My Baby Steps towards a Healthy Lifestyle

Im in my thirties and not in the best shape at the moment. I get tired easily and I do not make the most out of my days and nights. I realised that I have been taking everything too lightly and have been only focusing on my role as a mother. I have forgotten to take care of myself. My health is suffering and so is my mind. So I decided to make small changes in my routine or a healthy lifestyle. These may be too simple for some of you, but these are huge for me. I will come back and review these changes here on my blog after a month and hopefully most of these points would have become a part of my daily routine by then. Wish me luck 🙂

1) Wake up early

My sleep habits have been bad even before I had my son. They became worse towards the final months into my pregnancy because of the kicking drama he threw every night. After having him, sleeping well became a luxury for me. Till 2 years of age, he woke up several times to feed, there were nights when he woke up every 30-45 minutes. Thankfully, night weaning has become a saviour for me. Its been two weeks and I feel that I am getting life back into my body. I still need to make a good routine for both of us so that we can sleep early and wake up early.

2) Sleep without the phone

I keep browsing social media applications after he sleeps and then get caught up reading something. And thats the end of my effort to sleep early. I love playing candy crush 😛 And sometimes I get into the groove because I keep clearing the levels one after the another. And there goes alway my sleep. I recently started keeping my phone away while putting my son to sleep. I turn it to airplane mode around 11ish and then bring the phone back to the bed after he sleeps. Only because I need the alarm for the next morning.

3) Exercise/ Be in fresh air for at least 30-40 minutes in the morning

I started walking/jogging two weeks ago. The whole week, I felt like my body was happy, light and energetic. Due to unavoidable circumstances, my routine broke. I realised the best time for me to step out of the house and workout is early morning. And if I make a habit of waking up early, I can squeeze in a quick run outside to burn some calories.

4) 10000 steps or more each day for a healthy lifestyle

Another target to stay fit. And it is a must if you are aiming at losing some weight.

5) Spend at least 15-20 minutes alone

This is a luxury for us moms who stay at home. This may sound selfish but it is really very important for the mind and body.

6) Start reading

Ohh I miss reading some good books. I am still old school that way and I prefer books over Kindle. 

7) Reduce sugar intake/improve diet

I need to give up tea for sure. That one spoon sugar in the diet makes me feel guilty. Along with that I need to avoid all the unhealthy food and plan to add healthy stuff like oats, green tea, nuts and sprouts to my everyday diet.

8) Take iron and calcium regularly

I know that a breastfeeding mother needs to take calcium supplements but, I am lazy. And inspite of having the tablets, I don’t take them. My iron has also been low, so, this needs to be prioritised and I must take iron and calcium supplements daily.

9) Take care of myself

I realised this lately, I am getting older each day. And by not taking care of myself, I am ageing faster I can see these huge dark circles on my face and losing my hair. Taking care of the kid exhausts me so much that I am not able to do anything for myself. So I made up my mind to follow a good sleep routine by washing my face before I sleep and apply a good night cream. I used one irregularly but I did feel the difference in my skin. And not to forget, I need to oil my hair regularly. Nothing can beat the smooth and silky hair after using a hair oil.

10) Stay Positive

Just the thought about something positive makes everything look wonderful. I am looking at a lot of changes in my life in the coming weeks and it does make me nervous. But, every time my hart starts beating faster, I tell myself that everything will be alright. Just stay in the moment and live it. Future will be beautiful 🙂

What are the changes you made recently for a healthier lifestyle? or what changes you wish you could make but are not able to?