As a Mom, even a Stay-at-Home-Mom (SAHM), it can be so challenging to fit in habits that help us get and stay physically healthy. Our days are centered around work, demanding toddlers and babies that are constantly asking for milk and snacks, seeking our attention, and making messes everywhere we they go. Nap times tend to get used for cleaning, catching up on housework, or relaxing because you are just too exhausted to do anything. Maybe you have a child like mine who doesn’t sleep well and still waking up in the night most nights, stopped taking naps 2 months after turning 2, and likes to stay up until 9pm or later and still wakes up at 6am. No matter what your situation is there seems to be very little time in the day to devote to yourself. When we do have time to spend on ourselves it’s often used for basic care tasks like a shower or the time is cut short because someone needs something from you. Trying to take time to be physically healthy as a SAHM is even more challenging if you are like me and don’t usually enjoy working out or struggle to eat healthy, especially with picky eaters in the house. Although I have a long way to go to get to my physical health goals I have found some methods that I enjoy and are helping me reach them. My hope is that these methods help you be physically healthier as a mom.
List of my best methods to be physically healthier as a mom :
- Food Related
- WW (WeightWatchers)
- Easy Access
- Meal Plan
- Exercise Related
- Outdoor Walks
- Sharona’s Hill YouTube
- Play Chase
WW (Weight Watchers)
I have tried several different diets throughout my life and I always struggled because I felt so restricted. For as long as I can remember I have used food as a coping mechanism or a feel good in the moment resource. This has lead to an unhealthy relationship with foods and struggling with portion control. I have seen many friends do well on various diets, but as soon as they stop they gain all the weight they lost and then some. It made me realize that what I needed was a lifestyle change that was realistic to keep whether we were on the road traveling or it was a holiday season.
I started WW a few months after the birth of my first child when I was struggling to lose the baby weight and struggling with postpartum depression. It was the middle of winter and COVID lockdowns started shortly after, so I could could not get myself to exercise. It was the last thing I wanted to do. I read that diet is everything when it comes to losing weight. You can exercise all you want, but if your diet is crap, then all your hard work exercising is going out the window. Getting your diet under control first will give you the best method for success towards your physical healthy, especially as a SAHM. Then when you are finally ready to add exercising to your lifestyle it will go farther and have more noticable effect on your body.
After almost nearly 3 years of being on WeightWatchers I have seen such beautiful changes to my physical health as a SAHM. I stuck to the program and lost 20lbs quickly! It was so encouraging to see progress right away. WW works different than any “diet” because there is no calorie counting and my favorite part is no food is off limits. They work on a point based system. You are given an allotment of points to use each day along with a weekly bank of points that you can use whenever you want in the week. Spread them out throughout the week or save them all for when you know you’ll be out and about on the weekend. Every food is assigned a set amount of points, you track them, and it subtracts it from your day’s total. Their program lets you add personal recipes or food and they have many fast food restaurant menus already listed in their points system. They also offer many recipes to stay on track.
My biggest issue with calorie counting is it didn’t teach me how to make smart food choices. I would see that an apple was 100 calories, but do was this piece of chocolate I really wanted. What would I rather have? Obviously the chocolate, but it never satisfied and I was hungry shortly after. The calorie programs or food restriction diets set me up for failure. WW has a list of 200+ foods that are zero points! That means you can eat them and they don’t count towards your point allotment! It means you don’t have to be hungry because there are always foods to eat that keep you on track with the program! WW has a an app for your phone or tablet that makes tracking food super convenient.
I have had great success using WW as a method to become physically healthier as a SAHM and I would highly recommend the program to anyone needing help finding methods to be physically healthier, especially as a mom. If you are interested in joining WW you can check them out at https://www.weightwatchers.com/us/plans. The basic plan I use is $23/month after the initial sign up, but keep an eye out they often have sign up deals. Currently they have the deal of $10/month when you signed up for their 6 month plan, but this deal ends on 1/9/23. Keep your eyes pealed for deals and sign up now to start changing your physical health as a mom.
