As a mom, prioritizing yourself can be challenging. Your days are typically consumed with a lot of tasks that revolve around your kids. But, if you do not take care of yourself and prioritize yourself, it’s really easy to get burnt out. Mental health and physical health are both extremely important when it comes to not getting burnt out and becoming the best mother (and person) that you can be. Here are four ways to prioritize yourself as a mom, so that you feel good about yourself each and every day:

 

Meal Prep Ahead Of Time

Let me be honest with you – I’m not the best when it comes to meal prepping on a weekly basis, but when I do find the time to meal prep, it makes my life so much easier in the long run. I believe that meal prepping is huge when it comes to prioritizing yourself because as a mom (especially to a very busy seven month old, like myself), it can be challenging to choose nutritious foods that are a bit timely to cook. Why would I choose a healthy option that takes 30 minutes to make when my daughter is fussy vs. a 5 minute meal that isn’t the best for me? I don’t, honestly. When I don’t meal prep, I choose bad-for-me options and my body and my health pays for it in the long-run. This is why I think that meal prepping in advance is so important! 

 

Set Aside Time For A Workout

All throughout my pregnancy, I worked out religiously three times a week at my gym. This helped me stay active, feel great about myself, and I truly do believe that I had a healthy pregnancy (and baby) because of it. I focused on weight lifting and HIIT training, which is not something that most pregnant women do, but if you start this type of training before you get pregnant, I highly recommend continuing with it during your pregnancy (of course, with your doctors permission). Once you have kids, it’s just as important to stay active. Pregnancy changes your body. Having a kid and not having a ton of time to focus on yourself also makes it harder to get back to your pre-pregnancy body (and maybe you never will – this is okay too!), but if you set aside time for a workout at least once a week, if not more, I promise that you will feel so much better about yourself. For me specifically, working out helps me feel healthy, strong, and confident. I am teaching my daughter to prioritize her health and showing her how hard work does pay off. 

 

 

Even when I travel, I try to make working out a priority. For example, we are visiting my husband’s grandparents just outside of Nashville as soon as the COVID-19 scare is over (we are pushing this a little bit since they are older) and I went ahead and researched gyms that could help me stay on track with my goals. One that I found that looks amazing is CrossFit Solid Orange. 

 

 

As a mom, it can be a bit challenging to find classes that work for my schedule, but CrossFit Solid Orange offers fitness classes from very early in the morning all the way into the evening to fit any busy schedule. I also love how every session is led by a professional and knowledgeable coach. Even though I have been working out for a long time, I still only attend classes that have coaches guiding you and helping you for safety purposes. This is a huge perk, in my opinion! CrossFit Solid Orange offers interval-training bootcamp, strength and conditioning sessions, olympic weightlifting, and personal training, as well. They say, “You can expect an absolutely fun, exciting atmosphere, friendship, healthy competitiveness, challenges, progress, growth and a version 2.0 of yourself. Because we see members who can barely do 1 pull-up become proficient masters, or imbalance issues and extreme stiffness able to have perfect balance, flexibility and stability; we know the same exact process will work for you, as it has for our members. We welcome all fitness levels from novices who no longer want to feel trapped in their bodies, to lifelong athletes and CrossFit experts.” This definitely eases my mind, knowing that I am coming in to a workout experience that is welcoming and encouraging. I love that they are all about community! They offer great deals on a CrossFit gym membership in Nashville, so if you are looking for a gym that will help you prioritize yourself as a mom (or even if you are not a mom), this should be your go-to spot.

 

Get Outside Each Day

I truly believe that soaking in the rays helps boost your mood and can also improve your health. I try to get outside for at least 10-20 minute each day, usually in the morning before it gets too hot. I find myself enjoying a morning drink (coffee, tea, smoothie, or juice) while sitting in my backyard, tending to my garden, or having a picnic with my daughter in the backyard. While this is not 100% focusing on myself (at least not the last option), being outside really improves my mood, which makes me a better mom and helps me to feel prioritized. Plus, Vitamin D is so important – especially right now.

 

 

Do Something That You Enjoy

Carve out time for yourself and make it a habit. In order to do this, you will need to do it consistently. So, if you enjoy running, set aside times each week to make it a habit. Line up childcare (maybe this means your husband watches the kids at __ time each week, or you hire a babysitter), and get it done. If you enjoy reading, join a book club. Sometimes, having other people in on the things you love to do will make it easier to prioritize that time, making it a habit, since other people are waiting on you and expecting you to join them. If the things that you love at home, that makes it a bit easier since you do not necessarily have to line up child care. Gardening, reading, baking, and enjoying a cup of coffee or tea outside are all great ideas. In this season of life (especially with COVID), setting aside time is easier said than done – I know. For me right now, I focus on the little things. Taking my time while I’m showering, enjoying a cup of coffee while my daughter naps, and taking the weekends off work and just focusing on family, which fills my heart.

 

I know that Tiffany loves to hike and I saw that this week, she joined Girls Who Hike Tennessee (as well as MOPS). I think joining these groups help keep people accountable when it comes to setting aside time for the things that they love. Joining groups such as the hiking group is a great place to start if you are not sure how to find others to help you stay accountable!

 

These are just a few ways that you can prioritize yourself as a mom. I could go on and on, but I’ll end there. What do you do to prioritize yourself each day?

This is a guest post by Alex Berger.