In my 20 plus years working as a nutrition, health and fitness professional, I’ve worked with hundreds of people.
Regardless of their individual goal; eat better, reduce risk of disease, manage an existing disease, get strong/flexible/balanced, regain sanity, rediscover themselves, etc., their NUMBER ONE reason for NOT meeting that goal?
LACK OF TIME.
I get it. We lead very busy lives.
Running here, running there. Doing all the things, all the time.
Until now.
COVID-19 has put the literal brakes on ALL extra activities.
At the time of this writing, we’re going to be parked at home (aka under stay-at-home orders) for several more weeks – perhaps longer.
If you’ve previously tried in vain to find time to make healthy meals, go for a walk, or simply sit with a cup of really good coffee and watch the world go by, this is your time to make those things happen.
I’m going to share some ideas and tips for helping you do that, but first?
A little tough love.
There are legitimate situations when there’s not enough time to exercise, eat right, decompress with journaling, meditation or reading.
But they are few and far between.
Citing NO TIME is an excuse. Yes, I said that. And, I mean that.
If you look at the overall PATTERN of your life, say one week or one month at a time, how many days are there ZERO minutes to devote to cleaning and chopping broccoli? Stretching for 10 minutes? Reading one chapter of an inspirational book?
Very few.
You find time to check and become outraged by your Facebook page. Scroll Instagram. Post to Twitter. You sit glued to back-to-back episodes of Grace & Frankie or Dirty John. You endlessly surf the internet for the latest news, horror or statistics.
Am I right?
I’m not judging. Especially now. We’re all under COVID stress and strain, you’ve got to do what feels right for you.
But at the end of the day, COVID or NO COVID, we MAKE time for what’s important to us. And blow off what’s not.
I’m offering a different perspective.
Rather than being challenged to FIND or MAKE time?
You’ve now been GIFTED with time.
Here’s where you’ve picked up extra:
- Round-trip commute? Gone.
- Put on makeup? Gone.
- Get dressed in professional attire? Gone.
- Get UNdressed from professional attire? Gone.
- Restaurant dining because too tired to cook? Gone.
- Running your kids (or grandkids!) to all their activities? Gone.
- Taking the kids (or grandkids!) to and picking them up from school? Gone.
- Travel for work, avocation or leisure? Gone.
- Aimlessly wandering the mall, outlets, shopping mecca’s? Gone.
- Going out to buy your coffee every day? Gone.
Some of you may add showering and shaving to that list, but I honestly hope not! 😉
Add up that time saved. How much is it? And more importantly, what will you do with it?
What if, rather than letting time happen TO YOU, you meet it and fill it intentionally to work FOR YOU?
Organize Something Messy and Inefficient
- Pantry
- Make it easy to locate ingredients and restock what you need.
- Cookbooks
- Donate those you don’t use, and support your local bookstore with an order for replacement titles.
- Recipes
- Label file folders as appetizer, bread, entree, sides, salads, soup, dessert. Organize your lone recipe pages accordingly.
- Shopping Lists
- Create a master shopping list for each grocery store you use. Add the items you purchase repeatedly. Make copies and stash them in the kitchen so you can immediately mark items you need to replace.
- Workout Clothes
- Try everything on. Donate anything that doesn’t make you feel GREAT.
Cook Something Nourishing
- Make a Recipe You’ve Wanted to Try
- Keep track of those you love. Create a 10-recipe rotation for when things get busy again.
- Batch Cook
- You may not be leaving the house to go to work, but you’re STILL working. Even if you’re not, at the end of the day when you’re tired and hungry, it’s easy to lose your enthusiasm for preparing a balanced meal.
- Fill Your Freezer
- Cook a pot of quinoa, dried beans and/or lentils, brown rice. Freeze them in individual packets to use at a moment’s notice.
Strengthen Something That Serves You
- Your Muscles
- Preserve muscle mass for physical strength, build strong bones, decrease risk of injury.
- Your Stamina
- Endurance supports a healthy metabolism, helps you get through your day with less exhaustion, and exercise longer at greater intensity.
- Your Mind
- Read, watch or listen to inspiring, uplifting and educational podcasts, books, blogs, documentaries. Learn something EVERY day. Stretch your mind with new ideas, concepts and connections.
NEVER in my lifetime has the ENTIRE WORLD slowed down and taken a breath.
Although the REASON for the slow down is heart-breaking, I encourage you to embrace this time. Make the most of it. Savor it.
If you’re intentionally doing something creative and fulfilling with this gift of extra time, tell me what it is in the comments below!
