To think a 'healthy lifestyle' is quite challenging in a hectic life with work and family commitments?

[mids2019]

So I have been diagnosed with high blood pressure and the GP has advocates 150 minutes exercise a week, balanced diet, low stress etc

Am I the only one thinking with family, work and household commitments this can be a bit of a challenge?

I can do 2.5 hours at the gym but it means in reality eating into family time. The dies maybe be possible but I think I would end up preparing my own meals and time is a factor.

I completely understand where the GP is coming from and the advice is welcome but seems a real challenge to follow.

Am I the only one to feel like this?

I find healthy food doesnt take that much longer than unhealthy food.

If none of this is a part of your life now, it will require commitment to some change.

Exercising tends to be an excellent release for stress, I try and schedule specific times and classes in my week, as that's what works for me, and unless something else HAS to happen at those times, then I go (I also have friends who do the same routines, and we give each other lifts, which helps keep me going). I often walk with friends at weekends, making it a social activity - 2 birds killed with one stone! When they were younger, the kids joined us.

Food-wise, I eat my best when I've had some time to properly plan our meals and shopping (I have food deliveries). I try to carve out some time over the weekend to do some batch cooking, so I can grab something pre-prepared when on the fly, but still healthy (although I admit, there are many times when I find this difficult - I work later than my DH, and often when I get home he's just started something from the freezer - if he can't find something obvious, he'll throw a pizza in. He's not interested in 'proper' cooking. Then where possible, I'll bring leftovers into work, or try and prepare some lunch while prepping dinner (again, I find this quite difficult, but, best laid plans...).

One of my exercise classes is yoga, I find it amazing how restoratitive it is for the mind as well as the body, and how het up I feel when I've not been for a while. It's also taught me fabulous calming tools when things are getting on top of me.

As PPs have said, modelling good behaviour to your family benefits you AND them, where you can, include them in your exercise or cooking healthier meals.

Yes, I agree that it's hard OP. My DH built us a (very small!) home gym in our basement which was a complete game changer for us both. If you have any spare space, I can't recommend it enough. Or just a stationary bike and some dumbbells will allow you to do everything that you need.

I love all the suggestions about walking, but with young DC it takes too much time. I don't have an hour to spare everyday to go for a walk.

Like PP have said, meal prepping is the only way we manage to eat well.

I've accepted that my life, for now, is: Work, the DC, a weekly at-home date night with DH, and a workout every day. I don't do anything else really. Well, the occasional coffee with a friend. As my DC get older, it'll get easier.

I have a similar issue OP. Diagnosed with high BP a couple of years ago. I've lost three stone in the last year but it's meant I've had to prepare different meals for me and DH, or at least modify mine so they're lower calorie (he absolutely doesn't need to lose weight and is sickeningly healthy!). I can't exercise though (I have RA) so my weight loss has stalled a bit. Not sure what to do next!

Your health matters. Does your family life need to be hectic? Does their busyness trump your wellbeing?

I think you have to get creative when your family is younger. My DC's sports club have an adult squad who train at the same time as the DCs, so I've joined that for 3 sessions a week. Other parents go to the attached gym or go for a run or cycle whilst their DCs train. During competitions, DH goes on the running machines in the gym above where they are competing, as it has a big glass wall looking down so he can watch and run. Otherwise, he goes to the gym at Silly O'clock in the morning three times a week so it lessens the impact on family time, and goes for walks on his lunch break. One friend manages it by doing a morning 10/15 min YouTube hiit session, another does Junior Park Run with her DC (as I understand it, parents can run with their DCs, but won't get a time?).

@SkankingWombat thats correct re. junior parkrun. The parents can run with their kids but only age 4-14 can get a finish token and time. Still, it’s 2k of exercise for everyone on a Sunday morning! We have a few parents at my local one where one parent runs there and the other drives there with the kids, then they run junior parkrun and the other runs home and the one who ran there takes the kids home. It’s noticeable how many bike or scooter there and stay to play in the park afterwards.

You can do all that and still have high BP. I know several people that are thin with high BP. They just have to manage it with medication.

Is the GP recognising that you're under a lot of pressure to put everybody else's needs before your own?

It might be that taking the time out to go to the gym three times a week is exactly what you need - time for yourself, away from doing everybody else's food and just making your own that you like (so if they want chicken dippers and chips or a Dominos, great, they can, but you can have whatever they'd turn their noses up at instead) sorting out their squabbles, taking on everything.

I think it does a little. It takes more time to make sauces than it does to tip one out of a jar.

Things I find help with this:
-freezer. Make suitable meals and sauces and freeze them. Then they are there for taking and you only need a binge on preparation.
-food prep. I use a slow cooker and prepare things in advance, or things that go into the oven. They're in glass containers in the fridge and get thrown on when needed. Then they are ready at the end of the day.

Tray bakes can be easy and healthy too.

