Going from working part time to working a 9-5 is a huge jump, you slowly realise how little time you actually have. These tips have allowed me to stay healthy whilst working a 9-5 (which is more like an 8-6 with the travel!)
1. Get to work early
Whether you are travelling by public transport, or driving yourself getting there early will give you time to relax, do what you need to do, but have no stress because you’re already there.
This is considering you don’t have time to workout in the mornings because you don’t want to wake up at 5am (i’m with you on that).
Getting to work early, means you can walk around the area and get your steps in before you even start.
It’s one thing that you can tick off your to do list and not have to worry about when you get home. So there’s no toss up between, do I workout or do I get my steps in after work, because you’ve already done it.
Additionally, it makes you feel good and accomplished. If you work in an office and are sat down all day, getting some movement in in the morning can make you feel 10x better.
I would recommend getting to work early even if you weren’t walking around, because it gives you time for yourself rather than travelling and rushing straight into work.
On the flip side, if you would rather workout in the morning, travel and get straight to work, and go for a walk / chill in the evening, that’s another great way to get movement in your day and have time for yourself!
2. Utilise your breaks
For those of us lucky to be able to eat at our desks whilst we’re working, this is the perfect time to get outside on your lunch breaks and move your body.
Whether that’s a 10min walk, or you use all of your lunch break is up to you, all movement is good movement.
Fully turning your brain off on your breaks will help you be more productive and break up the day.
You will burn yourself out if you never let yourself have a break.
Remember staying healthy isn’t just about your physical body, it’s about your brain too
3. Routine, Routine, Routine
Having a routine will keep you accountable and allow you to get things done.
If you don’t stick to any sort of routine, or have a plan in place, you are going to think you have more time than you have.
One of my biggest goals for when I started my 9-5 was to maintain my healthy lifestyle. I knew I was going to be more sedentary and have a LOT less time through leaving the house at 7:50am and getting home at 6pm, so a routine has helped me so much to stay healthy whilst working a 9-5.
Having a routine and planning my days have allowed me to continue to workout, go for a walk everyday, even if it’s 15 minutes, whilst still feeling like I have time to chill, as well as work on other commitments.
For example, I am writing this blog post during my commute to work. My blog will continue to stay a priority for me, although I may not be posting as frequently, I am putting in the little time I have to make it work.
4. Get realistic with your planning
A lot of the time when planning, I will think a certain task will only take a certain amount of time, however when it comes to actually doing that task, I take much longer and end up behind schedule.
Adding buffer time to your planning and trying to get really accurate with your estimates will help you a lot!
Even if it means you won’t get as much stuff done as you thought, that’s better than thinking you will get everything done, and end up feeling disappointed that you didn’t.
This will help you stay healthy whilst working a 9-5 because not only is this great for your mental health by getting things done, it will help you physically when you can plan in times for activity!
5. Use the weekends to rest and recover
A lot of my previous points have been for physical health, but mental health is equally important, and will help you stay healthy whilst working a 9-5.
Having weekends off is a blessing, although it does feel overwhelming only having 2 days to go out and have fun with friends and family, as well as rest recover from the work week before you go into the new work week.
I won’t lie and say that going from part time into full time work is easy. It is a big adjustment, especially because this is my first full time job, but all I can do is continue to find my perfect routine and find my feet.
What can you do on a weekend to rest and recover?
- Enjoy a little bit longer in bed, whether that’s sleeping or spending longer drinking your cup of tea in the morning.
- Spend time with friends and family. I know going to work all week can drain your social battery, but if you’re up for it, spending time with friends and family is always important.
- Have a long bath. You may not have the chance to have a long bath every night after work so the weekend is the perfect time to treat yourself!
- Have a full body shower. Take your time to pamper yourself and do EVERYTHING! And why not use all of your best products?
- Do what you feel like you’ve missed out on throughout the week. That could be going out to the club, or that could be sitting at home reading. Whatever makes you feel fulfilled.
6. Meal prep
My recommendation would be to meal prep / plan your lunches and dinner on either the weekends, or an evening you’re not working out / don’t have any plans.
It’s so easy to grab snacks all day, so having good meals will help you stay healthy whilst working a 9-5.
This will make a huge difference in your daily life because you won’t be stressed about quickly making something for lunch the night before!
It will also mean you’re not going out to buy your lunch everyday, because although your sandwich might be £4, if you’re buying that 5 days a week, it adds up be to around £1000 every year!!! Plus you’d be buying groceries on top of that!
Obviously there will be some days / weeks where you haven’t planned everything and you go out for lunch (no one’s on top of their organisation every day of the year!)
Thank you for reading <3
I hope you enjoyed this post and it was helpful for you wanting to stay healthy whilst working a 9-5.
The jump is huge going from part time / retail to working full time, so it will take time to adjust, but this is everything I have been doing recently to still feel like I am staying as healthy as I can be.
If anyone has any other tips, please feel free to leave them in the comments to help each other out!
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