A running IV . . .

~ Chocolaterunsjudy

brunningiv

. . . or how I get it “all” done

How do you do all that? It seems to be a frequent question, even if I feel as though I don’t do nearly as much as other women. Because: a) I don’t have kids and b) I don’t work. Or I don’t work now; it’s not as though I’ve never worked. And while the furkids suck up a lot of my time, because I seem to attract the needy ones, I’m under no illusions that it’s anything like having children — not to mention the fact that many of you have children and furkids.

I don’t t think you can have it all. But I do think you can make life easier with a few hacks.

Know your why
It’s not that long ago that I wrote about how important it was to know your why when you pick a race (read that post here). And while I didn’t write about that in my Danette May Challenge review (read that post here), Danette places a great deal of emphasis on knowing your why when it comes to living a healthier lifestyle — which is something I’ve already learned throughout the years.

Without knowing your “why”, it’s all too easy to procrastinate (heck, even when I know my why it’s all too easy to procrastinate!). When you truly know your why, it will help you make better decisions, plain and simple.

So dig deep and get to know why something is important to you. That’s the first step.

Make a to-do list
A to-do list is your roadmap for your day. I prefer a handwritten to-do list, because anything you take the time to write out by hand is more likely to stick in your brain. It’s not a bad idea to have it on your phone, too, although I confess I ain’t got time for that!

I tend to make my to-do list before I get ready for bed. There’s something about writing out what you have to do the next day that can set your mind at ease — even if it seems overwhelming — which it often does!

Are healthy meals overwhelming?
You should have a to-do list for what you’re going to eat, too. I know that that seems like work — and it is — but we area more likely to make better choices when we’ve put some thought into our meals ahead of time. You’re not married to your meal plan, but it can help prevent you from ordering that pizza or stopping in the drive through.

Use that crockpot (or instapot, or any other gadgets that streamline your cooking). Get the next day’s breakfast and dinner prepped the night before. Then just heat up your breakfast or grab it out of the fridge. Throw your dinner into the crockpot. And relax when you get home because dinner is waiting for you. Be sure to make enough for leftovers!

Make extras. I’m a huge fan of leftovers. Grilling chicken breasts? Throw on some extras. Ditto with veggies. Don’t forget to double a favorite recipe and store the extras in the freezer for nights when you truly have no energy.

Do a little meal prep on the weekends, when you have more time. Cut up some veggies. Make a big pot of quinoa and/or rice. Make a big pot of soup. Make some mason jar salads. Get some overnight oats going.  Bake some muffins or egg muffins.

Break it into little chunks
Aside from running, it’s rare for me to exercise more than half an hour at a time. In fact, it’s often 10 minutes here, 15 minutes here, some stretching while I wait for things to cook (as I wrote about in my post on ankle mobility — read it here).

Have you ever been running, felt tired, but told yourself you can do anything for 2 minutes? A half mile? A mile? It’s the same thing with all the other exercise, foam rolling, yoga, prehab, etc. that you know you should be doing.

Ditch that all or nothing mindset. Something is always better than nothing and it’s easier to commit to 10 minutes than an hour. Set a timer to make sure you don’t get distracted — and don’t spend more time than you want to. There’s something about a timer that focuses you.

Tor-box

This week I am also joining up with Running on Happy, Suzlyfe, Crazy Running Girl, and Coach Debbie Runs each week for the Coaches’ Corner linkup

coachescornerTalk to me:

What is your best life hack?

Have you ever thought about why something is truly important to you?

Do your prefer the routine of work or the freedom of days off?

 

24 thoughts on “A running IV . . .”

  1. Agree with all even if I don’t do them. I do make sure if I am running to have everything packed the night before.

    I do think that if you work 8-5 and have a family, you can’t do it all. I don’t think I could have run when the kids were home.

    But there are hacks as you call them – hire a house cleaner, order out meals, have groceries delivered. Have done them all and it keeps you sane.

    I prefer work routine. When I’m busy I don’t waste a minute. I get less done on a day off.

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      1. Yes they do. You have to pick and choose what you spend money on. House cleaner vs skirt sports outfits. I think I save money there. SS has so many new and cute styles that I’d like to try.

        Groceries delivered is free and I did it when I was injured and couldn’t drive.

        Cooking healthy isn’t cheap either (not that I would know LOL)

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      2. Well, you could use your certificate to try one of the new cute styles instead of sticking to the same ones (although I’m assuming it’s already been used). They can always be sent back if you don’t like them.

        Cooking healthy *seems* more expensive — but being on meds for illnesses that are often controllable via diet can be way more expensive!

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      3. Certificate used. I’m happy with GGU. Don’t want or need a shorter or longer skirt.

        True about food but neither me or my hubby need any meds and we’re in our 60s. So far so good.

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  3. I love the 10-minute workout DVDs because they say everybody has 10 minutes. If I’m crunched for time, I’ll do one, and I find myself adding more to that. 10 minutes done, oh I have 10 more minutes.

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  4. Great tips! I’ve been trying to get better with the meal prep and it’s definitely helping. I’ve been making overnight oats and trying to have leftovers from dinner so I have healthy food at work the next day that’s still easy to just grab and go in the morning.

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  5. I live for my to-do list. Love it and actually enjoy putting it together. Crossing things off is even better! Being married to someone who prefers very rare meat make meal prep tough. I can do make ahead for me but his meat and veggies are all practically raw. Soups and stews don’t fly for the Caveman.

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    1. I actually like very rare meat, too. But I don’t eat a whole lot of meat. And yes, prepping for 2 different eating styles can really suck at times.

      Doesn’t everyone love crossing things off their to-do list?

      Hope it’s a whole lot cooler over there!

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  8. I find myself making a lot of to-do lists while at work (LOVE those post-it notes)….if I don’t write it down the minute I think of it, it’ll be gone 10-minutes later. I do a lot of 5-minute workout interludes when I”m at the computer…to break up the monotony and to get off my butt LOL

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    1. Luckily I’ve never been an all or nothing type person. It’s definitely way too easy to throw in the towel when you think that way. 😦 But everyone’s different and what works for me doesn’t necessarily work for you.

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