Be a Better Mom With This Surprising Tip
We are pleased to bring you this guest post from Ambassador Shira Nelson. Struggling to find balance between work and family and find time for yourself? In this post, Shira writes about how focusing on you can help make you a happier, healthier and better mom.
If you don’t take care of you, who will?
Being a mom is a gift. It is by far the most rewarding job in the world. It is also completely selfless. I remember when I first became pregnant. All of a sudden, my decisions were no 
longer just about me and what I wanted. I was already thinking of that little person inside. The choices I made were not just about me, they were about what was best for my little girl that I was growing. Those thoughts have continued as I raise my toddler and begin my journey into my second pregnancy.
We all want the best for our children. I truly believe that we as moms want to give, nurture and take care of our children the best we can. While some days are harder than others, just knowing that we are in fact doing our best makes our “job” a little less scary.
Part of being the best mom or “mom to be” you can be is learning how to take care of you. I know it sounds impossible for some, because where do you find the time? Or maybe it seems selfish? We have worked all day and then come home to workout and not spend every second we have with our kids? Or what about the household chores? How will we do that too? I get that.
Being a mom involves going through each day doing everything for everyone else and never stopping to think about yourself. For whatever reasons, life gets in the way and we immediately put ourselves on the back burner.
But what about us? If we don’t take care of us, then who will? Do we just hope that we can make it through being tired, feeling frumpy and eating whatever? Do we hope that our kids will grow up to eat healthy and see exercise as a way of life if we don’t put it on our list of priorities? Do we hope that the baby we are growing inside will be just as healthy without us taking time to exercise?
Does it work that way?
I think it’s important to note that we all have the same amount of time in the day. While each person has a different set of circumstances, there is some truth to the fact that we make time for what matters.
Taking care of you is by far the best thing you can do for your baby, your kids, and your family. We all know how we feel when we exercise. We get that endorphin high, that energy burst, and an overall feeling of happiness. While we can easily try to push those feelings aside when we don’t have time, we definitely notice a difference in our mood, our patience and our ability to keep up with our kids when we take care of us.
What does taking care of us mean?
When I mention the healthy mom lifestyle or fit pregnancy, I am not talking about prepping food for hours, or spending an hour in the gym. I am talking about doing simple daily tasks that help you be a fit and healthy mom right now wherever you are in your journey. You can be both of those without much extra time.
I am all about balance during pregnancy and motherhood. It’s kind of cliche because most moms would say the one thing they struggle with most is balance. When you do find that balance between obsession and not doing anything, you begin to see that taking care of you is not as “scary” as it sounds.
For me and the thousands of moms I work with, the key is setting small goals and being consistent. Choosing one realistic task to focus on everyday. And then adding another when the first one becomes habit. Taking the timeline and expectation of where you *think* you need to be and do whats works for you and your life.
Here are three very simple tasks to try. Each task will help you move towards having a “fit” pregnancy and becoming a mom “beyond baby.”
- Aim for a minimum of 3 liters of water everyday.
- Prioritize protein. We as women need protein. It also helps keep us satiated and feeling full longer. Focus on getting your protein at every meal.
- Be realistic with your exercise goals. Having a fit pregnancy is not about doing as much as you can. It is about finding that balance between being safe and doing effective exercises for you and baby. And as a new mom, don’t stress. Grab a pair of dumbbells at home, take a walk and focus on movement. You have your whole life to get your body back.
More from Shira: Hi, I’m Shira Nelson. I am a mom to a toddler with #2 on the way, a wife, and full time business owner (mompreneur) over at Mom Beyond Baby. When I am not chasing my toddler, I am teaching group fitness classes and running my online business (my other “baby”). My passion is teaching expecting, new, and busy moms how to make themselves a priority through hormonal fat loss coaching and efficient exercise. I specialize in helping moms around the world create a plan that works with their lifestyle so that fat loss and the healthy mom lifestyle become an effortless part of their life. You can grab a free healthy mom handbook at shiranelsoncoaching.com and find everything for a mom “beyond baby” on my website at shiranelson.com. I also share tons of workouts, fat loss tips and of course pictures of my “real” life on Instagram @mombeyondbaby and on my Facebook page facebook.com/mombeyondbaby.
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