It's hard to stay healthy when you work full-time and enjoy your social life or have a family to look after. If only it was as simple as getting out of bed, arriving at work-stress and being able to eat well, exercise and de-stress whenever you felt like it. The reality is though too many of us find it hard enough coping with the demands of everyday life to even spare a thought for our health....well until something goes wrong that is. Don't wait until your health starts to deteriorate before your start to find time for it. Start today by making small changes to your day-to-day life and you'll notice the benefits immediately.
For many of us, the biggest threat to our health is busy-ness, as it destroys our productivity and eats away our ability to prioritise. One of the most common saying in today's fast-paced world is "I don't have time". We eat convenience foods because we don't have time to cook, and sit motionless in front of our computers because our work doesn't allow us time to exercise.
Not only is this lifestyle clogging up our arteries and expanding our waistlines, its also stopping us from being our best and getting the most out of life. Poor health reduces our concentration, memory and our ability to make good decisions, all of which makes overtime inevitable. Overtime blurbs the boundaries between work and home, not to mention places strain on relationships with family and friends. So, what can you do to improve your health without affecting your work? It's as simple as adding my eight tips to your daily To-Do list.
1. Break-the-fast: Start your day the best way - eat breakfast! Aim to get up before the kids and eat your breakfast in peace. If this is not possible, keep breakfast options such as breakfast cereal, wholegrain bread, or fruit at work so you can eat breakfast as soon as you arrive. Regularly enjoying your morning munch will improve your concentration and alertness throughout the day.
2. Savour that morning coffee: Gone are the days of the Nescafe with a dash of milk - you can now get anything from a cafe latte to a frappuccino-blended creme with cream on top! These coffees contain loads more milk (not to mention sugar and syrup) and can easily sabotage any weight loss attempt. Then of course there's the caffeine issue, which can lead to poor quality sleep if you consume too much. Enjoy your coffee, but aim to limit your daily intake to one regular skinny espresso coffee without any sugar and two instant coffees each day. If you currently consume more, slowly wean yourself off by first reducing the size and then the number of coffees you drink each day.
3. Sit less, move more, more often: Extended periods sitting in front of our computers are damaging our backs and increasing our risk of developing heart disease, diabetes and some types of cancer. While there's no doubt 30 minutes of exercise daily is good for your health, new research shows we need to combine this with standing up more throughout the day. Each hour, stand up from your desk and stretch or go for a short walk around the office.
4. Utilise your lunch hour: Forget about working through your lunch hour - this is not going to help you get more done. Taking a bread during the day gives you time to relax and re-focus so you're more productivity in the afternoon. Use your lunch hour to take part in a group training session with your work colleagues. It's a great way to boost workplace moral while improving your fitness and boosting your vitamin D levels.
5. Conquer 3:30itis: Instead of aimlessly diving into the biscuit barrel or chocolate stash at 3:30pm, consider some better options. A small handful of nuts, a piece of fruit or unsalted air-popped popcorn are all good choices. If you need a sugar fix, try a tub of low-fat yoghurt, a skinny hot chocolate or a small handful of dried apricots.
6. Decide on dinner early: be organised and plan your evening meals before the week even starts. Plan quick and easy dishes for those nights when you'll be late home from work. Alternatively , cook a double batch of food on the quieter nights and keep half for those nights when you have less time to cook. If working back late, stop dinner at a reasonable hour.
7. Protect your private time: Create a distinction between work and home life by going for a walk, reading a book or spending time with your family when you get home from work. Avoid being constantly available by switching off your mobile phone and computers when at home. Use this time to improve family relationships or recharge with some alone time.
8. Manage your time: At the end of the day, set your priorities for the following day and designate a strict time frame for each. Be realistic about what you can achieve during this time, so you're not taking on too much work. At home, spread the chores out over the week instead of leaving them all until the weekend.
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