9 Habits of a Healthy Mom

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Inside: What are some of the habits of a healthy mom? We all want to be the best mom to our kids. How do we do it? What daily healthy habits can we choose to become the best version of ourselves?

So what makes a healthy mom versus an unhealthy mom?

Where do you think you fall?

What types of healthy habits do some moms choose daily?

I have been pondering all of these questions because, during different seasons of motherhood, I would say I felt healthy, and in other parts, I didn’t. Additionally, in some seasons I had healthy habits that I intentionally chose daily.

I wrote a post a few months ago that talked about health and how I believe health is more than just feeling well.

This linked post above educated us about different areas of the body, and when we choose intentional daily healthy habits, we influence these areas such as spiritual, mental/emotional, and physical health.

If any of these are off, I don’t think a person can be healthy. Sure, they might be able to get through the day, but if any of these areas are unwell, the whole body suffers.

Here’s the core truth:

Being a mother takes a whole lot of fortitude.

We have to show up daily, and the majority of us want to show up feeling the best for our kids. (I don’t know why anyone wouldn’t want to show up as their best self, but I suppose with anything else there might be some!)

Can we agree when we don’t feel well in any of the areas listed above, it takes even more gumption to get through parenting?

I get having little time, but things that are important to us always seem to find the time! (I wrote a post about self-care for the mom with no time!)

As I mentioned above, we might be able to take care of the basic needs of the kids, but interacting with them and having patience with them requires a healthy mind and body.

Why Are We, Unhealthy Moms?

So many moms that I talk to or see posting on the internet seem to be living with an area or two unbalanced, so they aren’t enjoying their life at the moment!

Many are asking these questions:

Why do I feel like this?

I’m struggling with energy, sleep, relationships, motivation, and patience.

I dreamed my whole life of becoming a mom, and I don’t feel like this is what I dreamed of.

This motherhood thing is harder than I thought.

Because of these feelings and little attention given to the areas of health I mentioned above, a huge percentage of moms are depressed and anxious.

While this is troublesome, the effects of these two mental health issues also affect kids.

Did you know if a mom is depressed, there is a high chance her kids will also be depressed? (See link here!)

The case is also the same for anxiety! Moms with higher anxiety tend to have kids that can also have increases in it, and there’s a greater probability that their daughters will have an increase in ADHD or depression.

Unhealthy Habits Plaguing Moms

What I have also noticed is this obsession with the “mommy drinking culture.”

Here’s what I have learned walking through alcohol addiction in my own family. The motives behind drinking are what matter. If someone needs a drink to get through their day, there might be a problem.

During one of the meetings I had to sit through during my family’s own addiction crisis, one of the doctors said that if someone needed a drink after work to transition to home life, that was indicative of an addiction problem.

Online, there is a push for a “mommy wine culture” where moms are drinking to get through the day.

My thoughts would be if this is a daily occurrence, there might be a problem.

We all buffer. Or in other words, we all try to fill our emptiness, loneliness, and struggles with things when it’s really a place meant for God alone!

For you it could be shopping, Netflix binging, eating, cleaning, etc.

How are you buffering?

Here’s the deal: When we fill the hole in our hearts with something other than God, we will never find lasting comfort.

He designed us to long for and be filled with Him.

Beginning Healthy Habits with God

However, at the end of the day, we are all human. We have turned to things instead of Him but “God’s mercies begin each morning!”

²²The faithful love of the Lord never ends!
His mercies never cease.
²³Great is his faithfulness;
his mercies begin afresh each morning.

Maybe you’re like me; I want lasting fulfillment in God and the strength and endurance to show up every day for my kids (and grandkids)!

Ok, let’s dissect the areas of health first, and then I’ll give you some action steps and tips to become the healthy mom you want to be!

The Areas of Health

Spiritual

In order to support this area of health, we would want to make time for being in the Word. This is the best healthy habit to choose daily!

One of the best apps that I have found for on-the-go and accessibility is the YouVersion Bible app.

When I’m waiting for kids and driving from place to place and waiting in the car, I can pull up this app and read Bible verses, and choose plans to grow in faith. One cool option is the Bible verses can be read to you.

Another huge encouragement in this area is having Christian friends. I have been blessed with a few who speak life into me, pray with and for me, and are willing to help me grow spiritually!

Get involved in a physical church. The last few years have had many of us watching our churches online and we have lost that fellowship with other believers.

God’s Word tells us to not neglect meeting together, so it must be a priority for God to mention this! There is something about being connected to the family of believers and having the ability to serve and witness to them.

Mental/ Emotional

Although many separate these too, I feel like in this explanation it works better to put them together because a lot of it can be redundant.

