Many thanks to Starbucks Refreshers for sponsoring this post!
I’ve been a stay-at-home mom, working mom and work-from-home mom and one thing that remained the same in all cases was that I’ve always been busy. Parenting can suck all of your physical energy especially while your kids are still very young. Over the past few years, I’ve learned a few things that have definitely helped me to feel energized and get through the busiest of days. I know some of you are probably new moms who are adjusting to life with a pint size boss or just a plain exhausted veteran mom. So I wanted to share some energizing tips for busy moms that’s worked for me that you can implement into your days.
{Mornings}
Wake up early
I started waking up at 4:00am a few weeks ago and since then I’ve noticed that I am much more energized and organized during the day. As an early riser, I can take my time and get through my day with intention and ease and enjoy some sentimental summer moments with my children.
Whenever I hit snooze and sleep in, I end up eventually having to drag myself out of bed and I am constantly racing to get everything completed, very exhausted.
Eat Breakfast
One of my personal rules is to always eat breakfast. I know that most of us feel like we just don’t have the time to sit and eat but as clichéd as it sounds, it is the most important meal of the day. If you currently don’t have the time to make breakfast, try doing so the night before or having your breakfast on the go. A healthy breakfast with some protein will give you the energy boost that you need to run after your babies during the day.
Exercise
While I haven’t found an exercise routine that I have been consistent with, I know that I get a great energy boost whenever I exercise especially in the morning. Exercising puts me in a great mood for the day. All of the endorphins that I release gives me a natural high and puts me in high spirits both mentally and physically. Whenever, I don’t have time to do a full workout I try to do a few mountain climbers and burpees in my bedroom to increase my heart rate.
{Afternoons}
An Afternoon Pick-me-up Drink
The period between lunch and dinner is usually when I start feeling tired. If I woke up early, it’s just about the time that I feel like crashing. Not to mention, it’s usually the period when my toddler is freshly up from a nap and filled with energy. Whenever I feel myself on the verge of crashing, I put him in the stroller and walk over to Starbucks to grab a Starbucks Refreshers™ drink. I’m not sure if it’s the green coffee and natural caffeine but it always works without making me feel over stimulated. I usually grab either the Strawberry Lemonade or Raspberry Raspberry Pomegranate flavors which taste really good and take a nice stroll to get myself up again.
{Evenings}
Start Kids Bedtime Routine before dinner
I used to wait until our family had dinner to start getting the kids ready for bed. That sometimes meant rushing through dinner so I had enough time to bathe them, brush their teeth and read to them before bedtime. This schedule caused our evenings to become very stressful for me and I wasn’t able to enjoy family time at the dinner table. To remedy this, I switched my kids’ bath time to before or during dinner preparations. For instance, I bathe them while my husband prepares dinner or while we wait for a hot meal to cool out. That way all that’s left to do is read books and brush teeth after dinner. It’s a small change that’s made a big difference in the flow of our evenings and made our home less stressful.
{Nights}
Get sleep.
For us moms, sleeping isn’t always as easy as getting 7 hours sleep at night especially if you’re still nursing or you wake up to take your child to use the bathroom. To make sure I get enough sleep, I try to squeeze in naps ever so often or I head to bed earlier than usual after nights when my sleep was interrupted. Also, it’s important to let your significant other know that you’re tired and really need rest. Ask them to take over the responsibility of taking the little ones to the potty or answering their midnight requests for water.
Keep your smartphone away from your bed.
Let’s be honest here, one of the main reasons that many of us aren’t sleeping enough is because we are scrolling through social networks at bedtime. You know how you lay down and find that you’re having a hard time falling asleep so you pick up your phone and start scrolling through Instagram and another hour later, you’re still scrolling. Smartphones stimulates us and contributes significantly to insomnia putting us in a vicious cycle of poor sleep. Of course, I am not perfect and I am guilty of doing this but recently I’ve started to place my phone a few feet away from my bed that way I am unable to reach it while I am laying down – and guess what I’ve been falling asleep.
Anyway, these are some ways that I’ve been able to boost my energy and have revitalized myself enough to get through busy mommy days.
How do you boost your energy?
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I have to agree that waking up early makes a world of difference, and that bit about keeping your phone away at night ( couldn’t agree more) ! Great post mama!
Author
Yes, I had to learn the hard way. Thanks for stopping by 🙂
I’m not a mom, but I think many of these tips hold true for busy parents of any sex. Great article.
Author
You’re right Ben! Since, I’m writing from my perspective I didn’t want to include men.
This is so me lately. I need these tips. I have been so exhausted beyond whats the norm for me, so these I will be trying!
Author
Oh no, I hop this helps 🙂
I have been slipping away from going to bed early lately so I gotta make sure to get back to that. Thank you for these tips. You look gorgeous by the way.
Author
No problem and thank you 🙂
I’m a morning person, too. All of my kids are grown now, but I get so much done when I get up at 4:30 every morning. I just have to make myself stop working when it’s time to go to bed.
Author
Oh yes, sounds like you work a lot maybe you have to just close the computer half hour or so before bed time.
I need to get back to exercising and get a healthy amount of sleep. Those are my biggest struggles. I know more sleep and being active will give me the energy I’m missing.
Author
Yes definitely, I’m not active as I would like to be but I am making up on #TeamSleep lol
I am a morning person if I get enough sleep the night before 😉 I don’t know if I could do 4am though!
Author
4 am is really not that bad 🙂
It seems contradictory but exercise works wonders for me…it keeps me energized to get through the evening!
Author
Yes, it’s the magic pill.
It’s funny how exercise serves to energize isn’t it? But it’s absolute fact that it does. 🙂
Author
Yes, I always thought it would drain me lol
I’ve been wanting to get into a groove where I wake up earlier than usual (it does feel like you get extra day and have more energy), but 4AM – oh no, that’s not possible for me.
Author
Ha! I probably would of said that a year ago too but it’s not that bad.
I could use all the energy I can get! I have to eat breakfast or I definitely feel weak!
Author
Yes, me too. I’m not one of the people who could go without breakfast.
Get sleep is the most important one! The biggest way my husband has helped me out is when he lets me sleep in for a few extra hours. It makes a world of difference.
I need to get better sleep. Chronic pain is no joke. It keeps me up at night and messes with my whole day. If I dont get enough sleep, exercise is impossible, even with the pain.
Author
Oh I’m sorry to hear about the chronic pain.
I refresh with a nap. I usually try to take one when the kids are in school and the infant goes down for a nap.
Author
Oh thats awesome Nickida
I have to start my day with a good breakfast or i have no energy all day. I find having small snacks every few hours helps me stay energetic.
Author
Yes, that also works. Healthy snacks 🙂