"I just don't have time- I am too busy"
YES YOU DO! Because you have goals, important ones. No goal worth accomplishing is easy, but if anyone can do this, you can!
If you have found yourself saying these words, "I don't have time" when it comes to things like cooking, exercising, and grocery shopping, it just means it isn't part of your routine....yet!
Think about it this way: I have never had a client come in to see me and say "Michelle, I was just so busy this week I just didn't have time to shower!" We always make the time for things that are routine like showering or brushing your teeth, or things that we want to do like checking your social media. That being said, you will get to a point where all of the tasks that come along with being healthy are second nature. To make it happen a little faster we want to share with you our routines to inspire you to modify your own. The next couple of weeks we are going to highlight our Nutritionistas and they will share what their day is like and how they fit it all in while keeping it healthy.
*Disclaimer: Changing your habits is a process, I didn't start out this way! If I did, it would have been way too dramatic of a jump- and it never would have stuck. While my days are very demanding, my challenges might be different then yours. Regardless of the challenges you face, the only way to fix them is finding solutions. I made notes of some of the challenges I faced on my path to becoming a nutritionista and the solutions that worked for me. Let me know what yours are and I will help you come up with solutions for you too!
6:00am- "Alexa...Snooze!"
I am not a morning person, I try to be, I want to be one so badly, but I have accepted the fact it's just not when I am at my best. Ideally, I would love to exercise at this time, but I am a chronic snoozer. Know yourself, and know when your energy levels are at your best. If there was no other possible time in my day to make it happen, I would push myself to do something at that hour, but you want to make your routine enjoyable- it is more likely to stick that way. So if you are a fellow snoozer, don't feel bad- you are in good company!
6:30- Caffeine - Time spent: 1 Minute
There is plenty of research supporting the benefits of caffeine, and it allows me to function- so we go with it. I have an espresso machine and drink a double black to start my day. I didn't always! I would get coffee at Starbucks or Dunkin with sugar and milk. Eventually I reduced the sugar, then realized I didn't need it. Then, started making my own at home with a natural creamer. Then one day my creamer went bad so I drank the coffee black, and honestly- it wasn't so bad. I do the espresso to cut to the chase, I don't love sipping coffee all morning, I want my caffeine kick in 2 sips.
6:45 Breakfast- Time spent: 7 Minutes
A few years ago I would have told you I didn't have time to make breakfast. Now, I actually enjoy doing it...it comes with time. Before I would grab a protein bar or pre sliced apples with peanut butter and eat it in the car, but now I enjoy the process of making myself something. I don't love breakfast foods (weird I know)- I have one of three thing: eggs, a protein shake, or leftovers.
If I don't eat breakfast, my metabolism won't start, my energy levels will plummet mid morning and I will be starving the rest of the day. Shakes I like to make ahead of time and freeze them so crazy mornings, but if I have a bit of time I will make eggs. This week, on Sunday I took a bag of frozen organic corn, a can of black beans, a red bell pepper, and a jalapeño and threw it in a Tupperware. In the morning I throw a scoop in the skillet, add an egg and minutes later breakfast is done!
I also like to make a "juice" in my nutrabullet (everything is chopped up on sunday in little ziplock bags) I only include one fruit that provides calories and the rest is mostly veggies. This week I had Nutrish Mish Cleanse, ginger, celery, a lemon, and frozen blueberries, add water, blend and done in 1 minute. Again, this was something I added after other habits were stable. If I tried this the first time I actually made breakfast for myself, I would have probably made it once and then never again!
7:00am: Watch a little TV and sift through my emails: 15 minutes
I like to watch anything and everything Bravo. It is important to squeeze in things you enjoy doing during the day. One of the main causes of emotional eating is when you are looking to food to bring you happiness in a day filled with things you didn't want to do. Incorporating little pockets of time doing things you enjoy helps prevent emotional and stress eating.
7:15: Plan: 2 minutes
I have a white board on my fridge that has the days of the week on it. I always write each night what I want to make for dinners. After spending my whole day telling people what to eat, I want to turn my brain off when I get home. This system also helps me remember to defrost the chicken or set the timer on the crock pot
7:55am: Commute
I spend time in all of the NM locations, but the office I spend the majority of my time at happens to be about 30 seconds from my apartment, so I am very lucky to avoid the disaster that is Long Island rush hour. On the mornings I have meetings at other locations, I listen to audiobooks or podcasts. I love reading and learning, the car is the perfect time for that.
