Taking time to plan and prepare for good nutrition is an important step in helping ensure you successfully reach your goals. Set aside time once a week to menu plan, grocery shop and do easy food prep so your week gets off to the right start. Planning helps bring awareness to the food choices ahead so navigating them becomes smooth and less chaotic. Remember, reaching your goals is the sum total of the decisions you make each meal and each snack of each day. You don't need to be perfect but aim to do it right most of the time. Like most things in life, you will get out of nutrition what you put into it. If you continue to subscribe to the same old subpar health habits then you will probably get the same old results. Decide now to make a change and seize the day!

Be deliberate about plotting your week's meals and snacks. Make a commitment to putting pen to paper and write your plans down to heighten your commitment to the process. Further, when you take the time to think through the week's meals, you set the stage for efficient grocery shopping, the next component of the plan to plan. Consider whether you will be taking your meals at home or eating out. If you are dining out, what will your food options look like and are these amenable to your nutrition goals? If they are not, plan to have a light snack before you hit the restaurant. If you are preparing dinner after a day's work, are there components of the meal that you can be prepared ahead to help the meal arrive at the table with ease in a timely manner?

Now that you know your meal and snack plans, put a little time and effort into preparing for grocery shopping. Write a grocery list of the foods you enjoy (minus the chocolate croissants) and staples for each of the grocery stores you frequent. Make copies of these lists for future reference so you can simply circle items when they are needed. Having a shopping list will make shopping faster, help you avoid forgetting necessary ingredients and will limit the likelihood of forgetting the plot and straying.

When you are back from shopping, wash some of the vegetables and fruit you will use for snacks so they are near the ready position. Where possible, cut your vegetables into snack- friendly sizes and portion them into storage containers and refrigerate. Now you are ready for grab-and-go snacking, when needed.

Use some of your planning time to make an appealing snack salad, a vegetable dip or healthy muffin so your nutrition is dynamic and you don't get bored by the same routine. Make the effort to peruse the web, magazines or cookbooks to find inspiration and new recipes to round out your repertoire. Create enjoyment around food preparation and eating, striving to make it stress-free. If you find your lunches or snacks lacklustre, then put some energy into drumming up fresh ideas.

While you might feel that you don't have time to plan, you don't have time not to plan. Planning improves the odds that you will meet success and will help you arrive at your goals faster.

Resistance Training 201

Last week, we discussed the importance of incorporating resistance training into your program. This week, we dig a bit deeper and explore some must-have exercises when you're putting your resistance-training program together.

Most weight-training exercises can be classified as either isolation exercises or compound exercises. Isolation exercises are exercises that only act on single joints, such as biceps curls. Compound exercises, on the other hand, act on multiple joints, and multiple muscle groups contract to perform the desired movement. Examples of compound exercises are pushups, rowing and squats. Compound exercises are necessary in resistance-training programs because they are more functional and have a greater carryover to day-to-day activities and sport-specific movements. Because compound exercises also work multiple joints and multiple muscle groups, they will give you more bang for your buck, especially if you are concerned with the time required to incorporate resistance training into your fitness program.

A rowing exercise, for example, will work the large muscles in the back, including the rhomboids, trapezius and latissimus dorsi, and will also work the biceps muscles in the arms. By incorporating a rowing exercise, you can reduce the overall number of exercises you need to perform because you are targeting so many muscles together. If you prefer to include isolation exercises such as biceps curls, tricep extensions and leg curls into your program, go for it, but include them in addition to other more functional compound exercises. When sequencing your program, perform the compound, multi-joint exercises at the beginning of your session, followed by isolation exercises.

When deciding which exercises to complete as part of your program, try to keep muscle groups balanced. If you do an exercise for your chest, for example, balance it out by also doing an exercise for your back. In terms of general program design, it is recommended to balance pushing and pulling exercises in the upper body and quadricep and hamstring exercises in the lower body. During all of your exercises, you should focus on engaging your core muscles by pulling your belly button in toward your spine, or by tightening your abdominals. Below are some exercises that you can get started with at home, even if you have access to limited equipment:

Upper-Body Pushing Exercise: Pushup

Pushups are a great exercise to target the chest, shoulders and tricep muscles. Beginning from your knees (level 1) or your toes (level 2), position the hands about shoulder width apart. Slowly lower yourself to the floor until your upper arms are at least parallel to the floor or until your chest touches the ground. Keep the spine neutral at all times so the body is in a straight line; avoid lifting the hips toward the ceiling in a pike position, or letting the hips sag toward the ground. Push yourself back up to the start position and repeat for the desired number of repetitions (until your muscle is fatigued but you can still maintain good technique).

Upper-Body Pulling Exercise: Tubing Row

Back exercises are extremely important for muscle balance and posture, but are overlooked far too often. Rowing can be done from a standing or seated position with a piece of elastic tubing. Secure your tubing around a pole or railing and bend the elbows, pulling the hands back toward the belly button with the arms tucking in by your sides. Squeeze your shoulder blades together, focusing on the muscles of the upper back, then slowly release your arms back out to the start position. It is important to maintain an upright posture throughout this exercise. If you are in a seated position, bend the knees slightly to minimize tension in the backs of your legs and sit up as tall as possible.

Lower-Body Quadricep-Dominant Exercise: Squat

Squats are one of the best all-around exercises you can do because they are so functional. How many times in a day do you stand up and sit down? Every time you do, you are completing a squat. You can begin your resistance-training program with a body-weight squat and progressively add weight as you are ready. Begin with the feet approximately hip-width apart and the toes slightly turned out. Keep the weight in the heels, chest lifted and back straight as you bend your knees down into your squat position. Be aware of your weight distribution — you should keep your weight back on your heels so your knees do not sway forward past your toes and your weight should feel equally distributed between your right and left legs. Think of hinging from the hips so the spine stays neutral and the chest does not tip too far forward. Keep your knees aligned over your feet so if someone were looking at you from the front, the knees would not appear to be rolling inward (knock-kneed) or outward (bow-legged). Return to the standing position by straightening the knees and contracting the gluteal muscles.

Lower-Body Hamstring-Dominant Exercise: Bridge

(with optional leg curl)

Bridging is a great exercise for the hamstrings at the back of the thighs, the buttocks and the lower back. If you have a stability ball, place your feet on the ball and lift the hips up off the floor by contracting the muscles on the backside of the body. Maintain this position for a few seconds or up to one minute. Once you can maintain this position for 60 seconds, increase the challenge by bending and straightening the knees so the ball rolls in and out toward your seat. If you do not have a ball at home, you can leave the knees bent with the feet hip-width apart on the floor; lift the hips into bridge from this position and hold the contraction for up to one minute.

— Pacific Institute for Sport Excellence