We are all too guilty of not taking the time to take care of ourselves, especially us parents! As a mother I am always forgetting to prioritize my own health & rest because I am so concerned with making sure my kids are getting the proper nutrition and sleep they need on top of every thing else we worry about for the little ones…I don’t know about you but laundry is also always on my mind, I feel like it’s never ending around here. Today I have partnered up with Genuine Health to share 6 ways I take care of myself including a yummy tropical smoothie recipe, because this year I have made a big focus on me. Smoothies have always been a part of my diet and now with this new superfood I am adding into the mix I am feeling better than ever, especially considering how much is going on in my life right now. How can I be a good parent if I am not taking care of myself? How can you give it your all every day if you are not taking care of YOU? Let’s start with these 6 tips…

1. REST, REST…did I say REST?: My gosh guys if I could break down my 24 hour itinerary for you sometimes I’m sure you would ask me why I haven’t collapsed yet? Wait…I have! Earlier this year I nearly suffered from a breakdown caused by exhaustion – my own fault. My husband had to look me in the eyes and remind me of how dangerous my lack of sleep could be, to not only me but also our family. I have both of my kids with me every day, what kind of parent will I be if I am a zombie? A very irritable one I can tell you that much! I found myself getting very short tempered, expecting patience from my two toddlers in situations where patience by a child was a ridiculous expectation. I was finding myself resorting to more screen time so I could manage to squeeze out some emails because I was just totally overwhelmed with work and trying to manage every thing on my own (ahem, control freak over here). Any ways, my point with #1 is that rest is CRITICAL!!!! You need to make the time to sleep, to relax and to have a damn bubble bath if you want one! We deserve the sleep our body needs, we may think we can continue on a lack of it but your body truly can’t. It is only a matter of time before it shuts done to force you to rest. And really, your work will be better off with you having a clear mindset and your family will thank you, every one and your body will. If you are prone to anxiety…this is especially important. I was totally guilty of putting the kids to bed and then spending hours working while they were asleep…sometimes until 2am and then waking up at 7, every….day. Which brings me into our next suggestion…
2. GET YO’ GREENS…plus!: Because who has time to put together that perfect rainbow salad every day? I am always on the go and rushing around to get things done and get out the door, wether we are off to a play date or I am headed to an event, or we are at the new house trying to finish up some work so we can move in – it’s pure chaos with little time to prep special meals just for me. Genuine Health has an amazing nourishing superfood product called greens+ that helps me pack all of my greens into one big smoothie I can enjoy while on the go or just enjoying 5-10 minutesof me time while the kids play before we head out the door. It is a blend of 23 colourful and nourishing plant ingredients, providing the most abundant source of health-promoting plant nutrients available in a Superfood, who thought I could devour so many healthy ingredients in one colourful smoothie?  Ps its a non GMO product too! I have always been one to enjoy healthy smoothies and I would toss in some vegan protein by Genuine Health or a handful of spinach not knowing that there were SO many more powerful critical ingredients I could also have been adding, and now in just 1-2 scoops of greens + I am! Rather than single-ingredient, or simple combination green food supplements, the greens+ formula contains a FULL spectrum of colourful phytonutrients – from 23, carefully selected ingredients – so you can easily “Eat the Rainbow” with every serving! This variety provides a synergistic action that is often missing from the everyday diet and amplifies the nourishing benefits of the formula…#winning!!!!! A smoothie a day is totally a healthy habit you can incorporate into your daily regime and a bonus is that Genuine Health carries a kids product as well so that if you want to make them their own version with the Greens +, you can! We all love enjoying a smoothie together and I love that we can all enjoy the benefits of this delish superfood and this product is the ONLY superfood proven to give you the highest concentration of fruits and veggies, balance your pH, increase your energy and more!
