I’m making an effort to be a healthier mom. We’re all busy moms and being healthier isn’t always a priority. When you’re a working mom, you’re trying to fit even more into your busy day. As a part-time working mom, I feel like I’m fitting a lot into a small amount of time. And, I admit being healthy fell off my priority list. I was reminded that I need work on this when I got sick a few weekends ago. I was worn out and probably not making the healthiest choices. My body let me know that wasn’t OK. I’m listening to my body now. Besides, who has time to be sick when you’re a mom?
If you’re like me, you have a go-go-go schedule. How can you focus trying to be a healthier you into that? We take time and energy to make sure our kids and family are healthy, but what about taking a bit of effort to be healthier as moms? I have 5 steps that are helping me be healthier.
Slow Down
I have about 20 hours to work before picking up our boys from school. That’s not a lot of time and it’s even less time when I add too many lunch dates, in-person meetings and everything else.I’m trying to slow down a bit and focus on specific elements of my time. Essentially, I’m being intentional with how I spend my time. And, as part of being more intentional, I’m trying to control my schedule so that I limit my in-person meetings or even phone calls, so that I have time to work and do things like volunteer at the boys’ schools. I’ve also been known to schedule things way in advance so that I can spread things around.
Water, Water, Water
I drink a lot of water all day. From the minute I wake up. I do cut it off shortly after dinner or I’ll be waking up to pee all night. Still, do you drink enough water? I take water with me everywhere. On a walk? Check. In the car? Check. Next to me while I’m working? Check. I know there are some moms who don’t like water. You can be fancy and have a slice of something in the water. When I do my monthly pedicure, they usually have slices of orange in one pitcher and slices of cucumber in another. Or use lemon slices. You don’t want to turn it into lemonade or orange juice, but the slices will infuse in the water. And, it might get you to drink more.
Be Creative with How You Fit in Exercise
I try to exercise 4-5 days/week – a walk, kick-boxing, a barre class, a hike with the family – something to get the blood pumping, especially in the morning before the crazy heat kicks in. Our boys’ schools start an hour apart, so I often get in my walk between their school drop off times. And, because of traffic, I don’t want to go back and forth between home and school, so I’m going to start taking the jogging stroller with me and walking near school. Before we leave for older son drop off, I grab a few toys or a small yummy snack for our younger son and we’re off. Extra tip here: you can lay down a towel, so that it doesn’t mess up the car (at least that’s my trick).
Make Better Food Choices During the Day
My biggest challenge is my eating habits during the day. I make the effort to make healthy meals for the family, but daytime has been different. I work from home. My time is limited, so I need something fast and easy. The challenge is that I usually grab something quick and that isn’t always as good for me as it should be. I’m trying to fix that.
For starters, I’m trying to eat a filling breakfast that is healthy and includes fat, to fill me up. And at lunch I’m trying to make things like salads with some sort of protein. I personally like a lot of crunch in my salads like carrots and cucumbers (think hot-house cucumbers that are seedless). There are lots of colors and we always have a selection of dressings in the house. I might sometimes splurge and add a few crumbles of cheese. And, with lettuce, you can cut it into bite sized pieces and it will last for a few days. Having the elements of the salad readily available makes the whole salad option more likely for me. Don’t want a boring salad? Mia Moran, of Plan Simple Meals, suggested during my recent podcast interview that moms should explore salads for a week from different restaurants. Figure out what you like and have those ingredients on hand at home to make a delicious salad that you will really enjoy.
Don’t Forget to Sleep
There is a lot of talk lately about sleep. At night, I work for a few hours, once the boys go down. The past few weeks I’ve been very involved in what I’m doing and I have lost track of time. Or there are some nights I get distracted by something online that might not need my time at 11pm at night. I’m working to go to bed earlier, especially with two little boys who wake up by 6am or sometimes earlier. I’m aiming to shut down by 10 and be asleep by 10:30 or 11. I have been known to set up alarm or set a timer if I want to make sure I shut down. Want to learn more about the importance of sleep? Take a look at Ariana Huffington’s new endeavor.
Is this an area you struggle with? What changes are you making to be healthier? Do you have some ways you already integrate being healthy in your day? I’d love to hear about them in the comments.
