6 Healthy Living Tips for Busy Moms

May 5, 2011

Photo Credit: |vvaldzen|

It’s no secret that moms are busy people. As a mother and small business owner, I know it can be difficult to stay healthy and sane with everything that needs to be done.

Sometimes moms think sacrificing their own time and health for their family is just what needs to be done, when really their families would work much better with a healthier, happier mom. Plus they’ll be around longer to enjoy their family!

With that in mind, and with Mother’s Day just around the corner, here are 6 tips from one busy mom to another:

Fit in 10 minutes of exercise where you can. Park far from the store and walk quickly. If you watch TV at night, there are many strengthening exercises you can do that are really easy, including writing the alphabet with your big toe. Do it with both feet and strengthen your ankles and calves.
Schedule in your exercise as an appointment that cannot be rescheduled. Workout for something such as your first race or your first triathlon. Find something that interests you a few months away and start to train for it! It commits you, and makes exercising have a GOAL. You never know, you might just find a new joy!
Get over needing to look put together to go anywhere. If you get to work out in the morning, then have errands to run and can’t fit in a shower until later…oh well! Decide not to let your hair and makeup get in the way of what you need to do for yourself.
Have raw, healthy snacks accessible at all times. I always have nuts, dried fruit and lots of water with me. That way I’m not tempted to stop at a coffee shop – or worse – when I get peckish.
Prepare big batches of food! If you don’t like eating the same thing for a few days, freeze the portions needed for your family in your freezer during the week and use them the following week.
Use time management that works for you. Schedule your week so you can stay organized. Start by making a list of all the recurring tasks that happen each week like laundry, cooking, shopping, errands, exercise and bill-paying. Those can be on set times and days, then add in the one-time tasks or events for the week. Don’t overbook and don’t take out your self -care time! Look at your week on Sundays, make sure you have everything scheduled that you need to get done-including YOUR time for exercise and self-care.