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What’s the first thing you think of when someone asks you, ‘what does it mean to be healthy?’ I would hope you’d mention nutrient-rich whole foods, exercise that includes strength training and some cardio, along with drinking ample amounts of water. You can even throw vitamins into that mix as well! As a mama, it’s essential to include these healthy components into your daily life.
Taking care of ourselves and making sure we are living a healthy life seems easier said than done nowadays…It seems most mamas are running on too much caffeine, protein bars, and their kid’s leftovers. Not to mention, the food stocking our grocery stores continue to get worse and worse. It makes it harder to get the real nutrients our bodies need, unless you are intentionally looking at food labels and reading the ingredients. I encourage you to start if you don’t already!
Here are two breakfast ideas for a healthy, fit mama:
Option 1:
Two eggs, one or two slices of avocado toast on sourdough bread, drizzled with hot sauce (optional), and a couple organic chicken sausages (from Costco)
~25g protein
Option 2:
Overnight oats; mix all these ingredients together in a mason jar and place in the fridge overnight: ½ C. oats, ⅓ C milk of your choice, ½ scoop of vanilla protein powder, a squirt of honey, 1 tsp chia seeds, dash of cinnamon, ½-1 C. fresh chopped strawberries added on top
~23g protein
Working out is another thing you need to incorporate into your weekly activities to stay physically fit, mama. Walking and/or running, weight training, and HIIT (high intensity interval training) workouts are some I want to start with. These are three that I include into my weekly regime, minus the running for now. During my second pregnancy, I came across GlowBodyPT with Ashley Keller on YouTube. I did her free prenatal workout guide for my second and third trimesters—and it did not disappoint! After I gave birth, I purchased her 12 Week Post Pregnancy Guide which I started when I was 6 weeks postpartum. It’s a workout program tailored to gradually getting back into working out after having your baby alongside strengthening your pelvic floor muscles. Her program is top-notch and I highly recommend it to any mama who’s recently given birth, or is even one to two years out of post pregnancy—it’s just that good! All of her workouts are linked to YouTube (the guides that cost money are private videos on YouTube, so you only have access if you purchase the programs, but she has tons of free content on there too) which make them extremely easy to follow along with. Ashley works out too, like she’s right there with you.
Another workout program I utilize to stay fit and healthy is Beach Body OnDemand, except I think they have rebranded to BODi now. This is a paid subscription, but in my opinion, it’s been worth the money. The programs I’ve completed and recommend there are: Job 1, LIIFT 4, and 21 Day Fix. They have tons more that can meet any fit mama’s goals. However, since I’m four months postpartum, I have a week left in the 12 Week Post Pregnancy Guide and then I’ll be moving onto the programs I listed above on BODi. A perk of using these workout guides is that I get all my movement and activity done at home! No wasted time driving to the gym and back when I have two littles at home. Below are some lunch recipes to keep fueling your body:
Lunch/snack options for a fit mama:
Option 1:
Create a snack plate for lunch with 1 Chomps beef jerky stick, a handful of sliced cheese and some pretzels, a handful of berries, alongside some sliced carrots and a dab of ranch dressing. For more protein, add two hard boiled eggs to this as well.
~15g protein, ~25g with hard boiled eggs
Option 2:
One cup of Greek yogurt, ⅓ C. granola, a handful of mixed berries
~16g protein
Option 3:
Protein smoothie with ¾ C. blueberries, 1 Tbs of peanut butter, 1 scoop vanilla protein powder, ½ frozen banana, ½ C. milk (less or more for desired consistency)
~35g protein
Option 4:
Protein bar with a bowl of oatmeal; the oatmeal can be made with ½ C. organic steel-cut oats, a dash of cinnamon, splash of maple syrup, milk to desired consistency, and a handful of berries
~18g protein
The last thing I want to touch on are vitamins. There are tons of options out there for vitamins, but here are some that I find crucial to take in the postpartum season:
I still take a prenatal three to four months postpartum, and then I will switch to a postnatal or just a standard women’s multivitamin. I take magnesium to help with hormonal balance. Vitamin D is necessary for a breastfeeding mama. No need to give your baby the Vitamin D drops, if you’re taking the necessary dosage of Vitamin D yourself, since it passes through your breastmilk. Vitamin C and Zinc are great to have on hand through the cold season and also year round. Lastly, I take a probiotic that contains strains to benefit vaginal microbiome and urinary tract health.
I hope this post has helped encourage you to stay healthy and fit, mama! We need strength, energy, and endurance to raise our littles. Be blessed!
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