Between meetings, traveling for work, long days, and other obligations, it can be difficult for busy professionals to put their health and wellness first. We are bombarded with deadlines, last minute projects, and team responsibilities, which is why it’s no wonder that our bodies and minds aren’t our first priority.

But, taking care of yourself doesn’t have to be hard. When we think of health and fitness goals, we often think of major steps like hitting the gym every day of the week or becoming a 5-star health food chef. But in reality, we can all start small and more importantly, start at all. Let’s look at realistic health and wellness tips that even the busiest of professionals can stick to.

First, we will examine what health and wellness really means. Then, we will look at ways to be more active, eat healthier during the week, focus on your mental health as much as your physical health, simple meditation exercises you can do in the office or at home, and ways you can incorporate health and wellness into your workplace.

What Does Health and Wellness Really Mean?

We often hear buzzwords like “health and wellness” circle around, but what exactly do these terms mean? And more importantly, how can you incorporate them into your daily life?

When we talk about health, we’re really just using a general word to discuss our mental and physical well-being. This could mean increasing your endurance, lifting more weights, seeing a therapist, giving up drugs or alcohol because of their effects on your body, or whatever else “health” means to you!

Wellness is a little harder to nail down. Mind Body Green interviewed 12 people about “what wellness means to them” and their answered varied. Here are some of the most powerful ones:

• “Wellness to me…has been giving myself the permission to take time to take care of myself…to really give myself space and freedom to be with myself and my family.”
• “I think wellness is a feeling: when you just feel activated in all aspects of your body and your mind…and you just feel unstoppable.”
• “Wellness means the willingness to trust myself, to follow my instincts…It really means trusting myself, listening to myself, and slowing down long enough to really get a clear picture of what’s next.”

These are just a few examples of wellness and it will change based on the individual and their unique needs. But now that we have a good foundation for what we mean when we talk about health and wellness, let’s dive into realistic tips to incorporate these ideas into your busy life.

Be More Active

Our bodies are finely-tuned machines and run well on enough sleep, nutritious food, and exercise. Not only does being more active help you lose weight and maintain a healthy physique, but it is also a natural antidepressant, mood booster, helps increase your energy levels, and can help you focus more at work and get a better night’s sleep. The best part is, you don’t have to commit to a crazy gym schedule or push yourself to the limits to enjoy these benefits.

Staying active is hard, especially for busy professionals, so here are a few easy ways to get more movement into your day:

• Take a 5 or 10-minute break every hour or so and just do a quick walk outside. This will help get you moving, get you away from your desk, and provide some fresh air. Sitting at a desk all day is toxic for our health, so try to leave your desk regularly.
• Park further away from the entrance and walk
• Take the stairs instead of the elevator
• Try walking meetings! If you have a meeting that you don’t need your computer for, take the team outside and walk around for the duration of the meeting. You can even bring a pen and notebook along to take notes as you walk
• Invest in a standing desk. Studies show that people who use standing desks burn an average of 500 more calories a week than people who just sit down all day.

All of these tips are ways to get a little more movement throughout your day and they’re very realistic.

Eat Healthier During the Week

Eating healthy, nutrient-rich food makes us look and feel better, and it’s not too difficult to eat good during the week with some proper preparation. Most nutritionists suggest sticking to an 80/20 rule: eat healthy 80% of the time and having cheat meals 20% of the time. No one’s perfect and if you put too much pressure on yourself to always eat healthy, you may feel discouraged and give up. But conversely, sticking to this 80/20 rule is great for busy professionals.

Pack your lunches instead of eating out to save yourself money and calories. Lack of preparation is the most common reason why people end up eating unhealthy meals at work, so prevent this by planning out your lunches ahead of time. Prepping salads at the beginning of the week is super easy and healthy. Or, you could pack a heartier meal like chicken sausages, quinoa, and your favorite veggie. In addition, pack your snacks ahead of time, too. You’ll be a lot less likely to reach for the chips and cookies at work if you bring some fruits, nuts, protein bars, and energy bites instead.

Focus on Your Mental Health

As important as it is to focus on your physical health, as we mentioned before wellness is all about your mental health, as well. Our brain is a muscle just like our arms and legs and needs to be worked out, as well. There are plenty of ways to give your brain exercise, such as:

• Brain games (these brain training apps make it easy)
• Listen to educational podcasts or audiobooks throughout the day
• Rather than using your phone to make lists or reminders, use your brain to remember them. This is called testing your recall
• Learn something new, such as a new language, a musical instrument, a new type of puzzle, or a new hobby
• Fine-tune your hand-eye coordination with hobbies like knitting, crochet, doing a puzzle, or drawing

In addition to keeping your brain nice and strong, you should also focus on your mental health.According to CNN, “Stress and anxiety are among the most pressing and far-reaching public health problems we face. Mental changes affect every part of our lives: physical health, sense of well-being, work, educational productivity, and community involvement.” Because of this, it’s important to take a step back if you feel stressed, anxious, or depressed. Take a few minutes every hour to check on how you’re feeling and if your mental health is shakey, identify ways to fix the issue right away. This could include distancing yourself from the stressor, prioritizing tasks, talking to your manager or boss if you’re overwhelmed, or talking to a professional therapist.

These breathing exercises can also help you take a step back and focus on your mental health. These realistic steps can help you feel better about yourself and your job and relax instead of stress.

Conclusion

As you can see, taking care of your health and wellness doesn’t need to mean dramatic life changes. Small things like moving more throughout the day, eating healthier, and taking care of your mental health can help busy professionals take care of their bodies.