Healthy eating and exercise can work for even the busiest moms!
Hey! My name is Monique Wimberly, and I am an online health and wellness fitness coach. Seeing my mother in kidney failure and knowing her mother passed away with diabetes and dementia, I knew I needed to change my habits. July 2020 was when I became a vegetarian. As a busy wife and mother of two, I am working on getting my whole family on board.
When I started, I had to do something that would ease me into vegetarianism, so I changed my diet slowly from the Standard American Diet (S.A.D) to a vegetarian and then, finally, to vegan. Instead of changing all at once, I swapped one meal (S.A.D) with a vegetarian meal a week. I then went to two meals a week, then gradually went to 3 days a week (eating vegetarian all day) until all my meals became vegetarian.
When changing your diet, it’s helpful to remember that it may not be easy. You will have cravings for how you once ate but stay on course. It is also important to remember that if you slip up, IT’S OK! Having one or two bad meals will not derail your journey. Try not to dwell on it and get back on course. Understand, though, that being a vegetarian or vegan may not be for everyone. You should find a diet that works best for you and the health goals you have in mind.
For struggles with overeating, you can portion out each meal. Eating a palm-size (3-4 ounces) of proteins; fist-size (1 cup) of raw vegetables, fruits, salads, cereals, soups; one cupped hand size (½ cup) of pasta, beans, cooked vegetables, potatoes, rice; a thumb size (1-2 tablespoons) of dressings, sour cream, hard cheese, peanut butter, etc.; and a thumbnail size (1 teaspoon) of butter, margarine, mayonnaise, & oils. Drinking water to curve hunger cravings can also help in weight loss and hydration.
Also, I have to remind myself, my kids and I cannot eat what I do not buy; if I buy junk food, they will want it. If I buy more healthy snacks, then that is what they will eat. It is especially true with my toddler. She wants what everyone else has, so I try to be a good role model for her.
My son and daughter are my biggest fans and coaches in fitness. It took me years to finally be all-in when it came to exercise. I gained 60 pounds during both of my pregnancies and wanted a change. I made every excuse there was not to exercise; I had no time, my kids needed me, I was too busy, or could not afford it. I’ve learned that we make time for what is important to us. I get up early every day to exercise and get some time to myself. On days where my children are awake and cannot be in any of the other rooms in my house, I let them workout with me. When my children were younger, I used them as weights. I made it fun for them and challenging for me since I could not afford weights.
Do not let anything get in the way of your success, your goals, and your dreams. When you stop making excuses and start acting, you will find your dreams turning into accomplished goals and changes in your mind and body. The road may not always be easy for you, but it will be worth it. Write down your goals. Write out a plan for those goals and put some action behind them. You can do it!
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