I try not to make any New Year resolutions as a few days in, I know I am already going to give it up, and that is why instead I like to put in to practice some tips to live by, tips that are more than manageable and certainly achievable.
As parents we are more than capable of nudging our children in the right direction, so why is that I find that I struggle to put my own advise in to practice. This year, especially after the last two years we have all gone through in this pandemic, I've decided to pull up my big girl panties and set my self goals, targets, call it what you like but tips to help me through the new year and I certainly plan on adding to the list - Check out some I've listed below!
1. Put my phone down
Guilty as charged right here. I say to myself I’ll only be on it for 2 minutes, I’ve just got check my emails real quick, which turn into Instagram, TikTok, Leanoras crafty YouTube setup, LTK a little edit and tweak over on Lightroom and a sneak peak at the daily mail, before you know it, a good eight hours have passed and that’s me only at work and I've yet to check the emails.
It’s so easy to get lost in to your phone and clock up hours, but I plan on restricting my time, jut simply dedicating a period and sticking to it, so I can be more present in the real world, spend more time with Leanora, even unpack and fix the radiator cover I brought a few weeks ago and put that up and free up some space in the hallway to even read my latest book by Lisa Jewell.
2. Let’s go do it
I am the worse, I can easily talk myself out of something. Take for instance the other day, well to be fair I was shattered and just worked a 6 day week and was out with Leanora and Mum the day before at the most amazing exhibition this year to date, (can you see me procrastinating ) which you can see on my Instagram and TiKTok . I woke up on the Sunday did the house work then realised we had tickets booked for ice skating and I was cream crackered (shattered) and I just hit a brick wall, now the thing is If we had gone, I knew we would of had an amazing time, but maybe laziness took over, kinda hoping it's tiredness, but these little thongs shouldn't prevent us from going out and having a blast, after all we've been locked up long enough due to COVID. So any opportunity to go out and have fun, lets go and do it, you won't regret it.
3.Meal prep
I started this last year and become a bit of a nut at it. Every two weeks I sit down and think about what I or we want to eat, this is A great one to budget B helps you to reduce waste and I am all hear for that.
It can take a little time, but that is fine, this is what you and your family will be consuming over the next few weeks, plus its a major money saviour, I couldn't imagine going to the supermarket everyday and buying ingredients on a daily basis, plus its a great time saver on cooking, especially if you batch cook and put the extras in the freezer to eat another day.
4. Take care of your body
I kind of let this go a bit, especially now back at work full time and picking up extra time in the office on a weekend, it is so easy to just take 30 minutes each day to help take care of your body, be it a little morning yoga or meditation, a quick HIIT on youtube to even simply consuming water.
I invested time to find a few good people to follow on youtube to help me get fit, which is an added bonus on saving money and going to the gym and bought a few water bottles and a big brita filter to help with our daily water intake and adding a little healthier lifestyle will certainly get those endorphins going.
Have you got any tips that you find helps you, if so let me know in the comments below.
Stay well, stay safe.
Don’t forget to follow me over on Instagram or by using the #LondonMumma tag to show me what you get up to or keep up to date on what’s new on the blog via Bloglovin!
Lindsey
It is super important to take care of yourself, easier said then done am I right! But with my birthday fast approaching, life changing, work load growing, kids getting older, cat needing to go to the vet and requiring an operation! I've found I have a lot on my plate and need to re-adjust the way that my current situation is set up, more importantly for me and my health to be a better version of me. and have a better balance in life
It took me a while, a good while to think and then put into practice what I need doing and adjusting that way I make sure that I do things, as I can at time procrastinate way to much and in the end never get anything done, however with little tweaks here and there, here are 5 ways I've found To Have A Healthy Work / Mum Life Balance.
Learning to breathe again
Every day make time for you, take a moment and time out even for 5 minutes to just sit there and breathe, relax your mind, with a little meditation to help clear and realign your head, it can literally do wonders for you
Plan your day
I am an organised feind, before I was pretty flexible about how my day went, but that could lead to issues, like forgetting its school jumper or harvest day, even having a dentist appointment, so now I map out each week and I outline what I have going on for the week and can always add to where necessary and I can tick it off as I go along, planning ahead is key to give you a more peaceful mind.
Think of you
Sometimes we are expected to be superwomen and it's ok to not be, after all you are human and there is only one of you. There are some people who think if I do it all I will be fulfilled and happy and you know what I bet you're not, I was not.
