Busy? Yes! Believe It Or Not, You Can Be Healthy Too!
Angela Moore
| 4 min read
One of the greatest challenges of the busy individual, and especially the busy professional, is finding ways to maintain a healthy lifestyle.
The truth of the matter is that a healthy lifestyle is even more important when you are busy, because of the day–to–day challenges and demands that come with it.
It is often during hectic times when we are challenged the most. And a healthy body is better able to deal with those challenges.
However, finding ways to consistently be healthy throughout a demanding and chaotic workday often seem unattainable.
Questions that busy people typically ask:
- How do I integrate physical activity or exercise between endless meetings and/or tasks?
- How can I consistently eat well when healthy food options are typically hard to find?
- How can I maintain a healthy mindset when I am stressed and expected to constantly perform?
Finding solutions does not have to be as challenging and complex as you think. There are simple and effective healthy lifestyle strategies that can be easily integrated throughout your busy workday whether you are working at home, at the office, or a combination of both.
Here are a few suggestions to get started!
Start the day with a commitment to health.
- Decide at the beginning of the day that you will be “health minded” and commit to following through with healthy choices and actions.
- By setting your mind towards health first thing in the morning, you are more likely to maintain health habits throughout the day.
Pre-plan for the consumption of healthy meals and snacks.
- Pre-portion fresh vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, protein, and healthy carbs and create easy grab-and-go snacks and meals.
- Setting aside the correct serving size of food items ahead of time makes it easier to stay on track with your nutrition goals.
Schedule in purposeful movement and/or structured exercise.
- Set aside 10–15-minute intervals for intentional movement such as stretching, light calisthenics, walking or stair climbing.
- Plan to perform structured exercises such as weightlifting, cardiovascular exercise, and balance exercises 3-4 days a week.
- Scheduling in movement and exercise makes it easier to keep the commitment to be more active.
Create healthy environments at home and in the office.
- Have healthy food and snack items readily available and remove unhealthy options if necessary.
- Place heavily used everyday items in areas where you have to move and/or walk a distance to reach them.
- Encourage family members and co-workers to join you in your healthy lifestyle journey by planning healthy eating and healthy activities together.
- It is important that your surroundings in your home and workspace encourage movement and healthy eating behaviors.
Create time and space to do what I call the 4 R’s: Release, Reflect, Rejuvenate, and Restart.
- You must create time and space to release what is unnecessary, reflect on what is important, rejuvenate your mind and body and restart your plans of action with newly acquired knowledge and strength.
- In especially busy times, it is essential that you give the mind and the body the opportunity to recharge so that you have the mental clarity and physical strength to move forward.
By implementing and integrating these simple lifestyle strategies into your busy workday, you will improve your overall health, decrease stress, and increase productivity and performance.
Did you know that May is Global Employee Health and Fitness Month?
Global Employee Health & Fitness Month (GEHFM) is an international observance of health and fitness in the workplace. Created by the National Association for Health and Fitness, Global Employee Health and Fitness Month promotes the benefits of a healthy lifestyle to employers and their employees through worksite health promotion activities and environments.
For more information, visit: https://www.gehfm.org/
If you are an employer, an employee, or simply a busy person with an endless to-do list, May is a great time to integrate healthy lifestyle strategies at home and/or at the office during the month and beyond.
While the demands of a busy life might make a healthy lifestyle seem unattainable; hopefully, now you understand that it does not have to be. By integrating just a few simple strategies into your day, each and every day, you can be busy and healthy too!
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Photo credit: Getty Images