8:00: Water
I keep a water stash everywhere. I get migraines when I don't keep hydrated. My skin gets dry, my energy levels drop and my weight will fluctuate more. Problem was, I kept forgetting it! Also, (and I know this sounds silly), it was a pain to lug into my apartment! Now what I do is I Amazon Prime my water (along with some grocery items like protein bars and magic pop) right to my office so I always have a stash. This is especially important if you have a job like me where you are talking constantly!
11:00: Snack Time
My appointments are booked back to back, and occasionally I will get a cancellation- but I can't depend on that happening. My AM snack has to be something quick! I like to make a snack sized protein shake with Nutrish Mish protein powder and chocolate unsweetened almond milk. It keeps me feeling energized through the morning, and I can sip on it and still talk to people. But, I am not perfect and sometimes forget. So I keep some nuts in the drawer just in case!
1:00- Catch up
My morning shift ends at 1. I spend about 30 minutes catching up with my team, answering emails and voicemails and then I try to get some kind of workout in. I typically get home late, or have after work events so night time hasn't been reliable these days for exercise.
1:30 Workout 15-60 minutes
I am going to be honest with you: I f****** hate working out. I said it! I started doing it consistently only when I made it enjoyable for myself. I went to a performing arts high school and was a dance minor in college so it wasn't until I was 23 when I actually realized for the first time in my life I had to schedule some activity in my day. I do one of three things:
1. My gym offers great dance classes so if it will work into my schedule I will catch one of those- I genuinely enjoy it, so that is no problem
2. I will ONLY do cardio if I am watching Housewives of something (or another entertaining show) I LOVE reality tv, such a guilty pleasure. But, when you are running a company, finishing up a masters program, and trying to be a good friend/daughter/aunt/etc... you don't get much time for that stuff. I pick a show and I only let myself watch it while I am doing my cardio. This was a game changer. Now, I can't wait to hop on the treadmill because I haven't seen Beverly Hills yet this week and I need to know what went down!
3. Sometimes I have too many meetings or projects going on and taking that much time isn't realistic. In this case, I will do a quick 15 minute routine, like one of Richael's Fat Buster Friday exercises that she posts every Friday on our Facebook page
Regardless, I do something everyday. If I don't it is easy to let that completely fall off the priority list. I don't exercise for weight loss, I do it because I put a lot of demands on my body and I need it to be functioning at maximum capacity always!
2:00 pm: lunch
I have a later lunch because my day is long. I like to make this my biggest meal. I don't love sandwiches (I always want to have other things with them), and salads don't always keep me full for as long as I need them to. I prefer to have meals for lunch. I will either bring leftovers from the night before (I deliberately make extra for this reason) or I will make a meal on Sunday specifically to have for lunch. This week I made chick pea "pasta" salad. I will run out of this by Wednesday so starting on Thursday I will make extra at dinner for lunch the next day.
5:30pm: Snack
Another quick snack that is stashed in my office between clients
8:30pm: Dinner
Event Nights:
Some nights I have business events to go to. I do not like eating at these because it's never healthy or worth the indulgence. I much rather save the fun stuff for the weekend. If I have an event at night I will bring dinner with me and have it at the office as I am getting ready. If I have a drink at these events it is always a vodka with club soda.
Home Nights:
I can get away with eating a little later because I'm typically pretty active until midnight. I don't call what I do cooking, I call it more assembling. Because everything is planned out it doesn't take much time. I make a large salad at the beginning of the week to have with dinners. I also wash and chop all of my produce on Sundays since that is the most time consuming. Tonight is chicken cutlet in the air fryer with Brussels sprouts and red onion. It took 20 minutes start to finish!
10:00pm
The worst thing you can do for your weight is eat too late at night. I make sure I wind down with something enjoyable. I noticed I only have the urge to eat at night when I worked myself crazy all day and didn't do anything fun or relaxing. Night eating was a struggle for me for a long time before I realized what caused it, and it took some time to replace that habit, but now it's something I would never do.
#1 Tip: Plan everything out ahead of time. If you just have to execute and not think about what you are eating on any given day, you will be so much more likely to succeed.