I hear you!
It takes effort, imo, to consistently ha e a healthy life style.
Although my kids are now independent adults my life is still chaotic at times with working shifts that dontbhaveca regular pattern

My way of dealing with it is planning one week at a time. I take time out one day a week to plan the next seven days. I use my diary and put in my shifts, family commitments and other appointments.
I meal plan, making easy meals when I'm time short and bigger meals when I've more time.
If I can't get to the gym I'll do home work out. I use the Fiton app which is free although you can upgrade. There's such workouts, challenges and plans. You can do a 20 minute hitting, or stretch or weights, whatever while the kids are watching tv or busy.
Don't look at the whole picture but smaller bits that are maneagable.

Being healthy is hard.
Being sick is hard - pick your hard.
High blood pressure could lead to serious health complications which will 'eat into' family time much more than a 20 minute walk daily ever will......
Get up an hour earlier, stick a YouTube workout on.
Walk 3km at lunch
Go for a walk as a family 3 nights a week
Get off the bus a few stops earlier
Set a timer on the weekends and clean your house, dancing as you go
Swim as a family a couple of times a week - you and DH take it in turns with DC whilst the other swims lengths
Get up early one day at the weekend - head to the gym for an hour
All of these can easily fit into a busy life.
I'm sorry OP, it can be done - you just don't see it as a priority. I don't mean to be hard, but you only get one body - bloody look after it!
I drag my arse to the gym 6 times a week, and walk most days (walked 20km yesterday, did a walk walk before work, walked to a meeting and walked the dog - it all adds up)
Do I want to go to the gym every day - probably not
Do I realise it's super important - 100%

Why can't the exercise be built into life, I used to walk by dog 90 minutes a day, work and bring up my family but id incorporate dog walking into other things

@mids2019 I agree. I found it odd on MNs how so many seem able to fit in hours of daily exercise, plus work ft, cook from scratch, spend time with dc, socialise with partner, friends and family plus their DH also has time to do hours of exercise a week. 🤷🏻‍♀️

You don't have to fit it in all in one go. I walk the school run and that is an hour a day (15 mins there and back twice a day) then I do 40 min workout during the day. I could probably fit something into the evening too if I really tried. Its all about spacing it out.

I cook healthy meals every week and meal plan very carefully. All of our dinners are under 400 calories but can add on extras for kids or husband that i don't eat (like garlic bread with our pasta or larger portion of sides for them). It is hard but if you forward plan, it's not so bad. I track everything on a calorie counter and eat mostly the same things every other week so it's not too difficult once you get going.

You don't have to fit it in all in one go. I walk the school run and that is an hour a day (15 mins there and back twice a day) then I do 40 min workout during the day. I could probably fit something into the evening too if I really tried. It's all about spacing it out.

Well it isn't really. Many people work and commute so don't have a spare 1 hour 40'mins during the day...

OP has been advised to do 30 min of exercise a day. Not 2 hours..That should be possible unless there is a back story.

I work FT in a desk job and regularly do nearly 80 minutes exercise a day. For example:

School run - there and back 10 mins walk x 2 = 40 mins a day
Lunchtime walk to pick things up from shops - = 40 mins a day

Then I also do yoga for 60 mins once a week. Plus take the kids to the park once a week for 60 mins or more - they don’t let me sit down, I’m swinging them, chasing them etc the whole time.

Find something you enjoy and that’s easy to do in small chunks, or something you have to do. Try walking rather than taking the car for short journeys.

Can I suggest a walking pad? I bought one at Christmas and getting my 10k steps per day is a lot easier as I do rhem at various chunks through the day.

for eating healthy (I have to lose weight) I’ve just been keeping lots of healthy salad things in the fridge and nibbling throughout the dayn

Put your own health ahead of ‘family life’, surely? I do.

Fair point but she's being asked to fit in 30 mins a day over 5 days so the sentiment still stands. Fit in 3, 10 min intervals per day and it isn't that hard?! Even someone with a long commute can do 10 mins of squats 3 times a day or little walks over the course of a day. You don't have to be in the gym for 2 hours a day.

Can you build some exercise into your breaks at work? A brisk 10 minute walk at lunchtime followed by the same 10 minute walk before you set off to drive home. That's 20 minutes straight away. You can also buy under-desk cycling machines so potentially you could be exercising whilst working at your desk; or whilst you're sat on the couch at home. Amazon sell them.

75 minutes a week is two half hour and one 15 minute work out. It’s not a 7 hour slog up a mountain or a marathon.

But that’s vigorous exercise.

150 minutes of moderate exercise is basically 20 minutes a day.

I bet most people spend more than that on mn / social media.

Become an active family.
There is so much you can do with dc which will be fun and get them out and about.
How old are they?
Go walking in different places, swimming, cycling. Train for some family runs.
Play tennis in the park. Find a local badminton court.
Go for lunchtime and after dinner walks.
Do 15 min youtube videos for yourself and that's enough if you're doing walks and other things throughout the day.

The thing is that you can still use jar of sauce and yet eat healthily. Contrary to popular belief here, many jars are absolute fine.

I do agree on good prep being massive help though.