Sunday 7 May 2017

How to use your free time to refresh your mind





"Life is all about balance. You don't always need to be getting stuff done. Sometimes it's perfectly okay, and absolutely necessary, to shut down, kickback, and do nothing." Lori Deschene




It can sometimes feel that we have a lot on our plate and we must get everything done. Yes, the things we do in our daily lives are important.  Especially our role as parents, but what is also important is not getting burnt out and mentally fatigued.  Therefore, it is imperative that we make free time a priority in order to keep our sanity and live happier and more fulfilled lives. Here are some ways we can use our free time.








1.Enjoy Nature




Enjoy natures gifts by going to the beach, go hiking, snorkeling, sight seeing whatever there is to do in your area that will help you simply enjoy mother Earth's beauty and help relax your mind.






2. Do a project




Why not do that little project you wanted to do for a long time, like making a flower garden, learning to crochet, writing an e book, trying out that new recipe you saw on Pinterest, there are so much more you can delve into.
 Learning new things changes your perspective on life and sometimes that is just what you need to look at and change how you do things.





3. Do absolutely Nothing




If we seat back and let our minds wonder, we will be amazed by the big creative ideas that we will come up with. Sometimes when we just let go, we create effective systems that make our lives more convenient.




4.Volunteerism/ Community service




Being of service to others can be a very rewarding experience and sometimes if we take the time off to help someone in need, we will be more appreciative of our own blessings and realize how insignificant our complaints can be.




5.Sleep




As individual, we tend to have so much to do in limited time, that the only thing we can sacrifice is sleep. While I believe that the healthier option is to maintain a consistent sleeping routine that will help your body rejuvenate it self,  sometimes that simple act just do not happen, so use this time to catch up on well needed sleep.




6.Get inspired


Pray, meditate, read self development books or even listen to some TED Talks. Opening our minds to different teachings can only help us grow in to better human beings.




How do you use your free time let me know in the comments.




Thank you for reading  











Monday 1 May 2017

Weight loss after pregnancy and a busy schedule







when you are a mother, finding time to exercise at the gym can be tricky and sometimes straight out impossible. I am here to tell you, all is not lost, with consistent baby steps you can see big transformation in your body.


Before I continue with my  tips, I must say, I am not a fitness expert, nor am I at my ideal weight, what I will be sharing are tips that helped me with my weight loss journey.








  1. Reduce sugar intake


This has been the most effective change I have made. The cutting out of sugar from my diet has helped significantly with my journey, not only in the shedding of pounds but also in the way I feel.  Prior to making this change I constantly felt fatigued or exhausted, now I have more energy at the end of the day, I no longer feel sluggish.  I must warn, that the sugar withdrawal was a challenge for me at first, and at times I was straight up grouchy because; I wanted sugar! but I stuck to the commitment.
What  I will suggest though, is that you take it in stages, you can start by replacing soda with water and reducing the amount of sugar in your tea.














2. Incorporate the kids





  By now you must be thinking, 'she must have a lot of time on her hands. I don't, the kids follow me even to the bathroom, how am I going to do this?' Trust me, I do not have much time on my hands  either. what I do is have my kids join me. So, how about you have your kids join you, blast the music or put on a video and dance or jump away. This brings me to my next point.














3.  Make it fun


Put on some up beat music and freestyle dance away or do Zumba, Latin, hip hop dances. You can even mix it up by taking short brisk walks outdoors while you pushing the stroller. You can also at times do yoga so you would not get bored doing the same thing.










4. Meal Plan







Plan what it is you are going to cook for the week, if you do that you will be able to check out the nutritional value of what is it you are putting into your body. You will be able to plan alternatives to the not so healthy quick meals that you will usually cook.








5. Drink lots of water


Drinking water is good,  it helps with the flushing out of toxins, it increases energy level and relieves fatigue, it promotes weight loss plus a whole host of other good stuff.  So, set reminders in your phone to help you drink every hour.












6. Schedule Workout






I know, I know, schedule workout sounds like something big and 'I am a busy mom I do not have the time'. Well, I simply mean make a note of when exactly you plan to do your  'exercise' so if it is as soon as the kids  arrive home from school, then change and go with them for that brisk walk.
















7.Skip it out




If all else fails, get a skipping rope and when ever you have a few minutes to spare just skip away.






How do you plan to shed the extra pound? Please let me know in the comments.












Thank You for reading.