Do you feel like you have enough time for yourself every day? No, me neither, and sadly neither do millions of other people. It feels like everything’s happening so fast: our schedules are hectic, we barely have time to eat and sleep, let alone meet the deadlines in schools and offices, and by the end of the day we can barely take our makeup off. So how can a busy girl manage to stay healthy and prepare her bikini body? It can easily be done if you follow these simple tips:
Morning stretches
Nothing feels better than stretching your body fully when you wake up in the morning. This is because your muscles lose tone so the fluid pools around your back, so you wake up feeling bloated and usually weak.
Stretching for only ten minutes brings the fluid back to its normal position and your muscles regain their strength and flexibility, making you feel better. When you make a habit out of this you won’t feel any pain in your joints and you will also notice that it soothes your headaches too. You can also try yoga, not only will it make you stronger and more flexible, but you will feel energized and calmer before you start the day.
Drink more water
Of course, we drink water when we’re thirsty, but staying hydrated during the day means more than just sipping a glass of water over the course of three hours. When you drink water, you feel refreshed, your mood is better and you don’t have headaches. Drinking water also helps your body get rid of toxins and bacteria, but it can also help you lose weight.
A lot of times when we feel hungry, we’re actually thirsty and drinking water can help suppress your appetite until your lunch break. Also, drinking flavored water is much better than drinking sodas and you can easily make your own flavor.
Plan your meals
Shopping for food without a plan and a list can result in disaster and complications later on in the kitchen. When you come back home and realize that you’ve forgotten a key ingredient you might want to toss everything in the trash and call in takeout.
Take some time to prepare for your shopping trips by planning your meals a week in advance: browse the recipes and write down what you want to try and what you need to buy. This way you will be excited for cooking, and when you actually eat something you’ve taken the time to prepare, you will see that it tastes ten times better than any takeout.
Healthy snacks
Many people believe that eating healthy means never eating any sweets or pasta, especially when you’re trying to lose weight but that isn’t correct. You can indulge and eat delicious meals and desserts if only you make small changes and choose healthy snacks over candy bars and chips.
Make delicious pancakes with protein powder and eat them with raw honey, dip fresh fruit in dark chocolate, and make your own vegan cakes with raw ingredients. Feel free to eat pizza but try making it with cauliflower crust and bake your own chips in the oven. Not only are these super easy to make, but they’re also healthy and delicious alternatives to high-calorie snacks you buy at the store.
Regular exercise
Everybody knows that you can never get that lean, muscular body without some serious workout, but how can you incorporate workouts in your busy schedule? You can start by changing some of your habits: instead of driving to work try riding a bike, or park your car a few blocks away and walk for a while. Use the stairs whenever you can and forget about escalators for a while, it will help you get leaner and put on some muscles.
Another good idea is to start going on long walks with your friend every night, offer to walk your neighbor’s dog, or take up dancing lessons with your best friend – you won’t notice that you’re working out while trying to memorize the complicated choreography.
Rest
When you work hard and you enter that ‘work mode’ it can be difficult to slow down and relax. Still, resting and relaxing are as important as eating healthy and working out, so make sure you have some ‘me time’ every week. Enjoy a glass of wine while taking a long bubble bath, watch your favourite TV show and eat some popcorn, try some relaxing colouring books for adults, or meditate every evening before going to bed so you can fall asleep easier.
We always start out with these big plans and a lot of motivation, but then life happens and we soon lose focus. Be realistic and don’t be too hard on yourself if you feel lazy on some days, but try to compensate for it and stick to the plan you’ve worked so hard on. This way, even when you have a ‘cheat, lazy day’ it won’t feel like a disaster because you know you’ll make up for it soon enough.
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What are your tips to keep your body healthy and strong? Let me know in the comments! I love hearing from you!
Good article, very well thought out with ways to ensure a healthy balance with todays busy times.
These are very good tips. I agree small changes can make a huge difference, I definitely agree that a lot of times you think you are hungry when you are actually dehydrated.
I’ve been trying to drink more water lately I add some fresh fruit to give it a bit of flavor.