Since I am in school (actually starting my master’s program in three days), I am developing strategies to stay healthy and fit even while having to devote most of my time to studying.

One of the ways I am going to do this is by scheduling in at least three workouts per week (four if I am lucky, but we’ll set the expectations somewhat low and adjust from there).  Luckily there is a gym right by my school.  I love to take aerobic and weight lightning classes and luckily there seem to be a few classes I can catch on the beginning or tail end of my school day.

To combat stress on a daily basis I am re-instituting my morning meditation.  This is simply 10 minutes in the morning where I take some deep breaths, center myself, and set intentions for the day.  I usually drink a cup of tea or a big glass of water during this time, as this is an optimum time to hydrate your body and can also help to activate your digestion for the day.  I sometimes also use this time to stretch my muscles and loosen up for the day.

The other way I will stay healthy and strong is by planning my menu for the week on the weekend.  I already do this fairly regularly, but it will become more important once I begin school full time.  I’ll focus on simple, whole foods that are easy to prepare, shop for them on the weekend, and do as much prep and cooking over the weekend as possible.  I also plan to learn to use the slow cooker as a tool, and I’ve been copying recipes out of books from the library.  I made some excellent turkey and bean chili the other day–so I am encouraged.  Hopefully, by doing my weekly menu planning it will help me stick to a schedule that will allow me to study as much as I need to, exercise, see friends occasionally, and spend time with my boyfriend, all while eating highly nutritive foods.

I was on vacation last week eating slightly less healthy foods than I normally do, so this week I focused on lots of veggies, high quality proteins, and easy to digest soups to get my body back in shape.  The tip I want to share for menu planning is using a white board on the refrigerator.  This helps me remember what I plan to make for the week, and strangely enough, helps me remember to actually eat it!  Who hasn’t let ingredients rot in their fridge because they forgot about them?  The white board helps to eliminate that.   Another bonus is that you can write ingredients you need to go shopping for as they run out over the course of the week.

Here’s what my white board looked like this week:

I actually ended up not doing the miso soup, but added the kale to the chicken and rice soup.  Yum!

I hope these tips will help you incorporate some healthy habits into your hectic schedules!