Looking for some quick and healthy life hacks to incorporate into your day when you're a mum?
This week we're still reeling from the news that we've been using Oxo cubes wrong all this time (who knew?). But what about other hacks for everyday life, ones that help you focus on yourself and your health?
This month we're talking all about motherhood. So here's five quick health tips to incorporate into your day when you have small children and find yourself way down on the list of priorities:
Make The Most Of Nap Time
A napping child is often the signal for you to run around frantically doing all the things you can't do when they're awake, like tidy up, put the washing machine on and unload the dishwasher. But don't - use the time to do nothing at all. Sit down, read a book, catch-up on our Night Feed Nine, unwind, drink a hot drink. Recharge your batteries instead.
Don't Forget To Feed Yourself
It's easy to get so caught up in feeding your children healthy meals that you can forget yourself and wind up starving with no energy (especially important if you're breastfeeding!) There's more to life than toast - take inspiration from this list of 50 healthy meals you can make in 20 minutes or less.
Take Time To Breathe Properly
We're not talking about full on meditation sessions here, but if you can, take a few minutes to really focus on your breathing. It will calm you down, especially during tense stand-offs with your toddler. Visualise this animation as you're breathing.
Make Sure You Drink Plenty Of Water
Carry a water bottle with you (we like the idea of these fruit infusion bottles to make it extra-tasty). And swap at least one of your morning cups of tea or coffee for something caffeine free, or drink a cup of hot water, lemon and ginger to cleanse your system and really get your metabolism going.
Go To Bed Early, At The Same Time As Your Children, At Least Once A Week
Everything else can wait. And don't take your phone to bed, it's officially bad for you. Staring at your phone or tablet screen at bedtime causes you to take longer to reach the deeper stages of sleep and to spend less time in them. Leave the phone in another room, to stop the temptation to browse your Facebook news feed. We mean it!
[This element could be added only to article page]