10 Healthy Habits for Moms

Simple healthy habits every mom can implement

Healthy habits promote happy moms.

Are you tired of being a tired and grumpy mom? Are you snapping at your kids or your husband and you just want to stop? Do you miss the way you felt when you weren't stressed? Do you want to soak in motherhood more and enjoy these fleeting years instead of just surviving?

I believe if you implement these healthy tips, you will be a happier mom who can manage her stress and enjoy her life. These tips will help you thrive in motherhood, and not just survive. In order to enjoy these fleeting years of motherhood, it's essential that you take care of yourself. They say "you can't pour from an empty cup", and as cliche as that sounds- it's true!

Below are my top 10 healthy habits that make me a happier and healthier mom. Because you, and your kids, deserve it 🙂

1. Going on Walks

Every single mom can implement this simple habit into her day. There's something about leaving your house for a walk that instantly relieves stress. Whether you bring your kids with you as they scooter or bike or sit in a stroller, or you go alone, a walk is just good for the soul.

Some of my favorite things to do while I'm walking is listen to a podcast or pray. Walking slows down the mind and takes away the stress that can be triggered by being inside or noticing all the tasks you need to complete in your home. Plus, walking is SO healthy for you! According to a study from Harvard Health, walking has 5 surprising health benefits you can read about here. Harvard Health has found that walking counteracts weight gain, helps tame a sweet tooth, reduces the risks of developing breast cancer, eases joint pain, and boosts immune function.

There are so many more benefits to your body that walking promotes, but those 5 are so amazing. Any mom can take a daily walk! It's so simple, and so effective for your health.

2. Eating Whole Foods

I often hear people trying new diets that are super complicated, or trying to eat less. In our American culture, we have completely over-complicated the simplicity of healthy eating. Instead of focusing on what we can't eat, I believe we should focus on what we CAN. Eating whole foods from God's amazing creation is so much more simple than people realize- and, tastes amazing. The more we switch processed foods out for unprocessed foods, the better we will feel mentally and physically.

There is so much research out there on the effects food has on our bodies. I think one of the biggest things we think about as Americans when it comes to food is weight gain. However, there's so much more to healthy eating than the way it makes us look. The outside of the body, or symptoms our bodies might have, is only indicating what is going on internally.

When we eat for internal health, the external will naturally follow. And it's so much better to focus on the internal than the external. When we are eating for internal health, we are always thinking of what to ADD to our diet instead of just what to take away. I love doing quick google searches on "what are the health benefits of sweet potatoes?" for example. Learning about how what you are eating is benefiting your body is so motivating. The more you eat nutrient dense, delicious meals that benefit your body instead of destroy it, the better you will feel in motherhood. Your energy levels are dependent upon how you fuel your body!

3. Getting Proper Sleep

Sleep is one of the best things we can do for optimal healing inside our bodies. When you sleep, so much is happening to every system inside you. An article on healthline about why we sleep says "Many biological processes happen during sleep: The brain stores new information and gets rid of toxic waste. Nerve cells communicate and reorganize, which supports healthy brain function. The body repairs cells, restores energy, and releases molecules like hormones and proteins" (Kirsten Nunez, Karen Lamoreux).

It's no question that not getting enough sleep is horrible for your body. I know in the early years of motherhood, this is inevitable. However, that should be even more motivating for moms to make sure to go to bed at a decent time when they are waking up in the night. Going to bed earlier means winding down earlier, which also means getting off screens earlier. Having a good night time routine will tell your body it's time to bed and get you ready for optimal sleep. If you are having trouble sleeping through the night or getting quality sleep, make sure to talk to your doctor and see if there are any supplements your body might need. I personally like to take magnesium at night which promotes great sleep and digestion.

4. Getting in the Sun

I am OBSESSED with the sun. I swear sometimes I might be part-lizard. I feel completely different in sunny seasons than dark and cold seasons. Even just seeing the sun peek through my window in the morning energizes me. I used to think I was crazy for how much the sun effects me, but then I learned all about our circadian rhythms and how light and dark affect our energy levels. Things like screens actually disrupt our circadian rhythms, whereas natural sunlight on our skin and in our eyes benefits our circadian rhythms.

Your circadian rhythm is your internal clock which tells your body when to be energized and when to produce melatonin and wind down. It effects your entire body and especially your hormones. Moms need to especially be taking care of their hormones since hormones effect immunity, emotional health, mental health, and physical health to name a few.

Getting outside in the morning sun is a great healthy habit to start with. Make sure to get the morning sunlight in your eyes and not screens to start your day. The morning sun in your eyes and on your skin regulates your hormones and will set you up for an energized and happy day. Whenever you're feeling stressed in your house, get yourself and your kids outside for a walk or a drive or just hangout in your backyard and enjoy the beauty and brightness of the sun that will reset your entire day.

5. Exercising

Exercising as a mom is one of the best things you can do for yourself. Exercise not only strengthens your body and immune system, balances your hormones and increases your metabolism, but the stress release you can get from exercise is so beneficial in motherhood. Exercise might look different for different people, so don't worry if you aren't a "workout type of person". Starting with a daily walk and a few days a week doing home workouts is a simple start any level can implement. You can look up home exercises on YouTube, Pinterest, and Google! If you are a beginner, type in "beginner home exercises". Don't let the gym and not knowing what you are doing stop you from getting the beautiful benefits your body needs from exercise!

