This topic is near and dear to my heart. I am number one let my self care slide to the back burner! This is exactly why my weight climbed to 312 pounds! The thing to remember is: moms matter too. Moms are the foundation of how children value themselves. Below are some self care tips for moms that add up to a lot.
Why does self care always come last?
- It’s easy to figure out why we don’t hold ourselves as accountable towards our personal goals as we do towards being mommy. We have that overwhelming love and desire to think “kids first” and make their little lives as good as possible. We are also so flippin’ busy helping with all their body functions, movements and needs, desires, etc that we may not have the energy left for ourselves.
- When I had my first child I was enamored with her. My every thought and move revolved around her needs first. Adding my second child was twice the love and need. Slowly (i’m talking years), I let the little things I did for my own upkeep slide. I was tired, so I hit that snooze button more. I was rushed, so I found myself eating more processed easy-to-cook meals. I was stressed, so I had that glass of wine after dinner when I’d usually read or plan etc. 6 years into being mommy I went from a healthy, active 150lbs to a 312lbs.
Common Questions/FAQ About Time Management
- How do moms manage their time?
- Use one calendar
- Stop multitasking
- Learn to delegate
- Assign a time limit to everything you do
- Why is time management so important?
- Good time management allows you to: accomplish more in a shorter period of time which leads to more free time, lowers your stress, helps you focus, and leads to more career success. Each benefit of time management improves another aspect of your life.
- How can working moms make life easier?
- Prep meals in advance
- Put a load of laundry in every morning
- Give your kids chores and pay them for it
- Outsource grocery shopping
Quick Note On Some Books For Self Care Tips I Think You’ll Like
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Self Care Tips for Meal Planning-It CAN Be Easy
Show up for yourself:
- You get home after work. The kids are begging for food…fast. You’re hungry from the long traffic-induced drive home. Work was stressful. You still need to help the kids with homework and baths. Ahhhhh. A quick mac-n-cheese meal with hot dogs sounds pretty enticing right about now….right? I get it! I’ve been there! It’s easier to just take care of the kids and “think” you’ll get to yourself one of these days. THIS IS WHY MEAL PLANNING IS SO IMPORTANT!
- MEAL PLANNING: One of the keys to taking care of ourselves is planning ahead! This way we have our healthier meals ready for us while making the rest of the family theirs. One way to do this is with an Instant Pot. This thing will save your life! Chicken done in minutes! Homemade soup done in minutes! Healthy Veggies done in Minutes!! If you don’t have the energy for Meal Prep all you need is a plan on the way home of what to cook in this gem!!
- MEAL PREP: I don’t feel meal prep has to happen every Sunday. Meal prep can happen any day of the week or cooking enough for leftovers at any meal. At any given cook session, you could just double your recipe and then scoop some in containers and VOILA! Meal Prep at it’s finest! I personally love these little glass jars to store food in. You can transfer from the fridge straight to the microwave or oven!
- Weight loss surgery tip: If you are just fresh out of surgery you’ll definitely want these little plastic 2oz containers or these 2oz glass containers.
- Further along your weight loss or maintenance journey you can use these reusable plastic containers or these resuable glass meal prep containers
When planning meals or looking for a quick dinner decision, I love my Keto recipe book to pick a meal from. It’s simple, healthy for everyone and yummy! And you don’t need to be on the Keto diet to enjoy a Keto meal!
Self Care Tips for Time
- There never seems to be enough of it right? The last thing i want to do is preach to you that you need to make more time for yourself. We all know that is very few and far between. What I do want you to think about is that we can make more of small moments in between all the craziness we may not even realize how to utilize…yet.
- The 20 minutes you press snooze in the mornings could be a short workout (weights, yoga, cardio)
- While cooking dinner, double your recipe and meal prep the leftovers
- Use your drive to or from work to listen to self-help/health audiobooks (gotta take care of that mental health)
- Utilize your lunch hour at work (exercise, reading, planning)
- Say “yes” to yourself sometimes and go get a pedicure or that hair done!
Lastly: Best Products to Overcome Slipping Off Your Self Care Path
- I’ve been getting into yoga and I think you might just love it too. Exercise can be movement of many kinds. I love that it’s a tool for mental and physical health at the same time. Here’s a yoga video for any stage! Yoga also helps that stress factor many moms deal with.
- If you want more high intensity workout this fantastic product is great for at home workouts! If you only have 15 mins to move and the video is 45 minutes long…do your 15 minutes, then pause it! pick up where you left off next time!
- Absolutely love this book about intermittent fasting. No extra time from the kiddos needed to ad this health tip!
- Planning and organization is for Champions guys! I LIVE by my planner for every.little.thing!
The Last Thing You Need to Know About Making This a Lifestyle
- Making anything a lifestyle is hard work at first but it DOES get easier with practice. Time management goes hand in hand with accountability for your life as a bariatric mom. Making a schedule and sticking to it is the best place to start. Staying away from bad distractions is your next best tool.
- What are some tricks and hacks you use to keep accountable or manage your time?
