4 Ways to Make Your 9-5 Schedule Work for You

Movement and nutrition strategies to make your schedule work for you – no matter how busy and stressful it feels!

How many times have you let your busy schedule get in the way of your fitness goals? Somehow, even though you know better, your work priorities and deadlines take precedence over your own health and wellness.

Even though you know you feel better/focus better/have more energy when you workout every day and eat well, exercise and healthy habits are the first thing to drop off your to-do list when your schedule feels overwhelming. Comfort food and the couch look better when you’re dealing with stress and the idea of choosing to exercise seems silly when you’re faced with a stressful job situation.

But did you know that exercise and healthy eating have a direct relationship with stress relief?

Cardio pumps up your endorphins – feel good neurotransmitters in your brain. Exercise improves your mood, help you relax and increase self-confidence. At the same time, it counteracts the stress chemicals released in your body and brain in those “fight or flight” situations. And yes, your body interprets stressful deadlines, presentations and work schedules as fight or flight.

And you probably already know that even though comfort foods – like a pizza or mc and cheese – feel good in the moment, that food high doesn’t last long. Comfort foods tend to be high in fat, sugar and sodium which end up leaving you feeling bloated and less than stoked about your food choices. Which leads to…more stress. Meanwhile, focusing on a higher protein, higher vegetables and healthy fat diet keeps your energy up, your mind focused and your metabolism revving on high.

1st, Use Your Existing Schedule to Set Times for Movement

Do you ever notice how the days that you have nothing going on, it’s harder to get motivated? Yet on days that you have to set your alarm for something, you tend to fill the rest of your day rather easily. Here’s how to make that schedule work for you.

Use the fact that you already have an existing schedule – a reason to set your alarm in the morning and get a move on – to schedule set blocks of time for conscious exercise. What that looks like is completely up to you.

If you have 60 minutes before or after work, great! But don’t schedule your workouts for before or after workout unless you know you can commit. If you’re a morning person, a pre-work sweat session might be the best thing for you. It’ll wake you up, get your blood pumping and set your body into go mode. If that sounds miserable to you, plan on working out later in the day – lunch time or after you’re out for the day.

If you don’t have a 60 minute chunk of time to commit to, that’s okay too! Block off 2, 30-minute sessions or 3, 20-minute sessions instead. A couple sets of dumbbells is an easy investment that will allow you to get a strength workout in or a quick HIIT session, whenever you have the time.

2nd, Take Advantage of Work Time to Increase NEAT

N.E.A.T.: non-exercise activity thermogenesis. In essence, all N.E.A.T. is all of the energy you expend doing all of the things in life besides set workouts and sleep! Walking, working, typing, taking the stairs, fidgeting…all of that adds up. And honestly? Most of us don’t get enough of it.

(p.s. did you know that NEAT is actually a key factor in keeping your metabolism running on high?).

The most reliable way to go about increasing N.E.A.T. is to set a reminder. Set an alarm to go off every 1-2 hours. When it goes off, get up from your desk and take a 5-10 minute walking break. It doesn’t necessarily have to be a break from work. You can use the time to bring paperwork to a co-worker. Or you could take a “walking meeting” (on the phone or in person).

Other options to increase N.E.A.T. at work:

• Get a stand up desk
• Or a stability ball chair
• Park further away
• Or bike to work
• Or bike to the next train station
• Take the stairs instead of the elevator or escalator
• Take your lunch break outside and go for a walk

3rd, Pack Your Own Health-Focused Lunch

If you’ve heard me say it once, you’ve heard me say it a thousand times: if the food (healthy, unhealthy or somewhere in between), is there…someone (maybe you), will eat it. Packing your own lunch gives you a unique opportunity. It’s sort of a forced meal plan. And if you do it right, then packing and eating lunch – or any other meal for that matter – is actually to your advantage!

I know that personally, when I’m looking for lunch at home I’m going to grab the easiest option. If that’s a salad because the ingredients are prepped, awesome. But if all that is available is leftovers from a splurge meal or the dregs of our last grocery shopping trip, that’s lunch.

Planning and bringing your own lunch will save you calories and money! Here’s how to do it:

• Count how many meals you need. Take timing into consideration. Should you pack snacks? Breakfast too?
• Invest in microwave, dishwasher and freezer safe reusable storage containers. Consider getting a lunch box and freezer packs too.
• Streamline your menu. Rather than create a different meal for each day, create a basic meal and get creative with the final touches.
• Block off 1-2 hours on Sunday to prep some ingredients.

For example, cook up 2-3 cups of quinoa. Grill chicken thighs and hard boil eggs. Roast peppers, onions and broccoli. Whip up a couple of healthy sauces, vinaigrettes and dressings. Make sure that you have fresh greens, tomatoes and other favorite veggies on hand. Just like that, you have what it takes to mix and match all week for a fresh and flavorful take on the same ingredients!

A couple of *extras* I like to always have on hand to make flavors pop: seeds/chopped nuts, hot sauce, citrus fruit, fresh herbs and spices.

Finally, Use Exercise as the Separation Between Work and Home

Sometimes it’s hard to leave work behind. Believe me, I’ve been known to bring the stressful days home with me. Your workout can serve as a healthy buffer between work life and home life.

Think of your after-work sweat session as a buffer zone. A solid 1-2 hours that you can turn off the stress of work – the deadlines, the crabby co-workers, the micromanager boss. Enough time to channel your stress into a tough workout. By the time you leave the gym and head home, you’ll feel clear headed, more energized and less stressed.

Better for you and your family!

*COVID-19 has restructured the way a lot of us live and work. But whether your office is in the city or at home, you have a commute or you don’t, or you’re faced with a 9-5 or a “get the work done before the deadline” kind of situation, these tips can help! A little bit of planning and preparation is all it takes to make your schedule work for you – no matter how crazy it feels.