I'm looking for some advice on how to maintain my physical health while managing a very busy schedule. Between work, family commitments, and other responsibilities, I find it challenging to make time for regular exercise and healthy eating.
What are some practical tips or routines that have worked for you in staying healthy despite a hectic lifestyle? I can say now that this job the one which I am doing is affecting my
mental health as well because I have to sit in front of a computer screen all the time like 15 hours a day! Any specific exercises, meal prep strategies, or time management techniques would be greatly appreciated.
I had to get up earlier in the day for my exercise routine. At 40, I hit something like a mid-life crisis, and since I couldn't afford a Ferrari, I joined a gym instead. I found pretty quickly it wasn't going to happen unless I made time for it, so I started getting up earlier to go exercise. I found it easier to get into a program at my gym where they do all the figuring for me; I don't have to mess with what machines to use or the weights to apply. The YMCA's Egym program does all that for me.
On the advice of the free session I had with their personal trainer, I alternate my cardio and strength days. I do half an hour on the stairclimber for cardio every day except Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Those three days, I do ten minutes on the stairclimber, then get to my Egym routine. I like exercising every day, but if you don't have the time for it, start with what you can do.
A lot of us struggle to find the time in a day to get stuff done, and yet when we really want to do something, we can make the time if we try. As a former smoker, I used to waste about two hours a day on cigarettes. Six minutes per cancer stick times twenty sticks a day. After I quit, I wondered how I ever found the time to smoke, because other activities fell into those six-minute holes in my schedule. Start working little things into your schedule, and you may be surprised at the elbow room you'll find in your day.
As far as meals go, avoid vending machines. Carry a little notepad with you and write yourself a little note whenever you get the urge to eat an unhealthy snack. Scribble a note when you actually have an unhealthy snack. Doing that will make you more aware of when you're craving junk food, and then you can think about those times in the morning and pre-plan for them. Keep healthier snacks at home, and grab enough in the morning to last you through the day.
I used to have to leave my wallet at home sometimes. I'd carry my driver's license and the essentials in a moneyclip, along with cash too large for the vending machine, but I would leave my debit card at home so I wouldn't be tempted to use it on the vending machine. I also had to relearn how to embrace boredom, because eating healthy can be pretty boring. When you're craving Cheetos but you give yourself trailmix, it may not be as exciting, but the key to success is learning to endure through the boredom and do the good thing for yourself anyway.
Practice self-control and discipline for yourself in small ways, but remember to reward yourself, too. After my workouts, I like to go for a small iced chai. It's a nice treat, and it doesn't have a lot of sugar or anything in it, so I don't have to worry about a chai destroying my workout. Whenever I'm starting to get bored with my exercise routine, it helps me to think, "If I go to the gym and work out, I can get my chai." Sometimes that's what it takes to get my butt in the gym in the mornings. Other times, I feel truly blessed to be able to work out, and looking forward to the exercise is enough.
