Busy lives...managing to stay focused on health

A few years ago, I worked as a financial planner, working extremely long hours in a 6-day per week schedule. I left my house at 6:30am to workout before work and got home after dinner at 8:20pm on Mondays - Thursdays. I got home at 6pm on Fridays, then again on Saturdays 9-1pm. It was a very challenging time of my life. I had to take naps on Sat and Sun afternoons just to get by and try to be a good partner to my husband. I did this schedule for 2 whole years and I still carved time in my schedule to prepare my meals for me and my husband. I spent 3-4 hours on Sunday cooking for the entire week. I preportioned the meals and stored them in the fridge for the week. I learned a lot from that experience. The most important lesson is that I valued my health more than ever. The health of my relationships with my family and friends and the health of my body.

My coworkers at that time took bets on how long I would maintain this schedule and still cook and bring in my own meals. I brought in breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks to give me fuel for the day. They lost their bets! I often received offers from them as well, to cater their meals. People tried to pay me for some meals on the spot! It was very funny. In the end, I left my job there to go back to a regular work schedule returning to my previous career in high-tech marketing. However, today, I still have the busy schedule. My commute to the office is almost 3 hours total, each day. And one thing is for sure. I still won't sacrafice my core values - relationships (husband, siblings, family, friends) & and my good health.

The fact is that in this life, you get one body. And many diseases and health issues can be avoided by prevention. I work hard to protect my good health by frequent exercise, balanced nutrition, sleep, and drinking lots of water. I wear sunscreen and have never smoked cigarettes. I'm not preachy about it, it's just the way I chose to live my life.

Along the way, I get tons of questions from friends and family about tips of staying organized to live a healthy lifestyle. Now, let's get started....

This blog is designed to give you helpful and practical strategies to help you organize and prioritize your time and budget to maintain good health. So many people feel defeated when they look at a diet book or cook book because their budget can't take the strain, especially in this economy, for expensive ingredients and kitchen tools. Imagine what you can do with your life if you felt energized after a meal or snack instead of getting stuffed or sugar bombed by eating fast food or processed foods!

Please send me your ideas and tips as well. There is always more to share.