Getting started on being healthier is always the most challenging. There are so many books and videos packed with information of what you should be eating, what you should do for exercise and what your life will look like once you’re healthier. Sometimes it’s too much to take in and in these lifestyle books, I always wished that there was just a template that was simple to follow with easy recipes and easy exercises that wouldn’t disrupt my normal routine. Thus, I tested something out for one week. It went well so now you can follow that plan too!
Meal Plan
My diet has been one of the biggest challenges of my life. I’ve spent many years feeling unwell and adapting my diet so that I can actually eat things. It’s been a long journey but a worthwhile one as I learned to simplify everything. I know that I need to have fruit & vegetables in a day and that I want to eat something light on an evening. I also know I want it to be quick to prepare.
Exercise Plan
We should aim for a decent amount of movement everyday but as I’ve found, that’s quite difficult if your lifestyle doesn’t revolve around movement. It’s easier to get your daily steps in if you work on a farm than if you work in an office. There are different ways to incorporate exercise into your daily routine but it’s often hard to stick to. Reading Atomic Habits changed that for me. Try and tie your new exercise habit to a previous habit you have. For example, before you go to brush your teeth in the morning, do a series of stretches.
Now onto the actual plan for you to follow. Please note, only do what works for you and your body. These are just suggestions following what I did and you should always seek medical advice when changing up your diet and exercise. Although nothing is that intense in this plan, everyone is different so it’s important to make sure it’s okay for you to implement.
Monday
Breakfast: Toast & Butter (It’s quick and easy to prepare as well as not being too heavy. There are also a variety of spreads you can use instead of butter not to mention the different types of bread so no matter any intolerances, you should be able to find an option for you).
Lunch: Turkey slices with salad on pitta bread (Another super quick option that you can take anywhere with you. Pitta bread seems like a slightly better alternative but you can even get rid of it and just have the salad and turkey. Salad for me usually means lettuce, cucumber, tomato and peppers but you can substitute it with whatever you prefer).
Dinner: Chicken Stir Fry (For this, I boil the chicken for 15/20 minutes to make sure it’s cooked and then add it to the stir fry to brown a bit. In the veg, I put peppers, noodles or rice but you can also add bean sprouts or buy a ready made stir fry mix from the shop)
Exercise: 10 reps of stretches (3 different stretches, one targeting legs, one targeting torso and one targeting arms) & 10 min walk (outdoors, on a treadmill or even on the spot).
Tuesday
Breakfast: Cereal with berries (I pick gluten-free cornflakes, blueberries and coconut milk but again, you can adapt it however and add whatever fruit you want with it).
Lunch: Pitta Pizza (I saw this great idea of toasting/grilling pitta bread with a little tomato purée, ham and cheese. I substitute with vegan cheese but it’s basically a nice warm sandwich).
Dinner: Sausages and veg (Baked sausages along with courgettes, potato, carrots and broccoli. Cover with foil for the first hour or two and then take it off and let them brown for the remaining twenty minutes).
Exercise: 10 reps of stretches (as previous) & 10 reps of weights (pick a section to work on whether it’s biceps, abs, etc. and find an exercise that works for you and the weights you have. The tools you have available will dictate what kind of exercise you can do).
Wednesday
Breakfast: Egg (Have it boiled, fried, scrambled, poached… whatever works for you. If you’re feeling adventurous, add some pancetta or spring onions or spinach in).
Lunch: Veggie burger (I buy these from the shop but you can use any burger you like. You pop it in the oven, but you can also do that earlier and then take it with you to eat once it’s cooled down. It’s an easy meal as there’s no real prep involved).
Dinner: Roasted veg & pasta (For this, I use frozen mixed veg bags and bake a portion in the oven, boil the pasta and add some vegan cheese on top when serving).
Exercise: 10 reps of stretches (same as before) & 10 reps of ab workout (this can be crunches, twists, knee-to-chest, whatever takes your fancy on the day)
Thursday
Breakfast: Cereal with berries (As before)
Lunch: Pork pockets (Using pitta bread again, but putting in some grilled pork steaks cut up, along with lettuce, cucumber and pepper. It takes a bit of prep but it’s great to take with you)
Dinner: Mushrooms, spinach & rice (I fry the mushrooms, spinach and rice together and add whatever seasoning I like. It’s super quick and easy to do as well as quite healthy).
Exercise: 10 reps of stretches (as before) & 10 reps arm workout (this can be resistance training or weight training and also includes chest exercises).
Friday
Breakfast: Toast (As before)
Lunch: Chicken pasta (I’d boil the chicken again before browning, add some frozen veg mix, cook the pasta and then mix all together when everything is cooked.
Dinner: Burger (Any kind of burger. I put this here as I usually will have a takeout and I grab a chicken burger from the local grill place and it’s wonderful but obviously you can do it at home too. It just depends what meat you can have).
Exercise: 10 reps of stretches (as before) & 10 reps of leg workout (squats are great, glute exercises, but you can also include resistance training)
Saturday
Breakfast: Bacon (It’s a nice treat to have a bacon sandwich, so I just have one or two slices on once piece of bread cut in two or on a bap. I don’t add butter or sauce as there’s some oil or fat within the bacon itself).
Lunch: Broccoli pasta (I boil broccoli and pasta together until cooked, drain and then season or add vegan cheese on top. It’s surprisingly filling but very easy to prepare).
Dinner: Pizza (I usually buy a frozen pizza but you can also cook your own from scratch or buy a plain one then add your own toppings like extra ham, peppers, salami, etc.)
Exercise: 10 reps of stretches (as before) & 10 min walk (as before)
Sunday
Breakfast: Cereal with berries (As before)
Lunch: Baked chicken & veg (Similar to the sausages but I bake the chicken separately for half an hour and boil the veg. When it comes together, it’s like a mini roast).
Dinner: Pasta with sauce & veg (This is a bit of a cheat meal too as I buy the ready made sauces with chargrilled veg already in them, and cook some pasta. Sometimes I add more veg but it depends on how I’m feeling at the time).
Exercise: Rest
The plan is quite relaxed but has enough structure to make shopping and preparing as stress-free as possible. Try and do the stretches in the morning and the other exercises while you’re watching TV and definitely before you eat dinner. As a single person, finding recipes that are only for one person is near enough possible but I hope you find this works for you as it makes use of the same ingredients multiple times meaning nothing should go to waste!
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