Originally published on mamabee.com
Life can become extremely busy with work, school, family and the time spent commuting. Even during quarantine to prevent coronavirus, when most of us work from home, there are plenty of chores and tasks that fill all of our free time. Having a young family can mean that you seem to have very little time for yourself, and that means that your looking after your health can slip by the wayside. Here, David Reagan, a certified personal trainer from Atlanta, discusses several important things that you can do each day to help you to take steps towards a healthier lifestyle.
How do you Stay Healthy When you are Busy?
Most people have busy and demanding lifestyles. Technology has made us accessible almost anywhere at any time and this means that we have less opportunity to take time for ourselves. Most people work full-time and some even have a part-time job in addition to their full-time job. It can become very challenging to juggle the demands of a family, children’s activities and work, and as you find yourself running out of time your health starts to take a back seat to everything else in your life.
Eating healthy foods and exercise are two of the most important things we can do to stay well and energized. A body that is fueled by whole natural foods is going to be in much better shape than one that functions on processed foods.
Exercise can be difficult to incorporate into a healthy lifestyle, with much of the work that is done in modern-day employment spent sitting. There are some ways to combat sitting, including have a stand-up desk and getting up for micro-breaks often during the day to walk around and stretch. One should not be sitting down for longer than 30 minutes at a time, if at all possible. Getting out at every opportunity for a long walk and then trying to get to the gym after or before work is also a great way to be more active.
What Steps can Help you to Regain or Retain Your Health?
1. Become more active. This means moving more throughout your day, including getting up from the sitting position often. Stretch often, start practicing yoga or pilates at home. Going for walks or finding a reason to take the stairs instead of an elevator are also great ideas.
2. Take a day for Food Preparation. Find one day during the week where you can plan meals for the week and then create shopping lists. Go and obtain all of the ingredients that you will need to prepare all of the meals and then do your food preparation for the week. Have foods ready to be cooked quickly by ensuring that they have been readied ahead of time and can be easily combined for healthy meal choices.
3. Walk Everywhere. Take a walk instead of getting on a bus or a train, another alternative is biking. Purchase a fitness tracker and compete with friends to see who can get the most steps. You can even speak to your employer about providing incentives or fun prizes for those who have the most weekly steps. A little competition among coworkers can be a great way to get into better shape without even working at it that hard. Everyone should try to get at least 10,000 steps each day at a minimum, but of course, more is always better.
4. Go to Bed Earlier. Try going to bed 15 or 30 minutes sooner than you normally would. If you don’t feel tired right away, try reading a book or doing meditation to relax so that you can get to sleep more quickly. Your body needs between seven and eight hours of sleep each night because this is the amount of time required for your brain to complete enough sleep cycles to process your day.
5. Brown Bag It. Prepare lunches ahead of time. Regardless if you are working from home or at the office, prepping your lunches instead of ordering out is a great idea to help you become healthier. Making your lunches ahead of time will also ensure you are not snacking too much or too often.
As you start to make small changes you will notice that it becomes easier and easier to make the right choices. You will start to feel more rested, more energetic and happier once you start to move more and eat less. It may seem that you are missing out on things that have become familiar, but lifestyle changes are worth the results that come to you with a little hard work.
Another side effect of living well is looking younger, so don’t be surprised if people start to comment on your youthful appearance. Choosing a healthier lifestyle is a decision that you have to make, a promise to yourself and a commitment to those in your life that you have decided to be around for the long term.
About David Reagan
David Reagan is a personal trainer working with executives and high-end clients in Atlanta, Georgia, helping them balance their busy schedules with workout and meal plans to achieve optimal results. He has graduated Atlanta Personal Trainer Program and is NASM Certified. David Reagan specializes in weight loss, personalized workout plans, bodybuilding, and nutrition, and believes that customer satisfaction always comes first.