Going to a workout class is also an amazing option for moms. There are all kinds of classes you can take, and it's fun to find what your "thing" might be. A class I feel all levels can benefit from is a Barre class. You can research ones in your area and ask if you can try a class for free! Most studios give one free trial class. Some workout gyms or studios also give a discount on a month's trial of classes which would be a great option as well.

Benefits of exercise are so simple: get fitter and stronger, balance hormones, and get that beautiful dopamine release. Whether that's starting by just walking or whether that's going to Pilates 5 days a week, do whatever pushes your body to a healthy limit for where you are at physically in this season! I personally use an app called "Movement with Julie" that is an at home dumbbell program with 5 workouts a week. I absolutely love it! You can find Julie's website here.

6. Only Letting in the Good Stuff

In the age of knowledge and constantly being able to consume through media, a healthy habit is to only let in the good stuff.

"Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable- if anything is excellent or praiseworthy- think about such things.Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me- put into practice. And the peace of God will be with you" Philippians 4:8-9.

Filling our minds with goodness and truth verses garbage is going to make or break who we are as moms. I saw a meme one time where a person was asking "why do I feel like crap?". And there was a tv in front of them, a phone in their hands, headphones in their ears- and all of those things were labeled "crap".

What you put into your mind matters a LOT. What you put in front of your eyes matters a LOT. I don't find it healthy for us as humans to watch things and look at things that make us feel fearful or anxious or jealous or envious or bitter or angry. I think we were made for much simpler lives- only really knowing what's going on in our own village. I got off social media for good about 4 months ago and I can't tell you enough how much more at peace, happy, motivated and creative I've felt since then. I'll have to write a post on that sometime- so stay tuned!

7. Being With Your People

Relationships are a key point of mental, emotional and physical health. There have been studies on places in the world where the most centurions live- they call them "Blue Zones". One of the major parts of their lifestyle that attributes to their health is the relationships they have around them. These people are not isolated at ALL. They spend time with their loved ones daily and do life closely alongside others.

In our culture, health and wellness is so much more attributed to what you put inside your body and how much you exercise. All that is true, but if we have all those things and yet don't have healthy relationships in our lives, we statistically won't live long and healthy lives. And even if we did, would it be fulfilling?

The point of health should always be to enjoy your life more! Enjoying life wouldn't really happen if we didn't have people to enjoy it alongside. So, friends, make sure you're making special time to be with your people. Not just around them, but with them. Quality time is so key to thriving and lasting relationships. Also, make sure to make time for girlfriends as well in the business of motherhood! Time with friends away from your kids is really important, and really fun 🙂

8. Keeping Your Home Decluttered

A decluttered home makes for a stress-free mom, I'm telling you!

"Clutter can make us feel stressed, anxious and depressed. Research from the United States in 2009, for instance, found the levels of the stress hormone cortisol were higher in mothers whose home environment was cluttered" (Elizabeth Sander). Read this article here.

Decluttering my home personally has led to so much less stress AND so much less time picking things up, looking for things, and cleaning. As a mom, a decluttered home is a game-changer. You honestly won't even know how good you will feel without clutter until you try it! I wrote a post on decluttering tips for moms, and you can find that here. There you will find 5 hacks to decluttering your home, specifically as a mom!

9. Limiting Screens

There's no question we have discovered over this short span of time that the iPhone has been out, just how detrimental screens are for our health. There's the addiction aspect, the physical aspect to our eyes and brains and bodies, and the mental aspect of looking at a phone instead of at our real lives.

I truly believe that limiting screen time is a huge pillar of a healthy life. Limiting screen time is like a domino effect- you will feel more energy which will make you want to move your body more which will make you want to eat healthier which will make you happier etc etc. Once you get passed the barricade that is phone addiction, there is a whole world of health waiting for you on the other side!

There are so many tips and tricks to detoxing from screens and resetting your brain and nervous system so you don't reach for your phone every 5 minutes. I highly recommend doing some research and setting phone goals for yourself so you can live a healthier lifestyle. It's crucial for not only ourselves, but also our children who are watching and learning from us every day.

10. Gratitude

And finally, friends, implementing gratitude into your daily life. The Bible talks so much about praise and thanksgiving and gratefulness, and I see that studies out there are backing up the health benefits of gratitude. Which makes sense! The God who created us tells us to praise Him and give Him thanks daily. He knows what is best for us! It's like hearing how to fix your apple computer by the apple store- of course they know how your computer will work best, they created the technology!

When we fix our eyes on all that we have, instead of all that we do not, we end up noticing more and more just how blessed we truly are. It's no question that stress and anxiety leads to poor health. Gratitude is like a special tool in our belts we can pull out to stop our worry and stop our stress, and choose a different posture in our hearts. The posture of gratitude is like a shield against worry and anxiety and stress. It makes us enjoy every second of our lives instead of thinking about all that could go wrong or is going wrong. When we enjoy life instead of live stressed and anxious, the health benefits are astronomical.

So, mamas, choose gratitude today! Maybe start there, and then implement other habits after that. I believe the most important tip on this list, is this one.

Cheers-ing my matcha to your health!

From my home to yours,

Keri