Hello Everyone!

 

 Christina Moore told me a bit about all of you, and it seems a common denominator is you all work very hard and lead very busy lives.  This is awesome, but you must remember to take good care of yourself - body, mind and spirit - so that you can continue to live a fun and fast paced life for many, many years to come!

 

Start with nutrition.  Ask yourself if you get the basic number of servings from the basic food groups every day.  Most of us don't!  Do you get at least three lean dairy, two lean protein, tons of veggies (okay, at least 3-5), at least 2 fruit, and some whole grain foods along with your other grains most days?  Keep track for a few days and find out where you are low and where you are high.  Then go to work to balance things out so you are getting all your proper nutrients. I always suggest getting on your computer and using your search engine and the words "quick, easy, inexpensive __________ recipes" (fill in the blank with whatever you crave or are looking for to balance out your diet).  There are many great websites out there. 

 

People as busy as you all are need to try to eat every few hours (called grazing) to keep your blood sugar running evenly and to keep you full of energy.  Learn to pack along snacks, mini meals, have things at your office and in your gym bags and cars.  The more organized you are, the easier it will be.  I attached some recipes for things like healthy trail mix and  hummus that might help you to get started.

 

Are you well hydrated?  Try to get at least a couple of quarts of fluids per day (lots of water!).  Carry along a water bottle.  Studies show that dehydrated people feel fatigue twice as fast as hydrated ones.

 

Finally, I highly recommend a basic multivitamin for most people.  Unless you are eating perfectly every day, this can be a great "insurance blanket" for your body.  Take them with food.  Brand doesn't matter, just find one that has a "USP" logo on the bottle (this means it's been checked out for potency, content, dissolvability, etc.).

 

Then, let's move to exercise.  This can suffer in busy lifestyles as well.  We've all got to learn to fit in some physical activity most days of the week.  Remember that minutes can add up throughout the day, so if you only have time for a brief walk before work, sometime during the day and for a few minutes at the end of the day, go for it, every bit counts. Find things you enjoy.  Let your body renew itself through movement.

 

I highly suggest interval training for busy folks.  My favorite suggestion is to warm up (3-5 minutes of walking or something that gets blood flowing), then something cardio for about 5 minutes (walk, bike, elliptical, jog, whatever), then strength train a muscle or two for a few minutes, then 5 minutes more cardio, then another muscle, then cardio, then muscle, you get the idea.  Within 30-45 minutes you can have a cardio and strength workout completely finished and you feel great!  This can also be done with just cardio: warm up, go hard, go lighter, go harder, go lighter, etc.  Shaking it up and challenging the body (and reducing boredom!) makes it fun.

 

Whatever you do for exercise, make it a priority.   You'll be sharper and more efficient in a body that is fit and that has an outlet for stress through exercise.

 

So that takes care of knowing what to do (our MINDS) with our BODIES.  That leaves our SPIRITS!

 

Fuel those spirits as well.  Life is so precious and so wonderful.  Take time for you.  Find things that truly make you happy and make time for them.  I'm a big believer in meditation, even for just 5 minutes per day.  Find time to take some deep breaths (not a cliché, studies show how much difference deep, slow breathing makes to brain patterns and moods) each day.  Find a great book that speaks to you and read small daily passages to connect to the things that you know are most important in your life.  Perhaps do some journaling.  You have heard all of these things before, but are you practicing them?  To find balance, all parts of us must be nurtured.

 

Phew!  Plenty to think about, eh? 

 

Best wishes and a balanced life to all of you,

 

Hilary

 

January 2008 Speaker:

                        Hilary Horton-Brown, RD, LD, CPT

                        Boise State University Nutrition and Fitness Counselor