Blog #9 - The Biggest Challenges to a Healthy Lifestyle

The biggest challenges I face regarding a healthy diet and ideal exercise are family, family and family. I love my children dearly, but since becoming a mother, my time for self care has all but disappeared. When my husband and I decided to start a family, we agreed that I would stay home with the kids. I remember thinking that I was going to have so much time I wouldn't know what to do when everything was done. What a joke! My advice to anyone who is planning to stay home, is to lie about it if possible. Suddenly my husband forgot how to cook and clean, and because he worked, it was very important that he get enough rest. I don't have to tell anyone who has children how having a baby affected my time, and for those of you who don't have kids yet, its best that you don't know. What surprised me most was the extended family that assumed I didn't have anything to do, so I could easily feed their pets, run small errands and take grandma to the doctor. For a while, I struggled with everyone else's feelings, but when I started getting ill more often than not (with no one to help with my responsibilities), I started learning to say "no". It wasn't easy, and I still struggle at times, but I am getting better at it. 

Now I take action help myself. I have a membership to a gym with dependable childcare and a treadmill at home. I plan my meals in advance and try to incorporate a salad with every dinner. And when a family member asks me to commit to something that simply overwhelms me, I tell them I don't know how I would fit it into my busy schedule and then I precede to describe my responsibilities in detail until they get tired of listening and hang up.