Health & Fitness for Busy People
Life races past at 100mph and staying healthy and keeping fit can be an uphill struggle when you’re busy. Here are 10 tips that will help you to find time so that you can keep in tip-top shape.
The list
A great way to focus your time on the things you value, such as staying healthy and fit, is to create a list of everything you’d like to do in your free time, such as watching your favourite TV series or running.
Once you’ve got your list, number each activity in terms of how much of a priority it is for you, starting at number one and working your way down. At the end of this task you’ll have a list of the activities you value. Try to always fit in at least one of your top three priorities per day, even if it’s just for 15 minutes.
Less can be more
You do not always have to exercise for an hour to reap the benefits and as soon as you understand this you will be able to exercise more regularly, even when you have a jam-packed day. For example, you can do four minutes of kettle bell exercises, four minutes of abs work and two minutes of squats and lunges.
Learn some super quick recipes
Slaving over a hot oven is no fun, especially when you’ve had an awful day and arrive home late into the night. To make sure that on these days you don’t reach for unhealthy convenience foods learn some super quick recipes you can knock up in an instant. A turkey steak with a feta and beetroot salad is a healthy meal that can be knocked up in less than 10 minutes, as can vegetable frittatas.
Use the loudspeaker or your mobile
If you tend to be on the phone a lot, think about ways you can get active during these long calls. Getting out of the office and going for a walk somewhere quiet can be a great way to get some exercise without losing any concentration whilst on the phone, or even pacing in your office whilst on the phone can help keep you active and healthy.
Optimum foods
When you’re busy your diet can suffer and vending machines, pizzas and takeaways can become too much of a regular occurrence. To make sure you’re getting the right nutrition make sure you always have a good stock of foods that deliver the maximum health benefits to hand. For example, tomatoes (good for your heart), spinach (good for your brain), blueberries (good for your cholesterol), salmon (good for weight loss) and pumpkin seeds (good for your memory) are hugely nutritious and will keep you full.
Pick a healthy hotel
A study published in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine found that people who travel away for work more than 20 times per month were 1.92 times more likely to be obese and 2.61 times more likely to feel like they had poor to fair health than those workers who only travelled for six times per month. If you travel away from home for work try to book hotels with gyms, healthy menu options and when you are there avoid comfort eating and instead reward yourself in other ways.
Workout with your kids
If you watch your little ones running about you quickly realise that they’re better than any personal trainer. Playing with your kids, whether it’s on the trampoline, dancing around your living room or playing a big game of tag together is a great way to workout without realising it. Plus this way you don’t feel guilty about not spending enough time with them.
Relax
When you are chasing a day full of meetings with a busy evening your stress levels are probably sky-high and stress has a terrible impact on your health and wellbeing. Therefore one of the best things you can do to stay healthy and fit is to learn how to relax. If you don’t have time to meditate or take a hot bath, studies have found that even the anticipation of laughter can help us to relax and reduce stress levels in the body. So, take a look at some funny Youtube videos to help you unwind.
In The Morning...
Drink Hot Water and Lemon
A mug of hot lemon water in the morning wakes up your digestive system and helps get things moving. You can drink green tea with lemon if you don't like the taste of warm lemon water on its own.
Go Dairy-Free
Many people experience belly discomfort and bloating after eating dairy. If you can relate, avoid cream and yogurt at breakfast. These dairy-free breakfast recipe ideas will help you nix the yogurt, cheese, and milk to help you feel better (and slimmer).
Detox With Yoga
Yoga twists can support digestion to help rid your body of toxins. This yoga detox sequence includes plenty of twists and stretches to help you wake up and feel your best.
Have a Tropical Snack
Both pineapple and papaya contain enzymes—bromelain and papain, respectively—that help banish bloat by breaking down protein and easing digestion. Snack on a bowl of cut-up fruit, or make this papaya, pineapple, and coconut water smoothie for a midmorning snack.
All Day Long...
Slow Down
Eating too quickly can cause air to be trapped in your system, so chew slowly to minimize bloating.
Don't Chew Gum
It's a secret of de-bloating brides—stop the gum chewing to feel less puffy. And it's not only because chewing gum causes you to swallow more air; many gums contain sugar alcohol, which also can make you feel bloated.
Drink More Water
Good old H2O helps flush your system of toxins and extra salt, which can be responsible for that puffy feeling. Keep a water bottle with you at all times to remind yourself to drink more water throughout the day and ensure you're always filling up.
Health & Fitness Tips for Busy People
Stay hydrated
Hydration is the first step to being healthy and feeling good. I’m sure we’ve all experienced how awful it feels to even be a little dehydrated. I’ve felt sleepy, had a headache, and just generally crummy in the day and I know those are the days that I’m not drinking enough water. According to WedMD, you should drink half an ounce to an ounce per pound that you weigh. This means a 150 pound person should be drinking at least 75 ounces of water everyday! In the morning, I start with a full glass of water everyday, this way I know I’m at least starting off with 12 ounces. I also like to leave a 32 ounce reusable water bottle at my desk and make it a challenge to drink 2 refills of it everyday.
