The Lazy Guide to Staying Fit & Healthy in 8 Easy Steps

“Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes, including you.”
-Anne Lamott

Flip Flop Slippers, messed up hair, long loose pajamas are the inevitable part of everyone’s life and on some days we crave these lazy days. Everyone have those days where you’d rather call in a sick day and not just because you might be feeling sick but because you don’t feel like it. Well, that’s just a lazy day where your body might be asking for some leisure time to relax, recover, and recharge.

And it’s pretty easy to lose track of your health while lazing around but don’t you worry when we are here to help you make the best of your lazy days.

Here is a guide to staying fit and healthy even on days where you need motivation to even get out of bed.

• Unplug for a while
  Staying disconnected for a while helps a lot. Mental health is a vital part of your overall health and lazing around should sure not mean just staying in bed, hooked up to checking social media every next minute. Make sure you spend your time wisely and give yourself that space and time which you need to get back to your pace again.
• Exercise while watching TV
  Relaxing in front of the TV is a popular pastime for many people to laze around, but that doesn’t give you a reason to not stay active and healthy while watching your favourite program. To improve your fitness in front of the screen, complete a short workout during each advert break. You could fit in some tricep dips using the end of your chair or couch or bed, jog on the spot, or sprint up and down the stairs. The main rule is to keep moving as studies suggest that even fidgeting while you sit can burn up to 350 calories per day.
• Meal Plan Your Lazy Healthy Meals
  Meal planning is saviour as you plan your entire week in advance. This helps eliminate decision fatigue and helps you stay on track with your diet. Also, it doesn’t let you grab a bag of chips or nachos. With meal planning, you plan all your meals and portion them ahead of time, so when the busy week hits you have no excuses –everything you need is available to you in the refrigerator, pre-made. Keep chopped veggies or peeled ingredients ready so that you don’t feel lazy to do these chores later. All you have to do is heat it up or prepare fresh with minimum cooking, or add herbs of your choice you may have set aside.
• Use leftovers
  When you meal plan, think about how you can use your leftovers in a creative way. Sneak in the stuffing in paranthas, sandwiches or just add them to your pasta or noodles. One idea is to prepare a large quantity of one versatile vegetable, like sweet potatoes, and use them in several different ways throughout the week liked baked sweet potatoes, sweet potato chaat, spiced sweet potatoes, or adding few of them to salads.
• A little activity is good
  Lazing around might make you feel to laze around more and so you should include a few minutes of a fun workout as it could also help you feel better. A lot of people may sign up for gym memberships at the beginning of the new year and lose the motivation to exercise in a few weeks. Simple things like not lying down immediately after any main meal or walking around after you have been on the couch for hours. It can also be the most productive time of the day which could help you feel motivated
• Walk-In Nature
  If running or cycling doesn’t fit your lifestyle, then perhaps walking will. To be specific, consider walking outside in nature, maybe early morning on wet grass. Find the nearest park or the easiest and the shortest trail nearby, and go out to appreciate all that nature has to offer.
  Nature has a way of improving the way our brains work. For example, it enhances concentration and makes us feel rejuvenated.
• Meditation could be your saviour
  You can practice yoga or meditation if you want to feel relaxed. Aromatherapy is another good option to help you give a good start of the day. You don’t even have to put on your regular workout clothes to do this.
• Work smartly
  The key to overcoming your lazy day is not to work harder but to work smarter. Understand what triggers your unhealthy binge eating and put it away to avoid overeating. For instance, you may eat more of crunchies because you don’t want to cook and so may miss the next meal. Keep the choice of ‘easy-to-grab-snacks’ healthy.

Over to you
A whole unscheduled day where you are not visibly being productive is fine sometimes or say necessary to find some ‘me’ time. Just make sure to sneak in these tips while you continue to enjoy a lazy day by restoring your energy. Don’t feel obligated or guilty as it is crucial to spread awareness about Official lazy day and there are countries which even have designated holiday for this day.

So go on! Pamper yourselves!