I’m too busy to work out. I don’t have the time to think about nutrition nor prepare my food. My sleep is all over the place. I feel stressed ALL the time.

These are just a few things my health coaches and I hear regularly. If this is you, then read on. We can give you manageable tips to make more time in your day for doing the things you need to do to move the needle in the direction you desire. Building the foundations strong is how you sustain your health and therefore a body shape you no longer have to work for but can actually live in.

Busy life equals forgotten health. Let's undo that cycle.

We are all busy. Modern life has made it so we are go-go-go with no time for rest. Our jobs are demanding more of us, we try to keep up with endless social engagements and for those of us with kids, well, that’s a full time job in itself. It’s no wonder that our health efforts get put on the backburner!

Years ago I reached a point of burnout. I was in that go-go-go cycle as an entrepreneur growing my business, showing up for my clients daily, keeping up with my usual 5-6 days a week workout schedule, and prioritizing everything else but my self care and sleep. It took fatigue and super low energy to actually reach a point for me to make a change. And now being on the other side of burnout, it’s interesting to reflect on what I’d do differently and even the cost of what I gave up to thrive in certain areas of life and how I truly do believe and know there is a way to ‘do it all’ where one won’t need to investment pain, time and money to heal and get back their health. There is a lot of pressure in life to perform at work, have a clean home, a flourishing social life, all while looking amazing…we couldn’t possibly show any signs of weakness, right?

Think, America Farrera’s speech in Barbie right now:

“It is literally impossible to be a woman. You are so beautiful, and so smart, and it kills me that you don't think you're good enough. Like, we have to always be extraordinary.”

It's why I spent the last decade plus digging into the depths of the mind, science and complex cases to not only help myself dominate my body so I could actually LIVE IN my goals for the next several decades, but to also grow a team of women that could do the same and teach others 'how to' so they don't have to spend years trying to figure it out alone.

So, I’m gonna start with what a typical day looks like for a modern American (most clients come to me with a similar story).

A day in the life of someone struggling with weight loss

6:30am: Alarm goes off, you snooze it.

6:45am: Begrudgingly roll out of bed, you’re groggy and tired.

7:10am: You’re showered and getting ready with a coffee on your dresser.

7:35am: You grab a quick slice of toast while shoving your laptop into your bag. You also have to feed the cat and grab your gym kit. Ah shoot, the dishwasher needs loading… that laundry will have to wait for tonight.

8:00am: In the car, on your way into work. Perhaps you grab a coffee from a drive through and that muffin since you know you should eat something.

8:50am: Stiff from the drive and only just waking up, you settle down at your desk for a few hours of work.

11:00am: Man, you’re HUNGRY. That toast and muffin just didn’t do it. You forgot to buy snacks from the store and haven’t packed your lunch in some time now, so you grab whatever is in the office, a handful of m&m’s from the candy dish and another coffee to stave off the hunger and hopefully give you some energy.

12:30pm: Filled with guilt about the m&m’s you decide to go get a cobb salad from the deli and eat it at your desk. There’s SO much that needs doing.

3:30pm: Ok, so you find yourself hungry again and you’re in a slump. A quick trip to the corner store and you’re back at your desk with a kind bar and a can of soda (energy please!) and perhaps an apple for balance.

5:25pm: You didn’t quite make it out the door at 5pm, the meeting ran over and you’re now too late to make the gym class you said you were going to do, plus, you’re tired. You tell yourself you’ll do a quick run tomorrow morning instead.

6:15pm: Drinks and dinner with the girls. A couple of glasses to relax you and finally, a starter, pasta and desert to really fill you up.

8:30pm: You get home and have to do the laundry, answer a few more emails, feed the cat, write a grocery list, call your mom, unload the dishwasher…

9:30pm: You crash on the couch with the TV on, scrolling through your phone.

10:30pm: Crawl into bed, exhausted - the plan to run in the morning, forgotten.

Now I write this because it’s one of the several common scenes that clients paint for me when they reach out for help.

The thing here is that the way out of this cycle isn’t the same for everyone. And why this person is having trouble with their digestion, energy, sleep, and often most forefront of the mind, weight loss, is unique to them too. One thing we do know is that the foundational lifestyle changes will go a long way in helping this person back to a more homeostatic and thriving state. But depending on how long they lived like this, there may be a few systems of the body that need extra support to optimize once again.

Both aspects of the journey is where we come in as health coaches. We not only support the ‘how to change’ and the behavioral consistency side, but we also drive ‘the what’ which is NOT what most people think it is, which tends to be “eat better and move more”.

How to find time for fitness and nutrition

Ok, so some of that day might seem extreme, some of it might be spot on, or it might seem like a breeze to you. However that sample looks, I’m sure you feel busy everyday regardless of how similar your timings and activities are.

So how can you find more time in your day when so many things need doing?

