4 Surprising Health Tips for Busy Moms

4 Surprising Health Tips for Busy Moms

As a busy mom and recovering perfectionist myself, I know that we are constantly bombarded with new, trendy ways to stay healthy.  According to the world, we should be jogging around in our sports bras with our double strollers, chasing our multivitamins with matcha lattes, and eating perfectly balanced meals (WITH our kids).  Lol.  I think I’ve tried all of those things, plus a whole host of other health recommendations.  Full disclosure, some stuck and some didn’t.  But that’s the amazing thing about being a busy mom, we can choose how we prioritize our health and make a healthy lifestyle work and integrate around our lives and preferences.

No matter what your personal preferences may be, I’m here to tell you that it can definitely be done. You don’t have to be in the gym for an hour and a half 6 days a week.  You don’t have to only eat chicken and broccoli, and you definitely don’t have to have to look like a Victoria’s Secret Model to be healthy.

Think Smaller

My first tip has everything to do with mindset.  I know how easy it can be, especially around the New Year, to feel like you need to overhaul your life and your habits.  I think this is where we can get ourselves into trouble with feelings of overwhelm and the “all or nothing” mentality.  And I know you can be patient, you are with those cute little kids of yours! So when we can be patient with ourselves and trust in the power of little habits, I have seen that work magic for my personal health.

A few small habits that have made BIG waves in my overall health:

• Slowly decreasing soda intake
• Making sure one of my weekly workouts is high intensity (aka – more effective at fat burning)
• Making the last meal of the day gluten free

Decide on a few simple, small things you can do each day to be a little bit healthier.  Over time, those things will pay off big time.

Schedule, schedule, schedule

Us busy moms are nothing without time management.  So pull out your planners (this one is my favorite), iCals, sticky notes, whatever you use and let’s get YOU on your own calendar.  In my opinion, if it’s not planned for, it’s not going to happen. There are way too many to do list tasks that will fill up your time and leave yourself and your health as a distant priority.

When making yourself a priority in your own schedule, there are four blocks of time that I feel will have the biggest effect on your health and can be planned for easily:

• Schedule your workouts as non-negotiable appointments and DO NOT break them. They will not be a priority unless you make them one.  And I don’t think you need to block out 10 hours a week.  So start with 30 minutes, 3 times weekly.  Just don’t break them.
• Meal prep. Plan for time to meal plan and prep each week.  I know this seems obvious but I have definitely been guilty of underestimating the time it can take to plan your meals, grocery shop, and then prepare that food.  Plan for this by scheduling regular time (every 3-5 days) to prepare healthy meals for yourself.  Spending 2 hours in one night may recover a few hours of indecision/unhealthy choices if you have nothing prepared throughout the week.  *Don’t have time for any of that?  We love Home Chef Meal Delivery on busy weeks.
• Morning + Evening Routines. Devote the first and last 20 minutes of each day to yourself and your mental health. Whether it’s 20 minutes of reading a book, writing in a gratitude journal, meditation in your closet, stretching, listening to an uplifting podcast, etc.  Those 20 minutes at the beginning and end of your day will set you on the right track to make better decisions throughout the day and clear your mind in the evening.

Be intentional about your workouts.

Don’t feel confined or restricted to one type of workout regimen or program. So try new things regularly!  Make it a goal of yours to try 10 new workout classes this year.  You won’t be passionate about all of them, but you may just find your new healthy hobby that makes working out so enjoyable for you.

Finding a workout that fuels not only your fitness goals, but that you love doing at the same time is the best feeling.  For me, I love a HIGH Fitness Class with a few of my girlfriends whenever I can and love my F45 workouts because of how quick, effective, and fun they are.

Make the Sleep You Get Super Restful

Okay, before you freak out… I’m not telling you to get MORE sleep (even though you probably should, we all should!)  It is so freaking hard to get adequate sleep as a busy mom, especially with young children. I know it, sister.  But I do think there are things that we can do to make the little sleep that we get just a little more restful so that we can perform a little bit better the next day.  Here are a few simple ways to make your sleep more restful:

• Set a bedtime on your phone. If you have an iphone, check out this link for how to silence your phone notifications for a set amount of time (I recommend setting it for at least an hour before you go to bed and an hour after you wake up).
• Use bluelight glasses if you’re a nighttime TV watcher/laptop worker/phone scroller. I have + love these ones (these are a cute amazon option!)  The blue light from screens is proven to disrupt your sleep so definitely make sure you limit it/omit it before bed.
• Make your bed as cozy as possible. Is there anything better than crawling into a comfortable, clean bed?!

• Get boujee with it. Well, it seems boujee but these products are so inexpensive and can be delivered to you ASAP (thanks Amazon!) I love this sound machine, this diffuser, these oils (especially the lavender before bed), and these sleeping eye masks.

Try out these tips and let me know what you think!  Wishing you the best, healthiest year yet, gorgeous!