During crazy times such as these, finding the time to get back into shape can seem almost impossible. When one considers the daily tasks we all endure such as work, grocery shopping, paying bills, personal time, and spending time with your spouse and family, it’s no wonder people don’t prioritize health and fitness. We’re exhausted!
So what do you do? If you’ve ever begun a fitness trend, you know very well that it’s a real pain to adjust your entire lifestyle all at once. It’s also time-consuming to go to the gym to spend more time than you want to work out and driving back home. Chances are you’re too busy to waste precious minutes every day.
Instead, the key to developing a healthy lifestyle that’s easy to follow is to take baby steps. Yes, when we commit to something, we want to see results now. Unfortunately, the sudden change in lifestyle habits is too much for most. Instead, let’s look at a few minor changes you can make in your daily life that will help you trend in the right direction.
1. Prep meals for days at a time - Meal prep is a huge time waster if you’re only cooking for one meal at a time. Sure, maybe cooking a fresh dinner for the family every night is nice but this also gives you a great opportunity to get other meals set up for days to come. Because most people eat lunch at work, cooking your lunches for the week can save you hours of valuable time that can be spent doing something you enjoy.
2. Get some quality sleep - It’s funny that sleep is one of the healthiest things you can do to stay fit; both physically and mentally. Unfortunately, most people don’t get enough sleep and this is quite detrimental to one’s health. Your body uses the rest to recover, sharpen cognitive function, regulate hormone production, and much, much more. Typically you’ll want at least 7 hours of uninterrupted sleep each night. This means you might need to turn the TV off a little early to that extra sleep but, it’s well worth it.
3. Try the ‘Commercial Workout’ - This is actually one of my favorite tips for my new clients. When you find yourself watching TV pick an exercise and do as many repetitions as possible before your show comes back on. You’d be surprised how much you actually get done in the span of an episode or two. What’s even better is having your spouse join you! You can make it competitive which will in fact help you get even more out of the exercises. My wife and I play this little workout game all the time and have so much fun! Try it out yourself and just remember, it’s about doing the best you can. When you do that, results follow.
There are plenty of other tips out there and don’t be afraid to be a little creative yourself. Eventually, you’ll create your own little series of tricks to help you get the most out of your day. For now, though, stick with these and stay consistent. After three or four weeks, it will become a habit that’s part of your everyday routine.
Make sure to come back in a couple of weeks to pick up some handy tricks that will help keep those unwanted Thanksgiving pounds off! You can also Like my Facebook page to get daily motivation as well as health and fitness tips.
Matt
