Make Time for Exercise and Nutrition

By Stellerie Noyons, RD
Registered Dietician, Health City Cayman Islands

It’s no secret that grocery shopping, food prep, cooking meals, and exercising take significant chunks of time out of your day. Most days you’re just meeting basic needs—work, clothes, kids, laundry—and to have to add extra time for nutrition and exercise may feel impossible.

Making health a priority begins with small steps. You may not realize it, but every small change you make adds up in a day. Start by taking 15 minutes from watching TV and use those same 15 minutes to go for a short walk or to prep some vegetables for tomorrow’s dinner.

If you’ve joined a gym, pack your gym bag the night before and quickly blend a smoothie packed with berries, yoghurt and nuts on your way out. Keep easy-to-prepare foods in the kitchen, such as frozen vegetables (quick to steam), brown rice (boiled in 20 minutes) and a rotisserie chicken picked up from the deli on the way home.

Take some time on a Sunday to prep certain foods you can keep in the fridge and incorporate during the week. Boil sweet potatoes or eggs, cook a batch of lean ground beef or turkey for quick tacos, or make a soup or stew and portion it out to be stored in the freezer.