You’ve got all the best intentions in the world to lose weight; you’re hitting the local farmers’ market for fresh veggies, you’ve printed out healthy recipes and bought an air fryer, and you’ve even dug out your favorite pair of sneakers and put them right on top of the shoe rack for extra motivation.
But then life intervenes: work, laundry, your kids needing your help with school projects and errands and appointments, and maybe your kids are now learning at home while you are working from home. All of your healthy recipes and plans suddenly fall by the wayside.
Whether you are a working or stay at home parent, you have kids, or you have school-aged children, it can be hard to focus on eating right and exercising when you are so busy raising your family. But with a few simple steps and adjustments to your routine, you can get back on track. Here are nine weight loss tips for busy parents:
1. Simplify your morning meal.
You know you need breakfast to get your body going and stave off midday cravings. Also, know that your mornings are often bananas: the dog needs walking, lunches need preparing and your kids have to get out to school on time (or plugged in and ready for online learning at home). Therefore, the chances of you having time to pepare a breakfast from your healthy recipes are slim to none. Enter ready-to-eat options from Nutrisystem!
From warm egg sandwiches and tasty muffins to bagels and hearty bars, these delicious breakfasts require minimal to no prep. They’re perfectly portioned for weight loss and can help busy parents have a successful day. Check out these six comfort food breakfast options from the Nutrisystem menu, then click here to stock up!
2. Drink more water.
According to Harvard Health Publishing, the benefits of drinking water are plentiful. It aids in healthy digestion, protects organs, regulates body temperature, cushions joints, and more. Water may also help with weight loss: people sometimes confuse thirst for hunger when all you might need is a glass of water to feel full. Plus, it’s important to drink water during exercise to replace the fluids you lose when you sweat, according to Mayo Clinic.
Granted, when you’re busy running around, the last thing on your mind is your hydration level. “People often forget to drink water when they are busy,” says the University of California, Berkley. Let your phone do the thinking for you: set an alarm to chime every hour—and take that as your cue to drink. The NuMi app by Nutrisystem has a great “Reminder” feature that can help! Check out the other simple hydration hacks below to help you drink more water.
3. Work out in 10-minute sets.
Thirty minutes of exercise every day is the goal. However, carving out that chunk of time doesn’t always happen. Ten minutes is much more manageable—and if you do it three times a day, you get the same health benefits. According to Mayo Clinic, regular physical activity can help with weight control, ward off disease, boost mood, increase energy, and improve sleep.
Check out these 10 easy home workouts you can do in your living room—no special equipment or training is needed and each takes about 10 minutes. And if you’re a mom who has a new little bundle at home, here are some ways to sneak in exercise when you’re busy with the baby.
4. Forgive a slip-up.
Like you tell your kids to learn from a mistake and just do better next time, you should extend yourself the same courtesy. One misstep on your weight loss journey should not pave the way to a full-blown person. Give yourself a break from perfection and just consider every decision you make moving forward as another chance to do something healthy.
5. Keep healthy food within sight.
That could be a bunch of bananas on your kitchen counter or a stash of Nutrisystem White Cheddar Popcorn on your work desk. Not only does it save you time rifling through the pantry or fridge for a snack. But it could also help you lose weight: a Cornell study found that women who kept a bowl of fruit where they could see it. Weighed an average of 13 pounds less than those who didn’t. The study also found that normal-weight women. Were more likely to have a designated cupboard for snack items than those who are heavier. This is one of our favorite simple weight loss tricks for busy moms and dads.
6. Stand up.
It’s that simple to burn some extra calories. Consider this: in an hour, the average 170-pound person burns over 70 more calories by simply standing instead of sitting, says StartStanding.org. Take any opportunity you can to get up off your chair and onto your feet. Such as when you’re helping the kids with homework, talking on the phone, or during a staff meeting with the office. That little movement not only helps you lose weight but may also help reduce your risk of more serious conditions.
According to Mayo Clinic, “Research has linked sitting for long periods of time with a number of health concerns. They include obesity and a cluster of conditions. Increased blood pressure, high blood sugar, excess body fat around the waist, and abnormal cholesterol levels — make up metabolic syndrome. Too much sitting overall and prolonged periods of sitting also seem to increase the risk of death from cardiovascular disease and cancer.”
7. Make smart fast-food choices with healthy recipes.
Some days the best you can do is drive through for dinner, and that’s quite all right. An occasional fast food meal or restaurant take-out on particularly chaotic days won’t derail your diet. Just be sure to choose wisely: John Hopkins Medicine recommends choosing grilled chicken. Instead of fried and a kids’ size French fry instead of large. You should also ask for special sauces on the side so that you can better control your calorie intake. Check out our handy guide to better understand what you should order and avoid while ordering fast food.
8. Opt for a one-pot meal.
For the nights when you crave a home-cooked meal but are short on time, these piping hot, one-dish meals are an excellent dinner choice. From seafood paella to slow cooker chicken gumbo and butternut squash turkey chili. You can toss each recipe together in a flash (and clean-up is quick!). Plus, these dishes are balanced with protein and fiber. And complex carbohydrates that fit perfectly into your healthy recipe plan.
9. Give yourself a bedtime.
Just like you do for your kids, create your own sleeping schedule to go to bed at night and wake up in the morning. And stick to it every day. That’s one way to help your body gets the rest it needs, says the National Sleep Foundation. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends getting seven to eight hours of sleep every night.
Of course, when you’re cramming a million to-dos into not enough hours. You may be tempted to stay up late on some nights, or even wake up super early on other mornings to get everything done. You need enough quality shut-eye for lots of reasons. One of which is to help keep your weight loss on track. Skimp on sleep and you may lack the energy to stay active or crave sugary and fatty foods that will help you stay awake. To learn more about the importance of good sleep and get seven tips for a better slumber!
Looking for more weight loss advice for busy dads? Check out these seven tips for maintaining a healthy “dad bod”.
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