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If there is anything I’ve learned about balancing a busy lifestyle and trying to maintain my health and fitness goals; it is that organization is the key to it all. Life gets busy and the days seem to fill up with to-do’s faster than ever. Creating a system has helped me to balance working out consistently, working full time, and running my blog. Below are 5 ways that I’ve organized my life to achieve my health and fitness goals.
Reminders, Reminders, & More Reminders
We are always on our phones, so why not use them for what they are. Virtual assistants that are always available to us.
My brain is always going 100 miles a minute, so forgetting things is very easy for me these days. I add reminders to my phone for the days I am planning to workout, as well as reminders to do health and fitness related tasks.
I try to drink hot water with ginger and lemon each morning, so I have a reminder in my phone for that.
Set reminders for any of the fitness related tasks you have on your list. Those tasks can include:
- Meal prepping for the week ahead
- Your evening routine (more to come on that)
- Healthy snack reminders
- Reminders to plan your workouts
Develop An Evening Routine
I know that when most people think of routines they think of them being boring, but routines are a necessary part of adulting.
An evening routine is the difference between I’m running late and I have time to do the things I need to do. I try to workout in the mornings before work because I can always find 30 excuses to not go after the workday.
With the current quarantine situation, I have switched to at home workouts, but my evening routine still applies.
I plan my workouts the night before and take out my workout clothes so that I am able to allow enough time to workout and get myself ready to be logged in to work on time. I’ve found that now more than ever having a good routine has been helpful for me. I am currently working out everyday, but if you plan to workout specific days set your reminder for the night before to plan your workout and get your workout clothes ready.
My routine when things are normal
Whether you are a morning or evening gym goer this routine will still help you. Pick a time that works for you and add a reminder to your phone to do your evening routine. If I know that I am going to the gym on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, I will set a reminder for 8 pm the night before each of those days (Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday, & Thursday) to do might evening routine.
The evening routine consists of packing my gym bag and making sure I have everything I need. Charged headphones, lifting gloves, and arm band for my phone/music. I also put out my workout clothes the night before and leave my workout shoes by the front door with my gym bag.
Creating and sticking to this routine has been super helpful because instead of scrambling in the morning and wasting time, I am able to quickly get up, drink some water and get myself ready to go to the gym.
This routine still applies if you are someone who works out in the evenings. Pack your bag the night before and leave it by the door.
Meal Prep
Meal prep is just a fancy word us bloggers created that essentially means eating leftovers. Pick a day each week that realistically works for you and plan out your meals for the week.
For me this looks like this. Plan out food for the following week on Friday’s, grocery shop on Saturday, and cook meals for the following week on Sunday.
I’m not going to lie, I get super bored of eating the same thing everyday ( you will not see my counter filled with 5 of the same meals), but if this works for you, you can take that approach.
For me meal prepping means making a batch of egg muffins, putting oatmeal and toppings (nuts, fruit) into separate zip lock bags. For lunch/dinner I usually cook 2 – 3 meals for the week (depending on what I have planned to make.
If salad is one of the meals I usually wait until the night before to cut up the veggies ( I like my veggies crunchy and fresh).
If you’re looking for some meal ideas check out my Free 7 Day Meal Planner or if you want to take it step further, I created 2 resources that I am calling the 14 Day Reboot. There is a version for meat eaters and vegetarians.
Keep A Planner
You’re probably thinking why do I need a planner if I have so many reminders in my phone? Stick with me because this will make sense.
The planner comes in handy for planning your workouts. We are getting our lives together so this is part of it. Map out the days you plan to workout each week and take it a step further and plan your workouts. There is nothing worse than going to the gym without a plan so utilize your planner to map those out. If you want to learn how to plan your workouts this post is a great resource for you.
A planner is also a great way to disconnect. Don’t get me wrong, I love my phone and I have loads of reminders in it, but sometimes I need time away from it.
In my planner I not only write down my workouts for each week, but I also include self care time, doc appointments, hair, nail, eyelash appointments, and I also use it to meal plan/prep each week.
Writing things down makes me feel accountable. It also helps me memorize things (think back to taking notes in school).
Keeping my health and self care planner has been a game changer for me. It keeps me on top of my appointments and it allows me to make and keep my health and fitness a priority.
Bringing It All Together
These simple steps are the difference between “I don’t have time for fitness” and “ I can make time to prioritize my health/fitness goals”. Take the time to organize your life and carve out time to put you first.
Remember we only get 1 body and we are the only ones who can take care of them. Be kind to yourself and also allow yourself grace if you do not get this right on the first try. Just don’t give up on you.