When you’re a busy person, it can be easy to use your schedule as an excuse for why you’re not lean and you’re not hitting your fitness goals. But it’s time to put an end to that. There are loads of time-saving things you can do to keep yourself lean and healthy despite your hectic schedule!


BATCH COOKING

How many times per week do you eat junk food because you don’t have time or you’re too tired to cook?

By batch cooking food before you start the week, you can save yourself time, save money, and make sure you’re eating healthy, nutritious food.

There are hundreds of options to give you inspiration for what to cook. Or you can use a meal prep company who will send you meals every week – though this will be more expensive than doing the prep yourself.


COMPOUND EXERCISES

How are you spending your time in the gym? Are you sure that you’re getting the most out of your time?

If you’re short on time, you need to make sure you’re working as many muscle groups as possible in your training.

You should be focused on compound movements – exercises in which you are moving more than one joint.

Think of squats, deadlifts, bench presses, overhead presses, pull-ups, etc.

That’s not to say you can’t do any isolation exercises. It can be hard to turn your back completely on biceps curls. But just make sure that the majority of your time is spent doing these compound exercises.


INCREASE CALORIES BURNED THROUGH DAILY ACTIVITIES

One of the easiest ways to burn extra calories is through your daily activities. This can be done in any number of ways:

Stand up while talking on the phone

Take the stairs

Having walking meetings

Park further away from work


SLEEP BETTER

Sleep can have a massive impact on your training, your ability to build muscle, how your body burns fat, and your overall performance and mood. Make sure you’re getting the best sleep possible by:

Going to sleep and waking up at the same time every day

Staying away from the snooze button

Avoiding caffeine 10 hours before bed

Limiting your exposure to screens for 30-60 minutes before sleep

Elevated screen time at any point in the day can lead to much greater risks of overweight and obesity. But in the hours before bed, your body will be getting signals from the screen that it’s meant to stay awake. This will make it much more difficult for your body to get into deep sleep where you will get the most benefit.


EAT SMARTER

There are a few other things you can quickly adjust to if you’re wanting to eat smarter without spending your whole life planning your macronutrient intake:

If you’re not training today, don’t eat carbs. Restricting carbohydrate intake can be controversial. But limiting your carb intake on days when you’re not training will reduce the risk of your body storing excess energy as fat.

Don’t drink your calories. People often don’t realise how many calories they’re consuming in their drinks. Fizzy drinks, fruit juice, milky coffees, alcohol – all of these can have a massive impact on your daily calorie intake and your subsequent weight gain.

Control your cravings! Protein shakes and bars can be a good way to curb your cravings. When you’ve had a long day and you’re starting to crash, it can be hard to resist a chocolate bar. But a quick protein shake or bar can help to give your body the satisfaction it needs without completely derailing your dietary progress!

Staying healthy doesn’t have to take up all your time. I’m not saying by doing these things you’re going to look like Rambo. But it will go a long way to help keep you lean and healthy!

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