Four Tips for Healthy Eating When You're Busy

The start of school and fall activities are upon us. Here's a few simple things you can do to keep your nutrition game strong when you're busy.

Our health is one of the first things we neglect when we're busy.

And no, it's not because you're lazy, or because health isn't important to you. It's because MOST of us live in an "all-or-nothing" mentality.

When you go through seasons of life that AREN'T as busy (if that even exists), it's easy to get to the gym and fix healthy dinners. When our time becomes limited and we aren't able to do ALL the "healthy" things, it's not uncommon for ALL of them fall to the wayside.

Here are a few tips for busting out of the "all or nothing" mentality and keeping up healthy behaviors while you're busy.

Take 15 minutes each week to get your head on straight.

Pick a day of the week (for most people, it's Sunday), and look at the coming week. Identify the days that are a little more free for a trip to the gym or cooking a meal at home, vs. which days are better for shorter home workouts and ordering meal prep.

This doesn't take long AT ALL, but it greatly reduces your decision anxiety later in the week.

Set a few foundational habits.

Foundational habits are easy behaviors that you can adopt every day. For example, commit to drinking 32 oz of water right when you wake up, or getting a certain amount of steps every day.

Keep your list short;1-3 foundational habits can help you stay grounded when things are crazy, without causing a ton of stress.

Outsource your meal prep!

In a perfect world, we'd all have time to prep every meal for the week. Realistically, most of us would rather spend free time with our family and friends than slaving away in the kitchen.

With no minimum order, you can order just the number of meals you need each week to make your life easier. Check it out!

Adjust your goals and expectations.

No, this isn't about being a wimp or slacking off! It is OKAY to adjust your expectations or slow your progress through different seasons of life. You are human!

If you're under a lot of stress at work, doing calming workouts (like yoga or walking) may be more beneficial for your overall health than expecting your body to do HIIT workouts every day (because, guess what? HIIT workouts are PHYSICALLY stressful on the body, just like work can be mentally stressful!).

It is much better to keep up healthy behaviors but lighten your load, than to stop them all together.