10 Simple Health Tips For Busy Women
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10 Simple Health Tips For Busy Women
Does it feel like you’re always too busy to stick to healthy habits?
Women these days are juggling so much, so it’s no wonder many feel like they don’t have time to work out for an hour each day or make everything from scratch!
But I’m here to share with you that health doesn’t have to be overwhelming and time-consuming. Many of the most effective habits for your wellbeing can actually make you more focused, productive and able to fit more into every day.
Let’s take a look at my top 10 health tips for busy women.
Plan and prep your food
If you’ve been around here for a while, you’ll know that I’m a huge fan of planning and prepping meals. Not only does it mean you eat more nutritious foods and save some cash, but it also saves you time throughout the week.
Planning your meals means that you’ll be able to pick up exactly what you need from the supermarket, and prepping your meals means all you need to do is grab your prepped breakfast, lunch, dinner or snack and enjoy.
By the way, meal prepping does not have to mean hours in the kitchen every weekend. In fact, you can prep 5 meals in as little as an hour and set yourself up for the work week!
Need some inspiration for meal prepping? You can check out my top meal-prep friendly recipes here.
Eat for blood sugar balance
Does your energy and focus fluctuate wildly throughout the day? If so, it might be time to look at how your food choices affect your blood sugar levels.
The key to blood sugar balance is including fibre and protein with each meal and snack. These two nutrients slow the absorption of energy from your food, so it trickles into the bloodstream over a few hours. This means more consistent energy and focus over a longer period of time – and it will also save you from getting hangry!
Focus on variety in your diet
Another simple tweak to make to your current diet is to increase the variety of foods that you eat. And no, I don’t mean eating different flavours of Cadbury chocolates!
A diet that incorporates a variety of wholefoods helps to nourish the good microbes in the gut. These microbes produce many of the brain chemicals we need to be focused and calm, so a happy gut equals a happy brain!
And before you panic, this doesn’t have to be complicated. For example, you can purchase brown onions one week, red onions the next, and spring onions the week after that. Or you can pick 2 types of fruit to eat each week, then rotate through your favourites. Adding herbs and spices is another quick and easy way to boost variety in your diet.
To make it even easier, I’ve pulled together 10 gut-loving ingredients to incorporate here.
Take deep breaths
Pause for a moment and check in with your breath – are you taking full, deep breaths? The answer is probably no because very few of us will be breathing deeply on a regular basis!
Deep breaths are important for activating the calm part of the nervous system, so you’ll feel less stressed and anxious. But breathing also plays a role in processes such as elimination of waste, lymphatic movement, and the delivery of oxygen to the cells. The best part is that you don’t need anything special to take a few deep breaths – all it takes is awareness.
If you want to go a little more formal, you can practice a few minutes of meditation. But if you prefer to keep it simple, deep breathing will do the job.
Looking for more stress relief options? Give this a read.
Move your body for an instant energy hit
Have you snuck in some physical activity today? If not, now’s a perfect time to squeeze it in!
When you’re busy, it’s tempting to skip your regular workouts, but it can pay off in the form of a natural energy high. Even 10 minutes of movement can give you a hit of energy equivalent to a shot of espresso.
Looking for some guidance around how to work out? The 8 Week Transformation Challenge includes structured home workouts that will have you feeling fitter and stronger in no time!
Give yourself a break
This is one that I’ve been embracing more lately thanks to ongoing Melbourne lockdowns. I found myself feeling tired and overwhelmed – but instead of pushing through, I decided to give myself the rest that I needed. Even just a few days of allowing myself to have a break and not push myself made a huge difference.
So if you’re feeling similar, have a look at where you can give yourself a little space and time to disconnect and put the to-do list aside.
Get a regular dose of nature
Nature has an incredible effect on the human body, particularly the brain and nervous system. Being in nature can not only improve your mental and emotional health – it can significantly drop your heart rate and blood pressure! So you want to make sure you’re spending time in nature on the regular, even if it’s for 5 minutes each day.
Can’t get outside? You can also bring nature to you by having some flowers or a couple of plants (but be warned, a couple of plants can quickly turn into a collection of 100+ plants!) Plants can help you to feel less stressed and more comfortable in an indoor environment.
If you don’t have time to pick up some flowers or pot some plants, you can even get a virtual dose of nature and still see benefits to your mental health, emotional health and brain function.
Have a consistent night routine
If your life is busy and you need to be at your best, you cannot afford to neglect your sleep!
When we sleep, we undergo dozens of physical and psychological resets. Your brain flushes out waste matter that builds up throughout the day, your tissues undergo repair, and growth hormones work to build muscle and boost your metabolism.
The easiest way to improve your sleep is to set yourself up with a consistent night-time routine. This means going to bed around the same time each night, and following a regular pattern of activities to wind down for the night. For example, you could make a cup of herbal tea, take a shower, turn off your phone and read for 30 minutes before bed.
If you struggle to get a good deep sleep, this article might help.
Curate your consumption
What do you consume in terms of media, social media and content? Do you find yourself doom-scrolling on a daily basis or following people who make you feel unhappy with yourself?
It’s more important than ever that we protect our mental health by curating what we consume, particularly in the online space. Spend a few minutes unfollowing or snoozing people and posts that make you feel uncomfortable, angry, sad or overwhelmed.
Once you’ve removed the negative content, make sure you like and comment on the posts that make you happy! In no time, the social media algorithm will feed you positivity and you’ll feel much better.
Enjoy the little things in life!
Finally, I want to remind you that it’s not about being 100% perfect all of the time. Of course, we want to be as healthy as possible, but not at the cost of enjoying life. That’s why it’s important to figure out what the ‘little things’ in life are for you and find a way to fit them into a healthy lifestyle.
For example, if you’re a complete sweet tooth, you don’t have to swear off desserts and sweet snacks for life! Instead, reach for something that is both sweet and nourishing. If you haven’t already grabbed a copy of my Sweet Treats ebook, that’s the perfect place to start.
What if you don’t even know where to start, or how to get yourself motivated?
That’s where 1:1 coaching can make all the difference. By working 1:1, we can identify the most effective habits for your health goals and keep you on track even when life gets hectic.
Looking for nutrition tips and healthy hacks to help you feel better?
Hey there, I’m Rachel!
NUTRITIONIST, PERSONAL TRAINER, WELLNESS COACH
Here I share healthy recipe ideas, training plans, and nutrition & wellness advice you need to know.
Check out my free guide to healthy eating to design your own version of a healthy lifestyle so that you can feel energised and vibrant, or hire me to work my magic on your health through mindset, nutrition, and movement.
While we make every effort to make sure the information in this website is accurate and informative, the information does not take the place of medical advice.