Finding a healthy balance as a busy Mum
Finding a healthy balance as a Mum can be an arduous task; so much to fit in and generally never enough time for you after work; kids and tending the house chores. Whether you have a full-time working career, part-time work or stay at home Mum; each role requires a juggling act. Finding this healthy balance comes down to finding the balance for the whole family. Many women tend to put their needs last; ensuring the entire family is on track and letting themselves have no personal time to recuperate or rejuvenate which is a unhealthy place to be in. With a generational shift family life has changed therefore ‘sharing the load’ has come as part of the new family life.
How to find a healthy balance
Create a complete visual family schedule
The organization and planning of a household needs to be a family discussion and schedule; set up as a roster system. The trick is to make a conscious effort to get organized. All the people living in the house; help and it must be a team effort otherwise it will not work. The family schedule will contain all details of coming and going of people as well as dinner menu and chores to be completed daily/weekly.
Family Meetings
Open communication with all in the family member is integral. The best night to do this is a dinner Sunday night. Discuss what each person needs to get done that week and help one another achieve it. Including writing in the time for Mum to gym, run, walk, yoga or even have a long bath.
Get motivated to fit in exercise: 5 easy ways
- Make the training session fun; when we are social and meet friends for a weekly set it gives us more motivation to attend and we are less likely to let our friend down. This maybe trying a new fitness class; or new venue to train.
- Get sweaty as it makes you feel better: it clears you pores and helps your body to detoxify. Make the goals to get sweaty as possible. Add a steam in at the end of the session to really invigorate.
- Listen to loud and bass style music as it helps you to stay focused and on time. Try training with headphone when you are alone. It helps the brain to switch off to the outside sounds and puts your in a calm relaxed state.
- Have a training plan: know what you are going to do before you begin the session: write a plan or follow a well-guided fitness program and stipulate to yourself before starting. Ensure you complete it all.
- Do not tell yourself you are tired. You are not! You are just unmotivated: say Ok _______(insert name)______ you are not tired, your are not the victim, your can achieve and today I will! So get going girl!
Set fitness and food family goals
Walk every morning as a family; 30 minutes before school or work; or in the evening go for a walk rather than sitting in front of the T.V or technology. This simple addition improves family communication, as well as having health benefits.
Improve mental exhaustion
Mental exhaustion is our mind telling our body that we are fatigued. Fatigue can come be both physical and mental factors and generally is caused from a low heart rate. Therefore if we boost our heart rate; endorphins are released; thus making our body become energized and reinvigorated. There are many ways mental exhaustion can be improved either by yoga; sleeping; meditation but the best way is by speeding up your heart rate with exercise. It clears your mind and the endorphins make you feel happier.
Give up on Mum guilt
Remind yourself you are not wonder women and no one asked you to be. The less guilt you put on yourself the better it is ok to not complete everything everyday and not have things perfect. You don’t have to do it all! Assign jobs to the children; they are very capable. They will mess it up multiple times but let them do it wrong until they get it right.
Time Wasters
Avoid the dreaded time waster called the phone and social media. Try to avoid the scroll and reteach yourself to scroll once and remove phone from sight. Set time limits by allocating ‘social media times’ to morning 15 minutes and evening to 15 minutes.
Look for the good in every situation; every single time.
The easiest way to rebalance is to become positive and happy. This is achieved by looking for the good in every situation.
This Mum role is hard and finding the balance is key to being a healthy and happy role model for our self and those of our family.
Health and Happiness always,
b.
x