Being busy, working long hours, have a stressful job, travelling, being a mum… But it doesn’t mean you have to give up on your health and well-being – stop using it as an excuse. It can be done. I am often asked how I manage to eat healthy, stay fit while being a busy mum and often on the run! So I thought I would give you a bit of an idea of a general week for me. Here are tips for busy mums with lots of hints on how it can help you in your busy lives, no matter what your situation.
Monday
I am up by 5.30am – most days I am awake before my alarm goes off! I’m out the door and off to teach BSF Bootcamp!
Home by 7.20am – quick breakfast and I am out the door by 8am with my 2.5 year old daughter – fed and dressed! I often forget to do her hair though!
I do a day at the office, at my ‘real job’ as my hubby calls it! I take my lunch that I have made the night before. It is usually a salad with salmon, eggs or chicken. For snacks I take a small container of nuts. Recently I have been having celery sticks with home made nut butter (but you can use store bought almond butter if you like!)
I get home, with my daughter around 5.30pm. If I have had fruit and veg delivered, I unpack, wash and cut it all up – while trying to make dinner. Options usually include – BBQ with salad or veggies, stir fry of some sort, zoodle spag bowl, or more recently soup!
* TIP * I really like getting my fruit and veg delivered because the quality is much better from Coles/Safeway, I can order the day before (or even the morning of that day) and its delivered to my door! I also find that if I spend the time washing and cutting it all up, it’s SO much faster to get dinners, lunches etc ready during the week. If there is a farmers market on over the weekend, then I may have to get a top up order delivered during the week.
My daughter is in bed by 7pm and that is my down time. I usually catch up on some of the work I love – my business! Then watch some TV, off to bed to read a book and asleep anywhere between 830-10pm (10pm is late for me, usually depends what book I am reading!). If I have a snack after dinner – it’s usually 1 of 3 things – some nuts, some homemade chocolate (I don’t have it that often) or some cut up fruit with some nuts – like half a pear and some strawberries with some nuts, if I felt like something a bit sweeter.
Oh and my cleaner comes today – yep – its great! I come home to a nice clean house! I love it and its one less thing that I have to worry about. It means I get to spend more time with my family, or work on my business that I love, rather than doing something that I hate!
Another thing that I don’t do is ironing – I hate it. I buy clothes that don’t need ironing. Hubby irons his own shirts! I did try being the ‘good wife’ about 6/7 years ago and I ironed his shirts for him. It was the last time I did it, because I caught him ironing them again!
Tuesday
I have Tuesday mornings off, but this is my chance to have a workout. If hubby is home I will go for a run, for a walk with a friend or I do one of my Mummy Bootcamp workouts – depends what I feel like. I give myself a sleep in till 5.45/6am.
Tuesday mornings are a bit more relaxed – breakfast, get ready etc and out the door by 8.30am – off for a day of Blue Sky Fitness classes and clients – LOVE IT!
I usually get to come home for lunch – salad and prawns or salmon or omelette or soup (from the freezer) is usually on the cards while I do some work.
*TIP* I might have some roasted veg cooking away in the oven while I am home – I make enough for a few meals! Great things to roast are Sweet potato, eggplant, butternut squash, parsnip, tomato, asparagus, garlic, zucchini’s, peppers and broccoli.
Back out to work in the afternoon, before getting home around 5pm. Dinner is usually salmon tonight, so I can make more for my lunch tomorrow. Served with salad or veggies, or sometimes a bit of both!
Work, relax and wind down, bed, sleep. And hang up some washing or fold it and put it away – the job I hate most!
Wednesday
It’s basically a repeat of Monday. I made my lunch the night before (I also make my daughters lunches the night before too), so that is all ready to go.
*TIP* I use the time while cooking dinner or when hubby is bathing my daughter to get lunches ready and kitchen tidied, so once I put her to bed, I can relax. Sometimes I have to do some washing (the job I hate the most and I usually put it off till later in the week if I can!)
Thursday
Another favourite day! It usually starts early with PT clients followed by an action packed morning of classes and clients! Thursday afternoon is my admin/work time. If I need to do any top up shops I do it on the way home. As I am home I sometime roast a chicken, and/or some veggies ready for dinner. I am home for lunch so do something like I do on Tuesday.