Water can be, well, boring. Luckily, though, there are water flavorings that many people use to help kick up their water game. I figure, as long as I’m not adding extra sugar and calories, it counts in the water intake through the day!
Meal prep
As the self-described queen of snacks and a strong proponent for second-lunch, meal prep is crucial for me. I find it very easy to spend my day at the office snacking on anything everything I can find and justifying a trip to a nearby restaurant or fast food joint for lunch. As long as I prep my meals, or at least make my lunch for the next day, I can easily resist a trip for food.
If I’m really good, I’ll bust out the crock pot and skillet and cook a week’s worth of food on Sunday evening. When I do my week of meal prep, I package up my veggies in one container, cut up fruit in another, and my protein of choice in a third. This way, every evening I can divvy up my portions for the next day and I’m good to go.
Sometimes though, busy weekends get the best of me and I don’t have the time to get all the cooking done at once. When this is the case, I’m still better off packing some sort of lunch and snacks for myself for the next day. This can include a quick sandwich, some hummus and crackers, an apple or a baggie of grapes, sliced up veggies, and a small portion of nuts. Remember how I said I’m a queen of snacks? Having just one meal in the middle of the day doesn’t work for me. Instead, I prefer to graze throughout the day. Snack on some fruit mid morning and a handful of almonds in the afternoon.
As long as I have my food prepared for the day, I’m less likely to feel really hungry which will lead to a big lunch and probably a stomach ache or a need for a nap later. This can also apply to stay-at-home parents. Instead of being tempted by a quick drive-thru, having meals ready can help you stay healthy. Drive-thrus are quick, but home prepared meals are more satisfying.
Squeeze in time to walk
Finding time to be active is definitely hard, but it’s also really important. This is especially hard if you work a traditional 9-5 job where a majority of your time is spent at your desk. In an earlier post, we talked about simple ways to be active in your work day, but I like to find ways to simply increase my steps through the day, too!
Often times, during my lunch you can find me outside taking a lap or two around our building, or on a bad weather day, I’ll do indoor laps. Walking on my lunch break has helped me up my steps by about 2,000 everyday but my steps don’t stop there. I also will get up to go to the copier or run an errand to the other side of the building. As long as it doesn’t interfere with your productivity, taking a quick walk shouldn’t upset anyone.
What about our stay-at-home parents? Instead of getting everyone into the car to run a quick errand to the nearby store, can you walk or bike there together? If you only need a few things, bring along a backpack for convenient transport. How about a walk around the block after lunch? Families that spend time being active with each other lead a healthy lifestyle together. By showing your children that it’s important to get some exercise everyday, they will be prepared for healthy habits for years to come.
Always have a backup plan
Remember when I said I’m snack queen? One of my least favorite situations is finding myself hungry with no option other than a vending machine or a convenient store. Instead, I like to be prepared! Having an apple or a bag of almonds in my purse is a great backup plan. They say if you’re not hungry enough to eat an apple, you’re not really hungry, you’re just bored. By always having a snack on hand, I can’t be tempted by the bad stuff.
Parents with small kids have this one figured out. My mommy-friends who have children pretty much always have a granola bar or a pouch of applesauce in all of their bags. This way, no where they are and someone’s hungry, they have a solution!
Having a busy schedule means you don’t have much time for quick stops, by having a (snack) back up plan, there’s no need to even slow down! As long as you pick a healthy option to keep in your bag, at your desk, or in your car, you won’t have to worry about breaking any health kick that you’re currently working with.
Set your schedule
This one’s definitely easier said than done, but it certain has helped keep me accountable. When you have a meeting scheduled or set an appointment, you go to it- no questions asked, right? Someone is counting on you to show up. So what about your morning workout, after work fitness class, or evening bike ride? I make that appointment with myself to be sure to get my exercise in because I’m that one depending on it. After some time, it’s no longer something you feel like you have to do. Instead, it becomes something you look forward to doing. Spending some time, working up a sweat, and getting those endorphins going can quickly become addicting!
Not all schedules can accommodate an hour long workout 5-7 days a week and sometimes things come up and you just have to cancel, but you can make it work! What about a 15 minute walk with the family after dinner? Or set your alarm a half hour earlier and actually get up! Sure, the snooze button seems more appealing, but your body will thank you more after a workout DVD in the family room.
Finding ways to stay healthy in a busy lifestyle certainly is difficult. Hopefully though, some of these tricks can be helpful for you. The main one that helps me is simply always being prepared. If I have my healthy lunch picked out or a healthy snack on hand, I won’t be tempted to make bad choices. In fact the opposite is often true, I then am excited to make even more healthier choices through the day.
