I need advice on my health.
I'm not considered overweight I don't think? I'm 55kg and 157cm tall.
I'm just extremely unhealthy and unfit. I had my babies 19 months ago and haven't been to the gym in over 3 years. (Except once last year ill explain further)
I eat unhealthy all day because I'm always on the go with my kids or have no time to shop, or spend time and money on meals to nourish my body. I've picked up bad habits like drinking cola a lot. I'm feeling quite sorry for myself and my appearance at the moment. I have no energy for my kids and I've been sick for 3 weeks with reoccurring bacterial infection... which is why I'm reaching out for advice. I want to do more for my kids and myself... i have social anxiety so gym is a scary place for me... and I'm also very uncontrollable when it comes to food. I love eating take out or anything unhealthy. I pick at junk food all day. And I'm always stuck on healthy meals!
I feed my kids wide range of food and they never have sugared or processed food.
I work and study part time, and saving for a house with my partner so money is a little tight...
where do I start? What meals can I have and how do I know it's healthy? When and where can I exercise? Do I need supplements? This isn't the first time I've tried to reach out for a better lifestyle, I joined and gym and first pt session set my anxiety off in the crowded gym, and he wasn't flexible with time slots as I'm a busy mum I couldn't just go at 6am in the morning. Who would watch my kids? Everytime I think about it I get mentally exhausted and forget about it.
Busy mum wanting to become healthy
Busy mum wanting to become healthy
Posted in:
Self Care, Health & Wellbeing, FAQ
3 Replies
For me I found that I was a lot more successful at sticking to new habits when I made one change at a time rather than overhauling everything at once. For example; start every day with a healthy breakfast. That's it. Stick with that one thing until it's a habit and then add the next change. Maybe cut out the cola and replace it with water or add going for a walk every day..
For food we don't have junk food in the house. If it's not there you can't eat it. Every morning I make up a lunchbox with healthy snacks for the day (carrot and celery sticks, handful of nuts, cherry tomatoes, apple slices, some cheese, a couple rice cakes etc) that way it's all ready there for me to pick at when I'm busy with the kids. Our night meal I cook from scratch and we all eat the same thing. I found my problem was portion sizes rather than our meals being too unhealthy.
If you don't feel comfortable at the gym then find other forms of exercise you enjoy. Go for a run, join a sports team, set up a circuit in your backyard.. we live rurally so no access to a gym. So every night my husband has the kids and I take half an hour to myself and alternate between going for a run and just walking the dogs. In the mornings I go for a walk with the kids and dogs and then do a circuit of burpees, push-ups, squats, sit-ups, plank and star jumps. All up it takes maybe an hour out of my morning.
All of these things though I built up to - one change at a time. Sometimes it took a week for it to become habit, others took longer. Just keep at it x
I'm in the same boat. I work part time and study, have two kids and find it hard to exercise and addicted to sugar.
I agree that the key is to make small changes but you also have to do what works for you. For me I've quit coke, and have water with lemon or a small amount of cordial, that seems to have worked pretty well for me. I have cut down on ice cream and limit other sugary treats. Basically just don't have that junk in the house! For me, if it's there I'll eat it so we just don't have that stuff and I found myself being a bit of a hypocrite if I ensure my kids ate healthy with the occasional treat yet I'm doing the opposite!
As for exercise, I don't have time to go to the gym and I find them a waste of time for me personally. So I have enlisted a PT I see once a week, she gives me ideas on things I can do at home so now instead of getting up at 7am, I get up at 6am, go for a walk up and down my street which has a hill so I can still hear the kids and then I go inside to the lounge, so some squats, lunges, planks etc using the furniture! It's brilliant and it's worked for me! So I suggest seeing a PT or looking online as to what exercises you can do that is considered resistance training. Even if you get up and go to the lounge and start doing some squats etc, I know it's hard to do but that's the hardest part, is getting up and doing it! It's only 20 minutes out of your day or even start with 15 mins 3 times a week and build on it. At the end of the day I find myself accountable for my actions and nobody is going to take my weight or health into their hands, only me. Same goes for you :)
As for healthy meals, depends if you eat meat or not. I don't so my meals are loaded with veggies so like last night I made donna hay pumpkin soup, so easy. You just throw butternut pumpkin in the oven for an hour, then whizz it with a stick blender and add veggie stock, some cream (or coconut cream). We also make lasagne with lots of finely chopped u veggies (carrots, all 3 coloured caps, mushrooms, eggplant etc). If you do eat meat, then it's easy to cook a roast chicken, lots of slow cooker meals can be great, all this does require a little effort but it's something you need to plan on the weekends. We plan our meals for the week on a Sunday morning. Sticking to a budget means planning and making more home cooked meals.
55 kilos and 157cm.. your definitely not over weight.. I weigh the exact same and I'm the same height.. I have a little tummy due to having a baby 2 yes ago and I still haven't lost my belly but I'm not overweight ..just try and eat healthy when you can and carry some fruit around with you in the car.. swap cola for water