Single or married—life is busy either way. As a single woman, my days are full: work, managing rentals, church callings, relationships, travel, and making time for the people I love. Health could easily fall to the bottom of the list… but it doesn’t.
In today’s post, I’m sharing the realistic health habits that actually work for me—not perfection, not extremes. Take what fits your life and leave the rest. 🤍
Let’s Stay Healthy Even If We Are Busy – Here’s My 5 Best Tips
Here’s why staying healthy matters to me:
1 – I want to live a long, healthy life—not just a long one. I have a hard time watching others getting old when their health is struggling. It makes everything so much harder.
2 – I don’t carry traditional health insurance, so prevention matters.. I know this one is a controversial topic, comment below if you’d like me to create a post about this. Working for myself as a solo-preneur, I do not have the option to get insurance from an employer so I’ve chosen not to have any health insurance. I’d like to stay as healthy as possible so I don’t have to go to the doctor.
3 – Better health = better sleep, more energy, and a better mood.
4 – When I feel good physically, everything else in life is easier.
Now let’s get into the tips.
Tip 1 – Make Health a Non-Negotiable
I’ve noticed when get home from an activity at night, I sit down and get on social media or start checking my email or something else then I don’t really want to get up and go exercise.
When I exercise in the morning, I’m more likely to get my exercise in for the day.
I love teaching Zumba at 8am on Saturdays. Some mornings it is hard to get up, but since I am the instructor, there’s no excuse for me to not be there. I’ve created this ‘mandatory’ exercise for myself so I will actually do it.
Planning meals ahead also helps. I was was the bomb at this when I had my 9-5. I would literally pack my lunch the night before 99% of the time. I hardly ever went out for lunch.
I would also use my crockpot quite a bit. I could throw ingredients into the crockpot in the morning, let it cook during the day and then dinner would be ready when I got home. Making meals for myself is usually healthier than eating out.
Now that I don’t have a 9-5, I am more relaxed about my meals, but I still eat at home the majority of the time. I will go out if I have lunch/dinner plans with a friend or a date.
I will usually pull something out of the freezer for lunch or dinner when I’m eating breakfast, that way it is defrosted when I’m ready to eat. I will also have leftovers a lot. Being just one person, recipes go a long way, or even meals when eating out. I rarely finish my eating out meal in one sitting.
I am intentional when I go out to eat. I will usually order the healthier choice (salad instead of fries, chicken or fish instead of beef, etc.) and I get water 95% of the time. (Getting water also helps with saving money.)
I will cut my sandwich in half (if it isn’t already cut), that way I am less likely to eat the entire sandwich. Or, I will get a sandwich soup combo, knowing I will be able to take home leftovers. I do not love that overly-stuffed feeling when I’ve eaten too much, so I try not to do that.
All of that being said, I love sugar cookies and other non-chocolate desserts (I am not a chocolate fan) so I will eat dessert. I just don’t eat dessert every time and I don’t eat the whole carton of ice cream or the entire giant cookie from Crumbl in one sitting.
Tip 2 – Make It Enjoyable
Am I more likely to attend a Zumba class or go for a run? Well, I love Zumba and I hate running. I will choose the Zumba class every single time.
So what do I do? I find out where Zumba is taught (and teach my own Zumba class) and plan out beforehand to go to the class.
I don’t schedule a time to go run on a treadmill. I would never do it because I don’t like it.
Find what works for you. How do you like exercising? Group fitness classes? A Zoom class where no one can see you? Going for long runs outdoors? Pickleball?
Incorporate the type of exercise you like into your routine and you’ll be more likely to do it because you enjoy it.
Plus, decide beforehand what you are doing to do. If I wake up and didn’t plan to go to a fitness class the night before, the chances of me going are very slim. But, if I wake up knowing I’ve already decided to go the chance of me going is WAY higher. There’s no decision to make right before, because you’ve already made the decision.
Tip 3 – Make It Easy For Yourself
Layout your workout clothes the night before. Don’t have junk food in your house. Make improving your health as easy as you can for yourself. Get rid of as much friction as possible. Delete the Door Dash app. Don’t save your credit card numbers on your phone or computer.
Have healthy food in your house. I got these convenient salad dishes so I would be more likely to eat salad. If the lettuce is already washed, ready to eat and the salad toppings are already cut and easy to get to, I will pull them all out and eat them.
Here’s such a great tip for you. I loved this tip when I first heard it. Think of the 5 foods you eat the most. Are they healthy foods? Are they giving you the nourishment you need? If the foods you eat the most are mostly healthy, you are going to be so much healthier.
