Hello and happy Monday! This is Susan Hyatt and it’s GO time.
This is the 91st episode in a series of GO mp3s to wake you up on your Monday morning and get you going.
In this episode we’re talking about how to make healthy food choices, even when you only have 5 minutes.
[smart_track_player url=”https://soundcloud.com/susanhyattgo/91-its-5-minutes-either-way” social_gplus=”false” social_pinterest=”true” social_email=”true” ]
Does this scenario sound familiar to you?
You’re scrolling through Facebook or Instagram… and you see a beautiful photo that someone has posted. Let’s say it’s a gorgeous breakfast bowl with granola, fresh fruit, toasted nuts and coconut, and a drizzle of honey. It looks totally heavenly.
You think to yourself, “Oh wowww. That looks so healthy and so pretty.”
You click the HEART button. Then you post a comment saying, “OMG SO AMAZING! I wish I had time to make a breakfast like that for myself!”
Well, let me set you straight:
If you have time to scroll through Facebook and Instagram and leave comments about other people’s healthy meals, then YOU have time to whip together a healthy meal for YOURSELF, too. That is the Lord’s honest TRUTH.
I have so many clients who are busy-busy-busy ladies, just like me. Lawyers. CEOs. Consultants. Coaches. Therapists. Public speakers. My clients are busy doing social justice and activism work. Busy running companies. Busy raising their kids. Busy doing all kinds of important things.
Every week, at least one client will say to me, “Susan, I want to take care of my body. I want to eat healthy, beautiful food like I see on Instagram. Really, I do. But it’s just not realistic. I don’t have ANY time for that stuff!”
Here’s the thing, people:
Taking care of your body does NOT have to take an eternity.
Fueling yourself with good food does NOT have to be an all-day-long project.
You can make yourself a nourishing meal—and you can do it FAST.
It takes literally 5 minutes to scoop some yogurt into a bowl, sprinkle some fruit and nuts on top, and drizzle some honey. Honestly, 5 minutes is a very generous estimate. In reality, we’re probably talking more like 60 seconds. You’re telling me you don’t have 60 seconds to make yourself breakfast? Come on now. You know that’s not true.
Again… we’re not talking about Thanksgiving dinner, here! You don’t have to slave over a hot stove for hours and hours. You can put some nice stuff into a bowl and call it good. It can be that easy.
Lately, I’ve been obsessed with my Instant Pot pressure cooker. I can throw some chicken and rice in there with some seasonings, click it on, and it does magical things. I don’t have to watch it. I don’t even have to be in the kitchen. I could spend 5 minutes on the phone ordering a pizza from Domino’s, or I could spend 5 minutes throwing some stuff into my Instant Pot for a home-cooked meal. Same amount of time. Different choices.
My friend Alex always packs a beautiful cheese platter whenever she’s flying on a plane. She arranges everything on a little plastic cutting board and wraps it up in Saran wrap. Then on the flight, she unwraps it, and she’s got a super-fancy snack.
It takes literally 5 minutes (or less) for Alex to cut up some cheese, fruit, and raw veggies and put them onto the plastic tray along with some crackers and dark chocolate. She does it the night before her flight, and it’s super easy.
Look, you can spend 5 minutes at home making yourself a nice airplane snack, or you can spend 5 minutes waiting in line for a crappy sandwich at the airport deli. Again: it’s 5 minutes either way. And you gotta eat. It might as well look and feel nice.
Here’s my challenge for you this week:
If you hear that voice in your head that says, “I don’t have time to take a walk outside.” “I don’t have time for a healthy meal.” “I don’t have time to rest.” “I don’t have time to take care of myself” … I want you to notice that voice, and then I want you to challenge that voice. Talk back to yourself. Say to yourself, “Hmm… is that REALLY true?”
One of the most important things that I teach my clients is…
You don’t have to believe every thought that passes through your mind.
You might think to yourself, “Making a healthy meal is absolutely impossible because I am so busy.”
OK, that’s a thought that has popped into your head. But is that thought actually true?
Nope. It’s not true. It’s a lie. Or, an “alternative fact,” as Trump might say. LOL.
See if you can change that thought into a different thought. Instead of saying to yourself, “I have no time to eat well,” you could say, “OK, I have limited time, but there are plenty of healthy, delicious options that are quick and easy, so I’ll just choose one of those.”
When you’re feeling stressed, pressured, and super busy, try to remind yourself:
“If I have 5 minutes to figure out a meal, then I’m going to make those 5 minutes count. I’m going to choose something that makes me feel happy, healthy, and energized for the rest of my day.”
You can spend 5 minutes pulling into the Wendy’s drive-through lane and getting fast food that leaves you feeling icky.
Or you can spend 5 minutes whipping into the grocery store to grab a beautiful rotisserie chicken and a pre-made salad, or a wrap, or some sushi, or whatever you love to eat.
You can spend 5 minutes inhaling a bag of Doritos in your car and not even tasting them.
Or you can spend 5 minutes savoring a basket of seasoned curly fries from your favorite restaurant, tasting each fry slowly, and really enjoying the experience.
It’s 5 minutes of your life either way.
It’s what you choose to DO with those 5 minutes that determines whether you feel great afterward, or feel crappy.
Make choices that help you feel GOOD. If you’ve got just 5 minutes, then make those minutes count, and use those minutes to give your body some love. I promise: even if you’re the busiest busy-bee in the world, you can do this.
It’s GO time.
