Being busy and staying healthy is always a challenge. When your calendar is packed full of work, meetings, and responsibilities, it can be hard to keep up with some of life’s basics like eating the right food and getting to bed on time.
So, what are the life-changing health habits for the chronically busy person like you? How can you maintain your health while still achieving your financial and lifestyle goals?
Protect your sleep like it’s the most important thing
You want to start by protecting your sleep like it’s the most important thing. Many of the world’s most successful people specifically block time for sleep so they can be as productive and as creative as possible during the daytime.
How much sleep you require is something you’re going to have to experiment with personally. Most people can manage to survive on about 6.5 to 7 hours per night. Going below that can be risky for many people. You may however need more than that, particularly if you’re a younger person or undergoing a loss of stress. Also, if your job is very physical then more sleep is often necessary.
Hydrate more aggressively
Another thing you’ll want to try is hydrating more aggressively. If you can keep a bottle of green tea or water next to your desk, then you’ll find that you’re able to concentrate better throughout the day. When you’re hydrated, it becomes easier to focus on tasks.
Keep noise levels low
Another thing you’ll want to do is keep noise levels low when you’re trying to protect your health and well-being. If you’re constantly hearing loud sounds, then it can lead to high levels of stress and cortisol in your system. It’s even more dangerous if you’re exposed to loud noises chronically, for example, for work. If you think your hearing is suffering, then it’s a good idea to go for hearing tests or hearing aid fitting if you need treatment.
Master snacking on exercise
If you can get into the habit of mastering the idea of exercise snacking, then you can also go a long way to improving your health.
Most research shows that people who move around regularly during the day are often as healthy as those who go for one-hour long gym sessions in the evening when they already feel exhausted. Exercise snacking means just performing small bursts of exercise throughout the day, so for instance, you could get up off your chair and go for a brisk walk, or you could hold walking meetings outside with colleagues.
You only really need about 8,000 steps per day or around 150 minutes of movement per week. The more you can split it up into smaller chunks, the better it is for you.
Batch cook everything on Sunday night
Lastly, think about batch cooking everything on Sunday night. You can get all of your meal preparation out of the way in 60 to 90 minutes. Just make sure that all of your meals have everything you need, like quinoa, overnight oats, high protein beans, and so on.