First off, set your alarm even just 15 minutes earlier and try not to snooze. Turn on your light lamp or put sun in your eyes right away. Don’t wait to do this. Wake your mind and body up with a guided breath session, stretch series or yoga, a practice can be 5-10 minutes if that’s all the time you have. There are many apps and videos to help guide you through sequences if you prefer the assistance. (get in touch for my favorites!)
Next, don’t start your day’s nutrition with a coffee. Instead, make a protein centric breakfast like a protein rich smoothie or Greek yogurt with nuts/seeds and fruit. (You can prepare both of these the night before FYI!) This will kick start your body into waking up and help support your blood sugar balance throughout the day (hello upregulated metabolism). I talk about different meals and how to think of snacks as mid meals in this blog. It helps to plan out your week’s meals in advance and prepare what you can. Take your meals for the whole day with you to work. (Watch my youtube video on how-to plan your week).
These nutrient-packed, protein centric meals will keep you satiated for longer and help you avoid reaching for things that are filled with sugar and cause energy spikes and dips. Snacking should not be demonized, but instead, understood and defined. A snack that is centered with protein and space at least 2 hours after your last meal may be a good thing for your body. It’s the constant every 30 min, 1-2 hour grazing that can challenge many systems of our body and cause chaos.
Decide time for dishes and laundry. Could laundry be a Saturday morning and dishes always the night before?
Get your bag and outfit ready the night before. It will only take 5 or 10 minutes this will make your morning way less stressful.
Is there another route you can take to work? Could you park a few blocks away and walk the rest to get your steps in (aim for 10,000 per day!) and wake your body up? Time outside is essential for your circadian rhythm, read more here. You could plan a cute coffee shop along the route to make your morning cup more enjoyable.
Make sure you get up and walk around frequently. This will help you focus and ultimately get more work done. The movement will wake you up, even if it’s just to the bathroom.
Leave the office at lunch time! Sure, you may only have half an hour but can you stroll round the block or find a park to eat your lunch?
Evaluate how many social plans you make for yourself in a week. Are there so many that they are going to jeopardize your health goals? I like to schedule ‘me time’ into my calendar, whether that be for exercise or just time to unwind. Make sure you have time for what makes you feel good as well as the plans for others. Book the dinner table half an hour later to give yourself more wiggle room for the gym if meetings often run over.
When you get home, only do the tasks you have allotted time for. Allow yourself a 15 minute slot of scrolling on your phone and then put all tech away at least half an hour before bed. Unwind for bed properly. Meditate, light candles, read a book or take a bath. I lay out techniques for optimizing sleep in this blog post.
If you’re struggling to wake up in the morning, try relaxing in bed half an hour earlier than your usual. By winding down and avoiding blue light, your sleep quality should improve and even though you have that earlier alarm set, your quality of sleep will improve from your longer relax routine in the evening and better nutrition, sunlight and movement throughout the day.

A Day In The Life Of A Health Coaching Client

Just so you know, we coach our clients virtually. There are some individuals that initially question if this is right for them, but soon after starting with us, realize that having support in their back pocket vs only 1 time per week in person meetings, is extremely helpful and more supportive overall.

We get to know our clients well as we want to know how they think and behave, what they believe and feel and how they best change or feel supported. It’s all of who they are and what they’ve experienced up until now that is going to help us uncover how to get to a new result. We coach in what we call a ‘whole-you’ style that embodies all areas of lifestyle, change, mindset, nutrition, fitness and lab work to develop a direction and plan. All plans are personalized which is why our clients achieve big things! Check out some of our client achievements and results here.

So, with that said, a daily routine will look different for everyone, but there are some foundational health strategies that are helpful to embody. Let’s use the schedule above to improve upon for supporting that sample individual in having a better chance at aligning her health to change her body.

The wake up aka morning routine:

Starting the day with the following items will help align cortisol, digestion, mindset, circadian rhythms and energy:

Light in your eyes as you wake, whether that’s a light lamp or sunlight - even if it’s cloudy you will still get sufficient light through the clouds to benefit all these areas of health.
Hydrate with water, even better to add additions like trace minerals, electrolytes, lemon or apple cider vinegar
Keep off tech/emails/texts and set your mind up with positive affirmations, a guided meditation
Take a walk or enjoy a guided gentle yoga/stretching flow to wake up your body.
Eat breakfast before your coffee!

Throughout the day focus on the following items to support continuous energy and stave off fatigue:

Eat every 3-4 hours with a protein centric meal (at least 25 if not 30g of protein).
Hydrate throughout the day in between your meals
Take breaks as allowed, don’t skip them! If possible every 1-2 hours move around, take a walk without tech, get outside, do a short series of exercises in your office.
Eat an undistracted lunch or meal somewhere in your day
Practice slowing down in between the focus tasks you have to get done. Take some deep breaths, a 5 minute break to sit in the sun or simply listen to one of your favorite songs with your eyes closed.
Decide what days are for movement (and be realistic about it) in your week. Start with 2-3 days and decide the when, where and how.

After work and night time routines:

Enjoy an undistracted dinner
Finish any tasks that need to be done around the house with at least 2 hours for you to unwind and just be before bedtime
Turn off tech within an hour of bedtime and focus on self care tasks that help your brain, body and breath slow down.

Not every day is going to be on point in your routine but it is a guide to help you uplevel how you feel and when you uplevel how you feel you will be able to better control how you look. The other point to this is that it’s the habits and skills that you develop as you create these routines that are what matter most as they are the things that will allow the routines to happen even in the busiest and most chaotic times.

The journey of health is a forever one, take the time to improve upon the skill sets that you have yet to conquer and you will be able to relax into your goals and actually live in the results!

As always my team of coaches and I are here to help you in the how, the what and in the building of this new version of you. Reach out at any time, we’re happy to simply talk to help direct you when you’re feeling stuck.

HOW TO MASTER YOUR HEALTH WHILE NAVIGATING A BUSY LIFESTYLE