Five ways to fit health into your schedule

Filed Under Eating Healthy, Exercise, Time Management, Weight Loss, Work Out

Some of the most common complaints people have when it comes to controlling their health is scheduling. They simply don’t see a way to fit eating healthy and exercising into their already busy schedules. Yesterday we talked about fitting little chunks of healthy behavior into those three minute breaks we all take through the day. Today we’re going to talk about ways to fit in longer segments of healthy behavior.

1. Make your walk into a meeting

For some reason, people tend to think of a walk as a break. As though you can only take walks away from work and not as part of your work. However, a few years ago I worked for a man who showed me that a walk can also be an excellent forum for one on one meetings. Whenever he wanted to speak to me about something we would step out of the building and walk. Depending on the length of the meeting, this could mean a five minute walk or a thirty minute one.

Now this isn’t suitable for all your meetings but it’s ideal for one on one’s. Any time you need to talk to just one person, why not make a walk out of it? It’s better for you than sitting down and it frequently makes for a better meeting. When we walked outside, there was little chance of being interrupted by anyone else. There were no emails or phone calls. We could just focus on our discussion and the topic at hand. So next time you need to talk to someone, ask them to step outside and take a walk with you. By the way, this can also work for gym workouts. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve discussed projects with coworkers while lifting weights or running on the treadmill.

2. Make your workout into a research session

Part of my job consists of keeping up with industry trends, government regulations and general news. I also like keeping up on my reading and I often enjoy a good book or magazine. So how can I fit all that into my schedule while still getting enough time to exercise? Easy!

Just invest a few dollars in a cheap MP3 player like an iPod Shuffle. The cost on these is about $70 and you can find used ones even cheaper. Then look at the variety of free podcasts and audio books available on iTunes and other sources. With the Shuffle and the podcasts, I can use my workout time to do more than just workout. I usually listen to a Spanish lesson, current news and I’ve recently added a podcast of an economics course from UCBerkeley. All of these were available for free online. So while I lift weights, I’m also learning another language, listening to the news and learning about the world around me.

As an added bonus, if you find an interesting topic, you’ll notice those cardio workouts get a lot easier. For some reason, cardio always goes by quicker and easier when your brain is distracted.

3. Brownbag your lunch

Yep, you heard me, I said the B word. Now I know what most of you are thinking. “Brown bag it? Come on, I haven’t done that since high school.” Well, get used to thinking of brown bagging as your new healthy option. Bringing food from home can save you on time, money and calories. You’ll know exactly what you’re eating and you won’t be tempted to overeat with those huge restaurant portions. And yes, you can still get your networking in even if you brown bag it.

For more information, see this great article on the benefits of brownbagging it from The Simple Dollar.

4. Make your cardio workout into a social event

How often have you been caught in a scheduling conflict? You told yourself you would get some cardio in, perhaps a jog or an hour on the treadmill, but now you have friends asking for your time, a significant other telling you they need more of your time and family members asking you to stop over. How about combining the two and make your cardio exercise into a social function.

There are a variety of activities that can elevate your heart rate while also including a social aspect. Hiking and biking are all great activities to invite your friends on. Dancing is a new option for a date that will also get your feet moving. Heck, with the advent of the Wii, you can even play video games that get your heart pumping. The key is to identify these and select them rather than another night at the movies or another evening of computer games.

Instead of jogging this week, how about you make one dance date, one hiking date and set aside two hours to play Wii tennis with a friend? It’s not quite the ideal exercise routine but it’s certainly better than the zero exercise you would have gotten otherwise.

5. Workout while you work

There are a variety of ways in which you can combine exercise into your work. They range from the simple, like sitting on an exercise ball instead of a chair, to the not so simple, like using an under the desk treadmill or stationary bike. The bottom line for all of them is keep moving.

For many people, work may consist of nothing more than typing on a computer or using a phone. Well guess what, that leaves the entire rest of your body free to exercise, doesn’t it? So while your upper body may be working on a computer, your lower body can be pedaling away. While your brain is busy reading an email, your arm could be lifting a weight. Exercise is a simple activity involving a very limited part of your body. There’s no reason why you can’t do it while you work.

Summary

The key to fitting good health into a busy schedule is multitasking. Make your time count by using it for multiple purposes at once. Exercise while you work, eat healthy while you network and so on. You’ll find that you have more time and that health itself becomes more fun.

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