Let’s face it: moving is a huge disruption to your normal schedule. You’re spending your nights and weekends packing, preparing, and putting last-minute things away before the move. After you’re in your new place, it’ll probably take you a week or two to be fully unpacked. Even then, you’ll be spending lots of time getting settled, hanging up picture frames, and shopping for things that you forgot you needed.
One thing is for sure: all of this can get in the way of things that are important, like eating healthy and exercising regularly. Be sure to heed these tips on how to stay happy and healthy during your move!
Be Wary of Stress Eating
Moving is stressful, and a lot of people manage their stress by forgiving themselves of their diet, and eating whatever they feel like. Stress eating can definitely lead to weight gain and lethargy, two things you do not need to deal with while you’re in the middle of a move.
Don’t give into cravings for greasy fast food during the move—for a night or two, it’s probably fine, but if you let it snowball it can really derail you from your health goals. If you must order out, stick to healthy meals.
If you’re prone to stress during times like moving and packing, try to do things to help you relax as you prep for the move. Moving.com suggests listening to music while you pack and plan, enlisting the help of your friends and neighbors to make it fun and less work for just you, and taking some time off of work if you can to dedicate some time to moving.
Remember to stay hydrated during the moving process. You’d be surprised how being dehydrated can affect your stress levels! Make sleep a priority, too.
Plan Ahead of Your Move
The key to maintaining a healthy diet before, during and after a move is to make a plan. Before you move, it can be tempting to eat out every night, because you won’t want to stock up at the grocery store if you just have to toss everything on moving day. But chances are there are things in your freezer and pantry that you can eat before the big day. Take stock of everything you have, and make a plan. Eat those frozen meals, and cook the last of the veggies you have in your fridge before they go bad.
While you’re packing, try to keep at least a pot and a pan out of the box until the last minute, so that you can easily prepare a quick at-home meal. If you must pack everything, ask a friend or neighbor if you can enjoy a homemade meal with them for a night or two.
If you absolutely must eat out, go for something healthy, like a turkey burger, a salad, or stir fry. Avoid heavy items like pizza and Chinese food that you might mindlessly eat out of the fridge for the next couple of days.
Keep in mind that eating out every night for a week will get expensive and moving is already not cheap. If you can, cook at home or bum a good meal off of a friend.
Unpack the Kitchen First
Once you’re in your new place, you may want to unpack areas like your bedroom and your closet first, but resist this urge and head to the kitchen. Get all of your cooking utensils and pots and pans into the cupboards, that way you’ll be able to make a grocery store run and cook a healthy and delicious dinner the very first night you’re in your new place.
Don’t Forget the Gym During Your Move
Since you’re busy packing and then unpacking during a move, most people will let their gym visits slide. If you’re moving to a new neighborhood, make it a priority to find and join a gym before your move-in date.
Ask your current gym if they have a partner gym in your new area, and switch over your membership. If you normally go 2-3 times per week, stick to that schedule, even if it’s tempting to stay home and unpack everything all at once.
Remember that moving is a process, and it shouldn’t disrupt all of your life’s regularly scheduled programming. Unpacking may take a couple of weeks to complete, and it’s okay if your place is a bit of a mess for the first month or two that you live there!
When you’re ready to schedule the big day, Dowell’s Moving & Storage is here to help. Click here to lear about ourmoving services in Victria BC, or call us today at 250-361-9866 to get an estimate. Whether you’re moving just a town over or all the way across the country, Dowell’s has your back. We’ll help to make the big day a little less stressful, so that you can get back to your normal routine as soon as possible.