There’s always that one friend or family member who “Can’t answer their phone” or has to leave lunch early, all to fit in that hour and 30 minutes at the gym. With confusion and dismay, you start to ask the big underlining question, “Where do they find the time EVERY DAY?!”
Reality Check: Not everyone has almost 2 hours to spend on working out, but everyone (yes, even you) have time to stay healthy each day. Staying healthy doesn’t have to be a chore, taste horrendous, or kick your butt for hours straight each day. In fact, Emily Abbate points out that there is more then meets the eye that can keep that blood pressure, cholesterol and good fats in-check:
1. Sit down with a planner (or at least a piece of paper): Of course the weekends are for relaxing, but the best thing you can do on a Sunday is take a moment to sit down and organize yourself for the week ahead. How many days can you bring lunch with you? What do you want to eat for dinner? Do some recipe Googling, and plan ahead to make healthy, satisfying meals instead of something out of a Lean Cuisine box.
2. Head to the grocery store: Once you’ve planned your meals for the week (or most of them, anyway) — put together a shopping list and head to the grocery story. This way you won’t be buying things you don’t need. Make sure to build in snack items on your list, such as sliced vegetables or yogurt with slivered almonds, to stave off hunger between meals.
3. Gauge your workout schedule: No matter how busy you are between meetings or shuttling your kids between summer camp and baseball practice, there’s ALWAYS time to work out. The catch? Sometimes you have to get creative. Take a look at your week schedule, and figure out what days are the best days for a long relaxing hot yoga class vs. a 30-minute sprint workout at the gym.
4. Clean up: There’s nothing more important to a successful week than organizing before the craziness ensues. A clean house makes things easier to find, whether it be that sports bra for your Tuesday workout or the pans you’ll need for Wednesday night’s spaghetti squash stir-fry.
5. Get in the kitchen: The thing about snacking is that generally the ones that are the worst for you are the easiest to grab. Do yourself a favor and make healthier snacks easy, too. Slice up some vegetables and put them in individual sandwich bags. Pre-packed salad fix-in’s make lunch a breeze. Grill up some chicken so you can use it in different dishes throughout the week. Trust me, it’s worth the 30 minutes.
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