This How to Stay Healthy When Life is Busy post has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #V8Mornings #CollectiveBias

It’s not easy to stay healthy. That’s not a secret.

But it’s so much more difficult to stay healthy when life is busy.

Which is currently the conundrum I find myself in. I’ve been incredibly proud of myself these past few years for eating much healthier, exercising, and getting into yoga. However, lately I’m feeling sluggish, gained a few pounds, and don’t feel my best. And I know exactly why that is.

The past few months saw an influx of changes for me. A new house, new city, new jobs. And I’ve definitely been extremely busy with work and putting in long days. So, unfortunately, my health hasn’t been my number one priority. I’ve realized what was happening though and aimed to correct it right away.

I know how hard it is to stick to a healthy diet and take care of yourself when life is especially chaotic and, even worse, when you’re stressed. Can you really take care of yourself when you find yourself in this situation? Absolutely. I’ve partnered with V8® Veggie Blends to show you how to stay healthy when life is busy.

V8® Veggie Blends have two amazing new flavors of vegetable and fruit juice drinks out, Caribbean Greens and Berry Bliss, which can be conveniently purchased at Walmart. The Caribbean Greens blend is made with coconut water and offers a delicious, refreshing, and slightly-tropical flavor. The Berry Bliss is perfect for those who prefer their vegetable juice to taste a bit more fruity, as it has blackberry, raspberry, strawberry, and cherry juice in addition to sweet potato and carrot juice.

An excellent source of antioxidants and vitamins, these V8® Veggie Blends contain one full serving of vegetables per 8-ounce glass. The blends are made with 75% juice and 25% pure water, containing 60 calories or less with no added sugar, preservatives, artificial flavors, or artificial color. That sounds pretty great to me!

I love these beverages and reaching for a glass of V8® Veggie Blends on busy mornings when it would be impossible to make fresh green juice or a smoothie.

I’m excited to share with you my favorite tips on how to stay healthy when life is busy below.

7 Tips on How to Stay Healthy When Life Is Busy

Redefine ‘fast food’

We all know how easy it is to get unhealthy, drive-through fast-food when life is busy. You’re starving and you don’t have the time to cook tonight. But instead of overly-processed or fried fast foods, try to reach for healthier options that are still just as quick. Drinking a 8-ounce glass of V8® Veggie Blends in the morning will supply you with a full serving of vegetables and no added sugar with 60 calories or less. Keep healthy, minimal-ingredient granola or protein bars in your purse for quick snacks. If you’re in a pinch for dinner, stopping at a natural grocery store with in-house prepared foods is a healthy, fast meal. Also do a little research to see other fast lunch or dinner options near you. Almost every city has salad bars, vegetarian casual to-go restaurants, or delis that provide some better-for-you options than that chain restaurant burger.

Take healthy shortcuts

It’s perfectly okay to take shortcuts once in a while for a healthy meal. You don’t need to spend the time cooking brown rice or dry beans. Almost every grocery store sells healthy shortcuts. Frozen, microwaveable brown rice, 10-minute farro, no-salt added canned beans, and fresh vegetables that are already peeled and washed. These items might cost a little more money, but it’s so much better than grabbing a processed microwaveable meal or fried fast-food. You can also look for organic shredded, cooked chicken, cooked vegetarian sausage, or cooked shrimp to throw into a salad for a protein-kick and to make dinner a breeze.

Stay active

Staying active when life is crazy busy? Seems impossible, but it can be done. My favorite tip for this is to schedule time to exercise. If you know that tomorrow is a long day at work, setting your alarm a half-hour earlier to exercise may be worth it. (Bonus: it’ll also help you stay energized and feel great the rest of your day.) If that’s just not an option, I love to slip in exercise where I can. If I know I need to run errands or go to the post office, I’ll walk there instead of driving. If I know I have a ton of e-mails to respond to, I’ll ride the exercise bike while doing so. Another great tip is to make exercise social. If you have plans with a friend during the week, suggest going on a hike, walking the park, or taking a dance class together.

Keep calm

Busy, chaotic life = more stress. Stress is extremely taxing and unhealthy for our bodies, so as hard as it may be to do, it’s important to stay calm. Make time for yourself. Don’t overwork yourself. Take care of yourself. And try to squeeze in yoga, meditation, or your go-to calming activities wherever and whenever you can.

Prep, prep, prep

Meal prep anything and everything you can. The slow cooker is an excellent tool when life is crazy. Spending Sunday meal prepping for the week will make your days so much easier and healthier. Meal prep anything that takes longer to cook ahead of time. I love to roast sweet potatoes, make hearty soups, or cook a rotisserie chicken in the beginning of the week. Also cook in bulk. Make larger portions of soups, casseroles, or stews and freeze leftovers.

Be prepared

I find that almost all of my unhealthy habits happen when I’m unprepared. When I’m unexpectedly working longer than I thought or out running errands that ended up taking forever. To help this, always stay prepared. Keep healthy snacks in your car. Bring your own food with you to work or school. And make healthy options at home incredibly accessible. I love making a easy trail mix with dried coconut, cocao nibs, dried cranberries, sunflower seeds, and raw nuts. I portion it into individual grab-and-go bags so they’re at-the-ready. I do this with almost everything. I’ll put snacks that would typically take a while to make or involve cutting in tupperware, such as cut carrots with guacamole or sliced apples with almond butter. This makes reaching for these options (instead of unhealthy chips or a pastry) much more appealing.

Be kind to yourself

Missed a workout? Didn’t eat so great today? Don’t be hard on yourself. We’re all human. Try to follow these tips on how to stay healthy when life is busy the best you can. Just take a breath, and know that tomorrow is a new day.

Thank you to V8® Veggie Blends for sponsoring this post on How to Stay Healthy When Life is Busy and creating delicious, healthy beverages. Check out your local Walmart to try the new flavors, Caribbean Greens and Berry Bliss. You can also order their other flavors online, such as V8® Healthy Greens.