3 Ways to simplify health for busy moms

The concept of getting healthy postpartum can be one of the most stressful things a new mother can undertake.

Not only are we sleep deprived and taking care of a tiny human life for the first time, but when we look in the mirror, we hardly recognize the person we once were. Even though we know our body built this human and understand from an intellectual standpoint that getting our shape back takes time, we tend to be really hard on ourselves.

We have a makeup station mirror in our bathroom, sort of like a build in vanity. The mirror opens literally at countertop height. I remember getting out of the shower about 3 weeks postpartum and staring in horror into that mirror. All I saw was an horredous looking c-section scar and a body I barely recognized. My hormones were raging and I was more tired than I had been in my entire life. As I started into the mirror I had two choices:

To wallow and weep and mourn the loss of my "pre baby body."

To appreciate it. Scars, stretch marks, lose skin, all the mess. Like- not just pretend I loved it, but fall deeply, head over heels in love with myself.

It wasn't easy and it continues to be a daily choice, but I chose the latter.

I decided that I would stop the self loathing because not only was it a waste of time, but it wasn't good for my family.

✨I knew in any circumstance, I would give my daughter grace, love tenderness and compassion, so I would also choose to do the same for myself. ✨

It IS a choice. You can choose to love yourself.

day by day, bit by bit.

So then, I'm left with the HOW. How do I make simple progress to love myself AND be the most healthy and vibrant version of myself?

I realized that slow progress does add up. Here are the tiny little tweaks I started working on that led to a major shift in my body and helped me embrace my beautiful #MOMBOD.

1. Stop meal prepping

Instead, focus on what I like to call "FOOD PREP"

I used to spend an hour at least a week meal planning. It always stressed me out and I overbought on groceries trying to make healthy and fancy meals. In this crazy busy season we are in, I started just food prepping instead of full on meal planning.

This simple practice means gathering a basic list of items and prepping the individual foods on their own to you can mix and match them for meals.

Dinners seem to be the hardest meal to get on the table so here are some dinner ideas:

I usually get 4-5 meats and pre cook them either in advance or the morning of.
I also pick about 5-6 veggies to have on hand. I chop them and place them all in glass containers in the fridge for easy snacks, stir frys and last mintue meals
I get a few fun sauces like curry, spaghetti sauce and taco seasoning

Then the morning of I will just pull out a combination of a veggie, meat and topping to throw together. It could be meatballs with zoodles, (zucchini noodles-try this recipe) tacos, or just a simple combination of a protein and a veggie.

✨Bonus tip: Without setting up a bunch of "rules" for yourself, if you skip carbs at dinner and try not to eat anything after dinner time (ie late night popcorn or chocolate) you most likely will lose a few pounds!

2. It's never to early to start dinner!

Omg this concept has saved my life in the last few months.🎉

Normally I wait until 5:30 when we are already hungry to throw dinner together. The baby is hungry, I'm cranky and usually I have no plan. Its #notgood

So around lunch time I started thinking through what we would have that night and cooking it. That way its done and out of the way for dinner time!

Whether that means getting something in a crockpot or literally cooking it all so you can re heat it, starting early saves so much time and stress! You won't ever be sorry for having dinner ready when you are hungry.

3. Plate it

Without setting up any strict rules for yourself, use this simple "plate it" method to help you simplify a well balanced day of eating.

Breakfast-- Should be half protein, half high fiber carbs. Something like 2 eggs with wheat toast or a cup of greek yogurt with berries.
Lunch--Should be half veggies 25% high fiber carbs and 25% protein. Something like a half wrap with lunch meat and a big salad, or sautéed peppers with chicken in two corn tortillas.
Dinner--Should be 75% veggies and 25% protein, Something like cauliflower rice with chicken, or zoodles with meatballs.
✨You can also add some fun items like dressings, sprinkles of cheese or special sauces in moderation to make your food fun!

I hope you find joy and simplicity in these tips and feel empowered to make simple but meaningful progress towards your health goals!!

Any "aha!" moments or anything you would like to add? Comment below! I would love to hear from you :)

The #MOMBOD Revolution is a membership program where I give you the tools, inspiration, support, and community you need to be the kind of mother and human you are meant to be! You’ll learn ways you can achieve harmony in your home, health, relationships and money and you will be supported every step of your journey. The #MOMBOD Revolution will help you wake up excited for your life

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