Being a busy parent is a full-time job, and maintaining a career while caring for your kids can be difficult. Between managing kids, work, and household chores, it’s easy to put off taking care of yourself. But with a lack of sleep, obesity, and the increase in chronic diseases among parents, it has never been more important to find ways to take care of yourself. Here are some great tips for improving your health and wellness as a busy parent.
Baby steps
For many of us, making big changes in our lives means dreaming big but getting nowhere. We know what we want, but often it’s daunting for us to envision how that could ever happen, so we don’t even try. That’s why it’s important to think small when trying to change your life. It can help to set your sights a little lower from the get-go. Starting with low expectations helps you appreciate small successes and gives you a shot at actually reaching your goal. Try tackling one new habit at a time – and when you succeed in establishing that habit, move on to the next goal.
Come up with a schedule
Being a parent, time is a precious commodity. You have so much to do and so little time to do them. When you don’t prioritise healthy habits, it’s easy for them to fall into the back burner. You need to make time for yourself in your schedule. This means eliminating some things, delegating others, or saying “no” more often in order to make it happen. It also helps to have someone like a coach or personal trainer to keep you accountable. Once you’re accountable to someone else besides yourself to make something happen, be it a run, yoga or a personal training session, you are more likely to do it because you know you have to show up.
Keep moving
It’s easy as busy parents to get caught up in daily life, and before we know it, many of us find ourselves sedentary most of the day. While having an efficient exercise plan, especially one specifically designed to your lifestyle needs by a personal trainer, helps, you can still move away from being sedentary by moving around more. The good news is that there are lots of ways to incorporate movement into your day. Incidental exercise is any movement that you add to your day in addition to your main workout. It can be anything from taking an extra lap around the track during practice to walking while on the phone, or even just making sure to stretch every once in a while. Even if it’s just a few minutes of brisk walking around the block, any movement is better than none.
Don’t neglect sleep
To maintain health and wellness while parenting, it is crucial to get enough sleep. If you don’t get enough sleep, your body will not be able to regulate hormones that regulate appetite, metabolism and calorie burning at night while you sleep. Simply put, your body won’t be able to function well without enough sleep. Try to establish a regular sleep pattern by going to bed and waking up at the same time everyday, and get rid of things like caffeine and distractions before bedtime.
Conclusion
Your health is the basis for everything you do. It’s important not to neglect it, especially if you’re a parent – but it can be challenging to find time or energy to work out when you’re busy with your kids or your job. This is where a personal gym trainer or fitness trainer in Singapore can come in helpful. Here at Vigeo, we offer various programmes uniquely tailored to meet each of our clients’ individual needs and lifestyles. No matter what your fitness goals, our certified and caring trainers are committed to your health and wellness. Enquire with us to learn more!
