Personal Care for Mothers: Amidst The Chaos

7 Tips To Take Care Of Your Body as a Mother

1. Get more sleep; I know how busy life can get. In between is our work, family, chores, and our sleep and rest can suffer. However, you have to be intentional about getting good, quality, just enough sleep, no matter how busy the days seem. This is because the only way our brain gets to excrete waste is through sleep. So if you keep depriving yourself of that, researchers have shown that it might have a relationship/predispose one to have Alzheimer’s disease later in life, among other complications. The average sleep for an adult should be at least six to nine per night. Sleep is also a way for your brain to build strong neural networks and improve learning/memory. So mum, next time you are tempted to go for a sleepless night in the name of making money, remember that sleep itself is part of the wellness toolkit and should not be compromised on, if not for yourself, but for the sake of the babies, they sure need you at every stage of their life, so for the family, sleep well, okay?.

2. Move around for 30 minutes a day; You must have heard several times in the news about the importance of Exercise. Now, I’m not preaching the active form like going to a gym, registering for yoga classes, etc. While these are incredibly great, if you can do, why not?. However, I understand that the discipline, consistency, and the time to do that might seem scarce for our mummies, so instead, I’m just going to advise you to keep getting yourself in motion for at least 30 minutes a day. It can range from taking a walk to your workplace, when coming back home, if it’s not too far, or maybe during a break at work, you can stroll or jog to the restaurant nearby. To be more accountable, you can even get some apps that can do the counting of steps for you, and yes, there are apps like that, just search. The beautiful thing about this is that you don’t have to do 30 minutes straight at once, you can do 10 minutes at different times of the day, and you can even do more depending on your capacity. To get yourself started, you can start with the smallest you can and increase it as you go forward.

3. Have a cold shower bath; Cleansing your body with cold water at least twice a day is nice. Warm/hot water can open up pores and expose your skin to bacteria. Drinking as much water, between 7-8 glasses of water a day, is also a healthy lifestyle for your skin.

The use of facial products like face masks; can improve blood circulation to your skin and boost your facial radiance. This can be done by yourself at home or in a salon, whichever works for you. Look for some key ingredients in body products; From antioxidants to retinol, vitamin C, lactic acid, as this helps promote skin exfoliation.

Take the right supplements; Collagen supplements, including vitamins, helps to boost your skin and improve elasticity. However, you might have to consult with your dermatologist to find out the correct ones, including dosages to take.

Reduce your risk of skin cancer; Do you know that bleaching creams predispose one to have skin cancer? Also, use sunscreen, and don’t expose your body recklessly and directly to the hot weather. You can as well do a skin check once a month. In addition, be on the lookout for any skin changes like a mole, color change, and report to your doctor as soon as possible.

4. Protect your peace of mind and take care of your mental health; I know how costly that can be, especially how miserable life can seem when battling toxic and abusive relationships. Many of us fit into people’s expectations and judgment in our world. Mom,  it’s okay to be you and to care about you only. I know how hard it is to let go but move on. Have a stress-reduction technique in handy; In between trying to thrive and survive, we get exposed to stressors that are pretty detrimental to our physical and mental health. So a way to deal with that is to have different coping mechanisms at hand, which involves; having a good and reliable support system like friends and family,

5. Have children by choice, and not be chances; Yes. I’m talking about family planning. Don’t make the first mistake you made. I know you probably can’t control yourself/ the man, but you can make arrangements before time. Go to a health facility and get the necessary information and resources that will equip you to make that decision entirely and take that action.

6. Quit smoking; Just like taking alcohol, there are thousands of diseases associated with smoking, from the respiratory system, particularly the lung, to having awful effects on pregnancy, fertility, low birth weight,  including predisposing you to cancers, etc. So your goal should be total abstinence from it, and if you find it difficult to stop, seek therapeutic advice from healthcare professionals. That way, a plan can be developed for you.

Reduce your weight; Have you heard about BMI before?. BMI, which means Body Mass Index is If your BMI is above 25.0, you are overweight, and from 30.0 is obesity. Limit cholesterol, and include healthy fat; Unhealthy ones can predispose you to heart-related diseases like atherosclerosis, especially obesity.

Regular health screening can make a big difference; Include that in your monthly and yearly plans to book an appointment with your healthcare provider to do a relevant screening test required of you at a particular time/age. It would be best if you understood that prevention is not only better than cure. It is cost-effective too. For this, you can ensure your health to make the whole process is cost-effective

7. Adopt a healthy sexual life; Sexual wellness is a big part of the whole thing, ensuring you recognize and acknowledge your sexual needs and discuss with your partners. If it is beyond what you both can handle, don’t hesitate to seek a sex therapist. Sex can be an issue, especially when you are near or at menopausal age, with different symptoms ranging from low libido, painful sexual intercourse, dry vaginal due to reduced lubrication, a reduced stimulus to sexual activities. These are common problems encountered at that age, so you and your partner have to come together to understand and support each other, including seeking help.