5 Fantastic Feel & Look Good Hacks For Mums

*This is a collaborative post

There’s no better feeling in the world than being a parent. For mums, the entire experience is magical because nobody else on the planet can understand what you have to go through to give birth, and that’s special. Still, kids might be incredible, yet they aren’t great at keeping you young! 

Sure, you’ll run around and do silly things, so you’ll remain young at heart. But, it’s not uncommon to look in the mirror and hate the reflection staring back at you. The lack of sleep and constant running around is tiring, and it can make you feel and appear exhausted.

Of course, it’s not as if you can trade-in your children until they are teenagers. Plus, when they reach their teens, you’ll inevitably miss the attention that’s replaced by grunts and groans. Oh to be a mother. No, the trick is to embrace motherhood now as it doesn’t get much easier since the problems are replaced by more complicated and hormone-filled issues.

But, it’s essential to schedule time for yourself to do the things that keep you young, inside and outside. You might not know what you want to do, yet you shouldn’t worry as this post has got you covered. Keep reading for more inspiration.

Exercise Alone

If you read a self-help guide on how to work out as a mum, you’ll read the same thing over and over. “Do it as a family” is probably the most played-out piece of advice ever. For some mothers, it’s a cool hack because including the entire family unit is a sneaky way to burn calories while ensuring the kids are entertained.

However, lots of women find it to be less effective. Why? It’s due to the fact that children are hard to keep entertained! Within ten minutes, they’ll get bored and start to pull their face, which means your much-needed session will finish earlier than anticipated.

By exercising alone, you can kill two birds with one stone. Firstly, you get to work out without any interruptions. Secondly, doing it on your own is an excellent opportunity to pull yourself away from the kids for an hour. After all, watching Peppa Pig is okay, but it doesn’t fulfill your adult needs.

Grown-ups must blow off steam and relieve stress if they are to stay on an even keel. Exercise is the ideal tool, but only when there are zero distractions and you can go hard. If you can’t go hard, you might as well go home!

Go Back To Your Youth

Your kids might recoil when you tell them, yet you were young once, and you lived life to the fullest. Priorities and responsibilities change over time, so it’s only natural to settle down and adopt a different perspective. Still, the desire to have fun and enjoy yourself isn’t something only young people understand.

There are fewer things you are willing to do to look young as your body ages, even if there are options. More on that later. Thankfully, looking and feeling young isn’t always about the physical; it’s about the mental, too. If you can take your mind back in time, you can benefit from the rush of dopamine that occurs from positive memories.

Although nostalgia often sounds challenging, it’s a piece of cake with the right tools. For instance, a photo album should get the cogs in your brain working. Alternatively, “cool” mums can browse images on their Facebook account! Another option is to listen to music as songs and melodies transport you back to your childhood.

Merely pick the tunes you once loved, and still love, and sit and let your mind take over.

Get A Piercing

A piercing is one of the most basic ways to feel and look younger physically, as well as mentally. After all, a piercing is a feature most people associate with young people. However, it shouldn’t be as you can get one at any age. It’s not as if you require permission from your parents. You’re in charge, now!

Opting for a standard piercing might not do the trick, especially if you have them in your ears already. Therefore, you should consider belly bars. They are quirkier and more fun than a traditional piercing, yet they are easy to cover up if you don’t feel like showing off your stomach.

Still, you shouldn’t dismiss a regular piercing out of hand because it’s not just about the hole. It’s about what goes in it. For example, you might extend your ear piercing so that you can switch up your jewellery game. Implementing new styles and sizes is an incredibly powerful way to stop your accessories from getting boring.

Even better, you don’t have to worry about it biting you on the backside later in life. Ear and belly piercings are responsible and sensible, which means there shouldn’t be any awkwardness when your kids want them!

Soak Up The Rays

Have you ever opened the curtains in the winter and wished it was summer? This happens when the brain requires sunlight, something that’s sorely lacking in the UK during the autumn and wintertime. Vitamin D isn’t only healthy for your skin, but it also improves your mental health.

When the weather is sunnier and less overcast, your mood will reflect the conditions outside. It’s easier to be happy and enthusiastic when there are lots of natural light and UV rays. Therefore, you should try and get outside during the day as much as possible, even if it’s only for a short stint.

However, don’t forget to wear sun cream. You probably know this, but the winter sun can be as harmful as the sun in the summer, so protection is vital. Not only will it prevent you from contracting diseases and leathery skin, but there is research to show that sunscreen reverses the damage.

The signs of ageing are more obvious in later life, and millions of men and women are desperate to find a miracle cure. It turns out wearing sun cream is the answer. Who knew?!

Cut Out Sugar

If you’re a mum who has a sweet tooth, cutting out sugar won’t sound like a sweet deal. Sadly, refined sugars wreak havoc on the skin, causing it to appear older and less healthy much more quickly. Cutting down on sugar, or quitting entirely, will result in more elastic and radiant skin, and less inflammation.

Of course, it’s easier to say than it is to do since you’re likely to fall off the bandwagon when you have children. For starters, they love sugar, so there might be plenty of sweets and fizzy drinks in the cupboards. Secondly, tiredness makes it tougher to resist temptation, and everyone knows that kids are exhausting.

So, what are your options? The first port of call is to tweak your kid’s diet. Once they eat fewer sugars, you are bound to follow suit. Therefore, it’s smart to switch toffees and crisps for fruits and vegetables.

Another trick is to pre-plan your meals. By making a big batch of food, you can split them into portions and put them in the freezer. Then, all you have to do is defrost a container when you’re out on your feet. Simples!

Summary

The key is to invest in yourself. Your job as a parent means you’re always thinking about your children and their needs. However, this isn’t a healthy approach if you forget about your requirements. Hopefully, exercising, tweaking your diet, and going back to your youth should help you strike a perfect balance.