How I Balance Being a Mom with Taking Care of My Health

Staying healthy as a mom can be a challenge.  I make sure to schedule time for exercise, and try to keep only healthy fresh food at home.  That's not to say that I don't splurge, I just try to keep my daily habits healthy.  I don't stress out about exercising every single day.  As a mom that would just be too much for me, and for the kids.  I schedule three days a week for intense workouts at the gym then fill in the other days with activities like walking or running with the kids.  If I can't make it to the gym, I will take the kids to the park and do a circuit training workout with the park bench and jungle gym.  Watching the kids try to copy me is a crack-up, and we always end up having a great time together.

Three Health & Fitness Tips for Busy Moms

1. Schedule exercise, but don't overschedule yourself.  You don't have to work out for an hour every single day.
2. When plans fall through, sneak in a workout at the park or by taking a walk with the family.  Workouts don't always have to be perfect to be effective.
3. Keep only healthy foods at home, and eat most meals at home.  Leave splurges for special occasions.
   

My Favorite Posts

1. Black Bean Sweet Potato Enchiladas
2. Resolutions Schmesolutions: Set Goals, Make Plans, Be Successful
3. Hated Veggie Challenge

How I Balance Being a Mom with Taking Care of My Health

I realized that when I became a mom, I was responsible not only for myself, but for my family's health as well.  I live by example, my children see me going out for a run or bike ride, and they want to come along.  They like to share my smoothies, or pop edamame. I want to show them that eating well means living well.

Three Health & Fitness Tips for Busy Moms

1. You need to plan your workouts and meals to take advantage of your time. Every Sunday I plan our meals for the week, and do the bulk of my shopping that day. I also decide which days of that week I'm going to work out.  If I schedule it, I will do it.
2. After injuring my hamstring, I learned the importance of cross training, and strength work.  I don't belong to a gym, but I have resistance bands and free weights, and I keep them handy for whenever I have a few minutes. I even do squats and toe raises when I'm doing the dishes!
3. One of my healthy staples are smoothies.  I pick and freeze strawberries, blueberries and raspberries every summer, and use them throughout the fall and winter.  I'll throw a bunch in a blender with some almond milk and Amazing Grass powder, and it's a dose of what I need to keep me feeling great.

My Favorite Posts

1. MVP Rochester Marathon — The race recap of my First Marathon  
2. What a Dork — The time I went out with my fellow mom friends
3. I've Decided It's Genetics — I'm active, but I'm clumsy.

How I Balance Being a Mom with Taking Care of My Health

Everything runs on a schedule — like it or love it, it just works for me and my family. Taking care of my health fits right in with taking care of my kids health.  However, most days I end up un-showered until bathtime — then we usually just all go in one shower together.  Hmmmm, I suppose I am a big kid.  I get to drive the mini van — it counts for something.

Three Health & Fitness Tips for Busy Moms

1. Don't buy what you don't want to eat! Don't feed your kids what you don't want to eat! Don't rely completely upon will power :)
2. Keep moving and don't make excuses. Kids are flexible. Exercise everyday even if you have to make it an adventure!
3. Don't waste time watching TV.  When ever someone asks me "How do you get it all done!?" Well, I watch absolutely no TV.  I don't miss it either.

My Favorite Posts

1. Home Coming
2. Fail2Succeed
3. The Santa Barbara International Marathon: PURPLE REIGN!

How I Balance Being a Mom with Taking Care of My Health

I have always been into physical fitness, I joined the Army when I was 17, so it was ingrained in me from that point on. I also came from a family whose healthy history makes most doctors cringe. Diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure and cholesterol — just to name a few, plague my family tree!  It is important for me to set a good example for my children, and taking care of my health and wellness needs to be a priority,  so that I can take care of them! Having a supportive husband helps — a lot! He understands my need to run, swim, bike, workout in general, so it is easier for me to take the 30 minutes to hour to do that.

Three Health & Fitness Tips for Busy Moms

1. Take care of yourself, it is not selfish to take 30-60 minutes for yourself to workout — it will benefit your family! Breaking up a workout into smaller pieces of time is effective, so if you don't have a block of time, do what you can, when you can!
2. Find other moms to talk to, hang out with and support each other! Whether its about health, fitness or family, having people who understand where you are at, can be a great source of support and provide a sounding board. When we think about fitness we need to remember there is more to it than just the physical aspect!
3. Be kind to yourself, stress can build — especially if you are always taking care of everything else! We are all works in progress and no one is perfect. We can't plan everything and not everything goes according to plan when we try. As a working mom with a teen and an infant, not everything can get done. Prioritize and accept what needs to be done and what can wait. Most importantly, enjoy the family because in a blink of an eye they will be grown!

1. Memorial Day Lineup!
2. My Body Alphabet
3. End of March Already???