So, I've written all about how we have healed Blake's skin condition, constipation, and other lovely related issues by addressing his 'gut' health. I've shared how he is just thriving, gaining weight (finally!), and really on the move. His immune system is getting stronger and his overall complexion is night and day compared to 7 months ago...all because we are healing him from the inside-->out.
But...one area I've neglected to talk 'health' issues with, is...my own! And every other momma's out there. Unfortunately, our own health gets put on the back burner while everyone else's is pushed to the front...and according to every middle-age and older female I've worked with "DON'T LET THAT HAPPEN!" Because it's an uphill battle that is difficult and forever long
when you finally address your own health matters, or when you are forced to because of illness or disease. So...here it goes.
My top 10 list of what to do or not to do to take care of yourself...
1) Eat breakfast...even if its a bite of banana and a scoop of peanut butter out of the jar (keep it to every other bite of banana, calories could rack up if you double-dip between bites..)
2) Drink, drink, drink. Water, Water, Water. Less coffee, less soda, less coffee, less soda, less coffee, less soda. Coffee and soda are very acidic and over time that amount of acidity wears and tears on your stomach lining...which equates to an 'off' pH balance...
In addition, acid gets stored in the fat cells, and sometimes the body produces more fat cells to pull the acidic toxins from your internal organs...and fat is the last thing most of us momma's want to store.
3) Exercise. This one is tricky because most women I know assume that walking, jogging, and cardio is the way to go to improve one's health. It is if you are training for an endurance event. But when you are a stressed out mom, with little time, with a less than desirable diet, carrying around more body weight than you would like...or even not--long 'bouts of cardio is the LAST THING you want to do. Sounds crazy, I know! Because it goes against most traditional methods of weight loss training we know. BUT it is not good. Your body just cannot handle it, and these cardio sessions will only promote more fatigue, less energy, and quicker burnout. What you need to do is lift heavy things and/or walk/jog/swim fast for a few short minutes. Hormone change is the only way fat loss occurs. You want insulin down/glucagon and gH hormones up. That is how fat is burned. Lifting heavy weights, bags, kids, etc. several times a week in any sort of pattern will boost those fat-burning hormones up and stifle the insulin. So get off the treadmill, NOW. Go throw your kids around, put them on your back and carry them through the yard or around the park. Cardio is not a great choice for health benefits as a stressed-out mom.
** I have given up all long-running for the past 4 months. This has been after years of running long distances for my 'health'..and let me tell you, it has made a HUGE difference on my body composition, my energy levels, and my overall health. Take it from me, you will feel better. You will get stronger. You will be fitter.
4) Socialize. Give the kids up. It is okay. Budget the childcare in or offer to trade with a neighboring mom. Get out of the house. It is re-energizing. We were made to need each other. We have a sense of belonging that needs filled every once in a while. A sense that is not filled through FB messaging. Get over the guilt of doing it and get out. Non-work related outing. Simply fun. Find a community that you can relate too, talk with, be real with, and that can support you. For me this has become my Sunday School class and my CrossFit friends at the gym, as well as some fellow adoptive moms.
5) Sleep. I know full-well that this is a tough one. But we have finally decided that Sundays are a day of rest. Created for that very purpose. And so we all lie down to nap on Sundays. I cannot guarantee a full night's sleep any night of the week, as many of you can relate too, so sleep when you can. The advice you receive as a mother of a newborn is very applicable to a mother of toddlers and teenagers. Sleep is another contributor to hormones issues that effect mood, weight gain/loss, and emotions. So make it a priority. Shut the TV off, stay off the computer late at night, turn off the phone--all things that stimulate endorphins to keep you up. Set a bedtime and stick with it, routine is crucial to good sleep as well. Also consider taking your calcium/magnesium supplements at night, because they help stimulate rest and a slowing down of the body.
