How I Prioritize Health as a Full Time Work From Home Mom

All the mama’s stand up!

First of all, hats off to all of you because being a mom is work.

So how do I personally handle other work while raising my three littles and running my home?

I’m rolling with the punches if I’m being honest (LOL), but I’ll share some of what’s working:

1. I have a solid morning routine. Setting myself up in the mornings is the one of the most crucial things that keeps me organized. School time or summer time, I try to get up before my kids. It’s my quiet time where I’m diving into God’s Word, eating some breakfast (with 30g of protein), and then sipping on my sanity saving cup of Joe. Once my breakfast, coffee, and reading are finished I move onto my power list. My power list helps my ADHD brain compartmentalize what needs to be accomplished during the day. I keep this very realistic and prioritize carefully. This will list out house work and business related work and help me have a rough “schedule” for the day.

2. I stay active. Unless I’m sick, I make it a priority to go to the gym 3-4x a week. We use a YMCA membership so that I can use the child care. We try to get to the gym by 9am during the summer! We also make it a point to get outside and walk/soak up some sunshine at least once a day. I have a “desk job”, so unless I’m being intentional about getting up to walk, it’s not gonna happen.

3. I have food prepared! I’m no chef, in fact I like to call myself the Queen of 2 Minute Meals! Each week I make sure that I have cooked protein and cooked starches ready to go in the fridge (fun fact, cooked then cooled starches are more blood sugar friendly). I make sure I have fresh berries/fruits, and a few veggies ready to go! This makes it super easy for me to assemble my meals by pairing my protein with whatever carb sounds good. There’s no reason to skip meals if I’m prepared.

4. I let go of the “all or nothing” mentality. It’s not serving me and it’s not serving you - it’s holding you back. Kids disrupt a perfectly planned schedule. Heck, my toddler refused her nap today and my entire work day got pushed back by over an hour because of it. You need to do your best to support your work/family/life/health balance, but you also need to stop throwing all of your efforts on self care out the window the minute something goes awry. “Shoot, my kids ate the rest of the cooked chicken I had on hand, guess I’ll just go for the oreos and start over on Monday…” Stop. It. Be solution focused and give yourself grace to go with the flow.

5. I have some non-negotiables for my health each day:

• Drink 120oz of water with electrolytes

• Hit 8-10k steps

• Hit 120g of protein

This ensures that even if I have a cruddy day where I’m not completely hitting all of my goals, I’m still on track with taking care of myself!

My family is my most important work, but running my business and taking care of myself are still important! I hope that this inspires you that you can take care of yourself while taking care of your family.