How to Start Healthy Habits as a Mom

YAY! You are ready to make and take some time for yourself and your health!! I am so proud of you! Before you dive in, here are a few tips for a smooth start that doesn’t leave you struggling with logistics before you begin. I hope these tips for How to Start Healthy Habits as a Mom increase your confidence and help you to start!

Be Realistic

Magically having time to work out seven days a week, get plenty of sleep each night, and eat healthy every day is probably not going to happen right away. Be realistic with what will fit into your life right now.

For example, it is easy to say that you will stock all healthy food in your house and only cook healthy meals. But can your household survive without mac & cheese and chicken nuggets? Do you have a plan in place for a picky eater if needed?

Start Small

For example, take time for yourself three days a week to work out, head to bed early, or whatever other healthy habit you would like to start. Once you get that working for you and your family’s life, then try adding more time.

Take Things One Habit at a Time

We all have 10 healthier habits I’m sure we would love to start, but trying to do it all at once can be overwhelming and make success harder to grasp. I recently decided to stop drinking alcohol for 100 days. I started that habit which naturally led to going to bed earlier and better sleep habits. Once those two things were going well, I added in daily physical activity.

If I had said okay as of this date I will go to bed early, stop drinking, and work out every day I think I would have kept pushing that start date out and never actually started. Gradually adding things one step at a time was easier and truly has not really effected my family very much, if at all.

Consider Your Age and Starting Fitness Level

Specific to Starting a New Physical Activity or Exercise Regimen

It would be unfortunate if you took the initiative to start working on your health and then were injured because you just went out of the gate too fast.

My ultimate goal, for example, is to run a marathon someday. However, right now I am on a couch to 5K program because that is where I am at. Once that is done I’ll progress to a 10K, then half marathon. Finally, once the time is right, marathon. If you try and go from the couch to a crazy marathon training plan, that your body has not had the chance to build up to, you could end up injured or just put off by the whole experience.

Engage Your Support System

There’s a good chance you will need help in some way to achieve your goals. Whether it be having someone to watch your kids while you go for that run and complete that workout, or supporting you emotionally when you start making big changes, support can have a huge positive impact on your journey. If your support team knows upfront when you’re starting, what your goals are, and what you hope to accomplish, they will be ready to back you up and help you out.

Give yourself Grace.

Life happens, things happen, especially when you’re dealing with people outside of just you, like kids, husbands, spouses, and family members. One of my biggest pet peeves is #NeverMissAMonday. Guess What I Have Missed Mondays! A lot of them! And I will continue to do so, I’m sure. Whether it be from staying up all night with a sick child, not feeling well yourself, a big thing at work that you need to go in early, or stay late for, Life happens!!!

You are making a long-term change, not a quick fix, so take the time to fit it into your life in a way that won’t add to your day-to-day stress. Please be patient with yourself. You will not be perfect all of the time, no matter what your goal. If you are doing your best and enjoying the ride, you are rocking it!

Healthy Habit Examples

• Starting a new exercise or physical activity regimen
• Going to bed earlier
• Dietary changes: Eating healthier/Less takeout/Drinking more water
• Taking a break from alcohol
• Taking/making more time for self-care, whatever that may look like for you

Stay in Touch

I would love to hear what healthy habits you have chosen? I am currently working on engaging in some sort of physical activity daily and taking 100 days off from alcohol.