When the Forecast Shows Periods of High Stress and Little Time
By: Alicia Stallings on (0 comments)
We’ve all had those times: times when we’re so busy with family obligations or work that we don’t seem to have time to take care of our health. Exercise falls by the wayside and healthy, intentional food choices are replaced with whatever is in the fridge and within hand’s reach. But there is a form of this sort of business that is particularly detrimental to one’s health and physique, that is ironically ignored. I’m talking about those times in your life when, for whatever reason, you are confined to one spot, or a limited amount of space, and forced to remain there for weeks on end until the task or obligation is complete. Sure, you may get up to shower and eat, run to the grocery store, or even go to the office every day. But by and large, most of your waking hours are spent working on that task.
About now, you may be asking yourself ‘when does that happen? When would I ever be in a situation that would prevent me from moving?’ Well allow me to jog your memory: remember that time when your girlfriend was getting married and couldn’t afford to have center pieces or invitations for the ceremony made, so you had to pitch in to help her make them all? What about that time the taxes were due in a few weeks and you waited until the last minute to start looking for receipts? How about when your thesis was due in a few weeks and you still had forty pages to write? What about when you had your first child and were on maternity leave from work?
Fact is ladies, life’s obligations and deadlines will put us in situations that prevent us from making the moves to maintain a healthy lifestyle. So the question is: what can one do to make sure that her healthy lifestyle doesn’t get shot, even when she has to stay in one spot? The answer my friends, is preparation. I recently found myself facing this very issue. Studying hard for a graduate school admissions exam that I was going to take in three weeks, I did not have the time to prepare healthy meals every day, nor did I have the time to spend my typical five hours a week at the gym. I needed every moment to study. So what allowed me to maintain some semblance of normalcy and healthfulness? The key was anticipating the hard times to come and setting up my refrigerator and space in advance.
First and foremost I spent time to prepare. For a full day before I began my intensive study regimen, I ran errands and wrapped up loose ends so that I could focus once I started. In addition to making necessary phone calls, paying bills and making a study plan, I made a health plan. I started by making a general plan for the meals and snacks I would eat during my three weeks of chaos. I then went to the grocery store to obtain the foods and snacks that fit into the plan, and spent a few hours cooking staple dishes to be frozen, so that I could eat them during my darkest hours when I was stressed for time.
I also made an exercise plan. Bearing in mind my spatial and temporal limitations, I made plan for integrating movement into my daily study breaks, including various activities to target different muscle groups. One day I focused on my triceps, another on my obliques, another on my cardiovascular health, and so on. All the exercises I selected required minimal space, time and equipment.
The result of my efforts? Well, I cannot say that I didn’t gain a pound or that stress eating never took place during those three weeks. Indeed, spending fourteen hours sitting in virtually the same spot every day, I’m not sure anyone could claim these things. But what I can say is that with prudent planning, the snacks available to me during those times of stress were low-calorie and high-nutrient, the meals I prepared in advance spared me excessive sodium and fat intake because I ordered out less, and the exercises I performed made my transition back to the gym smoother than it would have otherwise been. For these things, I am grateful.
So when the forecast shows upcoming periods of high stress and little free time, take a few moments to prepare if you can. It may make all the difference.
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