Staying on top of your health can be difficult, let alone when you have children to look after. This adds additional challenges and barriers to taking care of yourself. Not only do you need to show up for yourself, but you need to show up for your children. You likely have work to do, a household to run, meals to cook, and commitments to stick to. That doesn’t even include the mental or emotional strain that you may have put on yourself as a parent or carer.
This means that as a parent, it is even more important that you take care of your health. This will help you to feel good about yourself, give you more energy and experience more joy with your family. But it can be extremely difficult to find the time, or even know where to start.
One of the best things you can do is try to incorporate your family. Create a lifestyle where you can be healthy together. This is a great place to start and will create habits that hopefully stick for all. To help you on your journey, here are some tips for staying on top of your health as a parent.
SCHEDULE YOUR APPOINTMENTS WITH YOUR CHILDREN
You and your family must get regular checkups at both doctors and dentists. You likely get your children to their appointments, but very rarely make your own. Why not try to find a family friend health provider, so you can schedule your own checkups at the same time as your kids? This means you don’t have to try and find more time for yourself.
GET OUTSIDE AS A FAMILY
Moving your body and exercising more is a great way to look after your health and feel more joy. When you have kids, it can be difficult to find the time to go to the gym. But this isn’t the only way to get healthy through exercise. There are many forms of movement that you can incorporate into your day. You can also include your family in them too. Maybe head out for a walk or to the local park, dance around the front room together, or play sports as a family.
CREATE GOOD BEDTIME ROUTINES
Sleep hygiene is really important to your health. You must get enough quality sleep each night. As a parent, this can be tricky as little ones wake up and need you. This will impact your energy, mood, relationships, happiness and much more. Try to set a bedtime routine that works for you and your kids, and be consistent with it. When kids learn consistency, over time, it becomes easier to implement. Set a time and an activity that they may enjoy at bedtime, for example, reading. This will help them to get to bed at a good time, and may even free up some time for you. You can then also focus on getting a good night’s sleep to support your health.
Looking after your health is important, so you can look after your family. Try these tips to help you start making positive changes today!
