You put the right fuel into your car for optimal performance, but what about your body? While your body and mind are more complex than a machine, approaching nutrition from an energy perspective is wise.
When you put good in, you get good out. However, the gap between intending to fuel your body well and actually doing it can seem impossible to close. Learn how to fuel your mind for the workday with plenty of energy left over for your evening endeavors with smarter meal planning.
Fuel Your Body with Balanced Energy
For optimal focus, you first need to understand how the body prioritizes fuel. Quick-acting carbohydrates go first, followed by a steady energy source, protein, and satisfying fat. However, the quality of these energy sources matters – nutritional density, pairing, and timing make all the difference.
Curate a meal formula with focus as the primary goal as you draft your healthy grocery delivery list: pair protein, fiber-rich carbohydrates, healthy fats, and micronutrients as your breakfast and lunch lineup. Protein and fiber keep digestion at an even pace, while healthy fats provide brain power, and micronutrients keep thinking sharp.
Greek yogurt is packed with protein and available in a range of thicknesses and tartnesses, so find a favorite. Choose a no-sugar-added version to help keep glucose levels under control. Toss in fiber and antioxidant-rich berries like blueberries or raspberries for a brain boost. Combine with chia seeds and almonds for filling fiber and healthy fat for a brain-loving parfait.
Level up your lunch with canned salmon or tuna, which offers optimal protein power, healthy fats, and keeps energy levels strong. Combine with Greek yogurt, lemon juice, and herbs for a protein-packed salad and enjoy with sweet peppers. Peppers provide whole food carbohydrates and lycopene, a powerful antioxidant with the potential to reduce major health risks.
Support Stamina with Powerful Hydration
Although you know your body is made primarily of water, that doesn’t always mean you hit your hydration targets. Find motivation to hydrate where you can: a fun water bottle, timers on your phone, or self-induced scare tactics.
Without adequate hydration, your body’s basic functions, like digestion, mood regulation, and cognitive processing can’t perform. Even mild dehydration can cause your system to go haywire. Digestion slows down, constipation follows, and now an otherwise great day is off the rails.
Poor hydration can also impact memory, making it difficult to remember simple instructions or store important memories. At work, you’re putting your career at risk when you’re not well-hydrated, potentially missing essential details and nuances. At home, you’re sacrificing meaningful memories just by skipping out on sips of water.
Keep your memory sharp and your mind alert by establishing hydration targets. A total of 50-70 oz of water daily is ideal, with nearly half of that ingested before noon. Start the day with a full glass of water to promote digestion and wake the mind.
Adjust your hydration amount with consideration for your vitamin regimen and medications, as some require additional hydration. Add electrolytes on days filled with physical exertion, either for work or recreation to restore essential nutrients. Limit caffeine, which can be dehydrating, and add an extra glass of water for each serving of caffeinated beverage.
Time Meals to Support Balance and Motivation
Your body and mind love routine, so support healthy and balanced energy by playing to your strengths. Identify core meal times that sync with your workday, preserving adequate time to prepare, eat, and digest your meals. This habit creates a restorative break in your day, allowing you to recharge and refuel.
Many workers get into the habit of powering through mealtimes, working at their desk, and eating. However, this habit can be an energy thief – without a break, your eyes are overloaded with blue light and your brain loses focus.
Carve out and preserve time for your meals with awareness of your weak spots. Prepare a larger dinner, using smarter meal planning, to reserve an extra serving for the next day’s lunch. You’ll make your morning routine smoother, save money otherwise spent on takeout, and recoup enough time for a post-lunch walk.
The post-lunch walk can also unlock essential energy and support digestion, brain function, and even healthy aging. With a post-lunch walk or stealth squat session, you put glucose to work immediately. This practice helps keep blood sugar levels regulated and helps maintain the body’s ability to process glucose.
Eat Intentionally to Be at Your Best
When you approach meal planning with a goal beyond quieting hunger, you naturally establish the criteria for success. Food is fuel, but the way you package, pair, and time its delivery influences its effectiveness. Hack through the complexity of energy management and develop a simple strategy that you can maintain.
As you implement your energy-wise meal strategy, keep notes on how you feel during and after meals. Notice how full you feel, your alertness, and how sharp your work performance is after eating. Log otherwise inconsequential data to collect an accurate sample of the impact your diet has on performance.
As you continue your smart meal planning journey, refine and revise your approach with the seasons and demands of life. Restore your body and mind with quality sleep, screen-free relaxation, and healthy boundaries. This approach will help you welcome each day with a fresh perspective and the right fuel to accomplish your goals.
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