Sometimes parents just need to put themselves back on that priority list. Sure, our needs always come last, that's the most normal thing about being a parent. It's a selfless role, after all. But, a happy parent makes for a happy child, so use your free time to focus on you, your health and the things that make you tick for the ultimate upbeat morning. It's time to reboot you body and mind and get-up-and-go.
Here are 7 ways to savour that little window – when nobody needs you, nobody is pulling out of you, nobody is demanding their sixteenth snack of the day!
1 Coordinate a time with your best parent pal for a good ol' natter on the phone. Then, settle into the sofa for a therapy session with someone who knows you and makes you giggle.
2 Pour your favourite cuppa, grab a yummy Nature Valley protein bar and kick back and enjoy the pure silence…
3 Turn up the beats and dance around your living room. Let it all go, shake it out, get your heart beating and just be yourself, not a mum, for a few golden moments.
4 Challenge yourself physically – hike up that hill or start a couch-to-5k, turn that walk into a gentle jog. You'd be surprised how great you feel afterwards.
5 Record your favourite TV show and just take a proper brain-freeze break. Clearing your mind of stress for just twenty minutes gives you a renewed vitality.
6 Ask someone else to do the school run. Go wild, leave the laundry, carve out some time for: a brisk walk alone, a saunter around the shops, some online shopping or just something that gives you some get-up-and-go.
7 Do something that makes you laugh. Laughter is the best medicine ever. Just find the tonic and turn that frown upside down.
When hunger strikes, strike back with Nature Valley Protein bars, www.naturevalley.com/protein.
