Fitting Healthy Habits Into Your Busy Life - Tips to Get More Nutrition and Fitness into Your Day

As a busy working mom you meet the needs of your family all day but often neglect your own needs, including healthy eating and exercise. Running your kids around all day may feel like a workout, but you need dedicated exercise time to keep weight under control, strengthen your muscles and bones, feel energized and improve your overall health.

I know life as a busy mom might make free time, let alone exercise, seem like a fantasy. But with some creativity you can find different ways to incorporate exercise into your busy routine. And with some planning you can add more healthy nutritious meals to your diet

This advice alone can change your life , we are in a constant state of dehydration , our thirst centers are so dulled that we don’t even feel dehydrated, and what is worse is that our brains have come to misinterpret thirst as hunger so instead of drinking we eat more food . Keeping a large water bottle nearby can be your best investment and you will start feeling the energy immediately

In order to develop the most efficient meal plan, you need to organize a meal plan each week or month in advance. Just like you create a family budget, you should also generate a family meal plan. Create a preplanned menu using a monthly calendar so that you don't have to face the daily question "what's for dinner today".

In order to save time on your meal plans, try also to plan out your groceries for the entire week or month. Always have a list available of all the ingredients you will need for each meal. This will not only save you time , but it will also save you money as you purchase only what you need so you don’t fall prey to impulse buying.

Most stores offer prepackaged frozen ready to cook foods like lean meat cuts , fish and poultry , and even pre-washed and cut salad .having these ingredients ready can be a great time saver, and can save you from making the wrong choice when you don’t have healthy alternatives available

It is easy to walk over to the vending machine which offers nothing but high calorie food , but if you prepare your lunch and healthy snacks the night before you will not be in such a rush in the busy morning hour and you will ensure a healthy thought out lunch . Also have a bag of nuts , dry fruits or cucumber and carrots for snacks. You will feel more full, have more stable blood sugar and get a bunch of vitamins and minerals as well

Brown several pounds of hamburger in advance and then freeze in portioned bags or containers for later use. Chicken breasts can be cooked in advance and then frozen for later use. Have bagged salads ready for a quick salad meal and dice fresh vegetable toppings in advance such as red peppers, cucumbers, carrots, tomatoes and cucumbers.

Make it a habit to cook double the quantity you need and freeze the extra meal for later use . This way you will have 50% more free time to enjoy doing other activities such as working out or having a walk

As a mom, spending quality time with your family is one of the most important goals you may have. Because of so many commitments and time constraints, it can seem almost impossible to sit down to a nice meal with everyone. If your family expects a home-cooked meal every night, you want to make sure you are not spending all of your time preparing your meals, but rather enjoying your family's company Preparing your meals in advance will give you the chance to enjoy meal time together.

Not all meal plans should fall on your shoulders . Asking for group participation with meal preparation, cooking and clean up can turn into a responsible learning experience for your children. Some families will enjoy taking turns cooking certain nights of the week. Even toasting bagels or buttering toast can make smaller children feel as if they are helping out at breakfast time. This will help take the work load off of you.

There are hundreds of exercises for burning fat.It is recommended that you have 30 minutes of exercise every day , and the good news is that you don't even have to do it in one stretch .You can break it down , so fitting a couple of minutes here and there will still give you the benefits of exercise

You can get creative and fit exercise while doing something else .Invest in an exercise bike or treadmill so that you can jog or pedal while you watch TV or read a favorite book

You can use your workout time to both get fit and stay close to your loved ones whether your close friends or your spouse or kids , so try to capture the opportunities to hit the gym together or share a home workout video

You can save time on the less important activities by multitasking them for example you can cook while watching your favorite program on TV

Instead of watching TV in the company of a bag of chips you can have a nice walk with a friend

To keep close to your friends you can plan shopping time together, and if you can walk to a nearby store you will have hit 3 birds with one stone

Striving to get the most out of your time should never be at the expense of your sleep

Getting enough sleep is essential to materialize the energy gain and it will also help you control your weight since inadequate sleep can lead to overeating

So stat now to incorporate those habits into your life and you will reap the benefits . Even applying a couple of them at a time can gradually build these habits.