As a full-time parent, finding time to do anything for yourself can be difficult. Amidst the hustle and bustle of ensuring your children are sent to school, kept well fed and doing their homework, it can be incredibly difficult to find some downtime for yourself. This, in turn, makes the idea of embarking on a weight loss journey all that more unreachable for many full-time parents. Fret not, for today, we have a look at how you can handle weight loss as a full-time parent, so read on to find out more.
1. Enlist The Help Of Experts
As a full-time parent, ensuring that your body is at optimal health is important. This is why we highly recommend consulting weight loss doctors in Melbourne. Experts in personally tailored weight loss, doctors are able to curate a highly unique plan for your weight loss journey. No two bodies are the same, and not every single diet or fad works for everyone. This is why ensuring that you have a plan tailored to your body and lifestyle is so important. Doctors can also help you monitor your diet and make the best choices possible.
2. Plan Your Meals
Many full-time parents complain about not having enough time to prepare healthy meals for themselves. All too often, parents resort to snacking on easy and convenient options, or even worse, just picking at their children’s food. In order to ensure a healthy and balanced diet that allows you to lose weight, it is important that you plan your meals ahead. You can do this by taking a few hours of your time on the weekends to shop and prepare meals for the rest of the week. Having meals that are ready for you to eat in the fridge is one of the best ways to ensure that you don’t resort to unhealthy options or fast food when time is scarce.
3. Move Your Body
With so many things to do throughout the day, many full-time parents don’t have the time to head to the gym. However, this doesn’t mean parents can’t get a little home workout in during the day. Even if you are stuck in the house, there are many activities you can engage in that will help you burn calories without ever having to head to the gym. Some of these activities include dancing (you can even involve the kids in this) or quick home workouts that you can do in under 15 minutes. Aim for 20-30 minutes of cardio activity a day and watch as the weight melts off.
4. Stay Away From Liquid Calories
We get it - a delicious iced coffee topped with whipped cream is the perfect mid-afternoon treat after a whole morning of chores and taking care of the kids. However, did you know that a standard Iced Coffee can contain up to 300 calories per serve? To put it into perspective, that would equate to the same number of calories as 4 slices of bread. In order to lose weight, we highly recommend swapping the calorific drinks for options such as water, black coffee or kombucha. Staying away from liquid calories is one of the easiest steps anyone can take if they are looking to lose weight.
5. Get The Kids Involved
We don’t know a single kid who wouldn’t jump for joy at the chance to spend an afternoon dancing to some of their favourite tracks. Why not join in the fun and make a workout of it? We highly recommend involving the children when it comes to exercise and activities because it not only gets everyone up and moving but also sets a great example of the importance of staying active for them. You could even go on walks to the park with your kids in the evening or go for a jog with your stroller to get some extra steps in.
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We hope that this article has given you a few useful tips and ideas when it comes to losing weight as a full-time parent. With a few diet swaps, planning of meals and increased activity, you’ll be amazed at how quickly the pounds melt off. Best of luck!