3 healthy happy habits for busy parents

All parents get tired and may find they no longer have the time to themselves they used to have. Whether you are a parent or parent-carer of a child with additional needs, one of the easy things to disappear is how you used to take care of yourself.  Now, kids come first, then everything else, then often mummy's needs are met last.  But I can't afford to fall apart and need easy things to help me stay healthy and happy. So here's a few easy healthy habits I picked up when offered to try Pure Chimp Super Tea.


1. Having a selection of drinks in the cupboard

My nights are rarely uninterrupted. One of my autistic son's has difficulty falling asleep and the other has difficulty staying asleep.  It's a brutal combination. I've had two cups of caffeine before 10am.  I use my thermos mug in the car.

 Caffeine makes you feel bright and alert. It gives you a wake-up boost when you're feeling tired, drowsy or even bored of going through something again and again.  This can happen a lot with my autistic kids and many others, repetition is how part of how they learn.  But there are better ways to have this boost than just piling into regular tea and coffee.

Switching a few cups for green tea means I can still get a boost but it also provides me with a super dose of B vitamins, folic acid and other antioxidants.  I now have a pack of Pure Chimp Super Tea in the cupboard for this.

I definitely drink caffeine to give me a lift, but I also reach for the tea bags when I don't need them. Regular and frequent use of caffeine will give you tolerance - so you become less sensitive to the effects.  Having decaffeinated drinks in the cupboard too also gives me an alternative and my body a break in the evenings.  It takes about two hours for the effects of caffeine to wear off so I don't want coffee or tea shortly before bed.

2. Do you need vitamins?

I'm pretty good at giving the kids their vitamin drops but only recently realised that my body suffers on a daily basis and I need to help it along if I'm going to keep going.  Despite being eight and five year old, my autistic boys still want to be carried and seek physical contact.  I often have children hanging off my body - dropping their weight on my joints.  So I've started taking some supplements to keep my joints healthy.

I'm also aware of my long-term health as I am the main carer for my kids and with two on autistic spectrum I may be for a while.  A multivitamin can make sure my body is not missing out on anything it should be.  The matcha green tea in the cupboard also helps with added minerals and antioxidants.

3. Buy treats you want to eat

Treats are good, but be careful what you buy. If I have chocolate in the cupboard it is opened after the first drama of the day and then the whole bar is gone in a few hours (if not minutes).  If I'd really like chocolate I ask my other half to stop off and pick up a bar on the way home.  Ideally not a large bar and only one to avoid eating too much.  This gives me time to think about whether I'd really like some or not and I know I have to wait for it.

I keep the kinds of treats that I won't feel guilty about afterwards in the house.  How about a cup of hot chocolate or a matcha green tea latte?  Green Tea Latte has popped up recently  in my favourite coffee shop (Erm-hum Starbucks). I was a bit suspicious.  One of the things I find with many green and herbal teas is that they just taste a bit bland.  Starbucks sweeten their green tea latte with a mint-citrus shot but it works well at home with honey too.

I made mine easily using the milk steamer we have.  As the Pure Chimp Super Tea is powdered tea leaves I just put a half teaspoon of powder and skimmed milk into the steamer, then set it off. After the initial mix I poured in about a teaspoon of honey. Et voila, sweet green latte.  I was pleasantly surprised.  It was easy to do, not fiddling with a teabag etc and offered me a sweet treat.

Drinks work well for me as they take time to consume.  Figure out what you are willing to have around and try and stick to it when you do the shopping. Have you got any habits I can add to help me stay healthy easy?  What would you recommend I put in my cupboard?

We were given a pack of Pure Chimp Super Tea to try.  All opinions are independent and my own.

Linked to: