Yes, you're busy, I am too!

You get up at the crack of dawn, go to the gym, make lunch(es), shower and get prettied up for work…then you work all day, take maybe a 30 minute break for lunch (probably at your desk or on the go if you're like me), drive home in traffic and then you have all kinds of things to do…return phone calls, go grocery shopping, do laundry, feed your husband and kids, write thank you notes, get a hair cut, check your email, pay bills, buy a birthday or wedding gift…all of the To Do Lists for your life can be daunting, and they can get in the way of your health and fitness goals. And, did you notice that you probably didn't eat breakfast this morning?

Busy people are all over Southern California…after all this is not a cheap place to make your home! Getting through the day can be a job in itself, and you need to make time for you. Here are a few tips to help keep you focused, healthy and happy.

1. Stop eating so fast. When you hurry through lunch at your desk, in the car, or in my case sitting on a painting drop cloth for 5 minutes while I take a break from painting a mural, you are cheating yourself of the enjoyment of the food! And, then it feels to your growling tummy like you didn't eat at all. If you don't give yourself a chance to enjoy the food, you will not feel satisfied and that leads to overeating later on. Take a well deserved lunch break (you're entitled to this!) and savor every last bite…be it a Subway sandwich or left-overs from last nights dinner. Don't read emails or multi-task…just eat lunch! And when you eat slower, you give your brain time to process that you HAD a meal, and you will get throough the rest of the day much more easily…and with out mindless snacking later on.
2. Sit down and eat dinner, like a civilized person. It is hard to get home from work and have a million things to do, but you can make time to sit down and eat. There's a saying, "Only animals stand when they eat." Be a grown-up girl, and eat dinner at the table…and I don't mean the coffee table. Eating while watching TV will add inches to your waistline. Concentrate on the food, and you won't eat mindlessly. People have a tendency to eat until the TV show they're watching is over, and many shows are an hour long! That's a long stretch of eating. And if you are watching TV more than your plate, the distraction of whats on the screen will take away from your enjoyment of the food, and just like at lunch time, if you don't give your brain time to process that you have eaten, you will be prone to eating more later on. Get a Tivo and watch your shows later on.
3. Pay attention to your portion sizes. You may not have time to measure each thing you eat to the ounce, but you can try! Use a familiar object to measure against, like the palm of your hand or a deck of cards should be the size of your protein at the meal (approx. 3-4 ounces). Or, use a smaller plate to cut back. Or immediately put half of your food in tupperware for lunch tomorrow. Use salad forks and small spoons for your meals, so you aren't shoveling food in.
4. Stop picking at everything. If you have a random meal, such as a few bites from last nights take-out, a can of soup from the cupboard, a few glasses of wine, then maybe some cheese and crackers, you will end up eating way more than you've planned. Eat a well-balanced meal. Having a smorgasbord of left-overs, appetizers and whatever else is in the kitchen is not going to make you feel full or satisfied. Try to have real food around, and stock your freezer for nights when you don't have the energy or your fridge is less than full. Same goes for Family Style eating. If you go for Chinese or Italian with a group of friends or family, don't just heap a big spoonfull of everything on the table on to your plate. Plan ahead. Take some of what you like, and leave the rest to everyone else. No need to eat like a pig just because it is sitting right there.

Make caring about yourself a part of your List of Things to Do. Make time to go to the store and get veggies and lean meats. Think about your lifestyle…do you need to stock up on a few frozen items so that when you have a rough day you can just pop something in the oven and forget about it? Make extra dinner so that you have lunch for tomorrow. And delegate some of your tasks to the weekend, to friends or co-workers. Make sure you go to they gym when you have your scheduled appointment with your trainer. You should be your #1 Priority!

Be eXcellent! Ms. X