Entering a new year we usually think about “New Year Resolutions”. How many of us really focus on OR implement following through with the goals we set for the new year? “New Year, New Beginnings” a common slogan you hear every year! The common New Year resolutions are to eat better, work out, lose weight, etc. You’re usually on a good streak for the first 2-3 weeks and then you fall off. But why does that have to be a New Year resolution? Why can’t it be done throughout the year? I myself personally struggle sometimes with consistency! Honestly, once you have kids consistency is pretty much thrown out the window!! I try to maintain a healthy lifestyle through my kids. When you strive to provide the best for your kids you also have to include yourself in the mix. Before having kids I sucked at the following: staying hydrated, eating 3 meals a day and getting proper rest.
Hydration
Once I graduated from college and was no longer playing sports I barely drank. It was horrible! When I first met my husband in college he was constantly running to the bathroom. One day he looked at me and said “I promise there’s nothing wrong with me, I’m just super hydrated!” Throughout our relationship he always told me that sometimes it’s hard to remain hydrated, and the best way to do it was take a sip of water every five minutes. This will allow you to remain hydrated without even thinking about forcing yourself to chug water. I still try to instill that method daily. *Thanks Coffee*
How has that helped me today? Having kids helped me up my fluid intake. Of course if you’re breastfeeding you have to remain hydrated. I have my days where I slip here and there. I’m only human but for the most part I stay on track. My first two little ones drink water constantly throughout the day. Not introducing them to a bunch of fruit juice was the best decision I could’ve made. Every now and then I switch it up and give them infused water but we pretty much drink water everyday all day (outside of fresh fruit juice). The easiest way to avoid the temptation of drinking juice/soda is to not buy it. BOM! It’s that simple!
3 meals per day
Again, once I stopped playing sports my eating habits tumbled. I ate whenever it was convenient. I never sat still and was constantly on the go. I would try to avoid eating fast food while running errands, which forced me to starve myself throughout the day. I even passed out while pregnant due to my sugar levels being too low. I quickly learned my lesson after being transported to the ER, 27 weeks pregnant. Feeding my kids forces me to eat with them. I can’t let them starve! Usually they eat whatever my husband and I eat. That’s makes it easier for me to squeeze in 3 meals per day.
Sleep!!!
A lot of people tell me that I look well rested. I mean seriously how much sleep can one get with a newborn? The first time I was pregnant I barely got sleep. I was walking zombie! I can say having many sleepless nights at the college of engineering helped train me for a newborn. Studies show that you should sleep at least 8hrs a night but I never did. With the second child I was able to get a lot more sleep. My son, Jeremiah, was such a good sleeper! However, I was pretty much a human version of a cow and had to wake up to pump regardless if he woke up to eat. My milk supply was beyond ridiculous! This time around it seems as if I get more rest than I did with the other two. I know people say that you shouldn’t nurse your child to sleep, that they should fall sleep on their own blah blah blah… but when your body automatically wakes you up before 5 AM and you’re working with 3 kids ALONE on a daily basis you’re bound to crash by 8pm. So to speed up the process of the baby going to bed at a reasonable time, I nurse her to sleep. My second daughter, Sarai, also is a pretty good sleeper and allows me to get 6-7hrs of sleep at night. That’s if I decided to say screw pumping and decide to get more sleep.
What are some healthy habits you’ve picked up after having kids?
