Living a healthy lifestyle when your schedule’s full

Wake up, go to work, do errands, clean your house, wash clothes, spend time with family, time for bed, repeat.  If this schedule sounds familiar, that’s because many of us are living this type of lifestyle. We’re occupied filling our days to the brim with “busyness” sucking up valuable time making it challenging to live a healthy lifestyle. Lack of time is often the number one reason why many of us feel time-pressured which means attempts at planning and preparing healthy meals to taking a brisk evening walk likely take a backseat.

A great deal of our time revolves around our work.  Many employees have sedentary desk jobs and or long commutes before and after work. Once home, the demands of running a household often take precedence over working on nurturing your health.

But forsaking good health habits due to a crammed schedule is not a good plan. So, how do others fit in time for themselves?  What is their secret to living a healthy lifestyle when their schedule is full?

First, it can be done, but you have to make it a priority.  This means letting go of certain tasks that do not absolutely have to be done right away.  Or delegate more often.  Everyone in a household should have certain jobs they are in charge of, reducing the workload on any one person.

Once you have decided that living a healthier lifestyle is at the top of your list, you’re ready to begin your best life yet.  Here’s ideas on how to do it:

Increasing physical activity

You can work in “mini” workout several times a day:

·      Take frequent breaks to get up from your desk and stretch, take a quick walk, take the stairs, or get a drink. This gives your brain, muscles, and eyes a break.

·      Write down on a planner or online, scheduling in physical activity. This prevents other demands from hijacking your intentions to get in exercise.

·      Check out classes given at a local gym or enlist a friend or two for a walking date on certain days.

·      Have a few free minutes over lunch?  Take a brisk walk, stretch, or get in some lunges or squats.

·      In the evenings or weekends, crank up your favorite music and dance to your delight for several minutes getting your blood pumping.

·      Work in as movement each day as you can.  Park further away than necessary, take the stairs instead of an elevator, pace around the room when talking on the phone, or sneak in a few push-ups, planks, or downward dog yoga moves.

·      Get outside for a bit of fresh air and vitamin D at least once during the day.

·      When watching TV in the evening, don’t just sit there. Take advantage of that time enjoying your favorite shows by working in yoga or Pilates moves or other basic stretching to maintain flexibility.

Eat a healthy diet

You are what you eat so make smart food choices:

·      Eat at least 5 servings of fruits and veggies each and every day. Buy a bag of mixed and chopped vegetables or salad greens to snack on.  Have a dark leafy green salad daily. Make delicious vegetable-based soups to bring to work for your lunch.  Always have a fruit at breakfast and at least one other time during the day.

·      Meal planning can save a ton of time plus helps you be better organized avoiding dependence on fast food. Find a time during the week or weekends to carve out an hour or so to plan a few meals for the week.  Here are suggestions on how to get started:

• Ask your family to suggest meal ideas.
• For inspiration, flip through cookbooks or check out recipe websites.  There are even sample menus and menu-planning apps online.
• Home cooking doesn’t have to be elaborate. Focus on a handful of recipes that you can rotate through for most of your meals.
• Cooking from scratch can get healthy meals on the table but so can taking shortcuts. For instance, pair home-cooked foods with healthy store-bought staples to save on time without compromising on nutrition. Think pasta with jarred marinara sauce, soup with canned beans, and pre-chopped spinach and rotisserie chicken with prewashed greens. 
• Coordinate your meal planning with other activities/meetings you have throughout each week. Check your calendar to decide how much time you have for cooking that night and what night you will only have time to reheat leftovers.
• Planning meals around themes helps make the planning process flow. For example, maybe Monday nights is always pasta night and Thursday nights is always fish night. Or one night can be designated “cook’s choice” and use that night to clean out your refrigerator by making a stir-fry, omelets, or chef salad.
• Most of all learn to be flexible.  Even your best thought out plans can get disrupted as no meal plan is set in stone. 

Have social connections

A network of friends doesn’t have to be large but taking time to nurture friendships helps you have closer connections which keep you healthier.  Stay socially connected by:

·      Doing volunteer work.  It contributes to a sense of well-being, and is a great way to meet new people.

·      In your workplace, create a sense of community by forging bonds. Eat lunch together with your coworkers, celebrate birthdays, or work together on a job project.

·      It helps when striving for better health to be accountable to someone. Recruit a walking buddy or have a healthy recipe exchange with friends.