Kiddipedia
Juggling a job, kids and a routine can seem overwhelming sometimes. As a parent, it’s easy to lose yourself day to day while trying to manage to stay afloat. Here are several things parents can do to help themselves stay on track, healthy, motivated, confident, and most importantly, happy.
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Create a schedule and stick to it
It’s time to invest in a wall calendar, day planner or app to keep yourself in check. We are only human and need all the help we can get to maintain busy parent schedules and not let a few chores, sports games, or personal tasks slip off the to-do list. Structure in a day is vital and can be fixed by blocking out 30 minutes in the morning to focus and plan a day ahead. In the same way, as we need schedules to train, sticking to a schedule, is as hard as it may be to maintain it sometimes.
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Going for walks with the kids
Parents know getting in any exercise with kids around is hard, especially when they must work to their schedule as well as your own. There are, however, easy ways to get time and exercise together, for example – a 10,000 step walk together. Getting your daily steps in is guaranteed to make you feel active and healthier, which in turn plays a part in building happiness and confidence. If not a walk, try new things which are fun and enjoyable to do together like puppy yoga or biking at the park. Treat yourself and your family by disconnecting from the hustle and bustle of what is going on at school, home or at work, while getting in shape at the same time.
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Invest in yourself
Living a parent’s life can be extremely tiring and impact the way you take care of yourself. Parents tend to get lost in the process tending to everyone else’s needs and theirs get left behind. However, it’s time to take control and invest in yourself and what would make you feel your most happy and confident. Research from SmileDirectClub found that almost half (45%) of Aussie adults would change something about their smile, and in return gain confidence through doing so. What’s more, the research also revealed one third (34%) of Aussie adults believe if they were to have their teeth straightened, it would inspire them to make lifestyle changes. The most common positive lifestyle changes they would be inspired to make are having photos taken of themselves (20%) and they would go to more events and spend more time socially (12%). So be sure to take the time to find something and prioritise it so you can feel best about yourself.
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Time to say hello
Going out and being open to meeting new families can bring on a deep sense of happiness, but it goes hand in hand with having the confidence to go out and do so. Making friends with people at similar stages of their life can be easier and more beneficial to gain tips and tricks you can implement in your own household. Don’t forget to smile too! Over six in ten (62%) Aussies say that if someone smiled at them, they would think they are welcoming, while 47% say they would be warm, 31% would say the person is confident, 29% say they want to connect and 22% say they want to be friends.
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Eat the greens
One of the key aspects of feeling your best is nourishing your body with the best. When it comes to eating, introducing healthy habits to your kids earlier in life will stick around for the long term. Embracing healthy eating as a family will encourage the little ones to do the same. With the whole family involved there are no temptations or pressure. With a lot of family support, everyone will uplift each other. Try spending more time in the kitchen and cooking some delicious and healthy recipes as a team. There’s no losing here, get together and get healthy eating!
Jono Costano is a Fitness Coach and Celebrity Personal Trainer and a SmileDirectClub confidence council member.
