5 Mom Fitness/Health Tips
#1 AUDIT YOUR SCHEDULE/ TIME MANAGEMENT
Whether you're a stay at home mom or work full time, EVERY MOM HAS TIME TO BE HEALTHY...............
I REPEAT EVERY MOM HAS TIME…..
What it comes down to is how much of a priority is being healthy to you? Are there parts of your day that are filled with wasted unplanned/unproductive time? How much screen time (phone/Netflix) do you have every day? (I want you to actually answer this question in your head)
Take some time right now to audit your day-to- day schedule.....
**** Stay at home moms.****
What are you doing when your kid is napping or doing their homework? Do you feel like you spend all day cleaning after your kids, just for it to be a hot mess again? Are you spending hours a day dedicated to laundry and by the time you get a minute to yourself you just want to sit on the couch and see what the Kardashians are doing on social?
I'm not suggesting in order to be fit as a stay at home mom you have to cut out relaxation time. But what you may find if you substitute some cleaning time a couple times a week for some healthy time, so that you have more energy. And yes having a clean house and everything done for the next day is important in having an efficient household…..BUTTTT I know in the couple months I have been a stay at home mom (maternity leave), I found that my whole life was dedicated to everyone else whether it was to cook, clean or take care of something around the house.
It becomes a weight on your shoulders and you feel like a stay at home worker bee. This led to a mini postpartum depression for me. It seemed like a never ending cycle of working my ass off to clean in a house that was NEVER going to be clean, and all I had to show for was the toll that stress took on my mind and body. By auditing my schedule I took out the 1 hour long episode on the couch and instead did an hour of cardio WHILE watching an episode on the treadmill when my child was sleeping.
If you spend time on a daily basis scrolling social media or watching shows on the couch, replace it with productive time. Find something you do on a daily basis that is just taking up time and unproductive to your day and mind and replace it with MOMMY HEALTH TIME. Keep in mind this looks different for every mom. I'm not saying your health time has to be cross fit or a 12 mile run......
What I am suggesting is to take time out of your day to GET MOVING. Go do a 10 min YouTube workout from your favorite social media person, or when your husband gets home hand over the kids and go for a walk alone and decompress with your favorite podcast or call a friend on the walk.
*** Working Mommas***
I have many years of experience being a full time working mom. One thing that I found I needed to change was the amount of time I decompressed with the screen (social media/YouTube) in bed at the end of the night. My schedule consisted of waking up every morning @ 5 am getting me and my child ready and working till 4. I would go to the gym and pick up my son, make dinner, and at the end of the night I would lounge and have screen time and call it me time. Eventually that caused me to be depressed just watching everyone's life wishing it was mine. I had to audit my time.
If I had two hours at the end of the night to sit on Instagram, I damn well could use one of those hours to prep healthy lunches for work/school the next day. I started to prioritize my time and in turn I started to feel more fulfilled.
I audited wasted time and found it useful to have a checklist of things I needed to accomplish by the end of the night to include writing my workout. I found ways to multitask, like coming home from work putting a healthy Pinterest meal on simmer in the oven while I did a quick HIIT workout with my child having outdoor time as well.
I'm not saying not to relax, watch the bachelor or update your Instagram. All I’m saying is knock out all of the things you need to do in order to feel fulfilled before you fill your time up with "wasted time."
#2 HAVE YOUR KIDS/KID HOLD YOU ACCOUNTABLE
My son is 4 now, but I learned this trick probably when he was 3. Not sure about your kids, but mine love when I tell him to remind mommy to do something. I think it’s his brief moment in his head where he feels in charge. So usually on the way home from work and school I will tell him “hey remind mommy to work out before bed," or Ill word it like "Hey bud it’s your job to make sure mommy gets a workout today." He loves it.
As a mom or parent we want to teach our kids accountability & consistency. If my son tells me not to forget to work out and is watching every move I make, there is no way in hell I am going to make an excuse and show him that it’s okay to not follow through.
This is what works for me and what motivates me. I realize it might not work for every parent, but it wouldn't hurt to try, especially for your kids at the age where it’s fun to boss mommy around!
#3 LET YOUR KIDS HELP YOU COOK NO MATTER HOW IMPATIENT YOU ARE
Not going to lie, sometimes this is a very hard. Yall ever get so tired and when your kid tries to help you just say, "I’ll do it." Or you tell your kid to move so you can accomplish a task in the kitchen faster? Come on I know I'm not the only one. If I am spare me the judgement lol.
We are doing a disservice to our kids in so many ways if we don't take the time to let them help in the kitchen at a young age.
In the long run if your kids help in the kitchen, it will be easier to cook and they will be a huge help as they learn exactly how to do things.
If you have help in the kitchen, you as a household are more inclined to cook/eat a home cooked meal than eat out constantly. AND let's mention how much cheaper it is
$$$$$.
Start out with little tasks in the kitchen. I started my son with putting a new garbage bag in the trash can, he advanced to wiping off the table after dinner, then finally graduated to being my mixer for all of my recipes.
You see, by introducing your little one at an early age, you will be more motivated to cook home cooked meals WHILE bonding and making memories with your kids!!!!
#4 FIND SOMETHING FUN/ACTIVE & MAKE IT A FAMILY AFFAIR
There are many people and mommas out there that absolutely dread the thought of designating time out of there day to exercise. To some it may be a chore; something you know you have to do but don't enjoy doing it.
Being healthy doesn't always mean you have to go run a marathon or sign up for a CrossFit competition.
For you, it could be as simple as taking the family to your favorite hiking spot twice a week. And again if you do this you are incorporating family quality time and teaching your kids about being active. You have the memory making aspect in there as well.
So pick something you and your family would enjoy and make it a consistent activity.
Your kids like riding bikes? Cool, momma needs to hop on one too and take the kiddos on an adventure around the neighborhood. Start small but as long as you are consistent then boom you are headed in the right direction to become healthy and bring your family with you.
# 5 GET YOUR MOM FRIENDS INVOLVED IN YOUR FITNESS JOURNEY
So if I am being 100% with you all this is my favorite. What I mean by getting your mom friends involved is having your mom friends bring their kids to work out so your kids are occupied while you work out with company as well!!
Seems like a no brainer I know, but in the past I would have all my mom friends come over on a weekend and have all the kids play while the moms did a fun workout together in the garage. I would have a healthy meal on the crock pot then after wards feed everyone and enjoy my time with company.
For you it could be finding another momma with a similar journey and holding each other accountable by going to the gym together every week or by having other moms sign up for a 5k or fitness event you want to work towards.
Point is if you have other people join you in your journey you are less likely to quit because you have that accountability and if you find people that are like minded you will feel empowered!!