This is the everything-you-need-to-know-to-be-as-healthy-as-possible newsletter, brought to you by Kristy Russ, pharmacist and health consultant. I have close to 20 years experience in helping people improve their health. I specialize in nutritional medicine, which is the secret of "true" preventative medicine. Yes, if I'm successful in getting people to follow my advice, I will put myself out of a job.

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Real-Life Tips
To Fit Healthy Into
Your Busy Schedule

I just finished a 10 day whirlwind of activity. Between work, tournaments, kids activities, and my own activities, just about every hour of every day was scheduled so it could all get done.

Amazingly, I am jetting off to Mexico in a couple of days with my hubby to celebrate our 20th wedding anniversary, so the break couldn't have been better timed (especially since winter has officially arrived here and so far I'm not handling it well ;)


The thing is that the busy-ness of the last 10 days is not uncommon. It happens every month or two in our household, and I know that for a lot of families, that's just status quo all the time.

The problem with having such a busy lifestyle is that it's easy to use it as an excuse to not choose a healthy lifestyle.

It would have been so easy to pick up fast food for supper all week and skip the workouts, but then I would have felt bad for my poor choices and I literally would have felt "bad"- the combination of eating crap, stress and no activity is the recipe for no energy and feeling ill. And if it's your regular habit, it's only a matter of time before you pay the price with your health (if you're not paying for it already).


So what's the answer? PLANNING

It may seem impossible and like more added stress. The thing is, once you have it all planned out, it's actually less stressful because you know exactly what's going on and what you need to do when.

And when you're feeding your body healthy foods and keeping active, you just feel better and your energy skyrockets, so you'll enjoy everything more.

Here's some tips for planning a healthy week around your crazy schedule:

Sunday Set-up

• Take an hour once a week on a slow day (for most people it's Sunday) and plan the week ahead.
• Plan out where everyone needs to be at what time and how that's going to happen.
• Plan your meals for the week and get the prep work done so it takes less time to get supper on the table. If your kids are old enough, this also helps them be able to make supper themselves so it can be ready when you get home- less rushed.

  There are some places that you can go once a month and prep a bunch of meals at a very reasonable price. It only takes an hour and if you go with a few friends, it's actually kinda fun and you can catch up at the same time.

Plan your meals!

• Try to avoid eating out as much as possible. You'll be less tempted to make poor choices, overeat and you have control over exactly how the food is prepared.
• Plan meals that can be prepared and on the table in less than 1/2 hour: stir fries (when the veggies are already cut & prepped from earlier), grilled chicken & fish (especially if you have one of those "George Foreman"-type grills that cooks both sides at the same time- ready in 10 minutes), frozen veggies and salads are quick too. Keep canned salmon/tuna/chicken/beans in your pantry- protein that's ready to eat.
• Leftovers!!!!!! Make a double or triple batch so you can have 2 or 3 meals out of it- it takes no more time.
• Dust off the slow cooker. There's nothing better than walking in the door to the smell of supper that's ready to eat.
• Stop at the grocery store and pick up a pre-roasted chicken and pre-washed lettuce for instant salad- maybe even some freshly baked, low glycemic pumpernickel bread. It literally takes more time to put the dishes on the table.
• If there's no chance you can be home for meals, try portable meals.

  When I know I have to race somewhere right from work, I bring a Nutrimeal Shake. It's a low glycemic, nutritionally complete meal replacement that tastes like dessert ;) I munch a few carrot sticks or sugar snap peas along with it on the drive and it fills me up and I've got lots of energy for the night. My kids absolutely love them too! They think it's a treat to have a milkshake for supper- I am the best Mom ever on those nights ;)

  I also carry Usana's nutrition bars in my purse all the time. They're also low glycemic and nutritionally balanced. When I'm feeling like I need a snack, I have one of those instead of grabbing the nutritional nightmares that are available for snack foods- some of them may seem healthy, but trust me, they're all trans-fat laden crap that are usually the calorie equivalent of a whole meal.

  The best part of Usana's nutrition bars is that they taste just as good as your typical snack food, so you don't feel like you're depriving yourself. If you're a chocaholic like me, you gotta get the Chocolate Fusion Bars. They're amazing!

• If you must eat out, choose wisely!

  Generally speaking, a sit-down restaurant is your best bet for "real" food. It's also usually easier to get a low glycemic meal- order an entree with double veggies instead of rice or potatoes- Voila! Healthy meal.

  A buffet restaurant is also fast because the food is already prepared- no waiting. Just be sure not to overeat and to only choose the healthy selections- chinese food especially has a lot of high glycemic, fatty choices, but they also have lots of healthy stir fries too.

  If you MUST do fast-food, there are many places that are healthier choices than your typical burger-and-fries joint: A soup and sandwich place, some Mexican food places where you tell them exactly what to put into it, most Asian places have healthy choices, even pizza is healthier...

