You get home early and have a few minutes to spare before the kids get home. You find yourself waiting on the repairman who should arrive any minute. You’re sitting at the salon waiting for your appointment.
We all have breaks in our days. And most of us (me included!) fill those minutes with time-wasting activities. We want to lose weight, but we claim we’re too busy for healthy habits like cooking or exercising. Why not shift our habits and see how much we can really accomplish?
Instead of doing what most of us do with those five minutes here and there ― check our email, peruse social media, or watch five more minutes of that TV show that’s not even good ― choose one of these and make healthy habits fit easily into your hectic life.
Take this list and start making use of your wait time. Some you can do anywhere, while others are perfect for downtime at home. But you can do them all in five minutes or less.
1. Chop veggies (carrots, bell pepper, celery, cucumber, zucchini, onions). You’ll have dinner prepped or healthy snacks all ready to go.
2. Portion out nuts in small containers or plastic baggies so you have quick healthy snacks to grab.
3. Cut a lemon or lime and put in the freezer so you can easily add a wedge to your water bottle. It will get you drinking more water!
4. Go through your fridge or pantry and pull out anything outdated or unhealthy. Trash it or put it in a bag to give away. Pull the healthy food to the front. Five minutes is better than nothing and will make a big difference!
5. Write your breakfast, lunch or dinner plan for the week.
6. Write a grocery list. You will save time at the store and be much more likely to avoid junk food if you go in on a mission.
7. Squats, push-ups, lunges, wall sit, you get the idea. All of these exercises are tough but don’t take long to be effective. You won’t get too sweaty from five minutes so don’t worry about your work clothes!
8. Pull out your phone and track your food for the day on a fitness app like MyFitnessPal. Be honest and assess how you’re doing.
9. Text a friend and make a date for a run or yoga class. Then stick to it!
10. Make a smoothie. Maybe you have to leave the blender in the sink to clean later, but you can make it! Drink it, bring it with you, or put it in a mason jar in the fridge for later. When you need that snack or breakfast and remember this is waiting for you, you will be loving yourself! My go-to favorite: 1 cup unsweetened almond milk, 1 cup leafy greens, ½ frozen banana, ½ cup frozen blueberries, 1 tablespoon chia seeds, 1 tablespoon almond butter or 1 scoop of non-soy, plant-based protein powder. Blend and enjoy!
I know you’ll be surprised at how much time you really have. Build in healthy habits and weight loss will become easier. No more excuses!
