Week 7 Nicoya, Costa Rica - Meal Planning & Sleep

Ceriusly1
Ceriusly1 Posts: 6,295 Member
edited March 2023 in Social Groups
Written by Lynn, (kaliswalker)

Week 7 Nicoya, Costa Rica - Meal Planning & Sleep

🌎️Challenge #7 Saturday, February 18 - Friday, February 24🌎️

✈️DESTINATION - Nicoya, Costa Rica 6,000 Miles - Meal Planning & Sleep

The challenge begins on Saturday morning. Exercise & Meal Planning & Sleep done before SATURDAY DOES NOT COUNT!!!!

Costa Ricans are extremely happy and celebrate life; they are thankful for everything they have - Pura Vida! Nicoya is one of the top 5 Blue Zones, a place where the environment is conducive to long healthy lives. It is located in the mountainous central part of the Nicoya Peninsula and consists of rural and mountain communities. Most people never move away from the area they were born so family ties are the backbone for most people’s existence.

It’s like stepping back in time. Saddled horses are hitched to posts outside the small shops and bars. Farmers still use oxcarts, pastures are dotted with cows and goats, and families enjoy meals in small, simple homes. It’s far removed from the stresses of modern life.

Many people live outdoor lifestyles where they work, eat and relax outside. Physical exercise is a core part of the Blue Zones lifestyle. The people here value hard work and move naturally throughout the day performing manual labor; it keeps them fit and healthy. Each day they get regular outdoor exercise - walking, gardening, farming and doing household chores.

Their diets are home cooked unprocessed wholesome foods, moderate in calories and mostly plant based with some fish and occasionally meat. They grow fresh fruits like pineapple, mango, papaya, banana, and passionfruit; vegetables - squash, cassava, plantain, rice, corn, yams, beans and green vegetables. Vegetarian rice and beans (gallo pinto) accompanies all meals. Lunch is the main meal in Costa Rica and dinner is a lighter meal eaten earlier in the evening. A typical meal is high in fiber, complex carbohydrates and offers complete proteins - beans, rice, squash and avocado.

Nicoya is a place where monkeys, parrots and iguanas live in tandem with the human population. People enjoy a good night’s sleep, and awake to wildlife howls and caws at the crack of dawn. It’s a natural alarm clock that rouses the locals to brew their coffee and begin the day’s labors.

Blue Zone Recipes https://www.bluezones.com/recipes/
https://www.bluezones.com/recipe/5minute-tasty-squash-beans/
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Costa Rica Fun Facts:

Abolished its army in 1948
25% of landmass protected - national parks, biological reserves, wildlife refuges
93% of its electricity from renewable resources
One of the happiest countries in the world
Over 500,000 species of wildlife
The national anthem plays on the radio every morning

Race - You must exercise to earn air miles to get your team to the destination.
1 minute of exercise = 1 air mile. DAILY MAXIMUM 120 exercise minutes/air miles.

📝Living the Good Life - Meal Planning & Sleep 7 - 9 Hours

Know it advance what you will be eating and when you will be eating. Planning your meals helps you balance your calories for the week. For instance If you know you will be having a special occassion or dinner, have lighter meals during week to balance the calories. For instance on Fridays, the day before the Weigh In Day I like to have low sodium foods so I don't have water retention the next day.

Meal planning saves time, money, and stress which makes healthy eating easier. With a good meal plan, you can make accurate grocery lists and waste less food. You will know exactly what you're using each ingredient for, instead of just buying things and figuring out their use later.

Many of us already know the basics of meal planning, but a review may be helpful. The process of the meal plan starts with a purpose – saving money, special dietary needs, following a diet, convenience, quick meals, preferences, nutrition, etc.

Count out how many meals, and what type of meals, you need to plan for. What did you eat last week? What days do you go out to eat? Take lunches? What days do you usually have left-overs?

Plan to use up your perishable foods, that typically spoil within a relatively short amount of time, such as fruits, vegetables, meats, and dairy products. Check what foods you have on hand in the fridge, freezer, and pantry. Do you have time to look at flyers for foods on sale?

• Breakfast: Do you make a unique breakfast sometimes, or do you generally eat the same thing each morning?
• Lunch: Do you eat out while at work, or do you pack lunches?
• Dinner: What days do you cook? Eat leftovers?

