Health and Fitness for Busy People
Don’t expect anyone else to be bothered about your entire well being. Times are hard, and everyone is busy chasing the next coin.
Truth is, the busier we become, the shorter our days seem. In our daily hustles, we fall deeper into neglecting the important things, like our general health and fitness. It begins slowly; neglecting diets, skipping or postponing exercise routines and sacrificing ‘beauty sleep’ to finish a work project. It becomes harder to notice when you are earning a lot of money.
All that massages your ego but your body will never forgive you for it. One day you will look at yourself in the mirror, and a tired, depressed, overweight and overworked person will stare blankly back at you, and you won’t forgive yourself.
You might be busy and thinking of ways to maintain a healthy lifestyle, but you really don’t know where to begin. Here are a few easy tips to begin with;
Drink water
Drinking water when you first wake up is a great way to kick start your metabolism. You can carry a bottle to work, school or wherever it is you are headed for the day and stay sipping. It is highly recommended to keep the body hydrated so as to remove waste, lubricate joints, aid in digestion and fight off headaches/migraines and dizziness.
Water also keeps you full, so you are less likely to eat in between meals, hence regulating body weight.
Work out on the go
When you hear working out, don’t limit your imagination to the gym only. There are simple routines that can boost your energy and health even if you are busier than a bee. Try using the stairs more as opposed to elevators, sometimes walk to work, avoid wearing high heels for longer periods (for women), try standing more instead of sitting behind a desk all day and also practice the arm strengthen technique. This is where you sit up straight in a chair and bring up your hands to the front, and put the palm of your hand upward.
Plan your meals/menu ahead
It is important to keep a time table or a personal menu of your food. This will help to make sure you don’t skip any meals and also make sure that you maintain discipline when it comes to what you put in your body. Your meal preps should be diverse but healthy. Make sure it is a balanced diet and your body will thank you for it.
Cut off unhealthy habits
Reduce or do away with unhealthy intakes of alcohol, drugs, sweets and junk food. These will only slow down your metabolism and leave you with diseases that will drain your wallet and productivity.
Unhealthy habits also include hanging around people who push you further into the world of partying every day, drugs and alcohol. Surround yourself with optimistic people. It is easier to live a healthy lifestyle when everyone around you shares the same ideals and values.
Self-care
Pressure from work, school or relationships can drive one crazy. Not knowing how to handle this pressure can cause harm to your body. You need to be able to recognize when you are under stress and take some time off. Self-care does great justice to the mind and body. Practice it, religiously. Spend time alone, meditate, practice yoga, listen to music, write, relax and laugh.
Leisure activities
Apart from self-care, you should be able to find a hobby to unwind at the end of a long time. Take up that dancing class, sing, play football, go to the spa, go hiking, swim or stay in a sauna, take up gardening or farming, go bowling or any other sport. Your body needs to let out steam and vent at the end of the day. What you do after work sets the pace for how the next day will be.
Visit a doctor often
You can never be too busy to get a checkup from a doctor. You need to be so intuned with your body that you notice even the smallest of changes. If something feels off, make that appointment and see a doctor. It is much better to make that time and get a check-up, than allowing a condition to escalate into something deadly and incurable. Love and put yourself first, always.
Keep your working space comfortable
Whether you are working from home or from work, your office should be like your second home. Make it as comfortable as possible. Let it be well lit, ventilated and clean. A disorganized office negatively impacts your mind. Lack of proper ventilation can affect your breathing function and slow down your productivity. A warm, vibrant and clean space does wonders to the mind, and body as well. You will find yourself more proactive and healthier.
Spend time with loved ones
Whether a family, friend or a partner, make sure you have someone to vent to. Life’s challenges can take a toll on you and if you don’t have someone to talk to, it can affect your mental health. Depression kills. If you are a man, don’t keep everything bottled up. Destroy the notion that a man has to be strong. It is ok to be vulnerable, to be sensitive and to cry. If the day totally knocked you out, curl up next to a loved one and just talk it out.
