Sleigh the Holidays: Dietitian Tips
Many of us lead busy lives, juggling family, work, and other commitments. Add in the holiday season and it seems nearly impossible to stay on track with your health. As a result, we often throw in the towel, prioritizing everything else over-exercising, eating healthily, and taking breaks. However, if we keep waiting for the ideal time to start developing a new habit or program, it will assume that when we get busy again, we'll stop. The best time to start making a change is when we are busy. Learn how to make it work in the worst condition, and it will stick in the best.
Quick and Easy Meals that Satisfy
Sure, you may not be able to eat perfectly portioned meals as much as you’d like throughout this holiday season with all the get-togethers and events. Why not make meals ahead of time that you can portion and freeze so you can never say those 4 words, “There’s nothing to eat!” Preparing your meals in advance can help you maintain a healthy diet while at work and prevent you from buying fast food. Similarly, preparing your dinners ahead of time can be extremely convenient if you have long work hours and little energy to cook when you get home.
Once you get the hang of prepping meals in advance, you will find that it saves a lot of time and money, whilst keeping you on the healthy track. Even prepping just one of your three meals a day can make your life much easier. Our produce box is perfect for those who love to cook and encourages fiber and antioxidant-rich produce in your weekly meal planning.
You know what else is easy when you work long hours and don’t feel like cooking? N4L meal delivery! Choose a 10 or 15-count Pick Your Own box and let us do the prep and cooking for you. We deliver meals fresh to your door and ready to heat and eat. Choose from breakfast, lunch, or dinner. All meals can be frozen (except salads, of course) if you don’t quite need 10-15 a week. You can also speak with one of our amazing customer service reps to change the frequency of your meal delivery. Try us out and let us give you some time back in your day!
Take Advantage of Technology
A wide range of apps can help you incorporate healthy eating habits into a busy schedule. Need a reminder to drink water? There are apps for that. Need a reminder to stand up every hour? There’s an app for that, too. Take advantage of technology to help keep you on track this holiday season.
We are excited to announce we are launching our own app, N4L Health soon! It will be available on Apple and Google play stores for free! We wanted to create an inclusive space to help you manage your subscriptions, activity, sleep, fasting window, view program modules, and schedule appointments with a registered dietitian.
Get Yourself A Good Reusable Water Bottle
Staying hydrated can be challenging, especially when you have a busy schedule. It's easy to forget to drink enough water during the day. However, having a good quality reusable water bottle nearby can make it easier to stay hydrated (even better if it has a straw!) Opt for a bottle that keeps the water cool throughout the day for the best experience, unless of course you prefer room temperature water. Keep your water bottle with you at all times and place it in plain sight on your desk or workstation, rather than in your bag where it may be forgotten.
Smart Snacking
Spend Less Time Sitting
You may have heard you should aim for 10,000 steps/day. While that’s a great goal to have, it may be difficult if you have an office-type job without many breaks. Start with your baseline. See how many steps you get on a normal day without much additional effort. Set a goal to increase that amount a little more each week. Exercise doesn’t always mean hitting the gym or heading outside for a walk. There are some creative ways to get more steps in throughout the day:- Pace the bathroom while you brush your teeth.
- Do some lunges while you wait for water to boil or your leftovers to reheat in the microwave.
- Park the car at the other end of the parking lot from work or the store so you have to walk farther to get to the building.
- If you have more than one bathroom available, use the one that's farther away (bonus if it’s on a different floor so you have to take the stairs).
- Take a walk on your lunch break.
- Take your dog for a longer walk than usual or offer to walk a neighbor's dog.
- Take the stairs instead of the elevator or escalator if you can.
- Walk around the kitchen while you wait for your coffee to brew.
- Carry shopping bags from your car to the house one at a time so you have to take multiple trips.
- Do some jumping jacks or pushups during commercials while watching TV.