Trying to be healthy can be overwhelming. Even thinking about it can be overwhelming. Every day we should be sweating, stretching, strengthening, food prepping, meditating, working, socialising, nurturing, cleaning.... the list continues!

For some, this to do list is so long. Coupled with being so time poor, how are we supposed to find time to look after ourselves these days?

Schedule in a health ‘meeting’

The saying “there is always someone busier than you” rings true. As Dietitians we get to consult with a variety of clients from all different work backgrounds. We also get to hear a variety of excuses as to why someone found it difficult to stick to their plan. When we hear “I’m too busy to meal prep or exercise” this translates to ‘I don’t value that part of my lifestyle’, which is conflicting when seeking help to improve your health and fitness. One of the keys to maintaining an effortless healthy lifestyle is treating your health and fitness with as much importance as a board meeting, work deadline, or other non-negotiables.

While some people need more direction and structure in how to save time meal prepping or ideas for shortcuts to still stay on track, others may have more flexibility in their schedule to fit in meals at home or longer exercise sessions. It comes down to a case of being really organised and structured. Planning ahead and knowing what is instore for the week is essential. Then scheduling in your “health” appointment as you would for any other appointment in your diary makes it easier to achieve and more valued, as time is precious.

If you’re still reading this thinking, “no really, I don’t have time”- be real with yourself. Is your work-life balance out of whack? Are there things that you can address or seek help with to free up some time? Thinking about world leaders like Barack Obama or ex-Prime Minister John Howard, they always managed to keep fit and healthy, despite being a husband, dad and running a large country.

We see a lot of high end professionals who know the importance health and fitness plays out for them in every aspect of their life. Exercise is often their stress reliever when under high pressure deadlines at work, and they really notice when it is skipped. When you stop and think about it, sacrificing your health to achieve a goal is going to be quite counterproductive in the long term. People who struggle to fit in exercise think they have to sacrifice everything to achieve their goals, but then often they will start to lose their health and realise, 'actually I need this as a central point for my vitality and resilience’. They realise how exercise and eating well makes them feel more energised, alert and productive, not just at work but in all aspects of life.

Be smart with exercise

If you only see exercise as something that you've got to absolutely flog yourself at to get any benefit from, then that's when you're more likely to avoid it. In contrast, the brain is very good at convincing us that we are too tired to do anything when mostly it is mental fatigue and you still have physical energy. The act of just getting out there and moving your body will lift your mood and you might just shock yourself with what you can achieve. In saying that, if other areas in your life are letting you down such as poor sleep, inadequate nutrition and high stress all at once, working out hard will probably end up making you feel worse. You need to be smart with exercise choices and when high intensity or light exercise is appropriate in order to feel revitalised instead of destroyed afterwards.

If time is your main barrier, then a short high-intensity interval training (HIIT) session will deliver good bang for your buck. Researchers have compared HIIT to steady-state cardiovascular training - the results are similar and you’re saving time as you’re spending less time on HITT.

Time management 101

Identify time suckers and you’ll be surprised how you can piece together 30 minutes with no worries. Scrolling for 15 minutes on Instagram in the morning instead of getting out of bed or having a beer after work with friends when you could be getting to that gym class or out for a walk at sunset – we can all find more time if we choose to. It may feel selfish and hard to say no, but you need to ask yourself what you are doing for yourself, as often you are last on the list. Look for opportunities where you can incorporate health into workplace practices as well, such as walking meetings or using your commute to increase your daily step count.

Where can you find extra time in your day?

• When you get home from work, do you snuggle up on the couch for a few hours to 'relax'? This time could be used for a walk or a bike ride to destress
• When your alarm goes off each morning, do you hit snooze and roll back over in bed? This time could be used to get up and pack a healthy lunch for the day and possibly pre-prep some vegetables for dinner
• How much time did you spend on social media while on the train on the way to work today? That time could have been dedicated to searching online for some new healthy recipes and writing a shopping list for the coming week
• Feel like you have too much on your plate? Look to friends, family and coworkers to take a little out of your schedule.

Simple rules with food

Most people don’t have time to sit down and count their macros or calories, or even follow a meal plan 100%. Look for dishes that have the most vegetables in them and take a look at your plate, what are the proportions? The goal is to always have lots of colour, some lean protein and a bit of fuel: your plate should be ½ vegetables, ¼ protein and ¼ carbohydrates. Make sure you get plenty of the clear stuff (water) in too, as the brain sends hunger cues before it realises you’re dehydrated.