Really think about it. What did you eat every day this past week, for each meal, for each snack? Did you grab a handful of M&M’s or did you grab a handful of unsalted mixed nuts? Did you have celery with peanut for a snack or Doritos? Did you go grab a burger instead of defrosting tilapia?
This tip is really life changing. Think of simple ways to improve your eating by only having healthy foods in your house that become your ‘go to.’
I buy oats in bulk and eat oatmeal for breakfast every day. I’ll add different items to my oatmeal, but it’s always oatmeal. I keep a frozen bag of Costco blueberries on hand so I can throw them in my oatmeal if I don’t have any fresh fruit in the house or I run out of almonds.
I like having healthy snacks on hand. Pretzels and hummus. Unsalted mixed nuts. Trail mix. Dried fruit (preferably without added sugar). Laura Bars.
Another tip is to make it easier for yourself to eat less. Buy smaller bowls, smaller plates. If we have the giant bowl, we are most likely going to fill that bowl very full and same with our plate. If use smaller dishes, the less we will have in our bowl or on our plate. We can always go back for seconds if we are still hungry, but there’s no need to try to stuff ourselves full by finishing everything on the large plate.
Simple systems beat willpower every time.
Tip 4 – Fit It In Where You Can
You don’t need to exercise for an hour everyday. I love going on walks. I’ll go for a quick 10 minute walk after a meal. You can get out of bed and do 10 jumping jacks.
If you didn’t make time to prepare food beforehand, decide to eat somewhere healthier or decide what you’ll get or won’t get, before entering a restaurant.
I don’t know if you’ve seen these semi-viral videos of people doing ancient Chinese movements for about 30 minutes a day, but I’ve seen quite a few. They are simple exercises that can be done anywhere and they help you get your body moving. You can pick how many you do or for how long, but they can fit into your schedule very easily.
Every once in awhile if I’m feeling tired after lunch, I will practice a new Zumba song.
Moving our bodies changes our state of mind and is good for us. It doesn’t always need to be an hour long workout.
Small actions, done consistently, add up.
Tip 5 – Ask Other People to Join You or Help You
One option is to get an accountability partner. Let him/her know when you will check in. You could even have a wager of some sort. If you don’t exercise then you’ll pay him/her $XX. Plus, they will be rooting for you!
I do a lot of potlucks, hosting and attending. After we all eat, I will frequently ask who wants to go on a walk. Most of the group will come. Walking is an easy way to get exercise in, and it’s especially healthy right after eating. It’s even more fun when people come with me.
I’m being social, getting exercise in, and helping others to become healthier along with me.
Join a gym with a friend. Invite others to your workout classes. Set health goals with some friends and hold each other accountable. Let people know you are working out and they can join in if they’d like. If I am meeting someone to go for a walk or go workout, I am much more likely to go because the other person is relying on me and it’s more fun!
If you want to stay healthy long-term, surround yourself with people who support your goals.
FAQs
- What if people are discouraging you to be healthy?
- This may be hard to hear and/or hard to do, but get around people that are in your corner. If you really want to be healthy, find the support you need. Remember Tip 3, Make it Easy For Yourself. It is going to be a lot easier to stay healthy when the people around you want to support you in your goals.
- What if you still can’t find the time to be healthy?
- Make a list of everything you are spending your time. Seriously, write down everything you did and how long you spent doing it for one week. If you really don’t think you are able to find the time then it’s time to adjust your priorities (or maybe being healthy isn’t a priority right now). Show me where you spend your time (and money for that matter) and I’ll show you what your priorities are.
- What if you feel like you are doing these things, but still don’t feel healthy?
- I’m not a doctor. If there is something serious going on, please seek professional help. That being said, if you are doing the things, but not seeing the results (and it’s not a more serious issue) then I would take a look at your thoughts. Am I being positive? Am I doing this for someone else or for myself? Am I cheating myself? Am I pushing too hard and then falling back? Loving myself the way I am currently will make a big difference on the results I see/feel later. We are beautiful beings with high potential. God loves us right now. We can love ourselves right now too and still continue to improve.
What other tips do you have? Share in the comments below!
Before You Go, Here’s Some Other Posts You May Love:
How I Made $70,000 Working Part-Time with the Amazon Influencer Program
My Favorite Amazon Finds as a Single Woman in Her 40s
In Your 40s? — Will You Be Able to Retire?
