Trying to make healthy options, while living a busy life,
can seem impossible at times!
Whether you work a 9-5 desk job, or are a mom-on-the-go healthy eating
habits often take a back-seat to our full planner of activities. I was talking to a mom this past week who
was expressing to me how she spends her entire Saturday’s at the ball field,
watching her kids. That’s right –
from 9AM until 5PM on Saturday’s (during season) she never leaves the field! Talk about a long day! After a wild week of work and getting
everything done, I can’t imagine spending my entire “day-off” at a ball
field --- whew!
For the first year and a half, while we lived in Virginia, I
maintained my job in North Carolina and commuted back and forth. With a 3-hour drive each way, I found
myself walking out the door by 5AM each morning, and back in the door that
night around 7 or 8PM. Trying to
eat healthy, and live a healthy life with this schedule seemed impossible at
first, as I would grab a breakfast burrito on my way out of town, eat a candy
bar and some other sugary snacks for lunch and hit up McDonald’s as I stopped
for gas on the way home. With
minimal exercise throughout the day, I can safely say I was packing in hundreds
of calories, and burning very few!
Do you ever feel like your life is always on the go? Feel like you’re living out of your
car, more than you are in your home?
Here are a few tips that I learned, which helped me feel healthier, in
the midst of a wild life!
1. Plan for healthy snacks. I quickly learned that the breakfast
burrito I would grab at 5AM just didn’t last, leaving me feeling empty and
hungry by about 9:30/10AM. After several weeks went by I discovered the value
of packing a cup of yogurt or a fruit to munch on mid-morning, as I drove to my
next appointment. The truth is
that if you wake up early, and even get a protein-packed breakfast in, you
still will find yourself in a slump hours later because your body needs food in
order to make energy. Think
low-calorie, energy rich foods (Fruits, nuts, etc!) when packing your snacks,
then, when that craving comes you’ll have something already stashed away and
ready for you!
2. Drink LOTS of water! I feel as though I have heard a million times that often times your body feels hungry, when it is actually just thirsty for water! BUT, did you also know that Soda’s and other beverages don’t actually quench your body’s thirst? Try packing a water bottle, filled with ice-cold water that you can drink throughout the day. Then, when you get that hunger craving, drink some water and wait 15 minutes before diving into your snack stash. I bet you’ll be surprised that many times you weren’t actually even hungry in the first place.
3.
Exercise on the go. At Steve’s office in Virginia, many of
the ladies he worked with were masters at this! It was a usual day for me to drive up to the church finding
them walking back from their lunchtime stroll outside. They would pack their tennis shoes and
spend their lunch break getting some great exercise in! Give it a try! The weather is getting to be beautiful
outside – why don’t you try to find a break at work or during your day, and get
up and walk around!
4.
Avoid going to the junk food
aisles. Did you know
that the perimeter of the grocery store is your healthiest place to be? The more “inside” you shop, the more
processed and sugary snacks you’ll find!
Whenever I head to the grocery store, I try very hard to stay out of
what we call the “delicious aisles.”
You know, the ones with the Famous Amos cookies, and Doritos. I’ve found that if I spend my time
walking around the perimeter of the grocery store, (with a few exceptions, of
course), I fill my cart with much healthier options. I’ll see delicious pears and blueberries that we can use as
mid-day snacks, and I forget all about the Keebler Cookies calling my
name! Then, once you get home and
that craving hits, the empty calories won’t be available for you to choose.
5.
Bring herbal tea bags with
you. Sometimes, I’m
just craving a “time-out.” I just need to feel like getting away for a few
minutes from the stresses of my day.
I used to run to a coffee joint and grab some delicious treat “with
whip!” in order to “drink away my stress!” It was a wonderful chance to just soothe my soul whenever my
day got tough. Well, after I
looked at the calorie content of my “soothe my soul” moment, (along with the
price tag!) I realized it would have been better to eat a Big Mac than it was
to drink down that frappe.
Recently I’ve switched to a hot cup of herbal tea. Not only am I drinking down some
wonderful vitamins and antioxidants, but also I’m soothing my “soul” with less
than a 10th of the calories and pennies for the price of hot water! Talk about truly soothing!
What other tips do you have for living a healthy life on the
go? We’d love to hear them!
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