All of my friends and family know that I’m on the brink of losing my mind about 80% of my waking hours. When I say losing my mind I mean, losing control. I hate feeling out of control. Since having kids, I have lost control of so many aspects of my life and myself including my body, what I do with my time, and how and when I work, sleep, and exercise.
In 2012 I worked on time management and I am happy to say that I feel as though I conquered that challenge pretty well. That leads me to..
Step 1: Eat!
If I am on the road a lot one day then I can easily go without eating. I always take a bottle of water in the car but I don’t bring snacks. I have never been a big snacker. Now, in the morning, I tell myself what time I am going to eat whether it’s a meal or a snack and I make a point to stop what I’m doing and eat. Some say that they need to change their snacking habits because they eat ‘unhealthy’ snacks but I need to eat snacks! I keep a bag of Quaker Popped Rice Snacks on my desk and if I have worked through to 1:30pm, I will snack on a serving on them. The Sweet Chili flavor is my favorite! Eating regularly is extremely important for many reasons, including to keep your metabolism going.
Speaking of metabolism..
Step 2: Exercise.
While I don’t make New Year’s Resolutions, because I might be a little afraid of commitment, I have promised myself that I am going exercise more than I did last year. Exercising helps keep your metabolism moving, burns calories, and makes you feel better overall.
Feeling better.. how do I do that?
Step 3: Schedule Quiet Time for Yourself!
I am still working on that. But, I have taken steps during day to make it easier for me to have some quiet, alone time at night such as managing my time better. My 6-year-old daughter is on me (literally) just about every minute that we are together. From the minute she gets off the bus to the minute she falls asleep, some part of her body is touching mine. I have started putting her to bed earlier (around 7:00) at night so I can have a few minutes of quiet, alone time before I spend time with my 13-year-old son before he goes to bed at 9:30. After she falls asleep, I go into my room and read for 30 minutes while my son is reading. Then we hang out together for a while before he goes to bed. Having some free time, even if it’s just 30 minutes, in your day helps to clear your mind and I feel like it makes me a better mom.
About reading..
Step 4: Read & Exercise your Brain
I know, you are probably thinking how does reading help with a healthier lifestyle? I think it does many things for me. I have taken my blood pressure before and after I read and it’s always lower after I have read for 20 or more minutes. Your body has to rest and reading helps it do that. I also play games like Sudoku to help keep my brain moving. The everyday life of a mom is usually made up of relatively repetitive tasks such as cooking, cleaning, dealing with tantrums, helping with homework, etc.. While these things may keep me on my toes and challenge my mentality, they don’t necessarily challenge my brain. Playing brain games may just help you on your quest to a healthier lifestyle.
Step 5: Sleep More
This is going to be the hardest step for me. I have insomnia. Almost ever since having my daughter, I have not been able to sleep for more than 3 hours naturally. I have to take medication if I want to get at least 5 hours of sleep. While I am trying to stop that, I am committing to making other changes including getting in bed earlier, reading real books when I go to bed instead of news, email, and blogs, on my phone, and not eating for at least two hours before I go to bed. Getting an adequate night’s sleep helps the body and brain so much! I believe that my lack of sleep has made it very difficult for me to lose the extra 10 lbs I’ve been hanging on to since Madelyn’s birth 6 years ago. I have heard that if you get even 8 hours of sleep in a night, you will have a higher chance of losing unwanted weight than if you don’t. Now that’s motivation to sleep more if you ask me!
What steps are you taking toward a healthier lifestyle? Exercise more, sleep more, eat better, drink more water? Do you have a favorite brain game? A favorite yoga pose that helps you relax? A favorite yoga pose that helps you relax? Please share them with me in the comments below and while you’re at it..
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My 5 Small Steps Toward a Healthier Lifestyle = 1 Giant Step Toward Sanity + $1000 Gift Card Giveaway! | #QuakerPopped is a post from: The Mommy Insider. It looks like you are reading this post in your favorite RSS reader. Don’t be shy..hop on over to check out our current giveaways, coupon codes, and to share your comments!
from The Mommy Insider http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/mommyinsider/~3/Vt8FXNgz7Zc/ January 30, 2013 at 11:37AM
