Our modern lives could not be more hectic with the long work hours, not enough family time, and time lost commuting. As if all these obstacles weren’t enough, we are also faced with the imperative to stay fit or not get sick at least. This is really something that should be our priority despite the busyness of our schedule. Eating right, getting enough exercise, and taking care of our well-being are essential goals that must be met if we have any business aspirations. If we are sick and sluggish, no work will get done and we’ll have to cancel all the tasks and project, That is why the following 5 tips will help you stay fit and healthy regardless of busy your daily schedule is.

Try to eat cooked food

We have no doubt that there are numerous fast food joints near the place where you work and like a moat of your colleagues you are tempted to grab a meal there. Although this is a time-effective solution, it is unhealthy to eat fried or fast food every day. The food you eat, especially the lunch as a meal, needs to be thermally processed, i.e. cooked. There are numerous ways you can consume cooked food in the office. Firstly, you can find a nice restaurant nearby that serves ready-made meals. Secondly, you can prepare the food at home and then put it in Tupperware to heat it up in the office kitchen. Finally, there are companies that prepare hot meals and deliver them to the office doorstep. Whichever of these three ways you choose, remember that there is no excuse for adopting an unhealthy diet at work.

Ditch alcohol

Getting drunk every Friday night might be something your friends practice and so far you have find it hard to say no to them. Before the next weekend begins and you go shopping for booze, you need to know that alcohol is rich in calories but it is deprived of any nutrients. This means that you will experience more than a hangover the following morning, as your brain will slow down and you will feel exhausted and sluggish. Don’t get is wrong, alcohol is not entirely bad to your health, but too much too often is definitely not a practice (pun intended) that will help you stay in shape. A glass of wine or beer after work is fine but anything more than that will have a negative effect on your overall health.

Exercise regularly

An unhealthy diet combined with alcohol is especially dangerous if you lead a sedentary lifestyle. Basically, you need to burn calories on a daily level, so even taking a walk through the park or taking the stairs instead of the elevator counts as a form of body exercise. If you want to burn more calories and lose some weight, you can always pick up a new sport like running, skating or football or you can join the gym as a more benign alternative. We say “benign” because you can easily injure yourself and sprain an ankle or strain a calf if you don’t warm up properly. Remember, besides getting fit, your second equally important objective is not to hurt yourself and to stay healthy before all.

Drink plenty of water

An integral part of adopting a healthy diet is taking in enough water. The minimum of two liters of water a day is there for a good reason, as your body needs to stay hydrated in order to tackle of the mental and physical hardships a busy day throws at you. These eight glasses might seem like a lot but if you drink them with enough time apart, you won’t even notice them. Grab a simple bottle, fill it up at home, and store it in the fridge at work, you can always grab a sip when you need it the most. Also, when you’re packing water for the kids, be sure to pack an extra litre or two for you and your spouse.

Get enough sleep

What if you extended the workday until midnight and then got up at 6 AM to get an important project finished before you left for work? Although this might seem like a great idea for a worker behind schedule, sleep time really isn’t something that you should cut short because of a busy schedule. Those six to eight hours of sleep a day our body uses to regenerate, so depriving yourself of sleep is the worst case scenario in terms of your health. The boss is screaming at you at work and the children are screaming at home, which are stressful situations that your brain can process only during sleep.

As you have seen from the 5 ways to stay fit and healthy even if you have a busy schedule, you needn’t cancel any of your appointments or change your lifestyle. All you need is to go back to the basics and exhibit enough self-discipline.