Welcome to the third step that will prime you to set out on your own exciting and successful health and fitness journey.
STEP 3: NEGOTIATING THE SUPERMARKET JUNGLE
So you’ve learnt how to eat and your kitchen has been plundered and purged. Now you are ready to head to the supermarket to ‘replace’ it with all those items that are going to help you prime yourself for a successful transformation.
There is no doubt that supermarkets are very convenient and provide us with an extremely useful service but remember, supermarkets don’t care who you are, what you are trying to achieve or how healthy you want to be. How products are placed and where they are situated throughout the supermarket is the result of careful research and strategic planning. Everything from the location of the entrance, the layout, aisle width, even the lighting is designed to coax us into spending more.
So how do we survive and thrive a visit to the supermarket jungle? Here are some strategies to help you.
Your Prime for Success step for this week is to use the following ‘Combat techniques’ to help you survive and thrive your next visit to the supermarket!
Supermarket Combat Technique #1
The layout, bright colour and variety of the fruit and veggie section is designed to slow you down and buy more than you intend.
Make a list of the produce you need before you go and stick to it.
Hint: go for what’s in season – it’s the freshest and cheapest
Supermarket Combat Technique #2
The next section is the bakery. The delectable smell of freshly baked goods is enough to test the mettle of even the most dedicated.
Never enter this part of the supermarket when you are hungry
Hint: eat before you go
Supermarket Combat Technique #3
Careful planning goes into where individual items are placed on the shelves. Top selling products are always placed at eye level. However, these are not necessarily the best or healthiest choices.
Scan the shelves above and below eye level. These shelves may have items that are considerable cheaper or healthy or both.
Supermarket Combat Technique #4
Get to know the layout of your local supermarket. Maybe even note the product categories of each aisle eg. Note the aisle for your often purchased products eg coffee, tinned tuna, paper towels, soya sauce, oil etc and work your way to those parts of the aisles directly so you don’t need to wander up and down every one with all of their associated temptations.
Hint: the perimeter of the supermarket is where you will find 90% of what you need – fresh fruit and veg, dairy, eggs, meats, frozen veg, breads
Supermarket Combat Technique #5
Special offers tempt us to stock up to supposedly save us money. Special promotions are paid for by food companies to encourage us to buy them – there is no doubt they are tempting! When faced with special offers or in-store promotion ask yourself:
Will this product help or hinder my environment for success?
Have I bought this in the past and found it undid all my good intentions and good work?
Does this food fit into my ideal meal construction?
If the answer to these is yes, yes and no … then you know what to do. Resist!
Supermarket Combat Technique #6
The checkout is the real danger zone. You must have seen those strategically placed sweets, magazines, gum, cold sugary drinks placed right beside you as you wait in the queue. And the longer you stand in … on … the ‘front line’ the stronger the chance that you will be give into temptation.
If you know you find these temptations too much, choose a checkout that is confectionary free (there is usually one) even if it means waiting a little longer. Alternatively, the self-serve express lanes are great. Scan, pack and pay and you can congratulate yourself for surviving!
Well done! You have just completed another important step to prime yourself for a successful transformation!
I look forward to catching up with you soon.
Ro
