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THE HEALTH LOOP YOU DIDN’T EVEN KNOW YOU WERE IN….

Well, that’s not entirely correct. You probably KNOW you’re in it, you’re just not sure what to do about it or how to get OUT of it.

Let me explain.

In this article I talked about five top health issues we face as busy moms: weight loss, stress management, sleep deprivation, dealing with mom guilt, and struggling with life balance. And the truth is, all of these health issues can be interconnected in ways we aren’t even aware of.

You’re a busy mom. You’re going to have a hectic schedule. That can lead to sleep deprivation, which can lead to stress or weight gain (or both), which can lead to more sleep deprivation, which circles back to mom guilt for being tired and cranky and stressed out, and you’re trying to find a way to balance it all….

Sound familiar?

In the article, I mentioned that an easy first step is to just Start Small. Have one glass of water. Take a 5-minute walk. Do 5 squats while you’re waiting for the microwave. Eat one piece of fruit. Just one little thing that is good for you to get your momentum going.

This is where another aspect of the “Loop” comes in. When you Start Small, the intention is to ease you into the process of creating a new healthy habit. Instead of going all in, adding MORE stress/overwhelm/exhaustion to your busy life, this allows you to take the small wins, build the little victories, and begin to shift into a more health-conscious frame of mind.

“See, I was able to get those squats in while breakfast was warming up, and I had a banana with my morning coffee, and it never put a ripple into the rest of my day.”

So, now it’s time to take a look at the “Loop” and see where other small shifts can start slowing the spin down and help you get off this ride, or at least make it less frantic. Kind of like switching to the kiddie train after being stuck on the screaming rollercoaster for hours on end.

Is sleep deprivation causing stress? Is stress causing mom guilt? Is life balance affecting sleep and prohibiting weight loss?

Eating a banana while sipping your morning coffee might not fix your sleep deprivation, but is it giving you that moment of calm in the morning to gather your thoughts, nourish your body, and relieve a little stress that will carry you further into your day?

It’s the point of taking a look and evaluating where you’re at and what changes may need to happen, that is your next step in the process. This is still not an all or nothing situation. Again, your life is hectic. Trying to completely rearrange everything will cause more chaos if you haven’t found ways to incorporate these changes gradually and naturally.

So, once you’ve identified the next area changes need to take place, again – start small. What is the smallest thing you can come up with in that area to change? Can you brainstorm ideas? Can you talk with anyone about possibilities to help you out? Have you bounced ideas through ChatGPT?

Once you’ve found that next small thing in your trouble area, the dominoes will start to fall and disrupt the “Loop”.

There will always be barriers and obstacles because you’re a busy mom with a life. Things are going to happen beyond your control.

But the last thing I will say in this post is that this is an important time to celebrate the wins. The LITTLE THINGS!

Not, “I lost 20 pounds in 2 weeks.”

More like, “I ate the banana, had a whole cup of coffee before it got cold, and managed to get everyone out the door with no catastrophes or disasters. WIN!”

Or, “We got the kids in bed with no meltdowns, the dishwasher is running, I did 5 pushups against the counter top, and now I’m going to shower AND shave my legs in peace! WIN!”

These wins are going to accumulate, build your confidence, and give you the boost to keep going, especially when the changes yield a tangible result: getting a solid night of sleep; feeling like you have more energy during your day; less stress when the schedule shifts unexpectedly; or those jeans start to feel a little loose at the waist.

You’re going to enjoy being on the kiddie train, and not stuck on that rollercoaster all the time as you’re making changes. And eventually they will become habits that you don’t even notice anymore because they are simply part of what you DO during your day.

 

www.thehiddenpoweroffood.com

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