6) Don't take on any big projects. Honestly, been there, done that. =STRESS. Mean, grouchy, impatient, momma is what that equates too. Trying to do other things while your kids are at home, needing your attention, getting into things, crying, pooping, breaking things, learning to read, coloring on the walls, hiding your shoes, eating your toothpaste, throwing all the rolls of toilet paper in the toilet, asking you 1000 questions about life...yes, these are the typical happenings that can send a momma over the edge in a millisecond flat. Things that typically, on their own, wouldn't send you through the roof, but when paired with trying to run a business from home, balance a checkbook, answer phone calls or emails, and just being available...can make a woman crazy! And when that happens, everyone goes crazy!
7) Pray. Pray like you have never prayed before. Unceasing prayers throughout the day. Pray for your kids to eat their breakfast. Pray for your child not to miss the bus. Pray for your husband to avoid that lustful temptation. Pray for your kids to nap. Pray for favor at the grocery store. Pray for an ailing friend. Rejoice with a healed friend. Pray for your child's future. Pray for his/her friends. Pray for his/her teacher, principal, custodians, etc. There's something about being in constant conversation with God, about maintaining His constant presence in your every action, breath, and word, that is calming. A reminder that He is near. He is listening. You are not alone.
8) Take your multivitamins. Take your vitamin C. Adrenal fatigue is the number one problem that leads to illness for most stressed-out mommas and Vitamin C is crucial for recovery and protection. Take some fish oil. Protect the heart. Joints.
9) Don't just make your kids eat their veggies. Load up on them too. They help return the body to an alkaline state and therefore combat all the acidosis issues I posted above. They are full of nutrients that protect brain health, vision, and overall wellness.
10) Put your spouse before your kids. Pay attention to his mood. His actions. His needs. He, afterall, is going through the same things you are, he just may compartmentalize them better. Communicate. Get out alone. Respect him at all costs, especially in public or on FB. Encourage him. Never let your kids come between you.
So there you have it. Things I'm working on. Have realized are crucial to my health and hope you will learn from too.
But...one area I've neglected to talk 'health' issues with, is...my own! And every other momma's out there. Unfortunately, our own health gets put on the back burner while everyone else's is pushed to the front...and according to every middle-age and older female I've worked with "DON'T LET THAT HAPPEN!" Because it's an uphill battle that is difficult and forever long
when you finally address your own health matters, or when you are forced to because of illness or disease. So...here it goes.
My top 10 list of what to do or not to do to take care of yourself...
1) Eat breakfast...even if its a bite of banana and a scoop of peanut butter out of the jar (keep it to every other bite of banana, calories could rack up if you double-dip between bites..)
2) Drink, drink, drink. Water, Water, Water. Less coffee, less soda, less coffee, less soda, less coffee, less soda. Coffee and soda are very acidic and over time that amount of acidity wears and tears on your stomach lining...which equates to an 'off' pH balance...
In addition, acid gets stored in the fat cells, and sometimes the body produces more fat cells to pull the acidic toxins from your internal organs...and fat is the last thing most of us momma's want to store.
3) Exercise. This one is tricky because most women I know assume that walking, jogging, and cardio is the way to go to improve one's health. It is if you are training for an endurance event. But when you are a stressed out mom, with little time, with a less than desirable diet, carrying around more body weight than you would like...or even not--long 'bouts of cardio is the LAST THING you want to do. Sounds crazy, I know! Because it goes against most traditional methods of weight loss training we know. BUT it is not good. Your body just cannot handle it, and these cardio sessions will only promote more fatigue, less energy, and quicker burnout. What you need to do is lift heavy things and/or walk/jog/swim fast for a few short minutes. Hormone change is the only way fat loss occurs. You want insulin down/glucagon and gH hormones up. That is how fat is burned. Lifting heavy weights, bags, kids, etc. several times a week in any sort of pattern will boost those fat-burning hormones up and stifle the insulin. So get off the treadmill, NOW. Go throw your kids around, put them on your back and carry them through the yard or around the park. Cardio is not a great choice for health benefits as a stressed-out mom.
