This Mother's Day 2022 blog is dedicated to having healthier eating habits as a Mum. As busy Mums, taking care of ourselves can often end up at the bottom of out to do list. One of the first things that usually ends up suffering, is what we eat. Raise your hand if you have been guilty of stress eating, filling up on junk or skipping meals altogether *raises hand*.
I’m a stay at home and work at home Mum-of-four and can say that I have been guilty of all of this during my parenting “career”. We need to realise that if we don’t fuel ourselves properly, we cannot be at our best to take care of our families. Not only do we end up feeling “meh” when our clothes don’t fit properly, but our energy levels and mental health cash take a hit too.
Since discovering exante products, I’ve established a super easy food and exercise routine that fits in with my busy lifestyle, keeps me going and helps me stay in shape too.
So what does my typical food diary look like? Let’s take a look.
5:30am
The only way that I can squeeze everything that I need to do into my day at the moment is to get up before my children. My alarm goes off at around 5am (it’s an app on my watch that wakes me when I’m in my lightest phase of sleep so that feel less groggy). When I get up I use the bathroom, then head downstairs for an ice cold BURST drink.
Credit: @mummyoffouruk
Not only does having a BURST when I get up ensure that I am instantly hydrating with 500ml of water, but it also contains caffeine to give me the boost I need to start the day. I’ve never been a tea or coffee person, but I love the taste of BURST from exante, they have become an enjoyable part of my morning routine that I look forward to every day.
I do a 15 minute barre workout, then I work at my computer, either writing for my blog or editing videos for my YouTube channel until my children get up around 7am.
Once I have finished my BURST drink, I refill my shaker with ice and water and add a squirt of flavouring such as the Lemon and Lime Flavoured Water Enhancer.
7:30am
Everyday, I have an exante Meal Replacement Bar for breakfast. Which flavour I go for varies a little, but will usually be either a Chocolate Caramel Crunch, a Cookies & Cream or a Chocolate Fudge bar, depending upon my mood. I know that if my first food of the day is packed with protein, then it will keep me fuller for longer and set me right for the day.
The children have cereal and chopped up fruit for breakfast, so I'll have some chopped fruit too.
10:30am
Some days I have a mid morning snack at this point and other days I don’t bother. My snack will either be fruit, carrot or cucumber sticks with hummus. If I have been especially active and I'm unusually hungry, I'll sometimes have an exante Meal Replacement Bar.
12 noon
Lunch time! For lunch, I go for one of these 4 options:
- An exante Meal Replacement Bar - either Chocolate Mint Cookie, Cookies & Cream, Salted Caramel or Chocolate Fudge
- An exante Meal Replacement Meal with salad - the Indian Style Curry is my favourite
- Vegetable stir fry
- Vegetable chilli (batch cooked and frozen into individual portions in advance for me to microwave when I need them)
I find that if I stick to one of these options, I stay on track. If I deviate too far from these choices and eat something that I used to eat, such as toast, wraps or sandwiches for example, my eating habits seem to go quickly off the rails. I end up having a “crash” mid afternoon and reaching for rubbish.
You see, my will power is like my phone battery. It starts the day at 100% and diminishes as the day goes on. The further through the day that I get sticking to my eating routine, the better my eating habits for that day are. Having these pre-determined food choices to pick from, (all of which are both simple and enjoyable) helps me avoid mindless snacking and stress or binge eating.
1:00pm
After lunch my youngest daughter has a nap and my other children play quietly, so it’s time for me to squeeze in some work. I usually have another BURST multivitamin energy drink at this point to keep me focussed and help to avoid me falling into an afternoon slump.
3:00pm
Some days I will have a snack at mid afternoon. Whether I am hungry enough to need a snack depends largely upon what I have had for lunch (I am often more peckish If I have had a vegetable based lunch like chilli or stir fry than if I have had an exante protein based product). If I do snack, it’s an exante Chocolate Mint Cookie, Cookies & Cream, Salted Caramel or Chocolate Fudge Bar or some chopped fruit that I reach for.
5:00pm
We eat every evening together as a family at 5pm. We have probably 15 family meals that I can make on rotation that I know that the whole family will enjoy.
Every evening meal contains a potion of vegetables and I generally add salad on the side of each meal, but I don’t stress over things like calorie content for this meal. I know that if I have stuck to my food plan through the day, then I can eat a sensible portion of pretty much whatever I fancy at dinner time without the worry of gaining weight. This means that some of my evening meals contain often “forbidden” foods like chips, pasta and other carbs.
I do try to stick to “the rules” that all “skinny” people go by when eating my meals, including:
- Drinking a large glass of water (or water with flavouring in my case) before eating.
- Chewing my food thoroughly and eating slowly enough to be able to hear my body’s signals when I am getting full.
- Stopping eating when I am full and not feeling it necessary to clear my plate.
By using exante products to help me make easy and sensible choices all day, I never have to feel guilty about enjoying these family meals each evening.
8:00pm
If I am going to have chocolate or wine, I try to leave it until the evening,. I know many an expert will say that late evening eating is not good for you, but it works for me. Having sugary treats earlier in the day will send me into a sugar crash / reach for the sugar cycle that can easily spiral out of control. I don’t indulge every evening, nor do I deny myself these treats if I fancy them.
I guess that this is another reason that I love the exante bars so much. On the occasions that I crave chocolate earlier in the day (keeping in mine that I am a total chocoholic), I just opt for a chocolate based Meal Replacement Bar and it satisfies my craving.
Find what works for you
Here are my top Mother's Day 2022 tips for establishing your own food routine that incorporates exante:
Choose those products that “spark joy”
There is no good having a huge variety of options if you are not as keen on some flavours. Find your faves and stick to them!
Keep a good stock
There is noting worse than running out of the products that you need and been thrown off your good habit routine.
Hydrate hydrate hydrate!
Often we are not hungry, we are just thirsty. After you have finished your BURST drink, refill your shaker with water and a dash of Water Enhancer and keep it with you all day. Aim to drink at least 2500-3000ml every day.
Be kind to yourself!
We all have “off days” where our good habits go out of the window. Avoid the “oh it’s all ruined now, I may as well binge eat” (Yes, I have been there so many times before). Accept that you are human, shrug it off and get back to your good habits.
Remember that food should be both fun and fuel
Eat what you love and eat what will really keep you going so that you have the energy to cram all that you need to cram into your busy life.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FPieHsRFrwk
I hope you've enjoyed my Mother's Day 2022 blog- there's plenty of useful tips to incorporate this Mother's Day and in your everyday routine for a healthier lifestyle!
How are you spending your Mother's Day 2022? We'd love to find out! Be sure to reach out to us via social media and tag us in all your Mothers Day posts!
Please note – Our blog articles should be used for informational and educational purposes only and are not intended to be taken as medical advice. If you are concerned, please consult a health professional before taking dietary supplements or introducing any major changes to your diet.
