7 Tips To Be A Healthy Mama And Enjoy Your Kids

Today I’m sharing 7 tops ways you can be healthier as a mother, have the energy to play with your kids, and even have the headspace to read a book at the end of the day.

As mums, being healthy is one of those things we need not just for ourselves but for the wellbeing of our families, and when we prioritize our health the whole family community benefits.

To be clear, I’m not a medical doctor, and these tips are just general tips that work for me as a mum. What I’m sharing with you today is part of my observable experience of what helps me to have energy, and be present with my kids.

So, let’s get into it:

7 Tips To Be A Healthy Mama And Enjoy Your Kids

1. Fresh air and nature

I notice that when I go outside and contemplate nature, it helps me unwind from my duties at home as well as my other work commitments. This is true whether I go out on my own, or whether I go with my children.

When you have outdoor space, it’s all too easy to tell your kids to go outside and play, and use that time to get on with housework. But it’s important to get out every day too.

You can do this by scheduling a daily walk with your kids (or on your own if you have childcare!), having a picnic with your kids at the park, taking your kids to a local playground, planning outdoor activities to do with your kids.

I like to take my kids out after school and we usually go to a nearby park or playground, or we walk to the shops or the local library.

2. No snacks!!!

When I’m stressed I often feel tempted to replenish myself with sweet and salty treats between meals, but I’ve found that doing this is bad for my energy levels as I get quick sugar crashes.

What works best for me is to drink water, and herbal teas between meals, instead of reaching out to the cookie jar. If I’m really hungry, I try to choose healthy snacks such as plain yoghurt, cheese, nuts or fruit.

I also do intermittent fasting regularly, which helps me focus on hydration as well as boosting my energy levels.

3. Music

Research shows that music reduces stress, is mood lifting, strenghtens learning, and reduces depression.

Of course, if you’re a mum you know there are times when music can be annoying – when you’re trying to communicate with your kids over blearing music, or when your kids listen to the same song over and over again!

So the trick here is to listen to music at certain times of the day – rather than whenever, whatever – and diversify your children’s music input by getting them to listen not only to children’s music, but also Christian music, classical, jazz – as long as appropriate for their age.

4. Drink plenty of water

This is often overlooked, and yet it is so simple. Hydration is of supreme importance to the human body, especially when you’re an active mother who is constantly moving and losing a lot of water.

Drinking water boosts energy as it activates metabolism, helps with cognitive function, regulates body temperature, replenishes hydration levels when you perspire, prevents constipation.

Here it’s important that you focus on drinking actual water (still or sparkling), or herbal teas to get the full hydration benefits.

I know that when I don’t drink enough water throughout the day, my energy levels get depleted, and I get cranky and tired.

5. Exercise

Maybe you don’t need to be told to do exercise. After all, if you have small kids you likely get enough with running after them. But when the kids get older and start going to school, you may notice that you spend a lot of time sitting down for work and your body is not moving that much.

Exercising is not synonymous with going to the gym. You can incorporate exercise into your daily routine: walk to the shops or to school; stretch in the morning; dance around the house; go up the stairs instead of using the lift (elevator).

6. Being present in the moment

Let’s be honest, we live in a hustle culture that focuses on productivity, busyness, and activity. Yet, one of the biggest gifts we can give our children and ourselves is to slow down and be present in the moment. We can do this by sitting down with our children and playing a game; doing a dance competition; reading a good book together; having family meals with no distractions.

Slowing down isn’t about being lazy, or about being late to commitments. It’s about saying no to the constant search for time fillers and extra-curricular activities, and making space in our calendar for family conversation and play.

On that note, some simple ways we can practise slowing down and being present are: putting our screens away for scheduled blocks of time; planning fewer activities to accomplish in one day; getting out into nature (there are fewer distractions than at home!); setting the table for family meals; cooking simple but wholesome meals that encourage sitting down for longer and sharing life together.

7. Brain stimulation

Whether you’re a stay-at-home mum, or you work outside the home, you’ve probably noticed that when your brain focuses on specific mind tasks, you feel better, calmer, and more focused.

I know that when I do active brain stimulation activities, I gain more energy and regulate my emotions better.

To accomplish this, you could do a puzzle with your hubby after the kids have gone to bed, read a book when your kids are having a nap, take up a new hobby like chess or painting, or learn a new language online – sometimes the children and I listen to children’s Youtube langauge learning videos.

That’s it for today! I hope this post helped you on your journey to being a healthier mama.