Tips for a Happier and Healthier Lifestyle

Whether you’re at home or at work, looking after your body is an essential step towards being an energetic, happy, and confident mom.  This has taken me a while to realize, but it is key for my overall happiness and wellbeing.

Always start with breakfast 

A good breakfast sets you up for the day; it provides the energy you need to get through a busy morning, it improves concentration and cognitive skills and of course, it stops you feeling hungry mid-morning.

 A well balanced breakfast should include a variety of foods from the main food groups:

• Aim for a combination of whole grains to provide starchy carbohydrate for energy 
• Fruit to provide valuable vitamins and minerals 
• Eggs or Shakeology to provide protein! 

During the school year, especially I don't have a a lot of time to invest in preparing breakfast so I love that I can get my protein, fruit and somedays if I choose I even add oats to my Shakeology to get in that extra carb!

Aim for at least 2-5 a day 

It may sound like a cliché but eating more fruit and vegetables really can improve your sense of wellbeing.

Fruit and vegetables help us to stay healthy because they contain so many vitamins and minerals needed by different functions in the body, particularly the immune system. They’re an excellent source of dietary fibre, which helps maintain a healthy gut and prevent constipation and other digestion problems which can cause sluggishness and fatigue.

The amount of fruit you should allot yourself per day all depends on your health and fitness goals.  A great program that teaches the basics of nutrition for lifestyle or to lose weight is the 21 Day Fix!

Include some oily fish 

A healthy diet should include at least two portions of fish a week, including one of oily fish. That’s because fish and shellfish are good sources of many vitamins and minerals such as iodine and vitamin D which we don’t find in too many other foods. Oily fish – such as salmon, mackerel, trout, sardines and fresh tuna – is particularly rich in long-chain omega-3 fatty acids, which help to keep your heart healthy and boost immunity.

Keep well hydrated

Even mild dehydration (before you even feel thirsty) can make you feel tired and irritable (even without the loss of sleep), so drink little and often throughout the day to top up your fluid levels and maintain good hydration.

Healthy Snacks

When you’re concentrating hard at work or busy with the kids at home, the brain’s energy needs are high and a fall in blood sugar levels can impact on your performance

Try the following:

• Chopped fresh fruit such as melon or berries 
• Vegetables sticks 
•  A handful of dried fruit and mixed nuts or seeds 
• Wholegrain crackers with a slice or two of cheese 
• Rice cakes topped with natural peanut butter 
• Greek Yogurt Smoothies (*Shakeology is also great as a snack!) 
• A small amount of nuts 

Avoiding kids’ leftovers Avoiding your children’s leftovers can be a big problem.  They can also be called, "BLT's" (Bites.Licks.Tastes) Why do we do this? Because it’s there? Because we still feel guilty about the starving children our own parents told us about? Because hours-old pizza crusts and handfuls of semi-stale Cheerios just taste really, really good?  Did you know that "BLT's" can easily add an extra 200 calories onto your day!

Cheers to eating healthier!