Your 5-minute plan for a healthier day

It can be hard to always stay on the health track. Life is all go, go, go and busy, busy, busy. There’s family, emails, texts, errands, activities and to-do lists... just to name a few! There are days where you’re constantly playing catch up, grabbing the most convenient food option, finishing that job or email instead of making it to the gym, and reaching the end of the day feeling emotionally and physically depleted.

Whether you work in an office, for yourself or for the family, success comes from planning your work and working your plan. If you’re trying to keep your health journey on the straight and narrow, try this simple strategy for tackling your day proactively.

Every morning, ask yourself these questions

Take five minutes each morning to think about what the day ahead holds, and ask yourself:

1. What will I eat today?

Packing yourself a healthy lunch/snack box will get you through the busiest of days without reverting to a vending machine, convenience store or bakery indulgence. Stock up on healthy go-to pantry and fridge staples whenever you pop into the supermarket and you’ll always have them on hand to bundle into your lunch box.

Great choices include carrot, celery and capsicum cut into strips, mini cucumbers, punnets of cherry tomatoes and strawberries, apples, mandarins, tins of tuna, nuts, boiled eggs, sliced chicken breast and turkey.

2. How will I move today (and when)?

Exercise always seems to get reprioritised further and further down the ever-growing list of things to get done. Deciding at the start of your day what you can reasonably fit in and when means you can be prepared and make the most of the pockets of waiting time that often get swallowed up by checking social media.

Have your walking shoes in the car and plan to get to an appointment 20 minutes early, or put your towel and drink bottle ready to go at the front door. Setting the intention also allows you to think about what you want to do, not what you “have” to do.

3. What can I do to recharge myself today (and when)?

We all have activities that boost our moods and recharge our energy. Perhaps it’s cooking, or listening to music, sitting in nature, walking along the beach, chatting to a friend, listening to a favourite podcast, journalling or getting lost in a book. Keep a list of your mood and energy boosters handy and schedule in your daily recharge.

4. What’s one annoying thing I want to get done today?

The important things always get done, but those not so important, annoying jobs just seem to accumulate, popping into your mind often enough to wind up the stress-ometer and add to your feeling of being overwhelmed. Dump as many as you can onto a piece of paper, and day by day, tick one off. That’s 30 annoying things off your mind every month!

Start your day with these four questions answered, and you’ll finish each day knowing that you’re making healthy progress.