Fitness Trainer, Jolene Cherry, Shares Three Big Advantages of Meal Prepping

Meal prepping has been taking the world by storm recently. What was once a habit of fitness fanatics and health buffs has now become normal for everyone, it seems, and there's no shortage of reasons why.

It offers tons of benefits, but mainly the advantage of having control over your diet and life. The control to choose what you're going to eat, how much you want to spend, and how you want to spend your time. Rather than having to rush to a nearby gas station for a soggy sandwich, you have the luxury of eating something delicious you've prepared ahead of time at your leisure. In this article, fitness guru, Jolene Cherry, shares several reasons why you should start meal prepping, too.

Saves You Money

Eating out everyday costs more than you would think. If you eat 2-3 meals fast food meals a day, it might just be a $5 sandwich, but then with a $1-2 side, a $1 soda, and a $5 coffee, it all adds up to about $19-26 a day on food that you probably don't even enjoy. In one month, that adds up to $570-780, and $6,840-9,360 a year. That's the cost of a used car or a down payment on a house!

Meal prepping significantly reduces the amount you spend on food every month. By bringing a water bottle or coffee from home and making your own food, you can keep your meals under $10 a day. A quick online search shows never-ending meal plan options, with some of them as little as $2 a meal, saving you thousands of dollars every year. It's all about where you spend your money.

Helps You Eat Healthier

When you are on the rush, it's hard to be conscious of the food you eat. Often you might grab a sugary snack from the vending machine at work, a greasy fast food meal, snacking on junk food, or end up with a very carb-heavy diet. All of which are unhealthy.

If you're trying to lose weight or eat healthier in general, meal prepping is the way to go because you'll have more control over your diet.

By meal prepping, you can keep track of the food you eat. You can keep it light and healthy, by incorporating a lot of vegetables into your meals, and there are tons of options to keep things interesting. You can have a salad on Monday, a chicken and veggie lunch on Wednesday, and maybe reward yourself for eating so well by packing yourself a brownie with Friday.

Saves You Time

Running to the nearest fast food joint, restaurant, or gas station takes a significant amount of time out of your lunch break, and when you only have 30 minutes, you want to enjoy that time.

Sure, meal prepping takes time, but so does everything else worthwhile. Like a new exercise routine or yoga glass, once meal prep becomes a habit, it won't take long at all, especially since it's all done ahead of time. Once you have it all set, all you have to do is bring it with to work and enjoy your lunch. No running necessary. As Jolene Cherry tells her clients, you owe it to yourself.

About Jolene Cherry: Jolene Cherry is a passionate health advocate and environmentalist. While it's important to exercise your body, she believes that you must also exercise your mind to find harmony, and be careful about what you eat to fuel both your body and your mind. This is Jolene's guiding principle as a personal trainer and yoga instructor.