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Unpredictable schedule: Check. Long days: Check. Stressful career: Check. We’ve got your body and mind covered with 19 transformative tips from top health and wellness gurus.
Movement
- Have exercise plans A, B, and C. It can be unrealistic to plan for a set workout. Think how exercise can fit into a varied schedule: an early morning, a work- from-home day, or a heavy-driving day.
- Turn your car into a workout machine. Keep portable, low-cost fitness equipment, such as resistance bands and fit loops, with you.
- Do low-perspiration moves, like stretches and poses, so you don’t need to change your clothes.
- Exercise when you first wake up. To trigger a reminder, place your exercise equipment near your bed.
- Driving? Squeeze your glutes. Waiting? Do squats or calf raises to promote circulation.
- When you walk through a doorway, reach up to the door frame. Bringing your arms overhead improves shoulder flexibility and reduces shoulder and neck tension.
- Stretch your calves one at a time. Stand with the heel of one foot hanging off of a low step or ledge. Drop your heel below your toes, keeping your knee straight. Hold for from two to five breaths.
Sources: Alexandra Ellis, wellness coach, Burbank, Calif.; Len Glassman, health, fitness, and wellness entrepreneur, Garwood, N.J.; Lisa Hugh, Single Ingredient Groceries, registered dietitian, White Plains, Md.; Maria Evgenia Milonas, mind-body practitioner and holistic wellness coach, Inner Coach University, Alberta, Canada
Nutrition
- Prepare “Steve Jobs meals.” Jobs had a go-to uniform: jeans and a black turtleneck. No wardrobe decision fatigue there. Likewise, prepare set meals in line with your nutrition goals for the week. This puts your nutrition “wins” on autopilot.
- Use meal delivery services and grocery delivery apps so nutritious food is available when you need it.
- Snack every three to five hours because food equals fuel. Combine protein and high-fiber carbs, like a handful of nuts and a banana.
- Pack a cooler for the day with prepped lunch and snacks.
- Pick one or two days per week to cook batches of meals.
Sources: Jenna Appel, registered dietitian and certified diabetes care and education specialist, Boca Raton, Fla.; Lisa Hugh; Kirstin Smith, agent with eXp Realty, real estate investor, and certified nutritionist and virtual fitness coach with Kirstin Smith Fitness, Houston
Hydration
- Fill an insulated one-gallon water bottle with filtered water in the morning and bring it with you.
- Use dissolvable electrolyte tablets or powder to boost hydration.
- Motivate yourself to stay hydrated by using a marked water bottle to see how much you consumed. High-tech bottles will even nudge you when you haven’t taken a sip for a while.
Sources: Jenna Appel; Lisa Leslie-Williams [“Dr. Lisa”], holistic healthy living expert and pharmacist, The Domestic Life Stylist, Baltimore– Washington, D.C., area
Setting Boundaries
- Block out time. If you pour gravel into a bucket, there will never be enough space to fit large rocks. Put in your large rocks (non-negotiable self-care and relationship commitments); then find room for the gravel (the everyday work and life to-dos).
- Keep your health boundaries. If you have a business lunch, curate a list of three restaurants that you know have healthy options; let the client or colleague select from those.
Sources: Tyler Read, personal trainer and instructor, Personal Trainer Pioneer, Portland, Ore.; Kirstin Smith
Skin Care
- Use a broad-spectrum—UVA and UVB coverage—sunscreen daily. Damaging ultraviolet light, present even on cloudy days, penetrates car windows. Extra points if your sunscreen contains iron oxide to protect you from computer screen blue light, which can predispose you to premature wrinkles and uneven skin.
- Carry sunscreen with you so you can reapply it every four hours. Sunscreen sprays or powders can help keep makeup intact.
Source: Kemunto Mokaya, dermatologist, drKemmyMD.com, Houston