This post is was written by the lovely, Brooke Whistance, a passionate health and lifestyle blogger who loves to write about prevailing trends. She has been living in Los Angeles, California, with her family including her parents and two siblings. She is a featured author at various authoritative blogs in the health and fitness industry. You can always follow her at @IamBrooke94.
As a mother, your children are the center of your world. Your life revolves around making sure your children are eating right, doing well in school, are getting enough rest and growing up to be good people. Amongst the stress of raising a happy and healthy family though, moms forget that they too need to be looked after. You may think it’s alright to ignore your needs at the moment but keep in mind that if you’re overworked, always stressed and undermining your physical health then it’s bound to have an impact on your wellness in the long-run.
If you cannot find the motivation to take out time for yourself then do it for your family. Your spouse and children need you to be healthy for as long as possible and for that to happen you need to begin looking after yourself – now!
Here’s how to do it:
- Time for yourself
You need a break, everyone does, it’s normal. Your life at home will consist of cooking and cleaning up after your family, all of which are important tasks but they require you to constantly put others first.
Quit neglecting yourself, every now and then you need a breather from your everyday tasks and do a little something for yourself. In order to revitalize your mind, be sure to do something for yourself every other day.
Go shopping, visit the spa or do any other activity that brings you happiness. You’re risking becoming bitter if you’re constantly having to work just for others and never anything for yourself.
- Get some sunlight
So much of your life would require you to remain within the house. Being in the house all the time can really take it out of you. It’s exhausting and not good for your health. Spending too much time indoors leads to anxiety and insomnia. Our bodies need sunlight to function optimally. Soaking in some sun helps regulate your body clock, which controls your sleep schedules, your appetite, energy levels and even mood.
Just a good 45 minutes in the sun will pull your body out of sleep mode. A study conducted by the University of Rochester discovered that by being in natural environments, specifically in parks and forests, you can boost your energy by 40%. You can use an extra 40% of energy, can’t you? A brisk walk or jog around the park is all you need.
- Exercise
Speaking of keeping up your energy levels, you need to make exercise a regular part of life. As a younger mom, at a good weight, you may not value the benefits of exercise just yet but it will surely pay off in the long run.
If you haven’t been exercising before you became an expecting mother, you need to start during pregnancy. Exercise not only strengthens your body during pregnancy but also eases childbirth. Young mothers need to be exercising to enable them to stay active so they are able to keep up with their baby’s needs.
As women reach their middle ages they begin to lose muscle mass and their joints weaken. Regular exercise will slow down the process significantly while improving cardiovascular health and reducing the risk of developing diabetes and preventing obesity.
- Go out at night
There’s a different kind of magic in the night which isn’t there during the day. Put your children to bed, get yourself a babysitter and step out of mom-mode. You may not remember but there’s more to you than being an awesome mother.
You’re a woman and it’s alright to go out with the girls sometimes and enjoy a drink or two.
Don’t forget your role as a spouse. Be spontaneous, dress up for each other and have some fun together – go on dates, do some dancing, blow off some steam. Come up with exciting things to do as a couple that keeps the spark alive in your relationship.
- Get all your sleep
Do not undermine the importance of sleep when it comes to maintaining your health. The lack of sleep has been associated with heart disease, kidney disease, obesity and deterioration of the immune system.
- Spend time with each child
Each child is different, make an effort to spend some one-on-one time with all your kids to create that special mother-child bond. Your children need to be able to come to you with your problems and there will be nothing that brings your more joy when you know that your children turn to you in their time of need.