3. PRIORITIZE & ORGANIZE!: Agendas, phone calendars, alerts – use them! The day my husband and I started synching events in our calendar was a game changer, I can’t even tell you how many times I’ve told him about events we have to attend or work I have and because I didn’t write it down (or remind him fifty times), he forgot. Talk about frustrating guys! So now, we input almost every thing and it has saved us so many silly arguments and keeps us at ease. I also keep an agenda as well, now I can’t claim that I am always on time – I am actually almost always behind, but making sure I put every thing I have to do in both my phone and on my agenda is helping out so much. I also put alerts in my phone now to give me even more reminders, it may sound crazy but it is necessary for me – running my own business while being a stay at home mom of two is no joke, it is busy allllll of the time!!!! Lists are also crucial in our family, so we can prioritize what needs to be done first and who needs to get it done. Right now as we renovate our newest home a lot of hands on work is done by Craig and the planning is done by me and if we are not organized we can halt an entire piece of the project, for example faucets… I took forever to pick one of our faucets for the powder room and it has halted that bathroom because Craig now can’t finish the plumbing until it arrives – lesson learnt. Keep lists and follow them, get as detailed as you need to!
4. CLEAR OUT THE CLUTTER!: This is a physical and mental suggestion, having a cluttered mind and home (especially a home office) can be debilitating, it can ruin an entire day or even week of productivity. There have been times when I have been so “in my head” lost in the clutter and chaos, overwhelmed that I have lost all excitement or drive to get anything done. It can be depressing and discouraging if you let it get out of hand, just like a messy house. PURGE, have a garage sale or donate. Let go of the items that do not serve you or a purpose or organize a specific bin for keepsakes you do not want out every day but simply cannot let go of. Go through your closet and get rid of the clothes you have not touched in two years. I was guilty of still having my nursing bras well after I stopped nursing, why? No idea lol! But they were donated and now I have more room for those sexy bras I have finally started investing in! Do you have a ridiculous amount of tupperware and 50% of them do not have their coinciding lid? Ditch’ em! Who likes walking into a disastrous kitchen any ways? I know I don’t! It makes me sad, it makes me not want to cook…it reminds me of all of the other things I need to get done after cleaning it and how it will slow down my finishing my mental list of things to get done. You get where I’m going? Focus, do not open up Pinterest or that cart you’ve been adding to while online shopping for things you really do not need (guilty). Having a day of the week where you tackle things you need to get done or even a day of the week that is focused just on cleaning the house or organizing that corner you’ve been neglecting can be game changing in your positive daily outlook and your productivity. It will even effect the quality of your work and relationships, clutter in your mind and home is extra weight and stress that does not need to be there. And when you are done cleaning the house, cooking dinner for your familyand putting the kids to bed…enjoy that glass of wine or the yoga class you’ve been wanting to go to! Enter 5…
5. ASK FOR HELP!: Talk about relief when I finally let people help me, I used to get so uncomfortable when my mother in law or sister in law would come and help me out cleaning when I was totally in over my head, or up to my eye balls in dishes and laundry. It’s like I felt that only my mom or step mom could help me with the nitty gritty stuff, I felt bad asking any one else to help me and thought I could manage it all on my own…not the case I tell you. Let your friends and family help you if they offer and if they don’t offer, do not feel guilty communication that you need that help. There is so much awareness right now on Postpartum and we all need to band together to support our fellow mums, we take on so much already every day and there is no shame in admitting we are struggling to keep up or hold it together! I was lucky enough to not experience postpartum but I can tell you that breastfeeding while raising a toddler and running a business and a managing a household…there were days I cried at night feeling like a failure, like I wouldn’t be able to keep up and be the superwoman I so badly wanted to be. I now ask for help, I appreciate every bit of help and even if someone is putting my clean dishes in the wrong cupboard, I smile and thank them!
6. HYDRATE!: Ditch the 18 coffees a day #girlboss, you need some h20!!!!! Holy Hannah, I am the WORST for not drinking a damn glass of water even when my body is so desperately asking me to!! I swear it was as if my subconscious felt I didn’t have time to be peeing every half an hour so hydrating was not an option lol AND I only felt I could survive off of caffeine! I’ve cut down my coffee intake to max 2 cups a day, also a game changer. Now if I am having a sluggish day one of the things I will do put together a midday smoothie for the kids and once I have poured theirs I add in the greens+ Extra Energy (my stomach also thanks me for this). With greens+ extra energy, you get all-natural energizing ingredients including taurine and naturally occurring 100mg caffeine from the kola nut, PLUS a full serving of nutrient-rich greens+ in every scoop! Just one scoop daily provides immediate, long-lasting energy, along with essential nutrients for a healthier, energized body – naturally and you all know I am all about as much natural food in your diet as possible but we can talk about that at another date. 😉

TROPICAL SMOOTHIE RECIPE: 

• 1 Banana
• 1/2 Pineapple
• 1 Cup of Coconut Milk (unsweetened)
• 1 Avocado
• 1/2 Cup Blueberries
• 1 Scoop of Genuine Health greens +

Key Benefits of Genuine Health greens+: