It’s 5:30pm already, and you are still at your desk.  The last time you got up was at 2:15pm for a bio break and a handful of almonds.  There are still plenty of unanswered emails, your family is talking about dinner and you are wondering where the time has gone since you sat down at 8am this morning.  So much for that walk at lunch and the 10 minutes of meditation you intended to do this morning.  Let’s not even get started on the kale salad you were supposed to bring for lunch. Almonds are a balanced meal right?   You know you’ve got to change something about the way you are caring for yourself because the current situation isn’t sustainable but how?

Choose one area to work on each week or month until you are getting it down.  Small changes are the way to big changes. Here are a few ideas…

Nutrition:

• Start Healthy – Prep a nice breakfast like non-fat Greek yogurt, berries and granola. Did you know you can microwave an egg to make an omelet in a bowl?  Just add salt pepper and cheese and voila.
• Plan Ahead – Buy or Pre-pack bags of nuts, cheese sticks, and apples to have at the ready when you can’t get away for lunch.
• Make a lunch date to discuss a work project. Then you can eat and be productive.

Move Your Body:

• Take a walking meeting. If you have to participate in a phone meeting, do it on your cell while walking around your building. If you need to catch up on a project, do it while taking a quick walk around the block.
• Do Christine Carter’s “Better than nothing workout”, 20 pushups, 20 lunges on each leg, and a one minute plank. It takes about 4 minutes.
• Check out Doyogawithme.com for 10 -15 minute free video workouts.
• Buy your business books on audio and listen to them while you walk.

Practice Mindfulness:

• After lunch when you are nodding off in front of your computer, take 6 minutes to meditate with one of our free recordings (beginners welcome).
• When you feel frazzled or frenetic, take 3 deep long breaths and do a quick check in with yourself. What do I need right now? Water, bio break, food, movement?
• Do mindful art in a coloring book. Color just one small element or set a timer for 5 minutes and color what you want.

If you begin to make one of these tiny efforts it will lead other efforts until your life begins to look a little different, and eventually a lot different than it is now.  Taking time for yourself is one of the kindest things you can do for your family, co-workers, and employer.