Recharging Your Batteries

By Winnie Yu for Completely You



Most moms I know run around like Energizer bunnies, forever on the go. We’re always busy doing things for our families, running the household and working hard at our jobs. Every night, we dutifully plug in our cell phones so the batteries can recharge. But how religious are we about recharging our own batteries?

Years ago, when my girls were young, I stopped taking care of myself. I’d go weeks without exercise. I didn’t get enough sleep. I worked long hours. I rarely went out with friends. But then I realized the truth in what flight attendants said: “When the plane hits turbulence, and you need an oxygen mask, always slip yours on first.” Without enough oxygen for yourself, there’s little you can do for your child -- or anyone else for that matter.

With that sage advice in mind, I began doing a better job of recharging my own batteries.

• Exercise regularly. No matter what else I have planned for the day, I make it a priority to move. Some days, it’s an hour-long visit to the gym and a 3-mile walk with my dog. Other days, it’s two 10-minute walks with the dog and nothing else. Regular activity helps my mood, gives me energy and makes it easier for me to fall asleep.
• Eat well -- most of the time. I love desserts, snacks and all sorts of junk food. Given the choice, I’d live on French fries, burgers and pizza. But when I did eat that way, I didn’t really feel good. Now, I start my breakfast with berries, orange juice and another piece of fruit. I eat a salad almost every day, and I’m careful to watch my intake of red meat. I also try to eat lean proteins, including fish once or twice a week.
• Get your rest. A good night’s sleep doesn’t come easily to me these days, so I’ve devised a list of strategies that help ease me into it, including regular exercise, chamomile tea, melatonin and middle-of-the-night viewings of “Mad Men” reruns on Netflix. If I still don’t get enough sleep, I take a short nap during the day -- just 15 minutes are usually enough. Most important, I try not to sweat my lack of sleep. 
• Find things that make you laugh. I’m lucky to be surrounded by humor. For starters, I’m married to a very funny man whose take on life has always made me laugh. On top of that, some of my best friends are also the funniest people I know. They can drop one-liners with the best of them and see the irony in any situation. Throw in a good sitcom, a funny movie or a conversation with my daughters, who are fabulous comedians without always meaning to be, and I’m well-stocked with the laughter we all need to get through life.
• Rediscover your hobbies and passions -- or try out new ones. For years, I was an avid reader, a tennis player and a bicyclist. After having kids, all those hobbies fell by the wayside. Now that my girls are a little older, I’m rediscovering my love of reading and I’m back on my bike more regularly. Tennis? I’m giving that a try in a few days; I’ll see if I can resume that passion. In the meantime, I’ve discovered yoga and scrapbooking, and I’ve gone back to playing my flute.
• Spend time with friends. Whether it’s your best friend from high school or a new acquaintance from the PTA, being with friends is medicine for the soul -- even if you’re just commiserating or swapping cleaning tips. Human beings are social creatures, and being with others gives us perspective, camaraderie and energy.

Every mom has her own recipe for recharging her batteries. Whatever you need to recapture your zest, do it. Your family will thank you for it.

For more great health and lifestyle content, check out the rest of Completely You

Winnie Yu is Completely You’s mom blogger. She has two daughters (Samantha, 14, and Annie, 12) and is the author of seven books, including New Mother’s Guide to Breastfeeding and What to Eat for What Ails You. Her work has appeared in numerous publications, including Woman’s Day, AARP Bulletin, Prevention and WebMD.com.

Yoga, Personalized

By Winnie Yu for Completely You



I know you’re supposed to wear spandex and cute, stretchy little tops when you’re doing a downward dog. But these days, you’re more likely to find me dressed in my bathrobe and pajamas when I’m in a yoga pose. I call it “Bathrobe Yoga,” and I like to think of it as my own brand of yoga.

Like most moms, my time is tight. Although I’d prefer to do yoga two or three times a week, the reality is that I usually get to a class only once or twice a month. That’s why I’ve resorted to doing yoga in short spurts, most often at night when I’m in my pj’s and bathrobe.