I decided to take time out for me get me sorted and allow a little time for me to let my hair down, being it the smallest of things, reading a book, getting my nails done, to even letting my daughter stay at my mothers for the night, so I can go out and meet friends or even have a cheeky night in, with a glass of wine and Netflix and Chill whilst in the bath., it the little things you know!
Meal plan
Rush, rush rush, cook, cook, cook! This is all I did, when I got home from work and school pick up and I would literally throw a meal together, whilst it was good and tasty, it could been tastier.
Every Thursday I take 10 minutes out and sit down and think about what we are going to eat and create a menu and shopping list, so come the weekend I can pick up all that I need and Sunday prep where necessary and normally the day of said dish that I'll be cooking I'll have some of the items out, such a spaghetti and onions, or tinned tomaotes for example, so when I'm home I grab the last necessary bits of the fridge or cupboards.
Slow down and have fun
With a busy job, homework it can get a lot and you can easily forget to have a little fun, that is why every weekend I always plan on doing something a little fun with Leanora, we recently went to the cinema and I forgot how nice it was to be in one, then grabbed a bite after, the following day went ice skating and I highly recommend booking in some fun quality family time
Don’t forget to follow me over on Instagram or by using the #LondonMumma tag to show me what you get up to or keep up to date on what’s new on the blog via Bloglovin!
Lindsey
Whether you are new to working out or an old pro or looking to join a class and find new techniques to keep your body guessing, I highly recommend turning your attention and signing up with Esqaured.
Now I'll be honest I have not worked out in a long time, I mean what just over 3 years now. Since having Leanora I attended a few buggy and mummy work out classes with the NCT gals, but 9 months later and returning to work, I found it less difficult to work out, whilst some gyms have creche inside, I just can't leave my daughter with any and anyone.
Leanora now 4 years old, starting school in a matter of weeks and my home and work life balance has found it's easy groove, plus being primarily located in the city where there are an abundance of new and old gyms, there are no excuses for me not to go.
A girlfriend from work was always asking me to go and if truth be told I always found an excuse, heck any even just to not go, but always promising that I would! But simply put I was not yet ready, whilst I knew I needed to work out, I was not feeling great and knew that I could be healthier, had to be healthier not just only for me but my daughter too, plus sitting at an office desk for 8-12 hours eating mac n cheese and running from meeting to meeting is not ideal, nor is the running around proper exercise.
Whilst classes and monthly gym memberships can become extremely costly, classes local to you may not be ideal, thinking would I make it in time, what if my train is delayed, can I do it in my lunch break, with certain subscription packages can I do a variety of classes, all of these comes to mind and thinking about it alone is enough to put anyone off, so I did just that, that was until Esquared got in touch.
I always ran before I became pregnant, twice a day some days 4-5 days a week, I tried the gym but they were not fun and I felt very self-conscious, then when I fell pregnant, I could not for obvious reasons, run so I turned to pregnancy yoga and Pilates and loved every minute of it, my body too. I continued as I had said for a short period after giving birth, but never took to it again.
So when Esquared got in touch about this app, that lets you know all about the gym and 100's of classes on offer in your CURRENT location I was thrilled, especially as there are loads close to where I work and home, so if I felt like I wanted to look up, yoga, Pilates, my new fave box fit, ass and abs and pillar killer (don't ask, I thought I was gonna die, but I'm booked back to do it next week) I could just do so, buy easily buying credit and if I wanted a class today, tomorrow or for even in a few days time, I could easily book myself in, and with the filter of the type of class I was looking for I could book myself in with a few easy taps and off I go.
If you are not looking for class, the Esquared app will find gyms close to your location, so if you are looking for more of an intense work out on your own for a spot of weightlifting, it is all there and easily accessible, plus they have gyms and classes starting off from as little as £5. Another bonus and certainly my fave feature about Esquared is that there is no joining fee, just simply pay as you wanna work out.
Since starting my fitness journey with Esquared just over a month now, I've totally been bitten by the fitness bug, I go to a class at least twice a week, before or after work and sometimes cheekily in my lunch break, where I've been able to find 30-minute work out classes.
A major thanks to Esquared for getting me back on track and god knows you've changed my life for the better and they can change yours too, make sure to download the app, here if you have Apple or Google Play sign up and maybe I'll see you at the next class.
Your 20s are for living it up and partying likes it's 1999, health and maintaining it was never on my agenda but is it in most 20 year olds, a big fat nope!
Ever wondered how to reduce stress at work? It is not easy! The very mention of work and deadlines is enough to send chills down your spine, and no matter the role you do, you can find yourself becoming stressed.
