5 Ways to Prioritize Your Health so you can live a healthier, longer life for yourself and your loved ones. As Mom’s we are expected to do it all. One of the most important things we can do is affect our families health.
This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of American Heart Association for IZEA. All opinions are 100% mine.
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The American Heart Association wants people to experience more of life’s precious moments. To do that, we have to be healthy in heart and mind. Moms like you and me have to make a commitment to lead a healthy lifestyle. Not just for ourselves, but for our whole family.
Why is this important? Because our children look to us as role models. If we make it a priority to live a healthy life, they will follow in our footsteps. We are the leaders of our families and have a great power over our and their future health.
We live in a fast-food culture, where grabbing a burger at the drive-thru is certainly easier than running to the store, buying groceries, coming home and cooking. We sit for long periods of time at our desk or behind the wheel of our car driving our kids from one place to the next.
But its time for you to look at the bigger picture. Sometimes we may not realize the affect those easy, often unhealthy decisions we make now, have on our health and our future. Start 2016 off with a new schedule. The schedule that starts with your health.
Start making your food. Buying vegetables, fruits and lean proteins. Stay out of the center of your grocery store. That is where all the prepackaged foods are and those are sometimes as bad as the drive thru. Meal planning is important especially when we have families. We don’t have a lot of time to prepare dinner, so plan your meals on Sunday, do some prep like chopping and sometimes even freezing meals to be used throughout the week.
I know sometimes it’s hard to get to the gym, but schedule it. Write the time on your calendar. Meet a friend to exercise, knowing someone is counting on you to show up, means you will show up. Walk the stairs instead of taking the elevator. Park at the end of the parking lot so you have to walk further. Push your shopping cart back into the store. Every step counts.
Get to bed. A good night’s sleep means you will have more energy and patience for those that you love and yourself. Turn off the electronics, get into a nighttime ritual, skip the caffeine and try to eat dinner as early as possible.
Cut down on the stress in your life. I know this is hard, but take a minute to write a list of what and who stresses you out and limit the activities and the people who cause you the most stress. Take a minute during the day to take a deep breath, relax and just enjoy the moment.
Love yourself. We are so hard on ourselves, with meeting expectations and trying to do it all. You are not superwoman, nor are you perfect. None of us are. We are human we will fail and that is okay. You work hard so be proud of yourself and love yourself.
Making just these five things a priority in your life will not only allow you to lead a healthier, happier life, but you will also inspire those around you to do the same.