5 Tips for Tired Parents
“It’s been a hard day’s night,” sang the Beatles...and tired parents get it! Having kids fed, dressed and out the door by 7.30/8 am can feel like a day’s worth of work.
And what if your sleep is interrupted? It’s hard to draw on depleted energy reserves day after day, look after your family AND prioritise your own health and fitness.
As new parents we can totally relate! Luca is our priority, we are going on broken sleep and our training is definietly no longer the most important thing. However it is still important so we try to make sure we get 3-4 exercise sessions in each and the workout itself will vary depending on how we feel, how we have slept and how busy life is at that moment in time.
So here we have 5 tips to help you build your energy reserves and create some balance in your everyday life.
Let go of expectations.
Social media, magazines and glossy ads are promoting unrealistic expectations around parenting and home maintenance. Try to avoid the comparison trap. This can be stressful, driving down your mood and your energy levels along with it.
Every situation, like every child, is unique.
Don’t worry about house tidiness, fancy meals or entertaining others. Plan for irregular sleep patterns if you have a newborn or unwell child. So don’t worry about what you ‘should’ be doing, and just focus on what is possible for you, with your unique set of life circumstances.
Take time out.
Have more "me"time. Whether its an evening out with your partner, or maybe if you can't get someone to mind the kids one of you go see friends and then you swap on another evening. Work together to allow each other to go to your favourite exercise classes. Have a warm bath. Take 20 minutes to watch part of your favourite show or read a book.
Exercise.
You need to use energy to create energy. It sounds counterintuitive, but it checks out. People who do regular exercise often report feeling more energised. You could try:
walking every day (just 30 minutes every day helps improve cardiovascular fitness, strengthen bones, reduce excess body fat, and boost muscle power and endurance)
joining a sports team
taking a strength training class
taking a yoga or pilates class.
Taking time to do some mobility and light core work is a productive session that can be counted towards your exercise for the week on days where you feel really tired.
Eat as well as you can when you can!
A good way to keep up your energy through the day is to eat regular meals and healthy snacks! We all know how hard it is to maintain a healthy and balanced diet, but all these macro and micronutrients are known to play an important role in our daily energy and our cognitive function.
Ask For help.
Don’t let pride (or shame) stop you from getting help from others when you need it. No-one is a super-hero, and there is nothing wrong with letting others help you out, however it may be. This goes for every part of your life:
Asking friends/family for help with childcare when you’re in a pinch
Outsourcing your health and fitness to a professional (whether it’s in-person classes, or online coaching or programming)
Asking others for advice or tips when you’re in a tough spot
Whatever it is you need help with, don’t hesitate asking people in your support network - you’d be surprised how happy people will be to help you out, and how much easier this could make your life at challenging times. After all, wouldn’t you be happy to help out one of your loved ones when they were in need?