Easy Access
Whether you decide to join WW or not, making healthy choices convenient and easy to access will be your best friend. If it’s easy to grab it will be easier for you to make choices that will benefit our physical health as moms. One of the reasons we tend to make poor food choices when we need a snack is because of convenience. First you need to have the healthy choice foods in your house, but you can’t stop at just buying them. We get too busy with life and when we need a snack we can’t take the time to wash and cut up produce. The best thing you can do that your future self will thank you for is to prep the food as soon as you bring it home. Take the time to wash and cut up all the produce and put them in cute or easy to access containers that make them easy to grab when you or anyone in your family needs a snack.
I personally use these containers for my prepped fruit and vegetables. https://amzn.to/3GwAKeS #Ad Currently I only have broccoli and carrots in my fridge, but during the summer they are filled with strawberries and other in season produce. No matter which containers you choose I highly recommend clear containers. This way you and your family members see them as soon as you open the fridge. As a mom your brain is already overloaded with all of the mental load of the family and it’s easy to forget your have something if you can’t see it. For me being able to see the produce keeps me from forgetting about it and using them before they spoil.
I originally choice these particular containers because they were cheap compared to many of the other clear containers I found on Amazon. They also fit in our old fridge perfectly. The lids snap on, but they aren’t a super tight snap – I think this is maybe the way the container lets air in and out like many of the vented style produce containers. Overall though I really do like the containers and they are a great method to be physically healthier as a mom.
Meal Planning
I see so many mom’s meal planning these days, but I always thought “how can you plan what you’re going to eat days or weeks in advance? I might not feel like that then.” However, I found that the bigger issue I had was decision paralysis. By the end of the day when it came time to start prepping supper I was so tired and decisioned out for the day I could never decide what to make for supper. I’d spend so much time thinking about what to make without making a decision that usually the decision would be made for me of what was fastest to cook. That led to making Mac and cheese, frozen chicken nuggets or fish sticks, or tuna helper way too often. By having the decision made for me it helps me mentally prepare what I need to make which makes meal making go smoother. Not only do I have hot meals on the table by 6:30 every night, but I am making healthier meal options for myself and my family.
I’ve seen a lot of different methods on how to meal plan, but I created my own system that works best for me. You will have to find what works best for your own family. What I did was create a list of our favorite meals and listed the ingredients I need for each of those meals. I created a list that provided us variety to have most meals once per month. Then I’d shop at a big chain store like Walmart or Aldi to get all the shelf stable or freezer ingredients I’d need for 1-2+ months (we live about an hour away from any city with a big chain store like that) while getting the fresh ingredients like milk and produce at our local grocery store.
Personally I use this magnetic calendar from Amazon https://amzn.to/3CAieB8 #Ad. I loved that it was cheap, but high quality and came with so many extras like markers, magnets, magnetic eraser, a weekly magnetic calendar, and a magnetic habit tracker. I have the larger monthly calendar on our refrigerator and fill it out for the month including any special events or weekly activities to plan around. This way I can see things like ‘we plan to be gone that weekend, so why don’t I put an easier to prepare meal the Monday following’ or ‘I have another meal planned later this week that requires ground beef. I will brown a double batch of ground beef tonight and save half for then. That way I already have my meat cooked.’
This calendar has made meal planning so much easier for me. One hack we also use is to erase the meal when there are no more leftovers for that meal in the fridge. That way we know what leftovers are oldest and need to be eaten first or if something got too old without having to label any containers. It’s so handy! This has cut down on our wasted food and thrown out leftovers immensely.
Now granted you can obviously make changes as life events arise, you have leftovers to eat up, or switch meals around in the week as needed, but meal planning still saves so much time and prep work for you. Meal planning is just one more step that helps me become a physically healthy mom.
Outdoor Walks
Taking a walk outside. Easier said than done. When you have a toddler or multiple children even talking a walk around town can be such a daunting task. Has everyone gone to the bathroom before we go? Do I have enough snacks, drinks, and diapers for everyone? What if they have a blowout while we are gone? So many worries jump through our brains as moms it can sometimes seem easier to just stay at home in the comfort of our own home. However, I have found that it’s worth it.
