Making Changes to Your Daily Routine

Making Changes to Your Daily Routine





Our national tendency to overeat, under-exercise, and become increasingly overweight and unfit persists, yet we all still aspire to be slim, healthy, and beautiful. An example of how our culture values thinness and beauty is the voracious consumption of celebrity gossip, which keeps us enthralled by the lives of our favorite stars.

Why do our dreams and our realities seem so different? The fact that life gets in the way is the root cause of most of the many reasons.

"I wish I could reduce my food consumption, but I have to go to all these business events and don't have much say over the food that's served," we tell ourselves. We grumble, "I wish I had the time and money to hire a personal trainer like the ones the movie stars use. It's just not going to happen." We lament, "I wish I had more time to pamper my body and skin, but my hectic schedule only allows for a fast shower and a dab of moisturizer."

Having an abundance of leisure time would be absolutely fantastic. It would allow us to organize our days, prepare nutritious meals with little calories, exercise whenever we want, and indulge in self-care without worrying about missing deadlines. That isn't going to happen anytime soon since our lives are just too busy. The first option is to give up and join the ranks of the overweight and unfit; the second is to devise a unique strategy that works with our daily routine and gets us where we want to go—maybe not as fast or in its entirety as we'd like, but still.

Everything about your life, from the time you spend there to the obligations and duties you bear, is unique to you. You have to figure out what can be realistically accommodated and what doesn't. Take into account the following suggestions:

1. Food

No diet is foolproof when eaten on the go, at a desk, or while riding the rubber chicken circuit. Find out what's causing you to gain even a pound if that's the case.

Take a look at your order if stopping for fast food on the way to an appointment is something you struggle with. These days, salads are offered at nearly every drive-thrus. If you remove the fried croutons and the packaged dressings from those salads, you can reduce the amount of fat they contain. Avoid sugary colas at all costs, bring your own container of low-calorie dressing, and drink (unsweetened) iced tea, black coffee, or diet soda.

Think about what you're consuming if you eat your lunch at your desk. A cheeseburger or sandwich is perfectly acceptable for takeout. Eating these using a plastic fork and knife, sliced into pieces the size of raisins, can quickly satisfy your hunger, and you won't even need the bread or bun. Onion rings with French fries? Wow! I really don't think you should go there.

Like most workplaces these days, does yours constantly have snacks and treats? You should either use the restroom or, even better, go for a quick jog around the building while the snacks come by. This will strengthen your "won't" power and remove any thoughts of delicacies from your mind.

Preparation is key if you want to succeed at business dinners, lunches, or those dreadful meeting banquets. Salads (dressed to your liking, of course) or sandwiches made with cottage cheese and fish are easy options for lunch. Swap out your entree with two low-calorie appetizers for dinner. Nothing beats a labor-intensive dish like crab legs, unpeeled shrimp, or an artichoke (remove the hollandaise, please)—it will be worth it in the end, and no one will ever know that you're watching what you eat.

One of the most challenging aspects of banquets is the sight of a plate piled high with items you would never want to eat. Chop up any veggies and protein you can find and chew them thoroughly. Reshape the remaining portion onto your plate and manipulate it to postpone the arrival of a sweet, sticky dessert. In order to resist the persistent attempt by the too enthusiastic waiter to bring you a slice of pie, grab a black coffee and set it firmly on your table.

Because you normally know the hostess and want to avoid making a terrible impression, hosting an event at your home adds a new layer of difficulty. No one wants to see you go all out at their party, so just say you have allergies. You can fool everyone into thinking you're drinking nothing by bringing along a bottle of club soda or mineral water.

These seemingly insignificant adjustments can add up to big changes in your weight over time. Be prepared to meet your daily nutritional needs with a health shake or liquid protein if you're hungry upon returning home.

2. Work out.

Joining a gym is something that millions of us do sincerely. The streets would be lined with people eager to use them if we all did what we say we would and used them frequently. Health clubs may keep adding members at a steady rate because they anticipate that regulars will remain around the same and that newcomers will arrive with a flurry of excitement but quickly lose interest.

