Taking Back Your Health

Taking back your health as a mom is easier than you think. Sometimes, after having babies, adopting, fostering, or just being the caregiver to someone else, part of us slips away. A little piece of ourselves is replaced by the more critical role of being someone’s number one. It’s okay; most of us will choose that day and day again. I’m here to tell you, along with being someone else’s number one, you can be your number one as well.    

Medical Disclaimer. The PMC content is provided for information purposes only and is not intended for medical advice or as a substitute for a physician’s medical advice. Before starting any new medical program, please consult with your physician.

TAKING BACK YOUR HEALTH IN YOUR 30’S

Earlier this year, I was reading a post on Facebook about how a friend had a heart attack at 43. I turned and looked at my husband, who was turning 42 in a month and said, “we have to make changes.”

Not that we live unhealthy now. We just needed to be better about our choices. Please keep reading to see how I’m taking back my health in my 30’s.

Sometimes when you become a mom or sole caregiver, everything seems to be put on the backburner. Sometimes, slowly with a little “I’ll do it later” or “that can wait” or sometimes people never recover from 9 months of being pregnant or the stressful adoption process. We all have reasons, and this article isn’t about why we stopped or changed. It’s how we take it back and put ourselves again as a top priority.

After seeing multiple friends post about this young guy having a heart attack and passing away, I realized even more how much I wanted to be here for my children for the long haul. Graduations and marriages, colleges, and careers I want to be here for it all. I know some things are out of our control, but overall health shouldn’t be one.

TIPS ON STARTING A HEALTHY LIFESTYLE

I’m a mom to four children, I own two businesses, I have a blog, and I’m a writer. I didn’t have time to spend hours in the gym or meal prepping. I needed something that would fit in with our busy lifestyle. Here is a list of changes you can make today for free to help your health in some way.

• Drink water – each person varies, but a lot of us are dehydrated and need more water.
• Eat vegetables – start at getting in at least a cup a day. Split it between meals or have a healthy snack. I find it’s helpful.
• Keep a food journal – it’s good to see what you are putting into your body.
• Eat more protein – As you age, it’s harder for your body to process protein, and you need more of it to keep your muscle mass.
• Walk – I was shocked to learn how little I was walking a day. You can go for a walk or set a timer every 30-45 minutes to get up and walk around your house some. Increase slowly as not to cause injuries.
• Be active – Play with your kids or ride a bike. Move more.

Include Your Children in a Healthy Lifestyle

Include your children or spouse. Let them know why you are making these changes. They need to understand health decisions. Once you start adding healthy habits to your lifestyle I’m sure the kids will be there right with you. We started adding evening walks to our nightly routine before we knew it, the kids would be going with us or asking us when we were going on our walk for that night.

They are curious about the science behind the reason we are making these changes. More times than I could count, they have asked for more water or ate a salad with dinner.

If I’ve learned anything over the last six months it’s that our children are watching. They want us to be here for the long haul and slowly but surely our good habits of taking back our health are rubbing off on them.

If you want to follow more of my health journey this year, please visit me on my blog. And when your daughter looks up at you and gives you a compliment, remember it’s contagious.