** I have given up all long-running for the past 4 months. This has been after years of running long distances for my 'health'..and let me tell you, it has made a HUGE difference on my body composition, my energy levels, and my overall health. Take it from me, you will feel better. You will get stronger. You will be fitter.
4) Socialize. Give the kids up. It is okay. Budget the childcare in or offer to trade with a neighboring mom. Get out of the house. It is re-energizing. We were made to need each other. We have a sense of belonging that needs filled every once in a while. A sense that is not filled through FB messaging. Get over the guilt of doing it and get out. Non-work related outing. Simply fun. Find a community that you can relate too, talk with, be real with, and that can support you. For me this has become my Sunday School class and my CrossFit friends at the gym, as well as some fellow adoptive moms.
5) Sleep. I know full-well that this is a tough one. But we have finally decided that Sundays are a day of rest. Created for that very purpose. And so we all lie down to nap on Sundays. I cannot guarantee a full night's sleep any night of the week, as many of you can relate too, so sleep when you can. The advice you receive as a mother of a newborn is very applicable to a mother of toddlers and teenagers. Sleep is another contributor to hormones issues that effect mood, weight gain/loss, and emotions. So make it a priority. Shut the TV off, stay off the computer late at night, turn off the phone--all things that stimulate endorphins to keep you up. Set a bedtime and stick with it, routine is crucial to good sleep as well. Also consider taking your calcium/magnesium supplements at night, because they help stimulate rest and a slowing down of the body.
6) Don't take on any big projects. Honestly, been there, done that. =STRESS. Mean, grouchy, impatient, momma is what that equates too. Trying to do other things while your kids are at home, needing your attention, getting into things, crying, pooping, breaking things, learning to read, coloring on the walls, hiding your shoes, eating your toothpaste, throwing all the rolls of toilet paper in the toilet, asking you 1000 questions about life...yes, these are the typical happenings that can send a momma over the edge in a millisecond flat. Things that typically, on their own, wouldn't send you through the roof, but when paired with trying to run a business from home, balance a checkbook, answer phone calls or emails, and just being available...can make a woman crazy! And when that happens, everyone goes crazy!
7) Pray. Pray like you have never prayed before. Unceasing prayers throughout the day. Pray for your kids to eat their breakfast. Pray for your child not to miss the bus. Pray for your husband to avoid that lustful temptation. Pray for your kids to nap. Pray for favor at the grocery store. Pray for an ailing friend. Rejoice with a healed friend. Pray for your child's future. Pray for his/her friends. Pray for his/her teacher, principal, custodians, etc. There's something about being in constant conversation with God, about maintaining His constant presence in your every action, breath, and word, that is calming. A reminder that He is near. He is listening. You are not alone.
8) Take your multivitamins. Take your vitamin C. Adrenal fatigue is the number one problem that leads to illness for most stressed-out mommas and Vitamin C is crucial for recovery and protection. Take some fish oil. Protect the heart. Joints.
9) Don't just make your kids eat their veggies. Load up on them too. They help return the body to an alkaline state and therefore combat all the acidosis issues I posted above. They are full of nutrients that protect brain health, vision, and overall wellness.
10) Put your spouse before your kids. Pay attention to his mood. His actions. His needs. He, afterall, is going through the same things you are, he just may compartmentalize them better. Communicate. Get out alone. Respect him at all costs, especially in public or on FB. Encourage him. Never let your kids come between you.
So there you have it. Things I'm working on. Have realized are crucial to my health and hope you will learn from too.
Such wise suggestions for moms. The exercise is the hardest ne for people to believe becasue we have heard for so long that more is better. We follow the primal lifestyle at our house which recommends only 20 minute workouts 3 times a week with short sprint bursts. It also believes in healing from the inside out. My husband was having major stomach and gut issues and it all turned out to be a sever allergy to lectin found in all beans and many grains. Once we cut out all the white foods from our diet ALL his issues disappeared. Food items he used to be allergic to were no longer an issue. WE just need to remember to get back to running our bodies on what God intended them to run. Thank you for sharing and encouraging others!
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