University Star

It is hard for anyone to maintain a busy work or school schedule, and trying to add exercising and eating right makes your week suddenly look like an impossible task. We all know that when we get super busy the first thing out the window is that pledge you made to yourself about losing weight. It does not have to be that way.

Eating right can be done on any schedule, you just might have to put a little more thought into it. The first step to eating right is maintaining a routine. This will help your body know when to be hungry and when lunchtime falls in your schedule. This routine should include 3-5 small meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner and two snacks. Eating smaller portions more often will help keep your metabolism working, and when your body does some of the work for you, why not encourage it?

It is important to note that when I say snacks I don’t mean a whole container of Oreo’s or a huge ice cream sundae. You can get away with having sugary treats, but you should try to balance them out by also eating fresh fruit.

When it comes to finding time to work out it is a common misconception that you must be in the gym breaking a hard sweat to be considered “exercising”. The truth is you can exercise at anytime regardless of what you are doing. The easiest way to get more of a work out into your busy schedule is to add actives such as biking to work /school or taking the stairs instead of the elevator. Walking is an excellent way to lose weight. The more you walk, whether it is too class or just around the block with your pet, getting in 30 minutes a day will make a difference.

Another great way to workout on a busy schedule is by making time in your weekly schedule to hit the gym. I know that this doesn’t sound like an answer, but it is. If you manage your time, and let’s say your remove an hour of Facebooking once a week (you won’t miss much I promise), you will now have an hour to devote to working out. I am not saying that only working out once a week will help you lose weight, but it will not hurt either. The combination of eating right and exercising is what will get you the results.

The biggest thing is not giving up. The hardest part of anything new is the first two weeks. After that your mind and body have adjusted. You can also involve your friends. Get a group together and go bowling, hiking, anything that you enjoy doing. Just get active.