Out and about

I'm having to do quite a bit of driving today, this means possibly missing safe meals at home. So here are a few tips that help me avoid temptation of restaurants, take aways and the pie shop .

Don't carry cash or coins. If I find myself craving sweets or pop, it's embarrassing trying to pay for a chocolate bar or a sausage roll with a credit card, so I don't. 

Eat a good meal before leaving the house. I find that going out feel satisfied after a nice meal, I fixate less on the junk food opportunities out there.

Take healthy snacks and plenty to drink with me. That way if the munchies strike, I don't have to go to the shops, avoiding the temptation of junk.

Petrol, I always us the Pay at pump facility, it's too easy to grab some junk when stood in the queue, whilst waiting to pay inside the garage.

Prepare your next meal in advance. After a long day the last thing I want to be doing is cooking. I prepare as much of the meal as possible in advance, so when I get home there is food waiting for me. This means I'm less likely to pick up take out on the way home.

Parking, I try to pick a parking spot a fair distance from the shop, this gives me a little bit extra workout, rather than spending time trying to get as close to the shop as possible. It only adds a couple of minutes to each stop, but the extra effort all adds up.

Take a drink with you. A good way to take a drink with you that stays cold longer is to get an empty water bottle, half fill it with water and lay it flat in the freezer overnight. Then just before you set out, top up the bottle with cold water. The frozen water will melt slowly, keeping your drink cool longer and because the ice only fills one side of the bottle, you can still drink water from the bottle easily. Taking a drink with you keeps you away from the shops and extra temptation.

I'm sure over the coming months I'll find more ways to avoid the bad stuff and I will post more tips soon.

Maxx