5 Health and Wellness Tips for the Busy Mom

With so many things to do in a day, it’s very easy for busy moms to disregard their own health in favor of their family’s wellness. If this sounds like a familiar dilemma to you, remember that taking a break isn’t a selfish thing to do. As I previously chatted about, there is nothing wrong with a mom taking the time to take care of herself, because her health matters just as much. That said, here are some wellness tips for the busy mom – YOU – to keep healthy even when you are incredibly busy.

1. Don’t Skip Breakfast

There’s a reason why breakfast is often touted as the most important meal of the day. A good breakfast will help you meet your daily nutritional needs as well as give you the much-needed energy to face whatever tasks await you. Eating a healthy breakfast also has a positive mental effect, since it sets you up for making healthier choices all throughout the day. You willingly take the time to prepare breakfast for your kids, so why not give your health the same treatment? Fortunately for busy moms, there are plenty of 5-minute healthy recipes to be found online.

2. Schedule Your Self-Care

It’s normal for a mom to put everyone in the family first before herself. But even superheroes need time off, and you are no exception. Amidst all these mommy duties and work, you have to set aside time for yourself. Blogger Shivani Garg explains that your me time will benefit everyone, because it helps keep you happy and relaxed — and therefore in the right mindset to care for the whole family. You can use this time to rest, pamper yourself, or even exercise so that you remain healthy despite your busy schedule.

Sometimes it’s not only the mommy duties that we have to complete everyday. Your job might be taking its toll on you, and you may also look after a family member like one of your parents if they can no longer live alone. When you are scheduling your self care, make sure to look into respite care for elderly people to give yourself a break. Don’t feel guilty for doing this because you need to be at your best, to give everyone else your best. 

When it comes to your self-care, be sure to study what routines or products work best for you. For instance, if you’re looking to get your body back to its pre-pregnancy state, then slowly working your way up from walks and light jogs to more advanced workouts like Pilates and yoga may be the key. Research what sort of routines work best for having a toned stomach area once more. Meanwhile, products for pampering and beauty come in all shapes and sizes — from oils to treat stretch marks and regenerative creams to remove wrinkles.

3. Accept Any Help

In line with your scheduled me-time, do accept help whenever it’s offered. If no one has reached out, then don’t hesitate to ask. While you’re away enjoying your planned self-care, leave the children’s duties to your partner or a relative. Remember that you don’t need to carry the full weight of these responsibilities by yourself 24/7. Allowing your partner or relatives to take the helm in caring for your children is good for them. That’s because it lets your children create meaningful relationships and allows other adults in their life to get to know them better. Avoid becoming fatigued. Fatigue can cause you to not be able to concentrate and make some pretty serious mistakes from forgetting important meetings for yourself or your child or trying to do too much and sustaining an injury. It is common for moms to take on too much, like trying to carry all the groceries from the car or trying to do all the errands in one day. Pushing yourself can cause muscle pains, aches, or in some cases, slipping and falling and sustaining a back injury that may need the help of a spine specialist to correct. If you are feeling rundown, then slowdown, rest, and get to it tomorrow.

Sometimes, help comes from a professional source. For instance, it might be that your child is misbehaving as a natural sign of growing and testing boundaries, or, perhaps it could be serious enough to the point where using pediatric behavioral health services can help you identify the problem and put structures in place to mediate and resolve it. Parental pride can sometimes prevent us from adequately accepting the help we need, allowing problems to become more difficult to deal with than they need to be.

4. Go For Nutrition Hacks

It’s natural for busy moms to take shortcuts when it comes to their nutrition. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, as long these shortcuts are still healthy. For instance, when packing snacks, don’t make do with low-carb junk food or sports drinks. Instead, bring bite-sized vegetable pieces or fruit cuts. You can also go for granola bars for an energy boost in the afternoon.

Another shortcut you can take come in the form of health supplements. Sometimes, body fat stays despite all efforts in exercising. Supplements, therefore, can complement your health goals, but only when formulated well. While taking health capsules is indeed a hack, it should not replace diet and exercise. Rather, it’s best taken in conjunction with them.

5. Keep A Journal

Writing in a journal at the end of a day can be therapeutic. The Working Mom’s Balance blog notes that journaling is a form of stress relief and it can help you get through difficult seasons in your life. When you release your thoughts and feelings onto paper, you can look back on them and figure out what to do next — whether it’s about solving a difficult problem or improving relationships with your family. This also helps you understand yourself better by showing you your own thought patterns. You can then work on how to properly address these feelings and be better at peace with yourself.

As you can see from this post, holistic care is critical. Health and wellness don’t come from a single source. Instead, they happen when you align your body, mind and spirit. You need all of those elements working in harmony to be at your best. 

As we discussed earlier, it is incredibly easy for new moms to disregard their health. So taking a holistic approach helps to remind you that wellness can and should be at the center of your life.

6. Don’t Ignore Headaches

Headaches might seem like a typical health issue that everyone has to deal with in their lives. However, this simply is not the case. There could be a fixable reason for your headaches, If they are disrupting your quality of life, you should get them checked out. For instance, it’s possible your headaches are due to your teeth not sitting properly. If that’s the case, it might just be a matter of getting braces. There are several types of braces including those that are basically invisible, so you won’t have to worry about these temporarily ruining your smile. 

What Are Your Wellness Tips For The Busy Mom?

Do you have any health and wellness tips for busy moms? Let us know what you think in the comments below!