Wednesday, July 6, 2011

Getting Healthy and Fit In Spite of a Hectic Schedule

at 2:00 PM
3 THINGS TO THINK ABOUT FOR GETTING/STAYING FIT ON A HECTIC SCHEDULE
1) Think before thinking about eating. We may feel that the process of getting and staying healthy or in shape is filled with a lot of "dont's" and it's actually filled with a lot of "do's". Do eat vegetables, do eat fruits, do eat something sweet on occasion,etc. Also, in thinking about what you're about to eat choose non-processed food- the less ingredients the better (except for herbs and spices), choose baked, grilled or charbroiled over fried, choose salads with small amounts or no dressing. You could substitute salad dressing with lemon juice. Choose to drink water or unsweetened tea with your meal. Stay away from artificial sweeteners and diet sodas. Plan out your meals and your snacks for the day ahead of time. Plan out your breakfast, lunch and dinner along with in between snacks that will help you on your venture of a healthier you. If you know you're going to eat out today take a few minutes to search for a restaurant with healthy choices on their menu and/or pack a lunch and some healthy snacks- like raw nuts or fresh fruits and vegetables.

2) Think as you plan out your day to figure out where you can exercise. For example, park a bit further instead of parking right near the entrance, take the stairs, walk faster, take an extra 10 minutes or so walking around while shopping, use a bike instead of a car when possible. In your list of things to do, identify the ones you love to do and find a ways to combine the two. There are lots of activities that we do on a regular basis, that by changing 1 or 2 things in the process, we can turn those activities into a workout.Things like mowing the lawn, the kids soccer practice, cleaning the house or car, raking the lawn or shoveling the snow, taking your dog for a walk.

3) Think of and plan out when you'll sleep or rest.. Sleep is something that most people over look and is very important in allowing the body to recover from the stress we put on the it throughout the day and through the workouts. Take advantage of those rare nights you can get in bed earlier than normal, make the decision that you are going to go to sleep and follow through. Take a 20 min power nap at some point throughout the day.

Sometimes we can get over whelmed with our schedules and if we were to write a list all of the things we need to do and put a number value from 1-10 to each thing (1 being the least important and 10 being the most) I would hope that OUR health and well being should be a resounding 10! So, I believe that with some thinking and some planning, we can BE a healthier fit version of ourselves in spite of our busy schedules.

Andres Ornelos
http://www.wish180.com
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