I admit it isn’t exactly a pretty sight. While I’m watching TV at night -- or when I first wake up in the morning -- I’ll do some simple twists and bends, maybe a crescent lunge, or some cats and dogs. Sometimes, I’ll do the goddess pose or a rag doll. I can even do an occasional sun salutation -- all from the comfort of my home.

Could I change into my yoga clothes? Of course I could. But that would take time, and sometimes, I’m just that lazy. For me, it’s often easier to do something right then and there, when the mood to strike a pose strikes.

No doubt, my home practice lacks the rigor of the class I take at my local studio. I don’t hold the poses as long, and I probably don’t push myself as hard. And my attire certainly imposes some limits on my movements. But so far, it’s doing what I want it to do, which is to maintain my flexibility between classes.

Making time for things we love isn’t always easy. And it’s laughable to think of myself as a yogini in a fuzzy bathrobe. But sometimes, moms like me simply have to modify their activities and find new ways to do them. (For example, see how to do yoga while making breakfast.) That’s what Bathrobe Yoga is: my own unique way of doing the yoga I love, without worrying about wardrobe.

Tried yoga yet? Comment below or connect with me @Completely_You



Winnie Yu is Completely You’s mom blogger. She has two daughters (Samantha, 14, and Annie, 12) and is the author of seven books, including New Mother’s Guide to Breastfeeding and What to Eat for What Ails You. Her work has appeared in numerous publications, including Woman’s Day, AARP Bulletin, Prevention and WebMD.com.

Why Moms Should Meditate

By Winnie Yu for Completely You



I’m no good at sitting still. In fact, I’m more of a whirling dervish, with bundles of energy and plenty of movement. So when I tried to take up meditation a few years ago, it was a struggle. A big one. My thoughts whirred in all directions. What do I need at the store today? Did I forget to pay that bill? What time is Samantha’s dentist appointment?

Bringing myself to stillness turned out to be more challenging than any athletic endeavor I ever attempted. It was tougher than learning to ski and play tennis. It was more difficult than the ballroom dance classes that my husband and I took. It was certainly more difficult than yoga and tai chi, which still allowed me to move while watching my breath.

Yet I’d heard so much about the benefits of meditating that I simply had to try it. The result is my own special brand of mediation, what I call mom’s meditative magic. I like to think of it as a temporary suspension from reality -- a short break from the chaos around me.

How I do it: Basically, I try to put what’s going on around me into the background and bring my breath to the foreground. When the focus shifts, I begin to listen to my breath and feel for the rise and fall of my chest. Sometimes, I count: one … two … three. Often, before I even get to 10, I have zoned out, but in a way that’s deliberate, focused and calming. Want more instructions? Check out this video on one-moment meditation.

Sometimes, my brief meditative moments are the only thing that keeps me sane on a bad day. For instance, when the kids are fighting, I will sometimes disappear into my own head. Or when I’m rushing around from one thing to the next, I’ll pause and think about my breath. Sometimes, I just focus on the mundane task at hand, like washing dishes or driving.

These fleeting bouts of meditative escapes may not bring about the brain-boosting, soul-soothing calm that 20 minutes on a yoga mat might. But they keep me sane when I’m feeling anything but. For busy moms like me, that’s priceless.

Like this post? Comment below or connect with us @Completely_You
For more great health & lifestyle content, visit the parent site of my blog, Completely You

Photo: @iStockphoto.com/shironosov


Winnie Yu is Completely You’s mom blogger. She has two daughters (Samantha, 14, and Annie, 12) and is the author of seven books, including New Mother’s Guide to Breastfeeding and What to Eat for What Ails You. Her work has appeared in numerous publications, including Woman’s Day, AARP Bulletin, Prevention and WebMD.com.

Keep Your Workout Habit Alive

By Winnie Yu for Completely You



I’ve been a committed exerciser for years. I walk. I go to the gym. I lift weights. I ride my bike. I do yoga. In fact, exercise is a daily priority, one that almost never falls by the wayside. It helps me sleep better, improves my mood and keeps me at a healthy weight.

