I love sharing with you. I want you to know this page may have affiliate links, this means I may get a small commission when you purchase through the link. You can read the full disclosure here.
Feeling more tired than usual? Is everything and effort? Then this blog is for you!
Do you constantly feel like you just don’t have enough time, you can barely go to the toilet by yourself, let alone read a book!
Keep reading to find 4 ways Mamas can create more time in their day to do the things they love, with the people they love.
I know that this sounds like the obvious, but trust me… it’s a good place to start.
Believe it or now, when I am working with Mamas who are exhausted, fed up, and overwhelmed, the first thing I suggest is an earlier bedtime.
I guarantee you, if you go to bed at 9.30 for a minimum of a week, every day, you will begin to feel more energised in yourself, without doing any of the other tips.
Our body needs the rest so that it can
- Repair and
- Recharge
If you want to be more productive and in a better mood with a burst of energy, make an early bedtime a necessity.
Top Tip: Let everyone know what your new bedtime is, especially those who you speak to a lot as they will be able to keep you accountable, and if they see you messaging at 10 pm, they can ask you “why are you still up!”
2. Invest in good energy boosting vitamins
I don’t believe in replacing a healthy diet with vitamins, instead, it is better to use vitamins to support and boost your nutrition. I am not a doctor, so do always check with your doctor before taking new vitamins.
I have found a huge boost in my energy levels when I take good vitamins. It is almost like once my body receives what it needs it can work at its optimum speed, which means increased energy for me. The ones I take are ???
Top Tips: Ask friends or family for recommendations. You can use this article to help you evaluate whether the vitamins you have are good or not.
3. Rest so you can get more energy
Resting is different from sleeping. You know when your body is screaming at you “I can’t go on anymore, please stop!”.
Usually, by this point you feel like you are about to pass out, your whole body is aching, you can feel a headache coming on and your throat is beginning to tickle whilst your eyes are no blood shot and stinging from the lack of sleep?
Yup, I have been there I know. I have learnt the hard way, that when my body is speaking to me like that, I need to learn to stop!
Resting can take place in a different way
- Instead of standing over a stove cooking for half an hour, get a takeaway or put in oven food and sit on the sofa whilst you wait for it to arrive/ cook
- Laying down on the sofa whilst the children are playing and focusing on your breathing
- Going to lay in bed and having your children either playing nicely in another room (depending on their age) or sitting on your bed doing a quiet time activity
TOP TIP: Learn to listen to your body and be in tune with your body. Instead of trying to rest for 60 minutes, when you feel your body getting tired, take 10 minutes, close your eyes, deep breathe and let your body relax. You will be surprised how those 10 minutes can make a huge difference and give you a new burst of energy.
4. Exercise to help boost your energy
Don’t skip this one! I used to dislike waking up in the morning to exercise. Studies have shown that those who complained of fatigue increased energy levels by 20% simply by exercising regularly. How is this possible?
- The more energy you have is the more mitochondria you have – want more energy, increase the mitochondria in your body
- Exercise increases your endorphins which are your happy hormones, which can improve your chance of feeling like you can do more, so you do more#
TOP TIP: Find the best time to exercise. If you have to exercise with your children, get them involved. If you really don’t have time, play a game of tag or football with your children to get some exercise in during the day. Try my routine course to help you schedule in more time for exercising.
5. Eat foods that will boost your energy
“Let thy food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food” Hippocrates
This famous saying says it all. By eating the correct foods we can feed our body to be able to function at 100%. See the thing with food is, they can do one of two things. They can either fuel your body, giving it more energy or they can zap the energy from you, leaving you feeling more lethargic than when you woke up in the morning.
Energy zapping foods include:
- White carbs (pasta, bread, rice)
- Foods high in sugars (desserts, chocolate, yoghurts) Though you get an initial burst of energy from the increased blood sugars, it also drops as drastically as it rose, leaving you even more tired and with less energy
- Alcohol
- Energy drinks
- Fried foods
Energy-boosting foods include:
- Fruits
- Nuts and seeds
- Vegetables
- Smoothies
Top Tip: To prevent yourself from snacking and eating poorly, make a meal plan so that you know exactly what you will eat for the day and only buy those foods. Don’t be tempted to buy snacks or unhealthy foods. If they are in the house, you will eat them. You are less likely to drive to the shop to get them.
6. Fight mummy brain with DHA
DHA is an omega-3 essential acid that is essential for cells and helps with brain development, skin and eyes, but we are just going to stick with the brain today. When mums are pregnant, the baby will take the DHA it needs in order to develop its brain, nervous system and eyes.
Because the baby always gets first dibs, it is very easy for mums to be depleted in DHA. When this happens, things such as “baby brain” or “brain fog” can occur, when we keep forgetting everything and feeling like our memory and brain isn’t working properly.
For many we go through pregnancy with “baby brain” and don’t realise the connection and so we don’t replenish our DHA leaving us with “brain fog”.
Vegan Mums Can get their DHA either in supplements or foods such as
- Algae
Non-vegan Mums can get DHA from foods such as
- Salmon
- Sardines
- Mackrel
Top Tip: If like me you don’t like nuts, think of how you can incorporate them into something else. E.g I make peanut stew (but the peanut butter has to be 100% peanuts). I take away the taste of the peanut butter with the tomato paste and seasoning.
7. Drink lots of water
Drinking water is so under-rated. We don’t realise how dehydration can have such a negative impact on our health, the ability to think clearly, and energy levels. Our brain is made up of approximately 80% water. So when we don’t drink enough water we will start to have headaches, brain fog, and struggle to do the simple functions each day.
The amount of water everyone needs to drink is dependent on their metabolism, height, and weight, but on average women are advised to drink 2.7 litres and men 3.7 litres a day.
Top tip: If you are not used to drinking lots of water, start with 1 litre a day for a week, then 1.5 litres a day for a week, and so on until you reach the desired amount you need for your body.