You don’t need to spend a lot of money on a gym membership or private classes in order to be fit and healthy. There are simple tricks to it, as long as you maintain discipline and motivation. In the age of social media, there are so many apps to help you exercise, guide you on how much intake you should have and what to eat (I have an app that reminds me to drink water! ) and basically guide you through life if you are a busy person. Take advantage of that. Take care great care of your body, and it will take care of you too.
At Longonot Place Serviced Apartments, we have a gym facility that will come in handy anytime you think of doing some exercises and at your convenience. Visit our facility today!
Written by, Michelle Nzilani, Actuate Digital Blogger
Things to consider when choosing whom to share an apartment with
There isn’t a major life decision that doesn’t require deep scrutiny. Part of what makes us human is the ability to be radical. We are not animals, we just don’t rush into things without having to think first. Be it what to wear, what career/business path to follow, where and what to study, where to live and even what to eat.
There are factors that need to be put into consideration.
Take choosing a roommate for example. I’d compare it to choosing a life partner. This is someone you’re going to spend a whole lot of time with; sleeping near, sharing space and sharing a life together. Whether it’s a total stranger or your bosom buddy, you just don’t allow them into your space without a few considerations.
A roommate is someone who has the potential to ruin or make your life, and below is a list of factors to consider when choosing one;
1. Trust
If you’re gonna share an apartment with someone, it should be with someone you trust. Become a detective. Find out what kind of person they are, ask around and even ask for referees if need be, because you just might put up with a serial killer or a thief.
2. Bills
Before you have someone over, you should discuss money. Let everyone mention their capability so as to decide who caters for what bill; rent, electricity, water etc. Are you going to cost share or are you going to assign a certain bill to either one of you? And this should be put on paper. This is an important factor to eliminate any future differences in cases of late payment or total absconding.
3. Cleanliness
There is nothing that tears a friendship faster than cleaning up after another. Untidy people are simply intolerable. Nobody likes to come home to the smell of dirty dishes and laundry or picking up dirty socks in the living room. It is important to live with someone who is responsible for their own property and tidy as well because at the end of the day you just wanna come home to a clean and organized space. It’s therapeutic.
4. Sleeping habits
I think it’s important to ask about sleeping patterns and habits. Sleep is important. Imagine sharing a space with someone who snores, or sleep-talks or sleep-walks. It can be annoying. You could be used to sleeping early and waking up early or late, and there comes someone with insane insomnia. They want to work throughout the night or watch movies then sleep in the wee hours of the morning. This can greatly affect your sleeping pattern hence messing you up psychologically.
5. Love life
Does your potential roommate have a partner or are they dating? Maybe you are the one with an active love life. It is important to discuss this so as you don’t interfere with each other’s space and eventually ruining things for either of you. There should be ground rules set on how to go about your love life without abusing each other’s kindness and personal space.
6. Schedule
Whether working or studying, having different schedules should be key. You cannot have the same schedules because it will mean that you will always be together, giving room for frequent conflicts and eventually you will get tired of each other. Imagine always being together, suffocating right?
7. Communication
Before becoming rroommates there should be communication. Freely and without fear. If something alarms you, say it. If you sense something off, don’t be afraid to say it. Even after putting up, communication is key. It’s just like any other relationship. Both parties should be able to communicate when they are uncomfortable with something when they feel sick when they are staying up late or staying somewhere else when they are wronged and even when they feel that it’s time to move out.
If it were up to us, we could live alone and drown in the warm feeling of the luxury that is having our own space all to ourselves. As someone who thrives in peace and solitude, I would love to have my own place. But sometimes things don’t always work out as planned.
Sometimes finances hit us hard. And sometimes we would love to live with our buddies or people we know, but then we get stuck with total strangers. It’s always good to be positive. If you consider the above factors, you should be able to live a smooth life, and who knows, you may end up forming a long-lasting and meaningful friendship.
Happy roommate hunting!
Written by: Michelle Nzilani ( Actuate Digital, Blogger)
