[LIFESTYLE] 7 Tips For A Healthy Commuter Lifestyle
In my previous post I mentioned that I’d recently been searching for meal ideas that would better suit my commuter lifestyle, and this pretty much came about after coming to the realisation that my lifestyle really had changed since moving out of London. After a year of 2hr train journeys to and from work, grabbing food at train stations, and a constant state of feeling exhausted I really needed to improve my lifestyle choices. So I thought I’d write this blog post to share some of the things and tips that are helping me in leading a healthier commuter lifestyle, and could help you too.
At the moment there’s a lot on the agenda. Working full-time, studying, practicing yoga, and also working on a new business idea and freelance work. Being organised is something I’ve found to be vital in improving my lifestyle. When you spend up to 4 hours of the day commuting it can leave you with little time to do anything else. You quickly find you need to use the time you do have as efficiently as possible if you’re still to have a life outside of work. So I now have a little regime going on to help my mornings and evenings to run smoothly, and usually plan everything in advance to ensure I have time to do everything. Whilst this may sound quite regiment and stiff, it actually helps me to be more flexible and shuffle any plans I do have around should anything unexpected pops up. I can clearly see where there’s gaps in my schedule and it just helps to prioritise activities and ensure I do everything that needs to be done.
It’s only recently that I realised how huge a part diet plays in making sure I have enough energy to support my commuter lifestyle. I often found myself with zero energy no matter how much sleep I’d had the night before and was just unable to get through all that I wanted to do during the week. So I've begun a diet that is high in slow burning starches, low in sugar and rich in iron which helps to keep the energy levels up. I also make sure I eat at regular intervals during the day. And now NEVER skip breakfast, especially since I’ve been making green smoothies every morning. Again, being organised and planning meals in advance definitely helps to make sure I’m eating right.
For a while I found it quite difficult to adapt to this new lifestyle and found I just wasn’t as happy an individual as I usually was. It’s actually proven that long commutes can have both adverse physical and mental effects:
Added stress - supposedly us women are especially prone to the psychological effects of travelling to work due to more responsibilities at home; making us more sensitive to the pressures of commuting such as time constraints and the reduced flexibility
Reduced social time - more isolation which can make people feel depressed
Weight gain - by eating into time that could be used for healthier activities
Increased cholestorol and blood pressure - from sitting in a car or train for lengthy periods of time
So with this I found it doubly important to make sure that I made the necessary improvements to make sure I have both a happy and healthy lifestyle. At the end of the day well-being comes first!
Here are some of the tips that I’ve found have made a huge difference to my daily commutes and can actually help to improve the quality of any lifestyle.
Get enough sleep - Everybody is different and some are able to function on less sleep than others, but personally, I have to get my 7 hours sleep. Sleep is vital not only for the body to be able to restore and rebuild itself but it’s also key for emotional wellness, the last thing you need is to have sleep deprived crankiness whilst in a packed tube on the Victoria Line. I now try to make sure I’m in bed by 10:30pm, half an hour before the time I go to sleep, which allows me time to pick up a book and unwind before drifting off. Plus, beauty sleep is real ladies!
Save longer workouts for the weekend - I used to try to fit in long gym and yoga sessions either before or after work as it’s a great way to energise before or unwind after work, but this just added to feeling burnt out during the week. Now I have a 15min yoga session first thing every morning and leave my hour workout and longer yoga sessions to the weekend. This way I find I’m still able to energise and prepare for the work day, but can enjoy longer sessions at the weekend without having to worry about wrapping them up quickly.
Eat right! - slow burning starchy foods like potatoes, cereals/oats, and whole-grain pasta/breads help to give sustained energy levels. Iron-rich foods including red meat, offal, green vegetables and mussels help to reduce fatigued which is another key one for us ladies as our iron levels drops at specific times in the month. Foods high in sugar content may give a quick energy boost but it’s often one that wears off quickly too, so I stay away from food and drinks high in added sugar, and caffeine too. Fruit and veg give that added vitality. And of course making sure you do eat enough is key too, the average man needs around 2,500 calories a day, and the average woman needs 2,000 calories.
Prepare meals in advance - To help with the smooth running of the week I often cook my meals on Mondays and Wednesdays to last me the work week, or at the very least prepare them so that when I need to eat it’s literally just a matter of turning on the stove/oven. This really does help to free up time during the week and just makes life a little easier. But of course for this planning your meals and buying the ingredients in advance is key.
Occupy your mind - Utilising the time you spend commuting to do some of the things you love to do or have on your to do list can help to make the commute feel less like lost hours in the day. Whether you commute by train, car, bicyle, walk or fly (for the fancier commuters amongst us), keeping your mind occupied is a great way to use the time productively and can also help to take your mind off any stress of the commute. Listen to some new music or language learning podcasts, read a book/magazine, catch up on some work, plan for the next day, or jot down that cool business idea you have.
Walk with (healthy) snacks - Getting caught in a traffic jam or train delay can find you left hungry, weak and irritable. Walking with some snacks just helps to avoid a hunger melt down and also stops you from wasting money on fast (and often unhealthy) food. Fruit, granola bars, and even home made smoothies are great snacks to walk with. But again, be sure to avoid snacks high in sugar, while they can give you a quick boost of energy, they’re more likely to leave you feeling tired/hungry shortly after.
Enjoy! - Just remembering to find the joy in everything you do and making the most of every situation can really help to improve your attitude towards your daily commute. We only have one life to live so we better enjoy it while we can!
So anyway I hope you find this post to be useful. I’m still going to share my new diet plan at some point but what are some of the ways that you've made the most of or have adapted your lifestyle? Maybe I've missed something that's been key to your daily commute? Let me know by sharing in the comments.