*TIP* My meals are simple, fast, full of nutrients and full of flavour. Perfect for any busy mum. I also have lots in the freezer – soups, chicken, prawns, salmon, veggies – meals for me/hubby and smaller portions for Chels – although sometimes she eats like an adult! I love to cook when I have the time – it’s usually some chill out time for me. When I have that spare time, I like to make something new or different and try it out and if it works I can add it into our meal plan for frequently. But we also have our favourites too, that come up most weeks.
Friday
I have Cardio Friday today. Yay!! But then I have the rest of the day to spend with my daughter. We usually catch up with friends, do any shopping that needs to be done, any appointments I need to go to, we might find a new park, or a new activity, or concert (we have Disney on Ice coming up in a few weeks!). Sometimes we have been to the aquarium or the zoo. It’s Mummy & Daughter day! When she sleeps I do some work and then we have an action packed afternoon. Usually another play date, park action or doing fun crazy stuff at home.
Friday night is usually wine night for me. I have made it through the week (well almost). If I feel like one, I have one! And when I do, I enjoy it! Sometimes we might go out for an early dinner, or another favourite is homemade pizzas.
I try and have 2 work free nights a week, but depends what’s happening in the week.
Saturday
Are you bored yet, if you have made it this far! Nice work and I hope you are enjoying the read.
I love Saturday mornings – I either get up early and go for a run, or do a Mummy Bootcamp workout before going to teach Tone up for $10! I fit in breakfast before I go as well!
Hubby takes Chels swimming while I am working – they have a great time together – daddy daughter time! After class on a Saturday if there is a Farmers market on, we usually go and check it out, stock up on some yummy fresh stuff!
Saturday we usually go out for lunch as a little family. And I love it! I usually work while Chels has a nap (I am dreading the day she gives up her naps!) and then more family fun time in the afternoon.
Saturday night could be anything! Might be out, might be home – sometimes wine, sometimes not. Sometimes healthy food, sometimes not. I know that if I eat well during the week, having some treats on a weekend is absolutely fine. As long as I enjoy them!
Last Saturday for example, I was out of the house from 7.30am until 6pm. It was a big day
I had breakfast before I left. I made a green smoothie (full of goodness) to take with me in the car as a snack throughout the morning. I had my own lunch packed (made it the night before) in a cooler bag with ice block thing (yes it has Dora on it, but who cares, it does the job), don’t forget to take a fork if you aren’t going to be somewhere that has them. I took handbag snacks – small container of nuts if I needed them during the day.
That night we had an early dinner out at 6pm. I wasn’t going to cook! Oh and then we had date night at the movies and a LOVELY glass of wine to relax with! And I managed to stay awake – WIN WIN!!
Sunday
I usually have a bit of a sleep in, until about 7am. I am usually awake anyway, so why waste the day. It’s either a run (or a ride in Summer) or a Mummy Bootcamp workout day. I have breaky when I get home!
We usually do something as a family today, but it also usually involves grocery shopping at some stage during the day – all ready for the week! This is a BIG *TIP*, if you can get as much stuff as you can on a weekend, ready for the week, it usually runs much smoother and much less stressful!
So my other big tips
- Go to bed early, get enough sleep
- Get your exercise done in the morning, gives you time to relax and wind down at night
- Try and do 1 big shop and then if you need to top up during the week, it’s easier
- Get all your lunches etc made the night before if you aren’t going to be home.
- Make sure you make time to wind down after dinner and before bed – relaxation and stress relief is important for any healthy lifestyle.
- Do what works for you – if shopping every day is your thing – go for it. If exercising in the evening works for you – do it!
- Reduce your stress! If you have had a bad day, know that tomorrow is a new day. Yes, I have bad days too!
- Whenever you make soups or bigger batch meals (spag sauce, veggie chilli, patties, risotto’s, nuggets, soup) – freeze them, for the nights you can’t be bothered cooking.
If you want help with meal planning, healthy recipes or exercises you can do at home – check out Mummy Bootcamp @ Home or Bootcamp @ Home. Being crazy busy (it’s usually just an excuse) doesn’t mean you have to give up on your health & well-being. When you are happy and feeling good about yourself, you will find you are more productive, have more energy and it makes it easier to get up every morning to face the day with a smile!
We may get commissions for purchases made using links in this post. Learn more.
2:36 pm
2:11 pm
7:51 pm
10:51 pm
7:19 am
10:52 pm
6:51 pm
8:18 am
10:27 pm
8:47 pm
11:44 am
10:55 pm
4:14 pm
9:55 pm
9:48 am
10:34 am
8:24 am
9:10 pm
9:33 pm
4:05 pm
To post a review/comment please join us or login so we can allocate your points.