Ways to stay healthy with a busy lifestyle

Ways to stay healthy with a bustling lifestyle

It’s not always easy to maintain healthy habits when you are someone that is constantly on the go. Whether it’s at work, at home, or travelling, there always seems to be things more important than quinoa and kale. However, this is a complete misconception! Being healthy isn’t just about having the most green diet possible, being healthy takes into consideration a much more holistic array of assets. So, to help set you up, we have made a list of simple steps to keep you happy and healthy.

Food

Don’t panic, this section isn’t all about crazy health food fads and dangerous diets! There are many safe yet delicious ways to just switch out some of your usual go-to’s to a healthier alternative. For example, homemade granola bars are a great snack to have for in the office, in the car, at the movie theatre or anywhere you fancy! They are so simple and quick to make and you can adapt them to your taste by adding different fruits, nuts, and toppings. Even better, they can be great to quickly grab as a light breakfast for those mornings when you just don’t have time to make anything.

For lunches, many people either skip it or grab some fast food on their way somewhere. But, we are here to tell you that you can have that same convenience and delicious flavour in your kitchen for half the price! A salad with a protein such as salmon, tuna, or chicken can fill you up and still be healthy! A homemade soup that you just reheat in a microwave at work or keep in a thermal flask is even better and so easy to make - just put some vegetables, light cream, seasoning in a blender and you’re ready to go.

Dinners can also be a struggle when you come home from work late or have to rush back out to take the kids to a club or you have another commitment and your normal dinner consists of sandwiches, cereal, or leftover chicken nuggets. But there are so many quick and delicious meals that you or the family can enjoy. For example, something like tacos to spice things up a bit - some minced meat of your choice, vegetables, seasoning, lettuce and taco shells. Easy as pie!

Sleep

A good night’s sleep can become elusive when you are constantly on the go. Things that can impact sleep are, of course environmental circumstances such as a crying baby or painful injury, but also emotions such as stress and anxiety that can often stem from a hectic lifestyle or something stressful playing on your mind. However, sometimes the way we sleep is the actual issue. There is a lot more science behind sleeping than people may realise. For example, the recommended hours of sleep changes as we get older so it is important to try and stick to these guidelines. The reason for this is that when we sleep, there is a short repeated period in which we transfer into REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep: This is actually the point in the night when we are in a very deep sleep yet our brains are most active and, therefore, what we benefit from. REM also induces very vivid dreams as it enhances the brain’s creativity. REM sleep happens in cycles throughout the night, so the shorter you sleep for, the less you have. 

If getting a full 7-9 hours of sleep is not entirely an option for you, you may be prone to taking naps at a point during the day but once again there is a lot more to naps than just having a little snooze when you feel tired.

Power naps - 10/20 minutes is the best amount of time for a surge of alertness and energy when starting to feel fatigued.

Short term naps - 60 minutes is ideal for improving your memory and encourage new facts to remain stored in your brain for longer.

REM nap - 90 minutes is when the first cycle of REM tends to happen which enhances your creativity and procedural memory such as learning a new skill.

The worst nap you can take is around 30 minutes as this is when you are between a power nap and short term nap meaning that when you wake up you will feel very disoriented because your brain is still in rest mode.