Imagine for a minute you had another couple of hours in your day. How would you use them? To sleep? Work out? Meal prep? Or visit your mum?
A recent study of 10,000 women^ revealed that most classify themselves as feeling overwhelmed or super busy. So while it’s a nice idea to think about what else we could squeeze into a day, it’s probably more realistic to think about how we can use the 24 hours we’re given and make them work better for us. So we’ve put together a few time saving tricks that can also boost your health and wellbeing.
Get screen clean
Do you need a digital detox? It’s true that many of us could clean up our act when it comes to the time we spend on our screens.
Start by taking stock of how many times a day you check your phone. If you’ve lost count, apps like Moment and Checky can help you keep track of how much time you spend on your device, and how many times a day you unlock it. Think you’re only on Insta for 20 minutes at a time? The actual number might surprise you. Also, turn off app notifications so those pesky little pop-ups don’t distract you all day and night.
At night, if you can leave your phone in another room on silent the temptation to check it won’t be there, but if you must have it close by, set it to silent and place it screen-side down so it won’t wake you.
Set a better bedtime
Set yourself a screen-down time every night at least an hour before you plan to go to sleep.
Make that a time for soothing, relaxing rituals like having a herbal tea and laying out your clothes for the next day, including your workout gear, so you can get up and go without having to strain your brain before it wakes up. As an added bonus, you could score yourself an extra 15 minutes sleep-in!
Feel-good fuel
In an ideal world we’d all have the time to sit down to three balanced, mindfully prepared meals a day. While that’s not always realistic, you can avoid exy, greasy takeaway. Get ahead by prepping your breakfast and lunch the night before so you can grab it and go in the morning.
If your work makes it possible to eat breakfast at your desk, you might find it’s a great time saver to have a container of cereal with some sliced banana while you’re checking your emails. And last night’s leftovers make a great next-day lunch, so if you make a slightly larger portion the night before you can pop it in a lunchbox and you’re good to go.
For those times when you find yourself on the go and feel like you’re running out of steam, back away from the pastries – you’ll be hungry and remorseful in half an hour. There’s a better choice that fuels you with low GI energy*.
UP&GO™ blends are a source of protein, fibre, and no artificial flavours or preservatives – just the delicious taste of milk, fruit, nuts and oats. In three fulfilling, flavourful blends: Banana+Cinnamon, Cocoa+Almond and Mango+Coconut, it’s on-the-go-goodness you can feel happy about. You can pick them up in packs of three in the cereal aisle, and they’re compact and convenient enough to keep in your gym bag or desk drawer when the hunger pangs strike.
Train for gain
A recent Women’s Health survey showed that 40% of women said being too tired has a major influence on their physical activity levels^. But it’s a known fact that exercise boosts energy levels and feelings of wellbeing, so it’s a double-edged sword.
If you feel you could be doing more or could be making more of training time, take a look at functional training. It’s a great way to get extra bang for your training buck. Many gyms and trainers offer 30 or 45 minute high-intensity workouts that get you in, work you hard and get you out in express time, so they’re ideal for busy people.
But remember, anything that gets you moving and focuses on your wellbeing, whether it’s a Pilates YouTube vid or a walk with the dog, is time well spent.
*Glycaemic Index (GI) value = 33 ^Source: The Health Check-up. Jean Hailes for Women’s Health Survey, 2017.
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