9 Dietitians Tips for Finding the Time

As I said, time has been on my mind. I try to prioritize my time, spend my time wisely, not waste time, etc. but a lot of that is subjective and I doubt I'll ever feel like there's enough time for certain things. For example, I enjoy reading, yet it falls low on my list and I often run out of time (ie. my child wakes from a nap). I have prioritized certain things (ie. not cancelling workouts/exercise and home cooked meals) and I have cut certain things out when they no longer serve a purpose.

I talk about mindfulness and minimalism, but it's not just the clutter, it could be the groups, activities, etc. that take time and really are not helping you move towards being your best self. It's hard to say no or to 'define' yourself when society encourages us to be a certain way and do certain things. It's become 'normal' to be busy, but I don't want that to define me. I want to feel like I have time to do what I enjoy doing, because we only get so much time. I also think we need to reorganize/re-prioritize and take time for ourselves, be that to nourish ourselves, to relax, to de-stress, or to workout.

To help you manage your time (or perhaps drop the excuse that you don't have time for your health), I asked fellow dietitians for their time saving tips/tricks/hacks to help you break down the barrier.

1. Meal plan, but start "small, simple, and slow"... (read more: How to Simplify Meal Planning)
Dixya Bhattarai, RDN, Food, Pleasure & Health

2. "Free online workout videos are one of my favorite high efficiency ways to get a quick workout in on busy days, even with kids sleeping or playing in the next room"... (read more: 25 Free Full Body Workout Videos (15 Mins or Less)
Dena Norton, MS, RD, Back to the Book Nutrition

3. "If you're not already exercising chunk it down to 10 min at a time to make it easier to fit into an already busy schedule and slowly expand the time."... (read more: Find the Time: 10-Minute Exercise Routines)
Meri Asterino Raffetto, RDN, Real Living Nutrition

4. "Build food traditions that help you create a better attitude around cooking and making time for it"...(read more: BYO Holiday Food Traditions)
Sharon Palmer, RDN, The Plant-Powered Dietitian 

5. "I make lunch and snacks the night before. I also make a big batch of granola and always make double dinners so that I have for leftovers and for the week. I can make soup and quick dinners also in half an hour using my food processor to chop veggies and herbs!!"
Madeline Basler, RDN, Real You Nutrition

6. "I love the quote that 30 minutes (for a workout) is just 2% of your day!"
Katie Proctor, RDN, Elevate With Katie

7. "Spend 30 minutes over the weekend planning out your meals for the week. That 30 minutes eliminates so much stress throughout the week!"
Allison Stevens, MS, RD, Chef,  Prep Dish

8. "Make extra portions of meals and freeze them. When you eat them weeks later, they'll seem new, and you will have saved time in the prep process. You can do this and have a regular rotation of 'new' meals."
Amy Gorin, MS, RDN, Amy Gorin Nutrition

9. "Take time out of your day, perhaps on the weekend when life is less hectic, and plan out your meals for the week. And fill out a supermarket shopping list, so when you go to the grocery store, you spend your time efficiently." (download her 7-Day Meal Planner and Supermarket Shopping List)
Liz Weiss, MS, RD, Meal Makeover Moms 

How do you find time for your health? Tell us below and enjoy all the time you've saved!

Cheers,
Steph Langdon, RD
www.nutrishus.com

Time Savers

In an attempt to be efficient with my time, I just came up with a quick list for you. I want to share the things I do, have, etc. that save me time. I always hear that people want more time, or that they're 'busy'. As a dietitian that means healthy eating may fall lower on their priority list as time becomes a barrier.

I have a unique situation because my time is often flexible, although dictated by a toddler. Some days I have time to spend in the kitchen, other days I do not. I do try to slow down and savour/enjoy, I'm just trying to spend time on what I want to (and I do enjoy cooking, don't get me wrong!).

These are just a few of my ideas. There are all kinds of lists online, such as The Domestic Dietitian's Life Hack Time Saving Tips and Serena and Deanna have a long list of Healthy Kitchen Hacks over on teaspoon of spice. Please comment below as I'd love to hear how you save time (or make up time) in all areas of your life!

Eating

• use a rice cooker (occasionally a slow cooker)
• make-ahead breakfasts 
• cook in big batches for leftovers
• keep canned items on hand (tuna, tomatoes, beans, chickpeas)
• have frozen veggies and fruit in the freezer if run out of fresh
• almost always have eggs, cheese, milk, and some type of grain in the house (bread, tortillas, pitas, pasta, quinoa)
• save time & money at the grocery store (eatright.org)
• use the internet to search ingredients that I have and find new recipes to try (so I can use things up and skip a trip to the store if I don't have time)
• plan our supper meals
• make a grocery list
• chop lots of veggies/fruit when I get the chance - then it's ready for snacks too
• we enjoy our vitamix for quick smoothies
• I often follow and adapt recipes vs making things up completely
• 10 time saving kitchen hacks (Katie Cavuto, RD)

Activity

• circuit train (hard & quick)
• meet friends for a visit and workout

House

• this is where my attempts at a minimalist lifestyle come in - less stuff, less time spent cleaning and maintaining it
• it may bug my husband, but I set things at the top or bottom of the stairs so they go that way when I do
• we have a roomba that we often use for our carpeted rooms
• I do let the dishwasher clean most of our dishes

Reading/Learning

• *I need to keep working on finding time for this...
• I started listening to podcasts in the car

Life

• most notifications turned off on my phone so I don't get distracted
• most if not all of my bills are automatically paid

That's all the time I have for this today (I may come back and add to it)!

