Creating Healthy Habits (Guest post)

Jennifer McGregor is a pre-med student, who loves providing reliable health and medical resources for Public Health Library users. She knows how difficult it can be to sift through the mountains of health-related information on the web and wants to make it easier for people to find high quality health info. I hope you enjoy her article:

4 Head-to-Toe Health Tips for Busy Adults

We all know that making healthy choices can lead to a longer, happier life, but finding the time to make health a priority— especially for busy people— isn’t always easy. The trick is to incorporate these activities into your everyday life. Whether you’re a working parent, high powered executive or always on the go, prioritizing your health and well-being doesn’t have to be hard. Here’s how:

Declutter to Free Up Time

As BeBrainFit explains, a cluttered home can be a major barrier to your physical and mental health. In a cluttered home, it can be hard to find the things you need to stay on track or even make healthy choices, like space to cook meals or store exercise equipment, but it’s even harder to find the motivation and time if you’re always on the go. You might feel burdened and suffocated trying to keep up with the mounting mess— not uncommon at all for working parents.

Now more than ever is the time to outsource! You can free up your mind and body by hiring a cleaning company to take care of the chores in your home. If cleaning is your Achilles heel, hire a service — in Seattle, most people spend between $122 and $239 on a maid service, but you might be able to get a lower rate if you make this a weekly or bi-weekly appointments. You can also outsource your lawn care, laundry, pet care and even have your groceries delivered. Thanks to all that new-found free time, you can get to the gym or cook healthier meals. And with a more organized home, you can create a space dedicated to boosting your mental health, like meditating, reading or working on a relaxing hobby.

Take a Weekend Off

It’s common knowledge that everyone needs some time off to rejuvenate every now and then, but many find it difficult to free up their schedule for it. If you simply can’t plan a big trip, even just a weekend stay in your city can provide some necessary stress relief. According to Turnkey, Seattle’s eclectic mix of neighborhoods offers something for everyone, whether you choose to dine at a world-class restaurant in Ballard or visit the iconic Space Needle in Queen Anne. Choose a vacation rental that’s close to the places and activities you want to explore. Plus, by staying in a vacation rental, you can keep up with your healthy eating habits by taking advantage of the rental’s kitchen and provided cookware and utensils.

Turn Your Office into a Gym

Staying focused on your overall health and well-being is much easier when exercise is convenient, especially when your busy life is centered on due dates and deadlines. That’s where creating an office gym can make exercise more accessible to people really focused on their careers.

Whether you work from home or at an office, you can make subtle— and not-so-subtle— changes to prioritize exercise. For example, you can keep a yoga mat (found on Amazon for $12.99) in your office and practice during lunch. Throughout the day, you can do various HIIT workouts with no equipment or with portable items like dumbbells, a jump rope and resistance bands. Take it a step further and purchase a desk cycle or treadmill desk for more continuous activity throughout your entire day.

Make Meals with Your Kids

Making meals together can free up time for both healthy decision-making and being an involved parent. It’s so easy to turn to fast food after a day of working, watching soccer practice or driving to and from dance recitals. Plus, when hunger hits, both children and adults can get cranky.

That’s where meal prep comes in. Preparing meals for the week as a family is a great way for busy parents to make healthy choices for themselves, while teaching healthy decision-making to their kids. Adolescents and teens can help you at every step of the way by planning a menu, picking out the groceries and preparing the food. Even younger kids can play a part. The Shirley Journey notes children as young as two can often help with stirring, measuring, rinsing and taste testing. With supervision, they can also help with simple tasks, like helping set the table with non-breakable dishes, cracking eggs or adding toppings.

A busy lifestyle can be an exciting and fulfilling way to live. That doesn’t mean there aren’t going to be times where you feel pressure, stress or urgency. For some people the first thing they sacrifice is their own health and well-being. But it doesn’t have to be that way. You can incorporate these healthy tips and see a real difference no matter what keeps you busy— work, family or fun.