As a career girl, you pack a busy schedule. Add to that if you are a mother who also travels to work. Your schedule might leave you with hardly any scope to take care of yourself. However, this does not mean you should ignore yourself. As Jim Rohn famously said – “Take care of your body, it is the only place you have to live.” So let’s look at some pointers about how you can keep yourself healthy even when you are working a crazy schedule.

7 Ways to Keep Yourself Healthy When You’re Working a Crazy Schedule

1. Avoid Liquid Calories

Cut out all the sodas, sugar-laden juices, and energy drinks from your diet. These just add empty calories to your diet, adding to your waistline but not to your nutrition line. So give them a miss. Instead, replace them with water. As much water as you can drink. If water gets boring after a while, add some taste variation by drinking flavored water (sugar-free, and organic). Try to cut back on your coffee and tea fixes as well. Keep them to a minimum, and keep the sugar in them to the lowest possible levels.

2. Plan Your Meals Ahead of Time

Yes, you work hard and are super busy, but you must have a weekly off. Use the day smartly so as to be on track with your health goals. Pre-cook food for the week in batches and freeze for later use. Narrow down your food choice to 2/3 dishes. This will allow you to cook in larger batches and save time.

If you can’t stomach same meal for more than 2 days then consider adding some smart time-saving variations. Add a filling smoothie, made with yogurt, protein powder, fruits and some healthy greens. Not only is it quick to make, it will also provide you calories equivalent to your meals. Planning your meals and pre-cooking them, ensure you eat healthy throughout the week.

3. Snack Healthy

Load up your office fridge with healthy snacks like carrots, nuts, roasted nuts, air popped popcorn and more. Keep healthy snacks within sight in your home. Snacking per se is not bad; snacking on unhealthy food is bad. So ensure you always have a healthy snack within reach when boredom or hunger strikes. Most of our unhealthy eating happens during the snacks break and when we are feeling bored.

[RELATED: 5 Ways to Keep a Healthy Lifestyle Despite a Busy Schedule]

4. Workout

Yes, you are short on time, we get that, but your health should be a priority too. So devise a flexible gym schedule. You can visit in the early morning, before you check emails, or before lunch, or before dinner. The choice is up to you. If visiting the gym is not an option, then create and stick to a home exercise plan. Do strength training to help build muscles. Muscles burn more fat and help keep you lean. They also boost your metabolism, helping you burn calories quicker.

5. Stay Active

You burn more fat standing than sitting! Use this to your advantage. When in the office try to stand/walk as much as possible. Use stairs whenever possible. Stretch in your cubicle. Walk around when on phone. If reading a document, stand and do it. Wherever possible aim to be active. Every small bit counts towards using your body, exercising it and keeping it fitter and healthier.

6. Supplement

A large majority of people are deficient in Vitamin D. The sun vitamin is likely low for you if you hardly see sunlight, being as you are cooped in an office or busy at home! Check with your doctor for relevant supplements.

Calcium and Iron are two most common nutrients women lack in. Our bodies need more of these than men, and so we are more prone to their deficiency. Calcium deficiency not only affects your bone health but also interferes with your weight loss efforts. Iron deficiency will affect your overall health significantly. You feel tired, may have a poor appetite, behavioral problems, increased risk of heart problems and much more.

Another very common issue with women is thyroid imbalance. If you are having difficulty losing weight, brittle nails/hairs, unusual weight gain, difficulty falling asleep or any unusual symptom, do pay your doctor a visit.

7. Sleep

Last but not least. Your body needs 7-9 hours of sleep every single night. Most of us are guilty of treating sleep as a luxury. Putting work, family, and everything ahead of our sleep. Stop this right now! Make your sleep a priority. Occasionally you might have to sacrifice some sleep for some emergencies, but that’s the only reason you should sacrifice your sleep – for Emergencies.

Unless there is an emergency, you need to sleep every day for at least 7 hours. Use a smart alarm clock to wake you up in a soothing manner, so that you wake up refreshed. Develop good sleep hygiene by keeping all electronics out of the bedroom. Make a pre-bedtime routine of reading a book, listening to soothing music, meditating, or whatever works for you to help you smoothly transition to sleep.

So there we have it, some key pointers to help you stay healthy even on a crazy schedule. Some things might seem easy to implement, and others not so much, but the bottom line is DO NOT GIVE UP. Your health matters the most. So make it a priority and get going!