Juggling work, children, cooking, housekeeping and life is very time consuming and definitely, not easy. Your health is just as important, so don’t push that aside because of your busy routine.

A healthy routine will not only result in you looking good, it will improve your mental and physical performance in everything.

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Here are three healthy tips that will help you stick to a healthier lifestyle, while juggling your endless tasks.

Healthy Tips for a Healthier Lifestyle

1) Be Prepared & Cook in Advance

Of course, the first tip has to do with healthy eating as this is where most busy mothers struggle. To help cut out unhealthy foods, cook your meals in advance.

Make some time during the weekend to cook for the week and store food in the fridge (or freezer). This will help you stay away from fast and processed foods. It also helps to store food in serving size containers to cut down preparation time.

• Boil, roast or stir fry instead of deep-frying.
• Bulk up meals with vegetables and protein (fish, chicken, etc)
• Eat all three meals, aiming to snack healthily if needed.

Make the time to sit down and enjoy your meals because eating in a rush can lead to over eating, as it takes about 20 minutes for your brain to register that you’re full.

Another trap most mothers fall into is eating children’s leftovers. Of course you shouldn’t waste food but you most likely know your child’s eating habits. So avoid serving too much food. Or you could just put leftovers in the fridge for another time.

2) Exercise

Exercise is important for your health and wellbeing so you must make time for it.  If you can’t assign exclusive time to exercise, be creative:

• take long walks with your children (try out this pedometer app – Accupedo to track distance covered)
• get off the bus/train a few stops early and walk home
• go for swimming lessons with your kids
• be involved in more physical activities with your family

You should still aim for high intensity & strength workouts, take up interval training to halve your workout time.

Buy an exercise DVD ( eg Jillian Michael’s 30 Day Shred and Jillian Michael – The Collection and include your children in your workout. I have fond memories of taking part in ‘Jane Fonda’ workouts with my Mum 🙂

3) Sleep! Your Body Needs To Rest & Recover

No matter how busy you are, you need to make time for sleep to help your mind & body get much needed down time. Not only will sleep help you be more alert, you will also feel better physically and mentally, making you more efficient in your everyday duties. Stress and lack of sleep are not great for your waistline, remember that!

Ideally, you should aim for 7-8 hours of sleep. When this is unachievable, have one or two 30-minute naps during the day.

At night, get your kids to bed early (which is important for them) and give yourself enough time to finish up housework before bedtime.

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Maintaining a healthy lifestyle on a busy schedule requires dedication and good time management. Remember why you’re doing it, for better quality of life all round.

Don’t be afraid to ask for help if you need it. Super mums need help too! If you’re lucky enough to have a family member stay over or babysit, embrace that situation. If you can afford childcare, pay for it! Give yourself time to breathe, it’s very important.

And take a break once in a while, go for a spa day, a weekend away (without the kids) or any way to get some time away from your everyday routine. You’ll come back feeling refreshed and less stressed about everything.

Adura is a Personal Trainer and Blogger who is passionate about promoting a healthy & natural lifestyle inside and out.  She juggles her time between teaching classes, clients, blogging, YouTube and running the ‘Get Trimmer’ Challenge  a 6-week weight loss challenge with weekly plans and resources. 

You can connect with Adura here:

1. Blog: www.adura-o.com
2. Facebook: www.facebook.com/AduraOO
3. Twitter: http://twitter.com/Adura_O
4. Sign up for The Get Trimmer Challenge: http://gettrimmer4.eventbrite.co.uk/