Having just returned from a work trip traveling from the West Coast to the East Coast my one thought is “Plan Ahead.” Specifically, if health is a priority it’s all about thinking ahead, organizing your schedule, and having a game plan.
As a health coach planning is one of the stalwarts of supporting individuals in their quest for optimal well being. Helping them find strategies that prepare them for situations that “could” potentially pull them off the rails. Let’s explore a few of these.
Travel
Our airports are awash with fast-food, snacks, drinks and everything imaginable to entice you to constantly consume. Every which way you turn your head you see food and drink for sale along with a constant consumption of anything and everything. A non-stop eating frenzy.
Many clients I work with choose to fast on travel days, see food pauses. They enjoy the opportunity to not have to worry about food choices that are not in line with their goals. Personally, I will do this at times, on others I pack a bag with boiled eggs and meat sticks. I have this already to go the day before so all that’s necessary is throw it in the backpack.
The same goes if traveling by car. Pack a cooler and take your own items. The more you control your food the more you’re in control of your health. Simply said you set yourself up for success instead of being subject to the advertising/marketing nightmare.
Regular Work-Outs
Finding time to work out needs planning, understatement of the year. While it may sound old school (because it is), put it on your calendar. If it’s not somewhere visible demonstrating commitment, it can easily disappear off your schedule.
Sure travel, appointments, kids, grandkids, birthdays, work and a host of other things could possibly intervene. However, if you’re creative, meaning you have workouts of varying lengths to allow for a change in plans it can still happen. Say a 10- or 15-minute routine, a quick walk around the neighborhood and a handful of exercises you can do in a hotel room, all allow you to stay on track.
Make Space
If you know your schedule is tight, can you build in space between items. Meaning don’t pack your agenda so tight that if one event runs over you have nowhere to maneuver. Judge this by are you always running late, feeling stressed on time, not having energy over at the end of the day? All signs you might have too much on your daily calendar.
Experiment with a simple hack of putting either “free space” or “me time” on your calendar in a couple spots and see how the week flows with a bit more ease.
None of this is rocket science. The short amount of time it takes to plan out your week in terms of health has the potential to reap big rewards. In our house we make a daily sticky note with not only our work schedule for the day, exercise plans, food to be cooked and other personal tasks. Key is at the end of the day it gets torn up; tomorrow is a new day.
Invest in your health today, planning is an essential part of that.
“There is no substitute for work. Worthwhile results come from hard work and careful planning. ”
Coach John Wooden
