Need more than your home Pilates workout to get through trying times? It’s that time again! The festive cheer abounds. But for a busy mother, so too do worries of what to do with the kids over the holidays, how to deal with all the family convening in one spot and more. Whether you’re putting on the Christmas show or you’re travelling to family or holiday places, there’s a lot to consider.
We often find our best laid plans for health are often derailed by time pressure, temptation and having to be in service to so many others.
Here are 5 ways you can indulge this Christmas without losing your healthy focus with the help of home Pilates workout program, Body Beyond Birth
Up the self-care
What’s going to get you through the mother-in-law who wants everything done just so or the kids 15th argument over the iPad? Self-care.
Self-care helps us get through all kinds of emotionally trying situations. From the heat of an Australian summer making cooking stressful and horrendous through to snowed in kids, desperate for entertainment in the USA, mothers face all kinds of challenges that only self-care can fix.
You must make time for yourself. Think of it as putting petrol in the tank to make sure you can continue the journey. And not the kind of self-care that’s used to sell bath scrubs or scented candles. The real stuff!
Make a commitment to give yourself 20 minutes a day of uninterrupted ‘me time’. Some of the ways you can practise self-care are:
- A walk, jog or run
- 20-minute home Pilates workout with Body Beyond Birth
- Reading a book before bed
- Journaling, colouring and drawing
- Gardening
- Sewing and crafting
The trick is to find something that helps you stay present in the moment so you not only get the joy from looking after yourself, you get the soothing vibes of mindfulness.
Keep the exercise regime going
Exercise is essential for keeping us healthy and reducing stress. It’d also be a shame to see all the great work in forming great habits with the Body Beyond Birth home Pilates workout go to waste.
When the kids are at home and the relatives arrive, it might be difficult to get away or stay motivated. But there are a few ways you can still manage to squeeze in your workout if you get inventive.
Some of the ways to keep your exercise regime going include:
- Get up 20 minutes earlier and do your workout before your morning shower and the wake-up routine
- Demo your Pilates for an interested grandma and ask her to join you. Older ladies need to move, too!
- Make it a fun game with the kids to have an at home Pilates workout
- Take the iPad with you so you can sneak in a workout at work or at a girlfriend’s house
Even if you can’t sneak a home Pilates workout into the mix, try an early morning walk before your shower. Or encourage the kids to jump on their bicycles with you. Explore your holiday destination with family walks on the beach, bush or streets.
Stay the course with healthy treats and recipes
Yes, someone is bound to break out your equivalent to an Achilles heel in food. But you don’t have to be tempted, good Mama.
Body Beyond Birth isn’t only about a home Pilates workout or incidental exercise. We’ve got a fantastic bunch of recipes you can use for any occasion that are nutritionally balanced, kid-friendly and simple. They include snacks, treats and meal suggestions you could use on special occasions.
Plus, we have a bunch of blogs to help motivate you to stay the course.
It’s about swapping that naughty plum pudding for a healthy dessert. Or finding new ways to make old favourites.
Dig in and give it a go. You’ll be pleasantly surprised.
Mindfulness through Christmas craft and play
What better way to lower your stress than through drawing, art, making, sewing and craft? And what better way to spend quality time with the kids than to make and create with them?
We all love to play, so why not combine some stress reduction with family time and dig into the fun?
Some of the projects you might consider include:
- Special holiday countdown calendars
- Handmade Christmas presents
- Making wrapping paper for presents
- Creating decorations for Christmas and New Years
- Covering new school books for the new school year
- The next year’s good behaviour charts
- Family photography sessions
- Painting the holiday landscape together
Whatever the case may be, doing some craft and art projects with the kids are bound to bring on the positive vibes. The digital-free time is also great for all concerned.
Kids love these sorts of activities. They may even get so engrossed you can sneak in a home Pilates workout or some me time, too!
Give gifts from the heart
The trap we often get into at Christmas is to over-spend and stress ourselves out financially in the process. But it doesn’t have to be that way.
Giving gifts that come from the heart instead of the department stores are some of the best gifts you can give.
Some of the ways you can give from the heart without breaking the budget include:
- Turning your creative projects into presents
- Creating vouchers that family members can use to cash in for help, pampering and special attention
- Look for experiences that you can share instead
- Consider artisan gifts from Christmas markets
- Put on a Christmas show with plays, singing and all manner of fun, creative things
- Find a family adventure
- Hold an Easter egg hunt for the presents and make a game out of Christmas to enhance the fun
- Practise gratitude
- Instead of having a traditional family Christmas, consider volunteering or donating to charity
Look for the opportunities to swap the stress and Christmas sales crush by giving in the process. It’ll make it all worthwhile.