Once you have a daily or weekly meal plan with recipes you can plan your grocery list. It saves time if you can attach the recipes to the menu plan. Integrate leftovers (AKA pre-cooked meals) into the menu to make meal prep easier, and avoid wasting food. It helps to take a few minutes to tidy/clean your fridge before you shop. Put the perishables in easy view to be sure to use them first. Click here to get a shopping list and ideas. https://tastesbetterfromscratch.com/meal-plan-1/

Once you plan the 3 daily meals and beverages, you can calculate the nutritional values/calories in advance and adjust the plan if you are over or under for calories, etc. Can you enter the food before you eat it? What about a week's menu plan? When you total up your nutrition for the day does it meet the goals of your diet?

This week we will plan our meals so we know what we will be eating, how much we will eat, when we will eat it and how we will prepare it. This will keep us from impulse eating. Commit to what you will eat tomorrow and stick to it!

Example of my 'target' diet – Canada Food Guide and 1,400 calories. 2 Fruits, 5 Vegetables, 6 Grains (includes legumes/pulses), 3 Dairy, 2 Protein, 2 Fat, Sugar (how much added sugar in a day eg. on oatmeal)

Ideally each evening I will review/write down tomorrow’s menu for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks. If I am eating out, I plan for it. Then I tally it up to see if I have met the nutritional targets for each food group; next I calculate the calories and adjust as needed.

**** For the sake of this week’s challenge, each evening review or write down your meals for the next day. The next day follow that menu plan.

**** Set yourself up for success this week! Know at bedtime what you will eat tomorrow for breakfast AND lunch AND dinner! Know in the morning what you are having for dinner so you have the food on hand and the time to prepare it.

Optional (but not extra points) – Plan your menu for the week and shop for the foods you need. If you are eating out, include that as part of your menu planning, but make it PLANNED not spur of the moment, oh I don’t feel like cooking tonight.

Meal Planning Points - Each evening review/write out your menu for the next day - breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks. The next day follow the menu plan. The points are for EATING the PLANNED meal.

At the end of the week, your Friday posting of points will be for meals eaten that were planned on Thursday night.

If you are eating out - write down the name of the restaurant and your planned meal.

✔️To score points this week

⭐To get off to an easy start, on Saturday Feb. 18, plan your meals for Sunday Feb. 19, score 9 points for that Saturday.
1. Meal Planning - After Feb. 18 - For each meal (not snacks) you planned the night before and ate as planned, you earn 3 points, to a daily maximum of 9 points. If you skip a meal no points for that meal.
2. Record your actual hours of sleep at night to a maximum of 9 hours, no fractions. 1 hour = 1 point. Daily MAXIMUM 9 points.

Summary

Record all exercise minutes. It's 6,000 Exercise Minutes/Air miles. DAILY MAXIMUM 120 exercise minutes/miles.

1) Meal Planning - For each meal (not snacks) you planned the night before and ate as planned, you earn 3 points, to a daily maximum of 9 points. If you skip a meal no points for that meal.

2) Record your actual hours of sleep at night to a maximum of 9 hours, no fractions. 1 hour = 1 point. Daily MAXIMUM 9 points.

We will record this on one thread. (example)

My Exercise: 30
My Meal Planning: 10
My Sleep: 9

****Remember if for any reason your health does not allow you to participate in a challenge please do not attempt it. Always follow your doctor's orders.

Replies

  • Uptoit59
    Uptoit59 Posts: 1,326 Member
    Saturday

    My Exercise: 103
    My Meal Planning: 9
    My Sleep: 8

    Team Exercise: 103
    Team Meal Planning: 9
    Team Sleep: 8
  • therealbluenote
    therealbluenote Posts: 1,443 Member
    Saturday
    My Exercise: 5 (first Covid, now norovirus 😣)
    My Meal Planning: 9
    My Sleep: 9
  • DNjoys
    DNjoys Posts: 8,856 Member
    wawjxl7hmvmv.jpg

    You are in the 5% Community Group. While comments are welcome here, please post your points on your teams.

    @Uptoit59 tagging you in case you've not realized you were in the Community Group so you can repost and get credit. (I see thebluenote found her way to our team).
  • Uptoit59
    Uptoit59 Posts: 1,326 Member
    Sorry about the incorrect posting, it flet funny but I was tired and just went with it! lol
This discussion has been closed.