Finding Energy as a Parent

After having your first child, you’ll likely find that many days are a real struggle to have the energy you need to do much beyond taking care of them. You’ll get to the end of the day and wish that you could just lay down and go to sleep. Before you had kids, you may have wanted to go out with friends or spend several hours at night just enjoying yourself. Now you’re ready to go to sleep as soon as you can.

Finding energy as a parent can be tough sometimes. It’s completely understandable that after a long day, you’re ready to hit the bed and get as much sleep as you can. If you find yourself not having enough energy during the course of the day though, you need to try to make some changes to correct that. If you’re tired all day long, then a few small changes can help you to have enough energy to make it through the day.

The number one way to have enough energy is to make sure you’re getting enough sleep. That’s often easier said than done when you have a baby and young children. You’re probably saying that you would get more sleep if your child would let you. The sooner you can get your kids to sleep through the night, the sooner that you will be able to as well. You’ll be able to get enough sleep.

If your child is sleeping through the night, then make sure you’re getting enough sleep. All too often, parents will stay up too late at night. Just because your child is sleeping for 10 hours straight doesn’t mean that you should spend 4 of those hours staying up and doing whatever you want. Go to bed at a reasonable time and get enough sleep that allows you to feel energized the next day (the older you get, the longer that will be).

Beyond sleep, you need to make sure that you’re eating a healthy diet. If you’re eating a lot of junk food and a lot of sugar, you’re going to find that you run out of energy very quickly. Eat a diet that is healthy and sustainable in the long term. Make sure you’re eating plenty of vegetables and plenty of protein in your diet to keep your body fueled for a full day - don’t take your diet lightly as it can make a huge difference.

A healthy diet will help you to get to a healthy weight as well. Carrying extra weight will make it harder for you to have energy to spend playing with your child. Get to a healthy and maintainable weight - you’ll actually find that you have a lot more energy than if you’re overweight. You’ll also be able to more easily play with your kids as well - you won’t be getting in your own way.

Try to remain active throughout the day as well. If you’re spending a lot of time sitting around and not doing anything, you’re going to find that you just get more tired. Over time, you should be able to play with your child and then walk around the house and feel like you’ve got plenty of energy left. The more active you are, the more energy that you’ll have. The body will adapt over time as you keep up an active lifestyle.

Sleep enough, eat healthy, and stay active. These are the simplest ways to have plenty of energy as a parent.