As a mom, it can feel like your role is exclusively to serve your family, even at your own expense. It usually doesn’t start out this way, but so often it ends up this way. Where you’re in charge of so much at home that you end up doing everything for everyone and losing yourself in the process.

To get back on track, start with small healthy lifestyle changes that are doable.

Small Healthy Lifestyle Changes For Moms

Here’s my list of 10 small healthy lifestyle changes that you can start right now that will have a huge impact on your life longterm.

1. Practice mindfulness.

Mindfulness is the solution to living from a state of worry, overwhelm, fear, and anxiety.

For example, if you feel overwhelmed during this season of life, mindfulness will help you process the feeling of overwhelm so it doesn’t become your identity. You FEELING overwhelm is very different than I AM overwhelmed.

This is just one small example of many. With mindfulness, you can stay calm during tantrums or misbehavior from your kids. It’s a way for you to control what you can control—your thoughts, feelings, and actions.

The more you practice mindfulness the better your life gets. Not because your life gets easier, but because you’re easier on yourself when your life is hard.

CLICK HERE to take my free class: How To Become A Mindful Mom

2. Follow a morning routine.

With kids, morning routines look different. You don’t have the luxurious amount of time you used to when you just took care of yourself. But that doesn’t mean you can’t have a morning routine that serves you—it just means you need to be more creative.

So, what would you like your morning routine to look like given your current circumstances with kiddos? Answering this question personally will help you create the perfect morning routine.

For example, if you love clearing your mind and getting into a state of calm before the day starts, you can wake up 15 minutes earlier than normal and practice 10 Minutes Of Silence (this is one of my favorites!).

Or if you like to get some positive input in your mind, you could queue up an episode of my podcast (Design Your Dream Life) to listen to.

The key to a successful morning routine with kids is making your routine doable and planning it out in a realistic way ahead of time.

3. Create a process for annual doctor appointments.

You know how babies go to their Well Visits regularly? What if you made sure you also went to your check ups regularly? This can be a huge way to promote a healthy life longterm.

Some ideas include regular physical appointments with your family physician, an annual skin check with your dermatologist, bi-annual teeth cleanings, and an annual OBGYN appointment.

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4. Wear SPF every day.

It’s never too late to start taking care of your skin, and the best way to start is by wearing SPF. Start with a face sunscreen as well as an easy-to-apply body sunscreen.

The daily application of sunscreen is what’s most important. Even if it’s cloudy or you don’t go outside “a lot,” wearing sunscreen daily compounds into protecting your skin for years when you otherwise wouldn’t have that protection.

The risk of skin cancer is not something to mess with and this is a very doable way for you to protect yourself.

5. Get your credit reports annually.

Your credit is more than just a number (credit score). You can actually get a credit report from all three of the credit reporting agencies every year, for free.

You can get your credit reports annually for free at FreeAnnualCreditReport.com.

This is something you can set up to do any time of year. Personally, I do it every first quarter, usually in late January.

You’ll be able to check on any mis-reported information as well as check in on what’s on your account overall. It’s a great way to keep taking care of your financial health.

6. Schedule self care ahead of time.

There are six types of self care (see my Instagram post here for details of the six types of self care), and making sure you get the self care you need is so important.

The best way to do this is to plan it ahead of time. This way, it’s a positive way for you to take care of yourself instead of an escape from your family, in a negative way.

For example, if you plan to get coached monthly inside of Grow You, my mindfulness community for moms, this is a positive type of self care to look forward to. Contrast that with feeling so overwhelmed that you need to escape your family and go listen to coaching call replays, which can feel negative.

We all have times where we feel like we need to escape, and that doesn’t mean you’re a bad mom, but what you can do is plan self care ahead of time so those instances are few and far between.

7. Get outside.

There’s something so powerful about getting fresh air as a mom. It gets you out of managing your home and into the world. That, combined with the fact that nature is so soothing for the soul.

When you’re outside, try to stay present. Notice your surroundings. Be mindful of the air, the temperature, the trees, the homes, and anything else you can feel, see, touch, or smell.

Try taking a walk and being mindful (aware) of everything externally around you. Stay out of your head. Take deep breaths. Indulge in the goodness of being outside.

This can be a very powerful practice for you that’s nothing short of life changing when you do it consistently.

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8. Move your body.

Start paying attention to your body. What does it need from you?

So often, as moms, we’re busying and ignoring our bodies along the way. If you’re like me, you’ve put off the need to pee because you’re “busy.” This is ignoring your body.

Instead, start to pay attention to what your body wants and needs from you. Often, you’ll notice that it wants you to move. To stand. To stretch. To take a break.

And you can do this in the simplest of ways. Simple movements like stretching and going for walks help your body feel better, along with so many other benefits (like reducing stress, increasing mental clarity, and improving your physical health).

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9. Start a nighttime routine.

Just like planning out your mornings is important, so too, is planning your evenings.

The key to creating successful habits and routines as a mom is making them doable (i.e.: given how full your life is, making the changes small and impactful so you actually follow through with them).

You may not have time to read for two hours before bed, but what if you intentionally decided to listen to an audiobook while you did your skincare routine at night? Or if you journaled right before bed with just a few short prompts?

CLICK HERE to download 75 Journal Prompts For Moms

While you may not have a ton of time to spend on a nighttime routine, the key is to be intentional with the time you do have (this way you’re not using it scrolling social media every night for 30 minutes right before bed).

10. Join a supportive community for moms.

Motherhood feels hard because it’s hard.

You know what makes it better?

Having the right tools and knowing you’re not alone.

CLICK HERE to join Grow You, my mindfulness community for moms

A Final Note

If you feel overwhelmed, tired, and busy—it’s NORMAL. This is what happens on default (automatically) as a modern mom.

But you can make small changes that will have a huge impact on your health and wellbeing longterm simply by starting with the list above and being more intentional.