Being a mother is truly a blessing, but one that comes with an endless list of errands and responsibilities. Even though it’s quite easy to fall into the trap of taking care of your kids’ needs and forgetting about your own, it’s a sure way to turn this blessing into a nightmare.
With the kids around, your responsibility towards your own health increases. After all, you want to stay fit and in shape to properly look after them, and healthy enough to be there for them at least until they become parents too.
Furthermore, your kids learn by example, and if you want them to develop healthy habits, they should start establishing these habits at an early age.
Here are the four essential health tips for you to follow and for your kids to learn.
Eat Well and Stay Hydrated
People often eat the things they’re fond of and don’t really wonder about the impact their meals have on their health and their wellbeing. Junk, sugary and fatty foods are often the most preferred choices until the weight problems or health issues arise.
Your diet should be high in nutrition values and should consist of fresh fruit and vegetables, complex and whole grains and healthy sources of protein. Our body needs around 40 different nutrients daily to stay healthy, so it’s important to add variety to your meals and achieve the right balance.
Apart from keeping your diet healthy, your portions should be smaller in size and consumed in regular time intervals, so that all the nutrients are properly absorbed.
As you will lose water while looking after your kids and finishing your other daily chores, it’s important to keep your body properly hydrated. You need to drink adequate amounts of water in order to prevent dehydration and its consequences, such as headaches, fatigue, constipation, and frequent illnesses.
Get Some Rest and Sleep
Nothing is more precious in the world of a mother than getting a good night’s sleep, and it’s also essential for maintaining your and your baby’s health.
It’s important that you have at least eight hours of sleep in order to recover and relax your body. Catching enough zzzs relieves you from the mental and physical pressure of your everyday chores, it boosts your mood, makes you alert and prepares you for the day ahead.
Every mother should take a break from her daily routine to get proper rest and sleep. If you have trouble switching off your unwanted thoughts when the bedtime comes, you can try natural Bach Rescue Remedy Night flower essence that will help you relax and hit the hay.
It is also quite useful to teach your baby to fall asleep on their own. Try feeding your baby at the beginning of your bedtime routine and after some cuddling, put the baby to bed while they’re sleepy, but still awake. If you rock your baby or feed them to sleep, they will get used to falling asleep with your help only which can give you many sleepless nights.
Exercise
Physical activity contributes greatly to your and your child’s wellbeing.
The health benefits of regular exercises are enormous, starting with a reduced risk of stroke or heart attack, lower rates of high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, colon and breast cancer, better bone density and muscle strength.
Exercising also prevents and delays certain diseases, such as arthritis, diabetes and heart diseases, reduces the risk of developing dementia, hip or vertebral fracture, as well as anxiety and depression.
Even a 5-minute run can decrease your chances of becoming depressed as it will make the happiness hormones flow through your body, reducing stress levels and boosting your mood.
A general recommendation is to have at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity weekly, and muscle-strengthening training at least twice a week.
Schedule your time for exercising ahead, so that you can find the support in looking after the kids if you need it.
By taking some time to engage in exercise, you will also teach your children a valuable lesson, and you will do so in the best possible way – by modeling.
Seeing their mum exercising every day will show them that physical activity is as regular as brushing their teeth or having a meal - a part of their daily routine.
Find Time for Yourself
When you’re a mom, it’s very easy to forget that besides taking care of your kids’ needs, you have your own needs to fulfill too.
More often than not, mothers suppress even their most basic needs, such as eating or sleeping, in their kids’ favor. Their other needs, such as the need for socializing, start to feel like a luxury they just can’t afford, so theysuppress them too.
This is a surefire way to burnout, which has finally been recognized as an official medical condition. Still, when you’re a mom, you can hardly call in sick and take a few days off.
In order to prevent burnout creeping up on you when you least expected it, you need to make it your priority to schedule some me-time every day. Use this time to be alone, and spend it in activities that relax you and bring you closer to yourself.
By following these essential health tips you’ll boost your overall physical and mental health, and be a great example for your kids to establish healthy habits too.
No comments:
Post a Comment