They say your diet is the key ingredient to achieving your fitness goals, so we decided to put down the snacks and put the theory to the test. We subscribed to the meal-delivery service Gousto, to see if our new self-aware diet would improve our workouts within 30-days. Spoiler alert: It sure did. Like, really, really did.

The first major difference to our day-to-day was the extra time we had to hit the gym. Before the 30-day challenge, it was a nightmare scheduling a gym session around the chores of adult-life. Meal-delivery services means you can create a weekly meal-plan within just a few clicks, and by removing the hassle of food-shopping, we freed up the evening to try out the new pilates studio down the road. Life - meal prep = so much free time for activities!

Let’s take a minute to discuss the increased energy. Instead of riding the sugar-powered rollercoaster, we had steady energy levels throughout the day. A healthy meal releases energy slowly so you don’t crash in between food time. And not only that but where we use to feel too sluggish to hit the gym after work, we’re now skipping to our boxing class. Who would have thought?

Let’s get real. If you’re eating fatty, salty meals then what’s the point of working out? Fueling your body with a balanced diet, your body will work harder and faster than ever before. A meal-delivery service allows you to monitor food portions and increase or decrease certain food groups with ease. As we were working out on the regs, we had to increase our protein intake to help muscle recovery between workouts. No more two-day hangovers from the gym.

It’s only until you’re removed from your old routine will you notice how bad are your bad habits. What we believed to be healthy portions was actually carb heavy and encouraged bloating. Gousto’s ‘Healthy Choices’ provides a balanced (and delicious) meal with low-carbs, low-salt and right types of fat in every dish. We’ve now learned the correct portion of carbs and it’s scary to think what we thought was a healthy portion of pasta. And sorry to break the bad news, it’s not two bowls.

Here’s a tasty recipe to how healthy eating can help you reach your fitness goals.

Prepare For Success

If you wanna be a lean, mean, CrossFit machine – you need to start planning your meals in advance. By preparing, you’ll find you’ll have more time to focus on your workouts. But if that level of organisation is overwhelming… why not give hand over the responsibility to a meal-delivery service? It’s simple, affordable and removes the temptation of ordering a cheeky takeaway after a long day in the office. Meal-delivery services like Gousto feature meals low in calories and high in nutritional value. Think takeaway, but healthy. It’s a win/win.

Go fresh Or Go Home

We get it, cooking isn’t for everyone, but eating fresh and good-quality ingredients should be. Did you know most pasta sauces contain a high level of sugar? Would you really sprinkle sugar over your pasta? The new-healthy-you doesn’t eat processed food; they’re full of unnecessary sugar, salt and fats which encourage bloating and higher in calories. By cooking everything from fresh, you’re taking back control and giving yourself full visibility into your diet - no sneaky unwanted ingredients, thank you very much. Gousto provides fresh, good-quality ingredients in every recipe, there’s even a step-by-step guide, which means eating fresh has never been so simple.

Portion Control

The secret to healthy living is eating a balanced diet with the correct portions of different food groups. But portion control is tough. Like what does a single portion of chicken look like? Meal-delivery services provide precise measurements and each recipe has a detailed breakdown of its nutritional value so you’re able to keep track of your daily food intake. For abs of steel, you’ll need to be focusing on the correct portions of protein and carbs to keep you energised during your workouts. If your goal is to drop a few pounds, then you may need to reduce carbohydrates. And if you’re eager to see those gains, you’ll need to increase the amount of lean protein in your diet. Don’t forget, your body needs protein to recover and repair the muscles after your workout.

It’s Easy Peasy, Lemon Squeezy

If like us you burn toast on the regs, this will probs be the key selling point. Meal-Delivery services have easy-to-follow recipe cards with helpful pictures to ensure you’re always on the right track. You’ll be able to cook up recipes you’ve only dreamt about, from exotic global dishes to healthy plant-based dishes. Each week you’ll find new tasty recipes to keep your evening meals exciting - our mouths are watering just thinking about the Sweet Chilli Basa we baked last Thursday.

Say No To Excuses

When setting fitness goals, it’s important to create an excuse-proof schedule to avoid slip-ups. Like for say, buying a microwave meal because you wanted something “easy and quick”... yeah, we definitely didn’t do that. Luckily, Gousto has a section of delicious and healthy meals which can be cooked up within 10 minutes. Which means you have more time to be hitting the gym instead of wandering around the local supermarket surrounded by temptation. Pus, who actually enjoys food shopping, imma right?

'MTV tried Gousto’s meal-delivery service for 28-days. Every recipe provides fresh, good-quality and sustainably-sourced ingredients whenever possible. Gousto has 40 rotating weekly recipes and they recently launched a brand-new range called Everyday Favourites; it’s a permanent addition of their most popular dishes. Selecttwo, three or four meals from a variety of tasty recipes each week from as little as £2.98 per serving with free delivery.'

By Rosie Needham