Revamp Your Health Routine: 7 Proven Ways to Make Time for Your Health in 2024.
Discover our 7 practical strategies for making time for your health this year, and start your journey towards a healthier you."
The whirlwind of our busy lives, especially as our kids get older and as unreal as it seems, demands more time and energy from us. It's time to deal with the overwhelm. Balancing self-care and motherhood usually goes through the cracks. Winter is when we need it the most, but it can be the most challenging. Anytime is a good time, though, to start some new habits. Everyone loves a fresh start, so now is the time!
Here are seven ways or tips to help you take the time and prioritize your health this year, not just your physical health but also your mental health.
Assess Your Priorities
Yep, ask yourself what is important to you. Is it healthy living for busy moms, making time for hobbies, mental health recovery, time management for health, prioritizing health in midlife, balancing motherhood and self-care, health routines for busy moms, or overcoming depression?
When you look at your life, what is in the way? What is something you don't want to do anymore? What can you shed from your busy life as a mom to give you more time?
Trying to do everything is tempting, but, friend, it is physically impossible. Burnout is real, so be brutal so just x out those items. You can do it. I'm cheering you on.
2. Time Blocking
I'll be the first to say that I never thought this was a good idea or would work for me. Do you want to know what my fatal mistake was? I was unrealistic. I crammed my schedule with all these things. I felt so motivated, but the day would come, and it would all fall apart.
Scheduling your time as a busy mom is hard and takes discipline; it also teaches you what your priority is. Remember, right above this, we picked our priorities. Time blocking and doing it realistically will help you hone that list even more.
Once you plan your activities, you have to do them. Yep, I don't care what your brain tells you or what else you HAVE to do. Drop it, take the time you scheduled for your health, and do the thing.
3. Start Small
Want to know the number one way to fail, deciding you will do all the things at once?
I talked about this a little bit above, but deciding you are going to focus on your mental health, feelings of being overwhelmed, self-care, creating healthy routines, drinking a gallon of water, fixing your budget, cleaning your house, starting a hobby, be a better mom, and on and on all at once has failure written all over it.
Pick one - work on it, focus on it, conquer it, and then you can move on to the next items on your list.
4. Utilize technology
I have a love-hate relationship with technology. I want to get away from it, but I also realize how much help and convenience it has.
Calendars, to-do lists, and project management tools are all great ways to utilize technology to help you reach that health goal this year.
Whatever you decide to focus on, I can almost guarantee there is an app to help you track your progress. So, if that's your thing, do it.
5. Create a Support System
Tell someone you trust and who will support you with your goals. Accountability comes through telling people your goals. It can be so hard to stay on track, and having someone cheering you on is a huge benefit. Studies show that verbalizing your goal to someone helps you stay on track.
6. Plan outdoor activities
There is no replacement for going outside.
There is no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothes. OK, that might not be completely true. There is a lot to it.
This tip goes back to your time blocking: get outside. What do you love to do, or what do you want to learn to do?
My go-to in the summer is my garden. I love the feeling of the sun, dirt under my fingers, and the reward of my flowers. Gardening has so many benefits. Gardening can help relieve the overwhelm and makes gardening a great hobby.
Maybe you like to smell the forest and the woods?
Or walk in your neighborhood every night and greet your neighbors.
Find what motivates you to get outside and plan it in your calendar.
7. Learn the Power of the word NO.
I'm going to get real and maybe step on your toes a little. First, this is something I am still learning. I want to do all the things!! After learning time management, I realized I was trying to pour 10 gallons of milk into a 1-gallon container. Friend, that doesn't work!
So the next time you see the announcement, we need you; you can do it all; we do! Remember to honestly evaluate whether you can because, for every yes, something else gets dropped. Only you can decide what you want and need to do and learn to say no. It's not your job to please all the people and committees asking for help. No guilt, just a simple no, no explanation needed, and then have your own back. OK! Repeat after me, Time management for health, you can say no.
This post is your starting point for inspiration. Only you can truly decide what you want to do and what you want to work on.
We make time for what we love and want to do. I found gardening had an amazing benefit on not only my mental health but also my physical health. I didn’t realize this at first. It was my husband who suggested I start seeds, that the dirt the lights and the caring for small plants would help me get through winter. He was so right and now I am an advocate for that for others too.
That’s why I created my ebook/guide, “Grow your own cut Flower Garden: 12 Easy Steps to Success.”
If you are ready for a hobby that helps with feelings of being overwhelmed and depressed, I suggest you give a cut flower garden a try. Sign up for your copy below.