Moms are busy all the time. You’re checking that the kids are done and ready for school. You’re home-schooling during lockdown, prepping meals, running errands, and doing chores. Sometimes balancing, work, life, and family is overwhelming.
Thankfully there are some great ways to take better care of yourself while being a hero mom!
#1 Make healthy food choices
Some processed ingredients could trigger stress hormones and activate fight-or-flight stimuli. These include sugar, trans fats, caffeine, simple carbohydrates, and excess sodium. In excess, these can trigger anxiety and raise stress levels.
The fight-or-flight stress response is right for emergencies but being in chronic stress all the time wears down the body. Stress can also lead to overeating and, correspondingly, to weight gain.
#2 Cut Out Unnecessary Sugar
In keeping with healthy food changes, it’s also good to reduce sugar intake. Too much sugar tends to cause negative responses such as more anxiety, exhaustion and sleeplessness.
Excess sugar may worsen mood disorders such as depression and increase inflammation in the body.
#3 Set goals and be realistic about it
Being a busy mom, you may look after your family and forget to take care of yourself or your goals.
Be realistic about what you want. For example, if you want to lose weight, don’t expect to see results within a week or two. This is especially true if you’re going at a slower pace due to time management as a busy mom. Being realistic helps this is why you need to give yourself time.
#4 Give Yourself Time
To help you set and achieve goals, start by writing down what you want, then set a deadline. For example, completing your favorite book in a month by reading a chapter every night before hitting bed. Bear in mind that this should be based on the length of the chapters and how long the book is. If it is lengthy then give yourself a little more leeway.
#5 Add an Exercise Routine
With the mornings being all frantic, getting the family and yourself ready for the day, you may have no time to exercise then. Try a 5 to 10 minute cardio workout in the evenings instead.
#6 Get Rest
A little quiet time gives your body the opportunity to heal. Make sure you’re getting sufficient rest every day.
Set up a bedtime routine which makes for good sleep hygiene. This will help revitalize you and have you well-rested each morning.
You can start by cutting off screen time two hours before bed. The blue light in screens tricks the body into thinking it’s day time. This will reduce the production of melatonin (sleep hormone).
Eat earlier dinners. If you eat too late, your body takes longer to process it, disturbing your ability to get sound sleep.
#7 Stay Hydrated
Drinking water is one of the best health hack since it aids body function. To keep up with your water-quaffing goals, use a water bottle so you can calculate how many fluid ounces you are drinking per day.
Choose relaxing exercises, such as taking deeper breaths, throughout your day. Don’t forget to stretch every few hours. This will not only help improve your posture if you’re at a desk all day, but also promote blood flow.
Science also shows that getting out in nature greatly improves mental and physical wellness. This is exactly what busy moms need. You can spend time with the family on your day off and enjoy an hour or two at a picnic, or heading off on a walking or biking trail adventure.
