Taking Some Personal Time

Start your day off with a healthy breakfast. I know you hear this all the time but it really is true! You will be more productive and more focused through out your day. This is a good tip for the kids too! Keep them focused in school! Don’t over do it though. The key word here is healthy. Another good morning activity to add to your routine is a light workout. A good cardio or light yoga routine gets the blood pumping and can help wake up those sleepy muscles. Not everyone has the time to do a full work out routine. Just 10 – 15 minutes of any routine including a brisk walk around the block in the cool morning air should be enough to jump-start your day.

Do not over stimulate your body with loads of caffeine or sugar. Now I’m not one that reaches for a diet anything. I have my own issues where sugar substitutes are concerned. I don’t believe they are healthy for you in anyway… just my opinion I’m not a doctor. A clear choice here to quench your body is water. Yup, simple pure H2O. It does wonders for your body keeping your cells hydrated and your thirst quenched. Caffeine and sugar can leave you feeling like you’re crashing later in the day. They can also upset your sleep. Believe it or not, that soda you drank at 1 pm can keep you awake and disrupt regular sleep patterns at night.

Take a multi-vitamin. This may seem simple enough but they are not all created equal. Talk to your doctor and discuss what you may be lacking in your diet and what supplements would work for you. Note that a multi-vitamin boost in the mid-day can give you a decent recharge without feeling a crash and burn later like you would with caffeine. Just be careful of gimmicks that are swarming our stores and markets.

Now that we’ve got your morning covered let’s move on to the rest of your day. This seems like a lot to get done in the morning but really once you get a regular routine in place it only takes you an extra 30 minutes or so each morning.

Unfortunately, you will usually not have as much flexibility in the noon hours. Most of us work and a typical job is 7 to 9 hours a day with some exceptions. I remember working two jobs and going to night school all while trying to be there for my three year old daughter. It wasn’t pretty! Don’t make my mistake of over burdening myself and not taking time for myself and for my daughter. Where do most people go wrong? That’s simple. Lunch. Eat light with a few healthy snacks before and after to curb over eating. A hearty lunch can make you sluggish at work.

When you get home in the evening the last thing you want to think about is dinner right? But hey, kids have to eat and it’s our job to feed them. They have homework. They have chores. They have after school activities, and during all this they’re depending on you to save the world. Hopefully, you’re not too exhausted from a full day earning that ever-necessary paycheck. After you’ve treated the kids to a healthy dinner and all the chores are done its time to relax. Well, you can get your tasks done in any order you see fit. This is just the way we do them at our house. It gives the kids incentive to get things done before dark so they can still go outside to play.

Relaxation. Something none of us think we have time for, right? We couldn’t be more wrong! Making time for yourself is essential for keeping your sanity. After a hard days work and devoting the majority of your free time to your children you really need to take a moment for yourself. I don’t mean to sound like a candy bar commercial but they have a point. Indulge! Instead of indulging in chocolate though take a long hot bubble bath, or read a good novel. Do something constructive and productive to give yourself something to be proud of. Get creative!

Feeling a bit selfish? Don’t! You make time for all those that are important in your life. Don’t you think that should include numero uno? You put your family, your work, and your obligations before your own personal needs all the time. This will eventually leave you with some resentment and some other nasty little feelings that you’re not going to want to have. Don’t let the snowball effect that a lack of self-care will cause take over in your life. We get so caught up in our daily obligations that we forget to take care of ourselves. This can lead to so many emotional and physical problems that will manifest in different ways. Take action now by simply stopping to smell the roses. It really is that simple!

Life is definitely what you make it, so make it something your going to be happy with! Just don’t lose sight of yourself in all your daily adventures. Take a positive spin on life! Even using a scheduled work break to do something for yourself can make a big difference on how you feel. In the long run, this will allow for more quality time with your children and your friends. You’ll thank yourself later, I promise!