In this area, awareness of our emotions and mental state is important. As moms, we need to ask ourselves why is this causing us angst.

Might it be that time of the month when hormones are changing and we can be more anxious, sad, or irritable?

I had grown up learning unhealthy coping skills when it came to emotions. We didn’t talk them out, stuff them down, and don’t let them show. This is not a healthy way to cope with feelings.

It actually sets the stage to make them spurt out like a volcano eventually.

I have since learned how to be more aware of what I’m feeling. It usually begins with faulty thoughts I’m having. Most of the 1000s of thoughts we have daily aren’t true, so we need to be able to be aware of this. Look at the thought, investigate it, and then self-coach ourselves to a better thought.

I can’t tell you how helpful this has been to me! My stinkin’ thinkin’ is not driving my life anymore! (if you want more resources on this, reach out!)

Learned behaviors can be unlearned! You aren’t your past and what you grew up learning doesn’t have the final say!

Perhaps we haven’t taken time for ourselves and need a break. How is time management going? Are we constantly stressed?

The last thing is the important foundation of living with purpose!

As Christians, we need to know our greater purpose! When we are filled with purpose, we are able to understand our position as mothers in God’s kingdom!

Physical

So many of the other areas have an impact on our physical health! I once read something that said if people let go of grudges or the pains of the past, the hospitals would be a lot less filled.

Many studies have shown that where we manifest pain affects different organs.

I know after I’ve gone through a life crisis or quake, my neck gets out of alignment and I stop sleeping well, and then my energy is off. I eventually catch a cold or sickness going around.

All of these areas are intertwined so focusing on each of them and intentionally choosing healthy habits are important!

Diet

What is your diet like friend? We need to fuel our bodies with good things! We wouldn’t put low-grade gas into our cars, so why do we do it with something as important as our bodies? (moderation is key says the girl who loves chocolate!)

One thing I have learned going through my own health struggles is that protein and fats are so good for us but often lacking in our diets.

Protein and good fats keep up fuller longer, feed our brains, and help us support our hormones!

I hear many moms say they are constantly snacking, have brain fog, and their hormones are out of control.

I know once I started focusing on eating lots of protein during the day and incorporating healthy fats in the form of butter, coconut oil, avocado oil, and olive oil, I just felt better!

Sleep

How are you sleeping? I feel our culture downplays sleep but it can send us to an early grave if we aren’t making it a priority!

Sleep affects every body system! Get less than 5 hours a night and your hormones get out of whack.

As moms, this is so hard to find! I get it, my 5 kids didn’t sleep through the night consistently till after 3 years of age.

My advice is to get as much sleep as you can. If that means going to bed at 8 or 9 at night. Try to! Or at least go to bed and rest!

One other tip is to work on breathing! I know this sounds silly but in our constant state of stress, we shallow breathe. We don’t take in the full breaths of air that our lungs need. By paying attention to this and implementing deep breathing, we can help our bodies so much!

Stop and draw in a few deep breaths of air. Notice anything? It instantly relaxes you, centers you, and gives you focus! Pray and focus on God when you do it!

Exercise

This was an area of health I neglected for so long. I didn’t have the energy for a long time to expend on making sure I was exercising. I would get in phases where I’d exercise, need to recover for days, and so I stopped for a long time.

Here’s the deal, moms of the past didn’t need to set aside time to exercise because their jobs were more physical. Hand washing, hanging the laundry on the line, helping on the farm, weeding in the garden, washing floors by hand, etc.

We have replaced a lot of this with modern conveniences, and women as a whole in the U.S.A don’t have to expend the amount of energy as in the past.

I get it, exercise isn’t fun all the time. However, if you want to feel good and sleep well at night you need to add this to your day.

With kids, it’s possible although a little more tricky so you need to be creative when adding these healthy habits to your day:

Walks outside for 30-60 minutes.
Find a video that everyone can try together.
Nature walks.
Swimming.
Swap with another mom in babysitting in order to exercise.
Go to the park and grab some weights to do while the kids play.

Healthy Habits for Moms

Here’s the truth, we are all unique. Our bodies are as different as the sand on the shoreline.

So this is a sample list, and at the end of the day, you will need to personalize it to make it work with your time, body, and lifestyle.

Maybe you need some dedication to a certain area of health so you need to make more time for that.

I also want to say that different seasons of motherhood come and go. Some seasons are more emotional and some more physical!

Whatever season you are in, filling yourself with God will help give you the wisdom, perseverance, and strength to get through. Keep making Jesus a priority each day and every day!

You can incorporate these healthy habits into your day and become the best mom for your kids!

Remember God handpicked these children for you!