My 'Occupy' Movement

As I've mentioned in previous posts, I've discovered that occupying my evenings with something other than television helps to curb my mindless eating. I know now that its easy to say 'just do something else' but when you get so used to watching your favorite shows every night its difficult to pick up another habit. Aside from blogging about my weight loss; here are a few things I've started doing in the evening  to occupy myself:

Prep for the next day:

Like many of you I have a full work day that starts when I wake up at 6AM so any time spent in the evening to make my day more efficient helps. I pack my breakfast and lunch every day so this requires two meal preps plus I take out a protein from the freezer to thaw so that when I get home dinner takes less than thirty minutes. I also have to pack my gym bag which is an entire outfit plus toiletries. Also I work in an office so yes there is a dress code and I have to have an outfit that is appropriate and as lint-free and wrinkle-free as possible. I realize that this simple prep doesn't seem like much but after timing myself (meal prep time differs slightly depending on what I cook for lunch) this takes up 45mins-1 hour  of my evening. This puts me at about 7 o'clock.

Take the time to dine:

I like having my dinner prepare as I do my 'next day prep' after which I used to sit myself and turn on the TV. This was such a huge mistake because we really do eat mindlessly in front of the TV, I eat twice as fast as I would sitting down at the dining room table. Now I set a place for myself at my dining room table and since I'm eating slower and savouring my food I feel fuller than when I wolf it down. This puts me at about 7:30.

Tidy up:

There's a sense of pride that comes from having a clean house. Every night I wash the dishes take out the trash and do a load of laundry if necessary. I also take this time to pay any bills and go through my mail and email and return any messages. This puts me at 8 o'clock.

Walk the dog:

Besides the actual necessity of this activity for your pet, an evening stroll is a great way to clear your head. I usually like to keep mine between 30-45 mins. This puts me at 8:45.

Prepare to snooze:

I have a basic nightly ritual which includes changing into my pyjamas, brushing my teeth, washing my face, moisturizing and maintaining my nails. This puts me at 9 o'clock.

Read:

Its amazing how much I forget about any stresses of my day when I'm completely enthralled by a great story. My advice is to not just get any ol' book to fill that space on your bedside table; get a book you've been dying to read, a biography a classic or an adventure. I read for about one hour which puts me at 10 o'clock.

This is when its lights out, I'm already relaxed, I've taken the time to make my upcoming morning easy as pie. I've effectively occupied my entire evening with meningful productive stress-busting tasks that have kept me from mindlessly eating in front of the TV.