Are you making time for your health now? So many people neglect to make time for themselves and, before too long, find themselves tackling a real health problem. It was the same for me – when I first signed up for the Fat Loss Protocol back in 2016 I weighed 122kgs, was morbidly obese and had a long list of compounding health problems.

There’s no debating that we all need to prioritise our health, yet so many of us get caught up in the busyness of modern day life and hectic schedules. Keeping a focus on our health isn’t hard, nor does it require much time – but it does require a consistent effort.

Here are some suggestions for creating more time for healthy living:

1. Easy Meal Prep

Thanks to the Fat Loss Protocol, I have formed some great time-saving habits in the kitchen. I no longer rely on drive-thru dinners for a fast and easy meal. I have learnt that I can make my own REAL, quick and easy *fast food* at home. Here’s how:

• Batch Cook

If you are cooking a meal, double or even quadruple the quantity and fill up the freezer with the leftovers. This saves so much time and makes a meal very cost effective.

Here are some easy go-to recipes that are super family-friendly in our house and great for batch cooking:

• Asian Style Meatballs
• Tomato Lamb Curry
• Easy Mexican Mince Bowl
   
• Use the Slow Cooker

Now is the perfect time to bring out the slow cooker – the cooler weather makes gut-friendly broths, curries, soups and gorgeous slow cooked meats great dinner options for the whole family. I simply put the ingredients in the slow cooker early in the morning, add some bone broth and it cooks itself, ready for serving at dinner time.

Using the slow cooker is such a simple way to prepare meals plus the smell wafting through the house gets your digestive system fired up ready for dinner time!

• Use an Air-fryer

If you haven’t tried an air-fryer yet, now might be the time! They are a super handy appliance to have in the kitchen. You can set them to have meals ready at a certain time, so you can prepare your dinner, then forget about it, freeing up some time. This will help you to get other things done, like playing with the kids, tidying the house, or even having some you time! Our family favourites are steak, whole baked chicken, crispy skinned salmon and sweet potato chips. The kids love to get involved and help with it, too.

2. Eating Real Food and Taking a ‘KISS’ Approach to Eating

I sometimes feel that we are all suffering from ‘Masterchef syndrome’…we have been influenced by the influx of reality television cooking shows into thinking that gourmet meals are a requirement. But never underestimate the power of simple food.

I grew up on a farm where we had meat and three veg every other night of the week. Our food served a purpose, to fill our tummies with wholesome, yummy food. Let’s get back to those days of slow cooked meats, hearty broths, barbecues on warm sunny days and Sunday night roast dinners.

If you feel frantic at the end of every working day, panicking what to feed the family for dinner – stop and breathe. I have found that the Keep It Simple Sweetheart (KISS) approach to cooking that I learnt during the Fat Loss Protocol has created a calmness at dinner time. Most children prefer simple foods, too. Allow your tastebuds to remember what real food tastes like – buy organic/grass-fed meats (don’t overlook the cheaper cuts of meats/marbled meats), farm fresh fruit and vegetables. When these are cooked in healthy fats, they taste amazing, and with minimal effort.

3. The Early Bird Gets the Worm…

I have introduced a new habit recently and it is one that has taken me by surprise. I say surprise because I love sleeping…I love nothing more than pulling the doona over my head and basking in its warmth on a cool morning. However, I have found that my new habit – setting my alarm before the kids wake up – has been one of my biggest joys! It allows me to take care of me before my family wakes up.

Now, I didn’t just set my alarm 2 hours early to begin with – it was definitely a gradual process! I began setting my alarm 15 minutes earlier for the first week – just enough time to boil the kettle and sit down to a quick cuppa before the craziness began. Then the second week, I set it for 30 minutes earlier. This meant I was able to have a coffee, put a load of washing on and unload the dishwasher. Then the third week was 45 minutes earlier, so I was able to pop a slow cooker meal on too (dinner sorted). From there, I have gradually worked myself up to 1.5 hours earlier. I now have time for meditation or yoga, on top of getting myself properly prepared for the day ahead. You could even use this extra time to incorporate some exercise into your day.

4. Step Away from Social Media

Are you swiping your time away? I will be the first to admit that I waste so much time on my phone, and you might do too!

One of my main problems with social media is that we are constantly bombarded by others’ success – whether it be a new car, a Gucci hand bag or coming first in a running race. My news feed is, in fact, filled with fizzing ferments, glutinous broths and smoothie bowl marvels, making me green with envy – but you get my drift! No wonder there are so many of us with increased anxiety and low self-esteem. We need to focus on pursing our own personal goals.

Research from Roy Morgan reveals some interesting insights on social media. On average, Australian women spend 56 minutes per day on social media compared to just 41 minutes for men. Over the course of a week, this equates to a difference of almost two hours – that’s enough time to clean my entire house! It is time to get those two hours back. Why not try:

• turning notifications off
• switching your phone off for an hour during the day
• limiting internet time
• getting out and being present with your friends and family
• turning the internet off overnight while you sleep.

Let us all aim to reclaim some of our time, to achieve some balance and not become consumed by this hectic world we all live in. Our health is the most important factor in life – always live life positively and make time for you.

How do you make time for health in this crazy world we live in? I’d love to hear some of your tips!