Regular commitments are hard to make unless you have a job with set hours, which isn't something many of us are happy about these days. Every time we plan to travel, something unexpected happens, like a major meeting, our significant other demands our attention, or the kids beg us to take them elsewhere.

We practically have no choice but to workout at home due to the hectic pace of our lives. Home workout machines that claim to sculpt our complete bodies, define our pects, and flatten our abs abound on television. We are well aware that our flats will never be able to fit a Bowflex or Nordic Track, no matter how much they insist that the equipment folds up conveniently. Who are these purchasers? We assume this to be true in suburban areas, where pricey machinery is likely to collect dust in a basement or garage until the next yard sale. Except for simple devices like hand weights and elastic bands, using equipment is a major pain and requires too much time to set up.

Exercise is more likely to become a regular part of your routine if you choose activities that don't require much in the way of setup, specific attire, or uninterrupted time. There is a good reason why the tried-and-true methods of yoga, calisthenics, weighted stretches, push-ups, and sit-ups have endured. With no preparation required beyond a brief warm-up, they may be seamlessly integrated into your hectic schedule at inconvenient times throughout the day. This is also true of some of the more recent programs, such as callanetics, Pilates (parts of it), killer exercises, and video workouts.

If you happen to come across a spare thirty minutes, go for a stroll and, if possible, add a little sprinting to make the most of it.

Even if this plan doesn't transform you into Mr. or Ms. Universe, it will keep you flexible and somewhat fit without causing you to feel guilty when you aim too high and don't reach them.

3. Making sure you're healthy.

According to what we have all read, Cleopatra used asses' milk in her baths to make her skin look whiter and smoother. Oh my goodness, she was a queen! There was no need for her to brave the morning rush hour traffic on her way to the office. There was no obligation for her to tend to a spouse, a home, or a kid. If you weren't so busy with housework, laundry, finishing that report for the office, helping the kids with their homework, making supper, and picking up Aunt Mildred from the airport, you'd have time to take a relaxing bath.

Our need for self-care is something we are well-aware of. Our goal is to delay the inevitable onset of aging by engaging in the habits that will keep us young. In an ideal world, we'd indulge in a long shower or bath every day, use a loofah and scrubbing powders to exfoliate our skin, lather up with lotions and skin softeners, and use specialized cleansers, masques, and skin brighteners to treat our hair and face.

Life gets in the way once again. We have a simple regimen that includes removing makeup, using a toner, and moisturizing. On occasion, we will take the time to give ourselves a facial or a special oil treatment, and when we can, we will wash our hair. Full motivation is difficult to maintain when the effects of aging are transient and quick to fade. "I will get to it when I have more time," is what we tell ourselves. The jowls have enlarged, wrinkles have begun to appear, and the skin bears the marks of time, wind, and gravity. Then we lament the carelessness with which we've treated our appearance throughout the years and work to reverse the effects of gravity.

Do not budge from your brisk daily schedule. You could take more time for self-care if you woke up earlier, but you already suffer from sleep deprivation, much like the majority of Americans in the working age bracket.

Finding a time each week when you can set aside some time to relax is one option. When they're busy taking care of other people, women tend to neglect their own needs, which leads to self-sufficiency. Claim that two-hour window like it's your own lifeblood. Keep it to yourself. Put it to use by applying intensive treatments to your hair or face. Listen to music, take a rain dance, or just relax with it. Let it soothe your mind, soul, and body. Put your thoughts, aspirations, and aspirations into action by using it. Put it to good use by reflecting on your blessings and how far you've come. Make use of it to become your own confidant and best friend, and to map out your future self-development.

Our desires and basic necessities go unfulfilled because our lives are constantly consumed by obligations. No matter how hectic our schedules are, we can always find time for ourselves—we just have to be really determined. The moment to start being confident in who you are is now. A little sunshine would do you good, too.


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