But even the most committed exercise queen is going to have the occasional busy day when she just can’t do as much as she’d like. On those days, it just doesn’t seem worth the effort to get dressed, slog my way to the gym and work out for a mere 15 minutes.

In the past, I used to write those days off, and then spend evenings enjoying a bowl of ice cream topped with guilt. Before I knew it, a few more busy days had gone by. Soon, it was an entire week.
Not good.

Eventually, I realized that doing only a few minutes of exercise was better than doing none at all. Now, on my busy days, I simply do whatever I can, even it’s just a five-minute walk up the street or a 20-minute visit to the gym. These tiny spurts of exercise -- if you can even call them that -- don’t exactly help me sleep better or fend off any weight gain. But they do keep me in the habit of exercise.

When life gets busy, it’s all about maintaining the habit. It isn’t about working at my target heart rate for a sustained period of time, or doing three sets of 10 reps on every machine. And it’s certainly not about finding my edge in a yoga pose, or tackling a new ride on long, windy roads. (Read how another mom manages to fit in fitness here.)

On those busiest of days, I’m working out for one reason: to stay in my exercise groove. So the next time my schedule opens up, I’ll be ready to do a heart-thumping workout.

Like this post? Comment below or connect with me @Completely_You
For more great health and lifestyle content, visit the parent site of my blog, Completely You


Winnie Yu is Completely You’s mom blogger. She has two daughters (Samantha, 14, and Annie, 12) and is the author of seven books, including New Mother’s Guide to Breastfeeding and What to Eat for What Ails You. Her work has appeared in numerous publications, including Woman’s Day, AARP Bulletin, Prevention and WebMD.com.

Let Go of Control

By Winnie Yu for Completely You



My friend Sue can’t get her son to do his homework. My friend Barbara can’t make her daughter eat better. Me? I struggle with getting my daughters to exercise, clean up the messes they leave and practice their instruments.

In truth, I’m a bit of a control freak. I like life to unfold the way I want it to unfold. But reality doesn’t work that way, especially where other human beings are involved. That’s why I can’t get my husband to stop collecting Legos, my mother to join the senior center, and editors to give me the assignments I want.

When it came to my kids, I thought it would be a little easier. After all, I’m Mom. Shouldn’t they be doing as they’re told? Shouldn’t they be following my advice and learning from my hard-earned experience? Wouldn’t they want to do things the easier way -- which, in most cases, is my way?

Wrong. Turns out they’re little people with minds and habits of their own too. To make matters worse, they’re in the throes of slowly breaking away from us, which makes not doing what we want that much more exciting.

It took me a long time to figure out that no amount of cajoling and weaseling was going to get anyone to do exactly as I wanted. So I gave up. Perhaps it was the wisdom of age. Or maybe it was the yoga and meditation. But somewhere along the way, I learned that letting go of what I can’t control -- be it the weather or my daughters -- takes a lot less energy and makes life a lot less stressful.

So when my daughter Samantha was in second grade, I stopped begging her to try new foods. In fourth grade, I stopped helping her with homework. A couple of years ago, I stopped pleading with her to clean her room.

Just the other day, when she came down dressed in what I thought was not enough clothes for skiing, I asked her, “Do you think you have enough layers on?”

“I’m fine, Mom,” she said with an eye roll.

And that was good enough for me.

Like this post? Comment below or connect with me @Completely_You
 
For more great health and lifestyle content, visit the parent site of my blog, Completely You
Photo: @iStockphoto.com/snapphoto

Winnie Yu  is Completely You’s mom blogger. She has two daughters (Samantha, 14, and Annie, 12) and is the author of seven books, including New Mother’s Guide to Breastfeeding and What to Eat for What Ails You. Her work has appeared in numerous publications, including Woman’s Day, AARP Bulletin, Prevention and WebMD.com.