Being a mom is often said to be the best, but hardest, the thing we have ever done in our lives. It’s incredibly demanding but rewarding, exhausting but exhilarating, and never the same no matter how many children we have. With all of the ups and downs of motherhood, it can be difficult to remember the basics like brushing our teeth, much less exercising every day, but these things are important to our health!
Remember that you can’t serve from an empty cup, which means that you can’t be the best mom to your babies if you aren’t taking care of yourself, too. While it may seem like just one more thing to do on an already never-ending list, take heart! There is a way to keep everything in check as a mother, and it often starts with your own health.
Here are 10 ways that you can be the best mom and woman you can be and get in your daily exercise, too.
10 Habits to Help You Keep Everything in Check When You’re a Mom
- Don’t be afraid to ask for – or accept – help. Many moms think they have to be able to juggle everything themselves in order to be successful. That’s 100% not true. The happiest, most well-rounded moms know when to ask for help on something that is not crucial in order to put more focus on something that is.
When your in-laws offer to babysit or cook a meal for you, or your friend volunteers to come over and watch the kids so you can take a nap, jump on it! And when the grocery bagger volunteers to load your groceries for you, don’t feel guilty, say yes!
- Get your daily dose of vitamin D. It’s important for you and for your kids, so if you can get out in the fresh air, do it as much as possible. It lets the kids run off their energy while they get the exercise and sunlight they need, and it’s a depression lifter for us!
Take a short stroll around the neighborhood, hit the local park, or invest in a little swimming pool or slip and slide in the warm months. When it’s cold, zip up those parkas and strap on the thermal gloves and teach your kids the thrill of making a snowman or having a snowball war! It’s a rainy day? That’s the perfect time to jump in mud puddles!
Too tired to go outside? That just means you need it even more!
- Don’t neglect your nutrition. As moms, we tend to focus so much on making sure our kids get the right amount of sleep, eat the right foods, and drink enough water. But we neglect to do the same thing for ourselves, thinking nothing of grabbing a donut for breakfast or skipping out on it altogether.
That donut or leftover pizza may taste good and be convenient, but the effects of it sit in your body for much longer and make you feel bloated and miserable long after you remember you ate it.
Sleep is important, too. While it may take a while to get your baby on a solid 8-hour sleep schedule, try to catnap where you can or call up a trusted family member or friend to help out while you catch up on your zzzz’s.
- Squeeze in some exercise. No, it’s not just another thing on your to-do list. It’s probably the most important thing you can do for yourself and your children every day. Exercising is not just a way to get your body back in pre-pregnancy shape; it’s a stress reliever, mood enhancer, and all over boost to your health.
When you focus on your flaws, like the tummy that isn’t quite where it was before you had a life inside of it, it can be easy to get depressed or feel down about yourself. It takes the same amount of time to mope as it does to do a few exercises.
Try some online workouts, like Moms Into Fitness, for some short but strong workouts to get your brain and body functioning on all cylinders. You may have to force yourself to do it at first, but after a few times, you’ll likely look forward to it and want more!
- Remember what fun is! What did you once do to have fun before children? You may not be able to do the same things, now, but you did have fun! Plan a trip, get a babysitter and go to a movie, head to the beach, but do something that you enjoy!
Be careful not to set unreasonable expectations. With little kids, mishaps are bound to happen. You may forget the sunscreen and have to pay a little extra at the shop by the beach. The kids may argue or spill a drink in the car. It’s okay. It happens. You’re making memories no matter which ones you focus on, so let those memories be of the things that went right rather than the ones that went wrong.
- Avoid social media. It’s tempting when you’re home alone or feeling lonely to reach out to social media as your communication. As a new mom, though, this can be dangerous. Unless you are talking to people who support you and encourage you, strangers or acquaintances on social media can put you down with their well-intentioned criticisms or make you feel inadequate with their photoshopped lives.
Take the 5 or 10 minutes (or longer) that you would have spent scrolling mindlessly on your phone and catch up on a much-needed few minutes of sleep, read a book, or do something with your children. You’ll quickly realize social media wasn’t the form of communication you needed.
- Don’t isolate yourself. Your children will exhaust you, often to the point where you say no to every invitation extended. This is a quick, slippery slope into depression.
Putting on a happy face when you’re sleep-deprived and covered in baby spit up isn’t always easy but it’s absolutely necessary occasionally. If you notice that you haven’t seen or spoken with a friend or another adult in a few days, it is probably time to get some in-person socialization before you find yourself too isolated.
- Avoid boxing yourself in. Schedules and routines are great. Everyone knows what to expect and what their duties are. But when those routines get interrupted, things can get hairy. It’s okay.
Rules can be bent – you made them. Schedules can change – it’s not the end of the world. Avoid boxing yourself into unbendable rules and routines. It’s not realistic to think that everything will always go according to schedule, and by being flexible about unexpected occurrences, you are teaching your children to roll with the changes, too – a highly important life skill that helps us to avoid unnecessary stress.
- Put it in perspective. By now you have heard some well-intentioned person say, “Before you know it, they’ll be all grown up and gone!” Others will tell you, “Don’t worry, this stage won’t last forever.” While it may not help you at the time, it’s all true, and it can help you to put everything in perspective as you go through your day.
When your baby is screaming and you are exhausted, remind yourself that it won’t last forever. It’s a way to ground yourself at the moment and remember that each moment, even the bad ones, are precious. It may carry you through the tough times and help you to pay attention and appreciate the good times.
- Show affection. To raise a loving child, you need to be a loving parent. Don’t be afraid to cuddle, laugh, and hug. You won’t spoil a child by being loving. Children are spoiled by the lack of discipline, not too much love.
Teach your child to be confident in themselves and to know what unconditional love means, and you have taught them the tools they will need to solve any problem for the rest of their lives.
It’s Not Possible to Do it All
The most important thing to remember is that you can’t do everything every day. You may do most things on most days and some things other days, but you are not going to be perfect. It’s okay because no one is.
While these ten tips will keep you cognizant of the important things in your daily life, they aren’t intended to be a guide to being the perfect mom. We all have good and bad moments in our days. The important thing is to move past the mistakes, accept them for the learning experiences that they are, and keep going.
Focus on your health, both mentally and physically, and keeping your children safe, healthy, and happy, and you will find yourself naturally keeping everything in check as a mother much easier than if you had a 100 point checklist to walk you through motherhood daily. It’s a season of your life that you can’t get back, and it’s not possible to do it all, so just do all you can.
