2 Crucial habits busy mamas need so they can stick to their health and weight loss goals during the busiest of times
“I don’t have time.” How many times have you said that about something you wanted to do but couldn’t? Mamas are BUSY. We spend so much time caring for everyone around us that oftentimes, our needs aren’t taken care of. The problem is that our health won’t wait around until we have time to fix it. It can make itself known in an instant, which is why you need to cultivate these 2 habits and start prioritizing your health or weight loss goals.
These two habits are going to change the whole game for you. But, first I need you to unlearn the lie that you don’t have time. Because you actually create your own time.
If something is a priority, you’ll make time for it. Think about it! You say you don’t have time to workout out, but you manage to watch a show on Netflix every night. Or you say you don’t have time to meal prep, but you have time to run through the drive-thru - which takes at least 20-30 minutes no matter when you go!
Let me ask you a question: how is not prioritizing your health working for you? Do you feel good? Do you feel confident? Or, do you feel sick? Do you feel tired? Do you have the energy you need to keep up with your busy life?
If it’s not working for you, then you need to change it. The stress, frustration, exhaustion you’re feeling is trying to teach you a lesson. It’s your body’s way of begging you to care for it.
These two habits are going to create the change your body is begging you for.
Habit 1: Make time for your mindset
When you’re on a health journey, you might think you need to start by changing your diet or your exercise, but that’s not where you’re going to see immediate change. You’ll see quicker results when you start by prioritizing your mindset!
I know it sounds weird, but the first thing you need to learn is that YOU are worth your time. Pouring into yourself is a hard skill for mamas to learn, but it’s absolutely necessary to see any changes in our lives.
I like to have my Macros Made Easy Mamas start by creating a morning routine. I only have two requirements for a morning routine:
It must happen BEFORE your kids are up.
You need to devote 15-20 minutes to work on your mindset.
The reason I want you to start before your kids are awake is simple: once they’re up they’ll need you! You must have a chance to focus on your needs and your wants before anyone else’s needs/wants/demands push yours out of the way.
Devoting 15-20 minutes to work on your mindset is going to be the ultimate game-changer because most of us let our minds drive us, instead of driving our minds!
Did you know that your brain is constantly looking for physical evidence to back up your thoughts? That means that if you think, “I’ll never lose the baby weight.” Your brain is going to show you any shred of evidence it can to support that thought.
You need to change the thoughts you have so that you can reach your goals. There are a lot of different ways you can begin to change your thoughts, but one of the most effective methods is through affirmations.
By repeating positive affirmations to yourself like, “I have the power to change my circumstances.” or “I am capable and worthy of living a healthy life.” your brain will begin to look for evidence of those things in your life. Over time, you’ll be able to see the truth in those affirmations.
Here are a few other ways you can improve your mindset:
Journaling
Reading personal development books
Practicing gratitude
Studying a devotional
Writing down negative thoughts and replacing them with positive ones.
One last note on a morning routine. In order to get up early and be ready to pour into yourself fully, you need a good night’s rest. Prioritize going to bed on time so that you can get up on time too. There will be nights where it’s not possible to get a full 8-10 hours of sleep - because kids - but I promise if you make it a priority your health, energy and mood will all improve!
Habit 2: Plan your meals ahead of time
The next habit that is going to change your health and save you time is meal planning! I talk to so many women who avoid meal planning because they say it takes too much time, but I like to ask them, “How much time are you spending thinking about your food right now?” Most of them spend hours worrying, fretting and trying to figure out what to make every single day.
Instead of thinking about food 3-5 times a day, what if you just thought about it once a week. My backward meal planning guide will help you streamline your planning process so that you can plan every meal and snack for the entire week at one time.
Pick a protein
One thing that overwhelms mamas when they’re trying to meal plan is the idea that they have to come up with an entire meal at once. Instead of viewing your meals as a main dish and sides, I want you to think of it as a protein + sides.
To simplify it even further, I pick 2-3 proteins to serve throughout the week. For example, I’ll plan to use pork, chicken and turkey pepperoni in one week. Then I’ll make one or two meals out of each protein.
Once you know what protein you want to serve it’s easier to come up with the rest of the meal. Plus, you can bulk cook your proteins so that all you have to do during the week is reheat and possibly add a different seasoning or sauce!
Here’s a quick example of a meal plan based on the proteins we talked about:
Pork:
Shredded pork burrito bowls
Shredded pork BBQ sandwiches
Chicken
Chicken shawarma salad
Chicken shawarma skewers
Turkey pepperoni
Homemade pizza
Pepperoni sandwiches
Know what you need for each meal
Once you know what each meal is going to consist of, you can make a quick list of everything you need for each meal.
Here are the ingredient lists for the pork examples above to give you an idea of what it looks like to list out ingredients.
Shredded pork burrito bowls
Pork roast
Lettuce
Salsa
Cheese
Sour cream
Tomatoes
Cucumbers
Black beans
Shredded pork BBQ sandwiches
Pork roast
Buns (thins)
BBQ sauce
Pepperoncinis
Alexia sweet potato fries
Like I said before, both of these meals call for a pork roast, which I can prepare at one time, then I’ll just split it up so I have the right amount for each meal.
Another happy benefit of meal planning like this is that I can create a grocery list from the ingredients! I simply check to see what items I already have and what I need to pick up from the grocery store.
I love to online grocery shop because I can sit in my kitchen, add the ingredient straight to my cart, check out and then go pick them up when it’s convenient for me! I don’t have to stress about not having what I need when I got to make each meal!
These two habits will absolutely change your health and wellness. If you want to learn more about how to create a healthy meal plan, then let’s chat! Schedule a free discovery call with me to see if the Macros Made Easy program is a good fit for your nutritional needs!
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