular rhythm of life.
If you ask any physically fit person in your life what their secret to success is, they’ll most likely answer with the word habit or making their health a priority. In other words they attribute their consistency to rituals in terms of what they eat, to when they work out.
So if you’re looking to improve your eating habits or reach a weight loss goal, the Sunday Ritual is a great and simple strategy to keep you organized in your planning and help you stay proactive.
The idea behind the Sunday Ritual is simple: Plan and prepare some healthy food in advance, so that it’s easily available when you want and need it.
So how do you set yourself up?
Simple. Set aside a bit of time on Sunday — or any other day that works for you — to plan, prepare, and be proactive.
Your ritual can involve:
- shopping and food prep time (or arranging to have food delivered)
- planning your exercise for the week
- meal planning and menu design (looking up new recipes)
- washing and chopping vegetables
- cooking/preparing protein (e.g. cooking up chicken breasts)
- cooking meals in bulk (e.g. casseroles, soups, stews, chili)
- preparing the dry ingredients for things like smoothies, overnight oats or a healthy muffin mix
- sorting foods into smaller containers or baggies
- freezing and refrigerating food for later
- planning healthy meals that someone else cooks (e.g. using a meal delivery service, deciding in advance what to order at a restaurant, etc.)
- looking ahead to ensure healthy eating strategies during the next few days, especially during difficult times (e.g. a busy week, traveling, etc.)
Ready to apply the Sunday Ritual to your life?
Get started by asking yourself the following: How can I plan and prepare for my week ahead to ensure that I give myself the best chance of succeeding?
Block of an hour or two on the day of your choice and pick a ritual that will best suit your lifestyle.
For more tips on meal planning and how to integrate healthy habits into your life, contact info@trueconditioning.com to work with one of our nutrition coaches.