“I’m too busy.” “I don’t have time to cook dinner.” “I work full-time.”My kids have so many practices and I’m always in the car.” “We spend the whole weekend at games, so we have to eat out.” “I want to eat healthy, but I don’t even know where to start.”

Which of these excuses have you used before? I know I’ve used all of them at one point or another! Mama, I get it, you’re busy. You’re trying to have it all, a career, happy kids, a strong marriage or relationship. But when it comes to your health you’re just too busy to get it together.

Mama, your health can’t take a back seat anymore! You can’t use these excuses to put off building healthy habits! If you want to help your kids achieve their dreams, then you have to start by focusing on your health. Because being healthy is the secret to having it all.

Stop using your kids’ dreams as an excuse

I have three kids who all play competitive sports. Between the three of them, we have nine practices during the week and 6-12 games on the weekends. I get that you’re busy supporting your kids and helping them chase their dreams. I am too.

But, your kid’s dreams shouldn’t outshine you. If you grew up like me, you saw your mom sacrifice so much for you and your dreams. She probably worked her butt off to make sure you were happy. And we love and appreciate everything our moms did for us. But as adults we start to ask, what did she do for herself? Was she happy? Do I want to follow in her footsteps?

It’s not wrong to want to help our kids pursue their dreams. It’s not wrong to make sacrifices for them - that comes with the mom territory. But we need to draw the line somewhere and I believe that line is my health and happiness.

You were not meant to give up your life, your happiness or your health for other people. You were meant to be happy and healthy and to spread that to other people!

Using your kids as an excuse to not live a healthy life will come back to bite you. You may start to resent the people around you, your spouse, or your kids, for not sacrificing for you the way you do for them. I see this in mamas all the time. They give, and give, and give until they are running on empty. Then they get mad at the most important people in their life for allowing them to get this way.

You also might be passing down the same lessons your mother, grandmother or great-grandmother started: that a mother’s happiness comes secondary to everyone else’s happiness.

I have two daughters and I would never want them to believe that their happiness isn’t as important as their husband’s happiness or their kids’ goals. And, I would never want my son to think his happiness is more important than his wife’s!

Families sacrifice for each other. You sacrifice so much for your family. It’s ok to ask your family to sacrifice for you. It teaches your kids about love, respect and balance, all of which are lessons that will help them grow into loving, caring adults.

Lead your kids by example

Kids rarely listen to what we say, but they’re always watching what we do, which is why we need to lead our kids by example. Mama, if you want to raise healthy kids, then you need to show them what healthy looks like.

I hear mamas say that they can’t afford to work on their health because they need to pay for their kids’ activities, new, cool sneakers or a family vacation.

Can I be blunt with you, mama? Your kids don’t need new Nikes. They don’t need another trip to Disney. They need YOU.

They need you to be there for them for as long as humanly possible.

They need a mama who loves herself so much that they see their own worth.

They need you to be healthy.

Instead of using your family as an excuse not to get healthy, use them as the motivator to get healthy and stay healthy!

When your kids see you choosing healthy foods, moving your body and working on your mindset they’ll learn what it looks like to live a healthy life.

3 healthy habits you can implement today to lead your family

Now that you’re ditching your excuses and choosing to lead your family in health I want to give you three easy things you can do that will create a healthier life for you and your kids!

Always have a meal plan

I cannot stand the “What’s for dinner?” question. I hate constantly thinking about what will I eat next? It took me a while to realize living meal to meal was not serving me! Now, I meal plan so that I don’t have to be constantly thinking about food!

I have a Backward Meal Planning Strategy that I share for free inside of my Busy Mom Simple Nutrition Facebook group. This strategy saves me so much time!

I’m able to plan all of the meals for the week and get my grocery list together all at once. Then I can order groceries online (another huge time saver) and all the hard work is done in an hour.

You can get access to my Backward Meal Planning Strategy by joining my free Facebook group!

Pack food when you’re on the go

I am a pro at packing snacks and meals for on-the-go days because I got so tired of eating out when we had crazy weeks or tournament weekends! If you have busy evenings or weekends, then this is a skill you need to learn too!

When I'm planning our meals for the week, I always check out our game schedules and make sure that I include lunch, snacks and hydration in the plan. Sitting on the sidelines always makes me munchy, so I pack protein snacks so I don't overeat or get tempted to hit the concession stands.

One of the things I’ve loved about packing food is that I can make sure my kids are getting food that will help fuel them to keep playing at their peak during long games. Growing up as an athlete, I did not have the kind of food knowledge that I have now and I ate like crap. I would grab fast food and justify it because I was going to play hard. But my food didn’t make me feel good while I was playing and it interfered with my performance.

Packing snacks and a substantial lunch for my kids is just as important as packing one for myself!

Get a full picture of your nutrition

I have tried so many diets and fad weightloss solutions, but none of them stuck because they didn’t look at my nutrition overall. What did stick was macro tracking because it gave me the whole picture when it came to my nutrition.

Calorie counting can be helpful if you’re losing weight, but what’s more important is having the correct balance of macronutrients (protein, fat and carbs) so that you can lose weight without feeling sluggish or hungry all the time!

Each macronutrient has a purpose and when you know how food plays into keeping up with your busy life, you’ll be able to find a lifestyle that allows you to have it all!

You can be healthy and still go out for ice cream after a soccer game. You can be healthy and not spend three hours at the gym every day! You can be healthy and eat out for date night!

Macro tracking was the best thing I did for my health and my family’s health!

Start leading your family by investing in your health. Don’t use the “I don’t know where to start” excuse again. Get started by scheduling a free discovery call with me. I’ll teach you everything you need to know to prioritize your health and lead the happy, healthy life you’ve always dreamed of.

Busy mamas can have it all: How to pursue your goals and help your kids chase their dreams at the same time