Tips for time management on Whole30

[lcs75]

Hello

 

So I enjoy my journey, but struggle with my time management.

 

There is just not enough time in the day to fit it all in. I want to sleep at least 7.5 hrs a day, do physio for an hour each day, run an hour, cook and eat well, spend time with my family and incl. travel have 10hr+ days at work.

 

It is so much to fit in, how do you manage? What are your best tricks to have meals ready in a flash?

 

Thanks and Happy Easter!

 

[GFChris]

Maybe you start with not trying to squeeze all of those items in every single day.    For example, prioritize the sleep and nourishing eating, maybe you don't do physio and run every day, and/or maybe it's not an hour of each every time. 

 

Meal-prep wise, batch cooking on the weekends and/or a slow cooker are your friends, along with having some quick go-to options available.  For my go-tos, I always have compliant homemade mayo, sweet potatoes, sauerkraut, carrots, pickles and canned chicken, salmon and sardines on hand.

[pjena]

Agree with Chris on meals - plan your meals a week at a time and then batch cook/prep on Sundays and use the crockpot.  Also, I know some people hate this because they get bored, but I find that eating the same breakfast and lunch every day helps with time management.  It's one less thing to think about.  As for the rest, prioritize and accept that maybe you can't do everything every day.

[lcs75]

Hi Chris,

 

unfortunately physio is not optional. Running is my stress management. Family time is flexible as we obviously do spend time together eating and relaxing. Those and sleeping, eating, working are the main things I want to fit in my day. I am actually just making daily lists to see what my days look like and where I can save time, I think I need to go to bed earlier (already 9:30-10pm...). I am really screwed on the days where I have treatments after or before work, but those are probably the days where I need to have meals prepared.

 

Preparation is the key, right?

[jmcbn]

Take a rest day from running and allow your muscles to repair.

As with pjena I eat pretty much the same breakfast everyday but I batch cook at the weekends for lunches & dinners. I try to do one meal in the crockpot, one on the stove top & one in the oven - that way I can mix & match with salads or sides and not feel like I'm eating the same thing every day.

Veg & meat shopping is done at the farm shops by my office during my lunch hour & household shopping (toiletries etc) is done online - that saves me a HUGE amount of time.

It feels like it gets easier as time goes on.

[CaGirl]

I'm curious.. why was it easier before doing a whole 30? you still ate and cooked right? Maybe cooking real food takes more time than franken food?  

[shortystylee]

My busy weeks go better when I plan out my weekend days well with groceries, food prep, and other chores. I know a lot of people time manage meticulously on weekdays and then when the weekend comes it's out the window. I spend five hours Sunday morning from 7 to noon doing food prep - an hour grocery shopping then the rest prepping. Most people can probably prep faster than that.

Also, I don't just meal prep breakfasts and lunches, I chop veggies for weeknight meals and try to make at least one weeknight crockpot meal. I've got several dinners that my husband starts if I can text him a recipe link.

For the activities, if you need to do your physio (that's physical therapy, right?) daily, then do it. Especially if that's what your doctor recommends. As a runner myself, I would say the same as jmcbn, skip a day between runs, even if it's your stress reliever. That's a lot of stress on your legs/knees to not have a recovery day. Could you use the time to still be active and spend time with family? Go for a walk, play outside at the park, depending on how old your kids are.

[lcs75]

@CA Girl, before Whole30 breakfasts were easier, yogurt and home made granola, milk banana protein smoothie, but I have not eaten Frankenfoods every day I think the biggest change at the same time was, that since Xmas I try to sleep at least 7.5hrs a night - that had a major impact on my time management, but i do feel better, especially re focus at work.

 

@All: I do have recovery from running - my running is very limited and I have 3 "hard" days, 2 technique sessions and 1 slow recovery run with the actual run component being 10-30min (warm-up and cool down come up to the hour). It is all very driven from my health care plan, so I have to count all activities to not over-do it.

 

I think I will need to work on prep, get some dinners ready that I can just pull out the freezer. I prefer to cook fresh, but it is good to have alternatives I guess.

[missmary]

Try freezing stuff, and see how it goes for you, but for me I find I just leave stuff in the freezer and never want it. I would rather eat really simple fresh food than defrost something made from a recipe. I do roast some sweet potato, boil some eggs, make mayo, steam broccoli, etc. so I have a bunch of stuff ready to make those really simple meals. Also, i find lunch and breakfast will last three days in a sealed glass container in the fridge (I've done five, but I prefer to make fresh mid-week). Having that stuff ready to grab and go is key.

 

On family time, have you considered active play? Maybe when this physio is done and you can control your exercise plan a little more you might consider doing stuff together. Monkey bars are a great workout. running, jumping, sprint races, etc., and could be even better for stress levels than a solo run.

[EmilyK]

I just found that it got easier as the month went on.  Batch cooking on the weekends certainly helped (I primarily cook for breakfasts and lunches).  It's a balancing act for sure, but I've found that as it gets to be routine, it is a lot easier.