As moms, we carry the weight of the world on our shoulders. We often times are responsible for not only taking care of ourselves, but taking care of our family and household as well. That is a lot of responsibility to carry around day in and day out. As a result of this, we NEED to feel our best and on top of our game each and every day. Here are my top 4 health hacks to help you feel your best and bring your “A” game so that you too can rule the world. Kidding. So that you can tame your children and not feel like you want to pull your hair out doing so, because let’s face it, mommin’ ain’t easy.
At the top of the list is:
Sleep More
This is no surprise. You need more sleep to feel your best. I know, I know, easier said than done, right? Let me tell you how you can achieve this: let some things go. You have to make sacrifices to get more sleep. For me, I’ve learned that when my kids are napping at the same time (which RARELY happens nowadays), I’d better take advantage of it and shut my eyes for a bit too. The dishes and laundry can wait. The floors can be swept later. In order to improve in one area of my life (like get more sleep), I have to bomb some other areas of my life (like chores, dishes, laundry, etc), and that’s perfectly ok.
Next up:
Exercise More
This is a no brainer, right? However, pay close attention to this: you MUST exercise DAILY. Most of us think that if we can’t dedicate at least 30 minutes to a workout, then what’s the point, right? WRONG! 10 mins of exercise daily will do wonders for your health and your overall well-being. Remember mamas, 10 minutes is better than no minutes. Shoot for 10-15 mins of moving your body: Every. Single. Day… And, see above about bombing certain areas of your life to improve in others.
Feeling A Little Hangry:
Use The Hunger Continuum
Rate your hunger on a scale from 1-5: 1/Hangry, 2/Hungry but not irrational, 3/not hungry but not full, 4/Full but not stuffed, satisfied, 5/Stuffed and uncomfortable. Most people live in #1 or #5, and the goal is to live between #2-#4. Try to eat before you are ravenous and irrational. When you eat like this, you are more likely to make poor choices when it comes to your food because you will eat anything that is in front of you. Also, stop eating when you are 80% full. Often times we eat too quickly and our brain needs to catch up to our stomach and realize that we are full. Notice how it feels to stop eating when you are 80% full and give your body and mind time to process this.
Last, but certainly NOT least:
Properly Hydrate
This is a big one! Being properly hydrated helps you feel full, helps with your energy levels, and can aid in weight loss. I challenge you to chug a glass of water when you’re feeling tired instead of that extra cup of coffee and see how much more energy you will have. Aim to drink ½ your bodyweight in ounces of water per day. If you have a hard time keeping track of your water intake, every time you finish a bottle of water, put a rubber band around the water bottle. This allows you to track how much water you have had. For instance, if your water bottle holds 16 ounces of water, and you weigh 150 lbs, you need to be drinking AT LEAST 75 ounces of water. That’s about 4 and ½ of your 16 ounce sized water bottle. So, every time you finish your bottle of water, put a rubber band around it and then refill it. So, at the end of the day, you should have 4-5 rubber bands around your water bottle. Then you know you hit your goal.
I also have to give credit where credit is due. Here is a little secret about me: I listen to The Shameless Mom Academy Podcast almost daily as part of my routine. In her podcast, the host, talks about these health hacks. She inspired me to write this for those mamas out there who don’t listen. With these 4 health hacks, you can mom a little easier. And isn’t that what we all want? To raise our beautiful children with a lot of sleep under our belts and the perfect bod? Nope, just me? Well carry on then mamas and do your thing.
So there you have it, mamas! My top 4 health hacks to help you be your very best self, each and every day. I love my kids something fierce. There isn’t anything that I wouldn’t do in this world just to put a smile on their tiny, cute little faces. That being said, some days, they make me want to run away and never come back. They push and they push and they test me, oh how they test my patience. So I need to be on top of my shiz ALL OF THE TIME if I’m going to navigate the crazy world of motherhood successfully. I can’t be walking around tired, stressed out, and hangry!
Go ahead and give my health hacks a try yourself. Motherhood is hard and we’re in the trenches of it, mamas! We need to feel our best if we’re going to raise these little humans to grow up and do extraordinarily good things in this world.
