When your schedule is jam-packed full, it can be hard to make time for much of anything else besides checking things off your to-do list.
How Even the Busiest of People Stay Healthy and Fit
This means that catching up on work is prioritized over heading to the gym, and eating a quick snack that leaves more room for running around sounds more appealing than cooking a nutritious meal.
It seems that society is full of people just trying to get ahead. However, the fact of the matter is that it is actually possible to live a healthy and fit lifestyle while being an extremely busy person.
From meal planning to power naps, home workouts, and organization techniques, here are a few helpful ways that can help you to do so.
They Get Creative with Exercise
Let’s face it: some people are just busier than others. Perhaps their jobs require them to travel often or put in overtime at the office. Whatever the case may be, it can be hard to imagine how to squeeze in an efficient exercise routine with little time and little to no equipment.
We have been taught that fitness looks like heading to the gym a couple of times a week or running a few miles on a track. But when your “gym” is a hotel room or your work building, you have to get creative.
This may mean that you invest in some weights and a mat, leave them in the office, and do a few exercises in-between meetings, or perhaps cut down on your lunch break and leave a little time to sweat somehow. But what does this look like in a practical way and is it realistically doable?
Well, for example, successful CEOs state that they stay fit by finding local cycling studios or running outdoors when they are on the road. Additionally, professional poker players that travel for competitions take five-minute stretching breaks in between tournaments to keep in shape.
In the same way, graphic designers that must stare at a computer monitor to get their work done often make use of at-desk stretches like bicep curls or tricep dips.
The bottom line is that, because each of these jobs require long hours of work and focus, it may seem like exercise is unattainable. However, what it really means is that you must think outside of the everyday “fitness routine” box you are used to.
While people with busy schedules may not always find time to head to the gym, home or office workouts with few materials can often be just as useful as a gym membership
Two Words: Meal Prep
Okay, I know what you are thinking. How can the busiest professional make time to cook an entire week’s worth of meals if they struggle to find a moment to prepare a healthy breakfast?
The point of meal prepping is that you work a bit harder in terms of grocery shopping and planning, so that you can relax later during those really hectic weekday moments. A good rule of thumb is to meal prep on Sunday evenings after you have collected everything you will eat for the week.
You may be surprised to find that the cooking will not take very long because you are doing it in “batches.” For example, the food for Monday can also be the food for Wednesday, as the lunch for Tuesday can also be the lunch for Thursday.
When thinking about contents, try to include selections from each major food group such as vegetables, fruits, starches, and some type of meat or other protein (if you are a vegan or vegetarian). The good news is that most of these foods are proven metabolism boosters which means that they will help you experience increased energy levels for the busy day ahead.
They Make Use of Short Power Naps
Busy people can struggle to sleep the eight hours each night that is recommended for the average adult. Whether they are up late thinking of work, or simply have too many things to do in order to get to bed at a reasonable hour, being well-rested is sometimes a lofty endeavor that falls by the wayside
Although everyone should strive to sleep a minimum of six hours a night, there is another way busy people catch their z’s in between work: power naps. The perfect length for a nap to be considered a “power” nap is between 10 to 20 minutes. These short, intermittent periods of rest provide boosts of energy that leave you feeling more conscious and alert and can even aid in the decision-making process.
In fact, research has supported this, stating that the length of your nap matters a lot. Longer rest times can result in grogginess and insomnia at night, where shorter nap spurts improve cognition.
Meal prepping ensures you get a well-balanced meal each day
They Know When Enough is Enough
In addition to all of the above, busy people can recognize when their schedules are at the point of overflowing. If it means asking for more help at work or hiring a cleaner at home even for just a temporary period, they are not afraid to make adjustments to their priorities.
