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Episode 28: 5-Minute Fixes For Everyday Health
Use these quick, practical actions to improve your everyday health. These healthy tips tackle all five major areas of health and help keep being a fit and healthy mom practical during busy days.
It’s overwhelming trying to do it all and follow the rules. As moms, our time is limited, and we feel overwhelmed as to where to place it. So, screw the rules and instead find a better system for everyday health.
Learn the best way to improve your health and wellness in under five minutes. These quick fixes (courtesy of Amanda Quin From the Fit Chicks Chat Podcast) tackle all four major areas of health and require nothing more than five minutes each. It’s a busy mom win.
JUMP to the resources mentioned in this podcast.
Have you ever felt overwhelmed as a mom? HA, Which moment of the day right?
But have you ever felt overwhelmed about all the actions you need to take to be healthy? Fitness, healthy meals prep, self-care, mindfulness… the list goes on, but our time doesn’t increase.
It’s overwhelming and impractical to try and do it all.
Everyday Health Versus Time
At the end of the day, it comes down to time. We only have so much of it as moms and something always falls behind, often a healthy habit. We simply can’t do it all (which is a lesson we need to remember and accept!).
I will never be the person to preach hour-long gym sessions multiple per week- because I can’t do that. Nor do I believe in spending Sundays in meal-prep mode for three hours.
However, it is our minds making us believe that we need more time for everyday health.
So, let’s fix that. Below is how to rock everyday health habits in just five minutes ????
The Five Everyday Health Areas
When it comes to healthy living, there are four main areas:
- Workouts
- Healthy food and prep
- Meditation and stress
- Affirmation
By acknowledging all four areas you’re already better off. Health and wellness is a balance, there’s no one perfect system and often we overlook some of the biggest pillars for health because we’re short on time.
To improve our everyday health though, we need to make an effort to hit all of those pillars in some way.
Everyday Health: Fitness & Working Out
Perhaps the biggest stress of moms everywhere: workouts. We repeatedly beat ourselves up for missing workouts, the gym, or simply not doing enough.
But here’s the thing: there is no rulebook that says that workouts need to be sixty minutes, or it doesn’t count.
Instead, we need to shift our mindset to frequent movement and not just structured workouts.
Workouts don’t need to be a specific length or even include specific things. I adore resistance training but it’s not for everyone.
Five Minute Fix: do five-minute workouts. Yes, seriously!
Instead of focusing on duration, focus on intensity, and not taking breaks. HIIT training can not only be super effective for your physique but your mind as well. Plus, HIIT training is amazing for busy days.
For me personally, I feel more accomplished it I work out that day. It’s a nice “checkmark” on the to-do list. So, if getting it done in just five minutes gives me that checkmark- you better believe I’m going to rock it.
Plus, we waste a lot of time during workouts with rest or checking our phones. If you set a timer for only five minutes and work for those full five minutes, I promise you’ll be sweating!
I’ve been rocking LIVE 5-minute Monday workouts on my Instagram channel so check it out if you need some inspiration.
Not only do these five minutes get something done for you, but there’s nothing to say you can’t do another five-minute workout if you have some time later in the day. Find the best time of day to work out for YOU, and go for it.
We need to move mamas, and this is an amazing way to get that in.
Five-Minute Workout
Below is an example of a speedy five-minute workout. No equipment needed. If five minutes is all we’ve got, let’s use them!
- Bodyweight or banded squats
- Plank Jacks or step outs
Perform as a Tabata. Perform as many squats as you can in 20s. Rest for 10s and perform plank jacks for twenty seconds. Rest ten.
Keep repeating until you hit five minutes.
Simple + Speedy + Effective. An ideal five-minute fix for everyday health.
Everyday Health: Food & Meal Prep
An easy stressor for moms given kiddos want snacks 24/7. Many moms try to meal plan for the week (here’s the simplest way to make meal planning work for you) but it just doesn’t always happen.
We know we should eat healthily but to be honest, it’s hard.
When it comes to health tips and food there are a few crucial ones we need to remember:
- It’s okay to not make all of your own food. There are lots of great, and healthy store-bought options now!
- You don’t need to re-invent the wheel. Making Tuesday nights stir fry night and repeating that is absolutely okay. It keeps it simple.
- Buy the frozen or precut veggies. If it saves you time and you’re still eating veggies, it’s a win.
There’s no perfect system for food. Each household is unique. What I want you to take from this though is that it’s okay.
It’s okay to simplify, to take an easier route, and to not do it all. Choose the healthiest option you can and roll with it (also, listen to the podcast episode for more super easy tips from Amanda!).
Everyday Health: Mindfulness & Meditation
For many of us, these words are simply laughable. Meditation? Who has time to sit for thirty minutes (though here are some great tips to change your mind in five minutes)?!
However, being more mindful and have some sort of practice is one of the best ways to reduce stress and anxiety. And thus, it’s an everyday health win.
That said, I know how stressful it can be to even entertain the idea of meditating! There are a lot of great apps out there,
but I urge you not to rely on them. Instead, five of your own groove.
5-Minute Fix: instead of looking at it as meditating, focus on the mindfulness part. Take a few minutes of your day where you take a few deep breaths, close your eyes, and feel what’s around you. How does the floor feel under your feet? The temperature? Your body? Do a self-check-in and call it even. That’s the start.
Meditation doesn’t need to be a dedicated, hour-long practice every night. Just like fitness, we’re overthinking it. It’s a bit of trial and error as to what works for you but it’s worth it to be able to induce calm in your body.
Here are a few tips I learned from Amanda regarding meditation:
- You don’t need to be still. You can use movement meditation. Personally, I meditate best when walking in the forest.
- Learn how to breathe as that’s what will help you induce calm in stressful situations
- There’s no perfect way to be mindful. Stop stressing about being mindful and play around with what you enjoy.
You can learn more about my thoughts on mindfulness and meditation (and making is practical) from this 5-minute podcast.
Everyday Health: Affirmation
I bet you didn’t consider this one of the pillars! However, with so many moms struggling mentally due to exhaustion or believing we’re not enough in some way, affirmations make the list.
Affirmations are simple, positive statements declaring specific goals (learn more about the different kinds of affirmations).
I had never actually used affirmations until one popped into my head during my first 5k and now they’ve stuck.
Since then, I’ve used affirmations more frequently and if ever there was a busy mom hack, this is it. With affirmations, there’s nothing you have to do, it’s all mental.
But since we need to hear something on average seven times in order to believe it, having an affirmation and repeating it to yourselves makes a bit difference.
The popular “if you change your mind you change your results” is beyond true. So, learn to change your mind.
Affirmations can revolve around anything:
- Your body
- Your goals
- The kind of person you are
- Motivational
- A positive spin on what you struggle with
Regardless, they need to be positive and simple. You are confirming something positive. If you need some inspiration, here are 25 positive affirmations. However, I truly believe they should be more personal. Create your own by starting with:
- I am
- I can
- I don’t
- I will not
Affirmations when done properly (repeating them daily in your mind) can have tremendous results on your mindset and your stress levels. And require no physical effort.
Final Words
Trying to master everyday health can be overwhelming but that’s the exact opposite of what it should be.
These five-minute fixes were made by Amanda to keep health simple! So, put them to good use.
And that’s what I want for you today: to simplify the crazy. To make it PRACTICAL to be a fit, healthy, moderately sane mom. To take a wee bit of weight off your shoulders.
Resources Mentioned In The Podcast
Connect With Amanda From Fit Chicks
Website, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter
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