Cheers,

Steph Langdon, RD

www.nutrishus.com

Time for what?

Time has been on my mind a lot the last month. I am still trying to sort out my role as a working/stay-at-home mom (17 months in, as of today). The past 17 months have gone by as fast as everyone said they would. I am fortunate that I have been around for many/most of our little one's cherished moments. I am fortunate, because I am self-employed and my husband and I have prioritized spending as much time with our daughter as we can. Everyone has different goals, priorities, challenges, etc. in how they live and of course in how they act in the roles of parenthood.

Recently, in my attempts to minimize clutter in our house I came across an old goal setting exercise that we had done (or that I had made us do!). The recurring theme for me was time. A few of my goals for things I 'wanted' were:

• time for me
• time with my husband
• time with my kids
• time to read, watch movies, and workout
• freedom with my time
• to set my own hours (which obviously relates to time)
• to retire early (also relates to time)

*One of the goals for things I 'didn't want' was: to be overwhelmed with my time.

Our time is limited and we don't know when it will end. This of course brings me to mindfulness and I constantly try to live in and enjoy my present situation. I get ahead of myself too often or I think of others things I 'should' be doing. I have also tried to minimize things so that I can free up my time for other things.

Perhaps time is also on my mind because I'm approaching a birthday. I have no problem getting older, it's part of life after all, and I think I improve with age (or I at least try to be better every day). I just found (or made) time to jot down this post. I've mainly been sharing my #WhatRDsDo series which I'm really excited about, and life has been keeping me busy. I am however not going to apologize for my absence from personal posts. Life does and should happen. I am a rare millennial that is trying to unplug, to be present offline. I enjoy social media and I also work in that space, but I don't want to miss out on my life.

 

I have plans to get you to reflect on how you're spending (or if you're wasting) your time, how you maximize your time, how you'd like to spend your time, what you've learned that has improved you with time, etc.

My blogging time for today is over, so I hope you had a good time reading and I hope you come back to share.

Cheers,
Have a good time! ("we're here for a good time, not a long time!" - Trooper)

Steph Langdon, RD
www.nutrishus.com

Finding Time

Sometimes the day, week, month, or even year just seem to fly by. We still have 24 hours in a day and 7 days in a week, but sometimes it doesn't seem like enough. When it comes to efficient use of time or looking at your productivity, you may find that you've spent 20 hours in front of the television or looking on the internet and not even realized it. Make the moments count by finding time to care for yourself too!

I wanted to speak about time since a lack of it is often a barrier (or excuse) as to why people are eating out more often or eating less healthy items. Yes, I can understand that you don't have to do the dishes when you go out, but why not make that a group/family activity and talk about your day, or use one of the modern conveniences such as a dishwasher to help you out. We've lost the family meal and sitting down together to enjoy it. I know we're busy, but this is important to our health in so many ways - the choices, the conversation, and the skills that get passed on.

And keep in mind that healthy doesn't have to mean that it takes hours or all day to cook. There are many healthy meals and snacks that come together in minutes. To help speed things along (if that's important to you), you can even do some of the prep work ahead of time. I often have a few meals going at once when I find time to be in the kitchen - last night for example, we roasted pork tenderloin and veggies (for lunch today and tomorrow) while putting together a black bean/quinoa/vegetable dish, and cooking our supper of eggs for sandwiches with a variety of vegetables. That will get us through a few days that we may be busier and means that we have the option to heat up leftovers instead of cooking from scratch at every meal. Take advantage of the time - while you're cooking your entree you can chop veggies for snacks, or throw together a vegetable frittata, or put on the rice cooker and use leftovers from tonight in a stir fry tomorrow.

Big batching it and making a few meals in one go is something I consistently do to help us eat at home more, have lunches for work, and have time to spend together (in and out of the kitchen).

What are your time saving techniques?

Enjoy each moment,

Steph Langdon, RD
something nutrishus counselling & coaching
www.nutrishus.com

No Time?

One of the barriers to cooking at home is a lack of time. Many people eat out or grab food to go because they feel that is all the time they have. So, what can you do?

- Make 'planned extras' - not left overs, but planned food to be used for another meal. This could be extra meat to put on a pizza, put in a salad, add to pasta and vegetables, etc.

- Reduce the preparation time with a wide variety of washed/ready to eat fresh vegetables and fruit, pre-shredded cheese, etc. Frozen vegetables can be quickly steamed, frozen fruit can make a smoothie or be added to cereal.

- Prepare big batches - spaghetti, chili, soup - these can be frozen into small portions to be enjoyed in the future.

- Plan out your week - find recipes, get the appropriate groceries and save yourself time by not having to create a meal plan when you're hungry and feeling rushed.

Do you have a favourite time saving tip?

I'll often keep a grain product (bread, bagels, English muffins) in the freezer in case I have a rushed morning - then I can defrost it, toast it, put on some nut butter, and grab a piece of fruit so that I still get a complete breakfast!

Steph Wheler
www.nutrishus.com