Back to work, back to school or back to uni? Whatever the drill, the sweet sound of your routine will be humming along in no time.
We’ll let you in on a little secret…. here at Bargain Box, we love routine and forming healthy habits! Our Dietitian Lily ‘Lentil’ explains why.
The power of healthy habits and routine
Your routine helps to anchor your actions each day and gives structure and stability to your week. Whether that’s having the same breakfast, a certain day you do a supermarket shop or going to bed at the same time each night. When we’re on top of our routine, life feels a little easier to handle and we’re better able to cope with unpredictability when it comes our way.
Peace of mind
Having a routine helps keep us on track which can help make our days feel more positive and productive. When our days feel organised, daily and weekly tasks like washing, cooking and cleaning can feel less overwhelming and easier to get done.
Save your brain space
Rather than jumping from task to task and making decisions throughout the week, a routine can help you waste less energy and brain space. Decisions become almost automatic, and the thinking has already been done!
Dinner time
Summer holidays are fun, spontaneous and less structured often with irregular meals. February usually signals getting back into planning and cooking meals, so your household knows what’s coming.
The beauty of Bargain Box is that it has the flex to scale up or down your meals for the week so you can feel sorted no matter what you have on.
The bonus? Weeknight meals are a great way to factor in connection around the dinner table at the end of the day.
Cook once, eat twice
Cooking a meal to eat across a few dinners is one of the smartest ways to use your time – and makes for super cost-effective meals! Our Bargain Box ‘Feed the Team’ recipes are also great to help you cook more at once.
Save cash
When we forget to plan, we’re more likely to choose the option that is easiest, quickest and most enjoyable… cue takeaways. When have some structure to our week, and factor in our meals it means we need to make fewer decisions on the fly.
Consistency is key
It’s about consistency not intensity. When we have a routine in place, it’s easier to be more consistent with our habits that support our mental and physical health (1). The trick to creating habits that last the distance is to set the bar low with habits you can keep up on your stressed and busy weeks.
No need to be perfect!
Some weeks, life can be chaos! Having some kind of routine in place and following it is far more important than getting it perfect. Aim for structure with a dose of flexibility and enjoy the lovely summer evenings while they’re still here.
Check out what’s coming up on the Bargain Box menu this week in your account here!
References:
(1) Arlinghaus KR, Johnston CA. The Importance of Creating Habits and Routine. Am J Lifestyle Med. 2018 Dec 29;13(2):142-144. The Importance of Creating Habits and Routine – PMC (nih.gov)
