How to Exercise & Eat Better With Limited Time

Do you want to lose weight and/or get in better shape but just don’t know how you’re going to find time for it? You’re not alone, this is a common problem foreseen by many people today.

Truth is, it’s not the necessary the lack of time but the lack of priority and strategy to make time.

I think we can all agree that if there is something you truly want to do, you’ll make and/or find time for it.

So, let’s start with the first thing you can do: eat better.  Here are a few tips on how to fix those problems by eating healthier with limited time:

• Prepare meals in Bulk – whether this means you devote one day of the week to making meals, or make extra servings at least 2 meals per week. This will reduce the cooking burden and make eating healthy easier.
• Use the Microwave – I’m not talking about microwave dinners but rather preparing food via the microwave.  You would be surprised by how many of the common foods and meals you can prepare with it – 39 surprising microwave recipes.
  • For the record using the Microwave maintains the nutritional quality of food the best, so it’s a great re-heating tool; not to be read microwavable foods have a high nutritional value.
• Buy Frozen – frozen is better than canned and only needs to be heated up.
• Pay for Convenience – Spend the extra few $ on convenient options at your local grocery store that are pre-packaged for you, like a pre-made salad or even cooked chicken breast from the deli; time is money, so if you value your time then “buy it back” by choosing the convenient option.

How to exercise with limited time:

• Get up earlier and workout in the morning – This does not mean sacrificing sleep in order to exercise, but you are less likely to have things that “pop up” and interfere with your ability to exercise in the morning.
• Pick a gym close by, or use the Outdoors – Time is a scarce resource, if you are busy you need to protect it. A gym close by is convenient and will decrease your barriers to exercise. Outdoors are very convenient too as they are literally outside your door. Go for a run or a bike outside.
• Opt for an active social – Haven’t seen a friend in a while? Skip the bar or restaurant and go for a workout, take a class together, or go for a run together instead.
• Opt for an active work meeting – Instead of a lunch meeting go for a walk meeting, Steve Job’s was famous for this.
• Up the Intensity, shorten the duration – In essence keep your workouts shorter and more intense. Workouts like HIIT (High-Intensity Interval Training) are great for this.
• For those frequent flyer or Travelers, choose hotels with good gyms – and use them!

The above is by no means a comprehensive list of things you can do, rather suggestions. Most of us aren’t great at maintaining our weight. We can be effective at maintaining or losing weight in small spurts, but when we inevitably get busy and time for exercise is removed from the equation the norm is slow progressive weight gain. Try out some of the above tips to help yourself, and your waistline.

Till next time,

-Mike