I’ve spent the day prepping dinner for 33 people. That’s pretty funny given I sometimes struggle with four. Still, I haven’t burnt or broken anything, the Chef’s Shop (that little culinary treasure hidden away on Par-la-Ville) is still standing, and I feel reasonably in control at the moment. Tonight we have infused detox water, a raspberry, vanilla and turmeric smoothie, layered Moroccan salad, a roasted vegetable dinner bowl, carrot cake muffins and coconut caramel energy bites. Phew! On the theme of ease, I have a list of things that make everyday healthy living more simple. It’s an eclectic mix with lots of holes but a good starting point. 1. Let your blender wash itself

If you prep a smoothie in the morning you might not have time to wash your blender properly before you leave the house. Let it soak ’til you come home, refresh the water, add a few drops of dish soap and whizz (lid on unless you want to wash your ceiling too). This turns your blender into a mini dishwasher so you’ll have it sparkling in no time.

2. Prep smoothie bags

If smoothies still feel like too much hard work in the morning, prep smoothie bags ahead of time. Line up empty Ziplocs and add one serving of each ingredient to each one: fruit, leaves, nut butter, powders, seeds etc — everything except the mixer. In the morning, take a bag out of the freezer, dump the ingredients into the blender, add your mixer (milk, water, unsweetened coconut water) and away you go.

3. Freeze leftover wine

Sometimes, one glass each is enough but then there’s that little bit left at the end of the bottle. Instead of tipping yourself into the realm of the hangover, pour the last bit into ice cube trays and freeze. You can add it to homemade chilli, casseroles or gravy.

4. Have a take-home night

I’m hard to please when it comes to takeout. It’s expensive, usually unhealthy and rarely good enough to be worth it. However, take-home I can live with! Stop at Supermart and pick up a hot organic roasted chicken. Even better, call ahead in the morning so you know for certain there is one set aside. Other ideas include Waitrose’s fresh soup, or Miles has reasonably priced grilled salmon and veggies at its deli counter.

5. Bake and prep

I have tons of healthy recipes, but sometimes getting all the “stuff” out feels like a lot of work. After baking 1,000 items in a week with Chloe for her fundraiser last year, we learnt a few shortcuts. The best one, when putting together the dry mix for a recipe, put a spare set of dry ingredients in a Ziploc and pop it in the fridge for next time. They store well in the freezer too.

6. Add to the stairs

Trying to get fit? We’re often told to “just take the stairs”. It’s gentle encouragement for people who are starting at rock bottom. However, we also risk spreading a false message of lethargy. In most instances, although it’s a great start, taking the stairs is not nearly enough. So to save time, get serious and accelerate your fitness results. Keep taking the stairs, but do much more than that too. Escalate your efforts gently but steadily.

7. Sweat together

Accountability and fun are two HUGE motivators for starting and maintaining a good level of fitness. Get together with work colleagues or friends/family and commit to a goal. I was never fit as a child, I really only got close in my 30s. Approaching my 40s, I am the fittest I have ever been (let’s not get carried away, the bar was low) and it’s all because I’ve made it social. Upshot? It’s never too late to get fit together.

8. Micro-meditate

I’ve discovered the four-seven-eight breathing technique, which is deeply relaxing. It helps to reduce anxiety and improve the quality of your sleep. It’s super simple too. Exhale with a big whoosh, then inhale for four, hold for seven and breathe out for eight. Do this four times every night as you drift off and then repeat if you wake in the night. It can also calm you down if you are stressed or nervous.

9. Six magic words

As the children get older we’re eating more and more meals together. Sometimes they are perfect and sometimes all hell breaks loose. I have lots of tips to help family dinners become more fun but none better than this. If your children are fussing about what you have made, simply say, “You don’t have to eat it”. I strongly suggest you don’t offer alternatives and also explain that this is what dinner is, and if they are hungry they can choose to eat it. However, giving them the option not to usually takes the tension away.

10. Find your motivation

There’s no point giving up something until you genuinely want to give it up. You’ll ultimately cave in and then you’ll feel moody and depressed all over again. Sit down and explore your goals. If you want to lose 10lbs, why is that? What does life look like if you achieve your goal? What does it look like if you don’t? Once you really connect with your vested interest, it’s much easier to stick to a healthy eating strategy. The other thing that helps people stick to their goals is getting a sound understanding behind the nutrition principles they are following. My optimum nutrition intensive (Nutrifit) starts with comprehensive guidelines so that people can hit the ground running, but I then explain the concepts and research over the next six weeks. Clients leave with a genuine understanding of how their food choices affect their bodies. We’re gearing up for the next intake on April 13; check out the details at www.natural.bm.

This advice is not intended to replace medical advice. Consult your GP if you have any health concerns. Catherine Burns is the managing director of Natural Ltd and a fully qualified nutritional therapist trained by the Institute for Optimum Nutrition in the UK. She is not a registered dietitian. For details, go to www.natural.bm or call 236-7511, or visit www.facebook.com/nu trifitandnaturalnutritionbermuda