Taking Care of Yourself to Take Better Care of Your Kids
Daddy Talk,  Men's Health,  Parenting

Taking Care of Yourself to Take Better Care of Your Kids

Taking Care of Yourself to Take Better Care of Your Kids

When you have children, your life begins to revolve around them. Their needs come first. Their wants come first. You’ll do whatever it takes to always provide them with the best. Of course, this can be draining, but it’s essential. What you do need to remember, however, is that you do need to take care of yourself in order to take the best possible care of your kids too. If you burn out or begin to struggle physically because you’re neglecting your own body and mind, you’re not going to be able to take the best care possible of your little ones at the same time. So, it’s important to analyze your own wants and needs and ensure that you’re providing for yourself too. Here are some suggestions that can help to get this ball rolling.

Health Appointments

We all need to attend routine health apartments, whether we feel we’re in good health, bad health or anywhere in between. Routine health appointments serve the purpose of ensuring that you see a variety of healthcare professionals at regular intervals, giving them an opportunity to survey your wellbeing and either give you all clear or identify symptoms and warning signs of potential developing problems. Catching issues early can give you a better chance or recovery and proper management, so it really is important that you check in, whether you feel you’re fine or not. Some health appointments to schedule include:

 

  • Dentist – you should visit your dentist once every six months. This regular checkup will see your dentist look around your mouth, checking your teeth, tongue and gums. If you need any special treatment carried out, such as fillings, root canals, extractions or other dental work, they will be able to make recommendations and book you in for further appointments. Of course, you should visit your dentist sooner if you’re experiencing dental issues or pain.

 

  • Optician – optician’s visits are less frequent, but it’s still important that you attend them. You should visit roughly once every two years. They will be able to survey the health of your eyes, from front to back, and identify any eye-related health problems, such as glaucoma, cataracts or even non-eye related conditions such as diabetes. They can also carry out a vision test to check whether you need glasses or lenses.

 

  • Prostate examination – if you’re over the age of 50, you should start attending prostate examinations. Sure, this may seem unpleasant, but it’s completely painless and takes minimal time. When you consider that roughly one in seven men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer during their lifetime, it emphasizes the importance of these routine checkups.

 

  • General doctor’s appointments – many men get a bad rep for avoiding the doctors, only going once things reach an accident and emergency level of urgency. It really is important that you seek medical support and advice if you notice any change to your body. This could range from a new mole to a change in your mental health. Diagnosing issues sooner rather than later can really help with management and recovery. Make sure you have good health benefits to cover this.

Diet

You need to take care of your body. This starts with the fuel you provide it with. Parents find themselves undergoing a whole host of activities and tasks on a day to day basis, so you need to make sure that you’re giving your body what it needs to keep up with this demand. Of course, many parents find themselves falling in the trap of eating convenience or junk foods, or picking at their kids’ food, when it comes to fitting in fuel between tasks and commitments. This is understandable. These options are fast and straightforward. You don’t have to think much about them, you just eat and go. The problem? Fast food, junk food and ready meals – while convenient – often lack nutrition and actually contain a number of ingredients that are actively bad for your wellbeing. This could include high levels of salt, saturated fats, sugar and artificial colors or flavorings. When you pick at your kid’s meals while cooking, or eat their leftovers, you’re almost certainly not providing your body with enough. These scraps of good aren’t going to keep you fighting fit. Instead, you need to come up with a better diet for yourself. These steps will help you along the way.

Hit Your Recommended Calorie Count

Make sure you’re eating the right amount – not too much, not too little. This can be achieved by knowing how many calories you should roughly be eating on a daily basis. This will differ depending on your age and activity levels, but this guide should give you some insight into the right calories for you:

  • Active men aged 14 to 30 – 2800 to 3200 calories
  • Sedentary men aged 14 to 30 – 2000 to 2600 calories
  • Active adults over 30 – 2000 to 3000 calories
  • Sedentary adults over 30 – 1600 to 2400 calories

Eat Balanced Meals

Avoid fad diets. Diets that we see advertised or see celebrities and influencers following, don’t tend to be good for you. Instead, a balanced diet is the answer to a healthier lifestyle. Any healthcare professional will vouch for this. Avoid cutting out specific foods or food groups. Make sure that everything on your plate is ticking your food groups and make sure that everything is in moderation. Get plenty of greens and vegetables too – these are packed with the vitamins and minerals your body needs to thrive.

Exercise

Are you getting the recommended one hundred and fifty minutes of moderate aerobic exercise that adult men should get to hit their weekly recommended exercise? Alternatively, this could be seventy-five minutes of vigorous aerobic exercise. If the answer is yes – good job, keep it up. If not, you need to come up with an exercise routine that’s ticking these boxes. There are countless ways to keep fit and you don’t need to commit your life to the gym to hit these goals. Some options you might want to take into consideration include:

 

  • The gym – the gym is convenient. It provides you with a safe, temperature controlled, indoor environment filled with all the equipment you need for a variety of workouts.

 

  • Fitness classes – many gyms offer fitness classes. Spin, weights, step, HIIT and other options could get your heart pumping with guidance and supervision.

 

  • Team sports – like a social element to your exercise? Why not join a team and get involved in team sports. Whether that’s soccer, football, hockey, basketball, baseball or anything else, this is a great way to bond while staying fit.

 

  • Personal training – it can be hard to stick to fitness routines when you have kids. But personal training will ensure you stick to your commitments. A personal trainer will also ensure that you’re working out in a way that will help you to hit your health goals.

 

Mental Health

Remember that your mental health is important too. If you ever feel concerned that you’re not coping or that you’re struggling, remember that you are not alone. There are countless sources of support out there, including others who have had similar experiences whilst being responsible for little ones. Consult your doctor, help lines, mental health charities, support groups and more.

Hopefully, some of the guidance above will really help you to keep on top of your health and wellbeing, allowing you to be the best parent that you can possibly be. Give them a try and see how you get on – they’re more than worth the effort.

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