Getting started is always the hardest part, but you will thank yourself afterwards as it will help you feel more physically healthy as a mom. I have found that having quick to grab to-go snacks that you either purchase or prep ahead of time make it easier to head out the door fast. Also have the usual things you need (keys, shoes, snack basket, blankets, jackets, etc.) near the door in a basket to make them easy to grab as well. The more you practice getting outside the easier it will become and the more you will see what you do or don’t need to bring with you.
Have you ever heard the parenting advice, “put them in water or take them outside.” Not only does it work wonders on your kids, but it’s excellent for us as adults as well. When you just need a reset or need a little break it’s amazing how stepping outside for a few minutes (no matter what time of year it is) and taking a shower/bath can do for you. It’s amazing! I personally think it’s because when we are outside or in water we are closer to God by being in his creation and Jesus is the light of the world (John 8:12) and the living water (John 7:37-39).
There are also many other benefits to getting outside for a walk beyond being more physically healthy as a mom. Being outside can also provide great learning opportunities with you kids teaching them about God’s creation, all the colors, vehicles, nature, etc. that you’re seeing. For me as a SAHM I often don’t get a lot of adult human interaction each week, but getting out for a walk allows me opportunity to see people and have small interactions with others. This is also great opportunity for your kids to observe. So if possible get outside and go for a walk – head to the park, get the mail, go to the library, or just walk around discovering your neighborhood more. No matter the reasoning for getting outside, a walk will help you be a physically healthier mom.
Sharona’s Hill YouTube
As a mom who really dislikes exercising stumbling across Sharona’s Hill on YouTube was one of the best things to happen to me for my physical fitness journey. Sharona is a fellow SAHM with a toddler who creates and shares awesome dance workout videos for free on Youtube. The videos are so fun and make it feel like you aren’t even working out. I love that uses such a variety of music from Disney/Pixar to NSYNC to 80’s pop. There are so many great choices that are great to play while your kids are awake. No need to wait until nap time or when they are down for bed. Include your toddler and encourage them to dance along too. It’s a great way to get a work out in while having some quality time with your toddler.
I also love how she posts many workout schedules, challenges, low impact/walking workouts, and workouts that target different areas. Using her low impact/walking workouts you can build your fitness habit even if you are extremely out of shape like I was when I started watching her channel.
Sharona shares the realistic side of motherhood and mom bodies which I think we need more of in this world. The mantra behind her YouTube Channel, Sharona’s Hill, that “the best view comes after the hardest climb.” Being a mom is hard and trying to be a mom who makes physically healthy choices is even harder. Sharona’s Hills dance workouts are a great method to add some physical fitness into your daily life and help you become physically healthier as a mom. Check out her channel at https://www.youtube.com/@SharonasHill/featured.
Play Chase
This one may confuse some of you, but if you have a super active toddler like mine it will make a lot of sense. My toddler could play chase almost all day long. As a SAHM I am always struggling to taking time to spend quality time and play with my child one-on-one when so many other tasks are calling my name. We have an island that separates our kitchen living room and my toddler loves to play chase running around and around the island (and all around the house for that matter). All you have to do say the word chase or even just start running at him and he starts the game.
It seems simple because it is. Even a few minutes of running around chasing a toddler can get your heart pumping. I have tried making time for this when I am waiting for the microwave or my hot water to boil to make my pour over coffee. It’s a simple and excellent method to make use of those few minutes here and there that I normally was just standing around waiting. It’s also a great way to keep a toddler busy and pass the time if you are waiting for their food to heat up or cool down. Anyway, every minute and every extra step helps you get physically healthier as a mom.
Conclusion
Our body is a temple unto the Lord (1 Corinthians 6:19), and we should treat it as such. I know I have spent too much of my life not caring enough about what went into my body or utilizing it’s amazing abilities through movement. God has gifted us with so many delicious foods, resources, and capabilities in todays world. I have found that the best methods to become more physically healthy as a SAHM mom are using the WW Program, creating easy access to healthy options, meal planning, outdoor walks, Sharona’s Hill on YouTube, and playing chase with my wild toddler. I hope these six methods help you become more physically healthy as a mom. Let me know in the comments if any of these methods work well for you or if you have any other methods you would suggest to fellow moms.
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