Plan your exercise!

• Schedule your exercise into your weekly plan and commit to making them unbreakable appointments. It doesn't need to be excessive- 20 minutes 3 times a week can be all you need. (Anything is better than nothing really).
• Schedule your exercise with a friend. If you have to make an excuse to someone else, you're more likely to do it.
• Look for opportunities within your existing schedule so it won't take more time (that you don't have anyway).
  • Park a 10 minute walk away from work. That's 20 minutes a day right there.
  • Go for a walk or run in your lunch hour. Do you really need the whole hour to eat? Not usually.
  • Take the stairs at work instead of the elevator.
  • Go for a walk or run during your child's activity. Rather than hanging out drinking coffee, use the time to exercise. If your child is in a sport and you want to watch the game, do it right at the beginning while he/she's having their warm up- they usually have to be there about 20 minutes before anyway right?
  • Be creative- I'm sure you can find many 10 or 20 minute snippets of time throughout your day that are usually wasted.

Plan your de-stressing time!

Nobody can (or should) be "going" 24/7. You will eventually burn out- it's only a matter of time.

Besides, life is too short not to stop and smell the roses on a regular basis. ENJOY the journey of life, don't just survive it.

• Make sure to fit into your schedule things you enjoy doing. I still play competitive basketball- it's another thing I have to fit into my schedule, but it totally rejuvenates me so its a de-stressing part of my schedule. Find your passion and make time for it.
• Also "turn it off" at least an hour before bed. You can't go full throttle right up to bedtime and expect to have a restful sleep (which is super important for your energy and health).

  Do something relaxing or mindless at least an hour before bed. Whether it's reading or watching TV or whatever, you need to wind down your brain for a truly restful sleep. Even surfing the internet usually requires too much brain power and will affect your sleep.

So there you have it. No earth-shattering health revelations this time- just some common sense tips that sometimes never occur to you, but can easily be included in ANY busy schedule.

Don't be overwhelmed- Try including a new one every week and see how easy it is when you actually PLAN!

NO MORE EXCUSES! Get healthy...

Because Laughter Really IS Good Medicine...

1 Sometimes I'll look down at my watch 3 consecutive times and still not know what time it is.

2. Nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when you realize you're wrong.

3. I totally take back all those times I didn't want to nap when I was younger.

4. There is great need for a sarcasm font.

5. How on earth are you supposed to fold a fitted sheet?

6. Was learning cursive really necessary?

7. Map Quest really needs to start their directions on # 5. I'm pretty sure I know how to get out of my neighborhood.

8. Obituaries would be a lot more interesting if they told you how the person died.

9. I can't remember the last time I wasn't at least kind-of tired.

10. Bad decisions make good stories.

11. You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at work when you know that you just aren't going to do anything productive for the rest of the day.

12. Can we all just agree to ignore whatever comes after Blu Ray? I don't want to have to restart my collection...again.

13. I'm always slightly terrified when I exit out of Word and it asks me if I want to save any changes to my ten-page technical report that I swear I did not make any changes to.

14. I keep some people's phone numbers in my phone just so I know not to answer when they call.

15. I think the freezer deserves a light as well.

16. I wish Google Maps had an "Avoid Ghetto" routing option.

17. I have a hard time deciphering the fine line between boredom and hunger.

18. How many times is it appropriate to say "What?" before you just nod and smile because you still didn't hear or understand a word they said?

19. I love the sense of camaraderie when an entire line of cars team up to prevent a jerk from cutting in at the front. Stay strong, brothers and sisters!

20. Even under ideal conditions people have trouble locating their car keys in a pocket, finding their cell phone, and Pinning the Tail on the Donkey - but I'd bet everyone can find and push the snooze button from 3 feet away, in about 1.7 seconds, eyes closed, first time, every time.

21. The first testicular guard, the "Cup," was used in Hockey in 1874 and the first helmet was used in 1974. That means it only took 100 years for men to realize that their brain is also important.

Ladies.....Quit Laughing.

What's New at
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Nutrition News

Odds Of Successful Aging Significantly Increased By Healthy Behaviors In Midlife

Breakfast Sandwich Gives 'Fast Food' A Whole New Meaning: Study Finds That Just 1 High-Fat Meal Can Affect Your Heart Health

Protection Against Bladder Cancer Offered By High Levels Of Vitamin D In Plasma

Omega-3 Intake Improves Memory In Young Adults

Legumes Help Improve Glycemic Control And Lower Heart Disease Risk

See you next month...

Good Health to You,

Kristy Russ, BScPharm
Pharmacist and Health Consultant

P.S. Give your body the best nutrition possible. You'll not only feel better now, but you'll also have that quality of life in the future that you've always imagined for yourself. Click here to find out more.