Mother working in office at home. Staying healthy is a top priority for moms. PHOTO | FOTOSEARCH | NMG
The human body is the best work of art said, Jess C. Scott.
Further, Isaac Asimov says the human brain is the most complicated
organisation of matter that we know.
Having
been a doctor for a good number of years has allowed me to see and
experience first-hand the potential of the human mind, body and spirit.
For
this reason, because each one of us is uniquely amazing, we must each
take time to take care of ourselves so that we can give the best of
ourselves to others.
For mothers, this is certainly not
easy. If a mother had two slices of fish that she was stir-frying, one
for herself and the other for her child, and one of the slices of fish
unfortunately broke, she’d without question give her child the slice of
fish that remained whole. That’s natural for a mother — always giving
the best to others and many times not taking the best for herself.
For the working mother, the pressure to perfectly achieve is
high. She wants to prove she is indispensable at work while at the same
time be the mother and wife or partner with an ‘S’ on her chest. The
subject of work-life balance couldn’t be more pertinent to working moms.
With this in mind, the first tip I would like to let all working
mothers out there know is that there is no ‘perfect’ work-life balance.
Don’t strive for a perfect schedule but rather a realistic one. Also,
it’s not possible to give priority to everything all the time.
At times, work may take on greater priority whereas other times it will be home matters.
For
the working moms who have been at it for a long time, they have
achieved their rhythm. For those starting, it’s important to understand
that it’s okay to make mistakes and learn along the way.
Below are some quick tips for the working mother to help her care for herself so that she can care for others:
Eat
healthily. This cannot be gainsaid. Our bodies need different food
types as they serve different purposes. Snacking is also a good idea but
remember to snack on healthy foods such as fruits, plain yoghurt, nuts
and seeds.
When eating try to stick to one plate a
meal. Half of the plate should be filled with vegetables, and the other
two quarters with proteins and starch respectively.
Get enough sleep. Being a working mom, sleep seems a luxury and yet it is not. Rather sleep is crucial for good health.
According to the National Sleep Foundation, adults should get seven to nine hours of sleep every night.
Sleep plays the role of boosting immunity, improving memory, restoring and energising, and improving creativity.
Know your peaks and troughs. If you’re a morning person, assign time in the morning for your toughest tasks.
Make
good use of a time management tool that works well for you to ensure
that everything you need to do gets done and in good time.
Unplug
from electronic devices when you get home or when relaxing from work.
This will allow you to truly take a break from your official duties and
concentrate on the things that need to get done outside of work.
Take
time to exercise. Exercise provides the benefits of keeping one happy,
helping with weight loss and maintaining a healthy weight, giving an
energy boost, maintaining healthy skin and aiding in brain health and
memory.
Take breaks from work. Once you’ve worked for
90 minutes continuously, take 15 minutes to stretch and walk around.
Practice also taking 10 deep breaths when you take a break.
Make time for recreational activities. Work on your hobbies and passions. Fortunately, you can do this with your family.
Have
your blood pressure checked every six months. This will enable you to
be in control of your health and avoid the heart-related scares that
will put stress on your family and yourself.
Do a Body Mass Index (BMI) yearly. To measure BMI, take your mass in kilogrammes and divide it by your height in metres squared.
Normal BMI should range within 20-25. This means you have a healthy weight for your height.
Remain
positive and have faith. Patients are known to recover even from
debilitating diseases because they believed better would come. Being a
mother is the most rewarding journey for every woman who gets to be one
Though the journey has its pains, it is worth it. When overwhelmed, don’t forget you can always ask for help.
The writer is a consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist.
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