How to Stay Healthy as a Busy Student Mom

How to be a busy student mom and still manage to stay healthy

Can a student mom really stay healthy with a busy schedule? I have heard from a few student mothers who would like to get healthy, eat better, and work out more, but the challenge is always how to find the time or how to stay on track.

There’s a lot of advice for moms in school and I have written quite a bit about how to succeed as a mom in college. However, I don’t think a lot has been written about the importance of staying healthy in college or how to do it.

So, in this post, we are going to look at some easy and simple ways to incorporate some healthy habits into your life no matter how busy you are. So, if one of your goals is to lose weight, get healthy, or develop better eating habits, here are a few tips to help busy student moms achieve their health goals.

THIS POST MAY CONTAIN AFFILIATE LINKS. OUR FULL DISCLOSURE POLICY CAN BE FOUND HERE

1. STOCK YOUR KITCHEN WITH HEALTHY FOODS AND SNACKS

The first step to staying healthy or eating healthy is to decide what you buy and what you are going to bring into your home. You can’t eat junk foods if you don’t have them in your cupboards or refrigerator.

As an example, when I decided to stop drinking soda, the first thing I did was to stop buying them. So, when I had a craving for them and went to the refrigerator, I couldn’t find them and had to drink water or something else.

Of course, you still have to exercise discipline when you are at work, school, or eating out, but keeping unhealthy foods and drinks out of your home, and replacing them with healthy options is a great first step.

Something that helps me stay on track is to use shopping lists. A shopping list serves two important purposes. First, it helps you avoid impulse buying (thus saving you money), and it can also help you to stay on track with your health goals.

With a shopping list, you know exactly what you want to buy, so you don’t go into the grocery store wondering what to buy or being tempted by the array of unhealthy foods and snacks.

You can write your shopping list on a piece of paper, but I like these colorful magnetic shopping lists because they are a great reminder to shop healthy and include lots of fruits!

Now, I know trying to eat healthy all the time can get a little boring, so it’s okay to treat yourself once in a while (especially if you just achieved a big goal), as long as it doesn’t become a regular habit. As an example, I love my Lindt chocolates, so I do treat myself every now and again.

So, if you want to start eating better so you can stay healthy, be very mindful of what you buy and try to stock your kitchen with healthy goodies.

2. START YOUR DAY WITH A NUTRITIOUS BREAKFAST

Raise your hand if you’ve ever pretended it was too early to eat breakfast before leaving home, then as soon as you leave home, you become hungry and end up buying breakfast in school or at work?

I have done this countless times and I can say that this is unhealthy both for my finances and also my health. The solution is to always try to start your day with a healthy breakfast before you leave home.

Now, I know there may be times when it’s really too early to eat before leaving home. Back when I was in college, there were weeks when I left home at 4 am or something like that. There was no way I could have eaten that early especially when I was trying to get out of the house with two young kids.

If you find it too early to eat breakfast before setting out, you can always prepare breakfast on the go. Easy to make sandwiches, cereals, and fruits are perfect for this purpose. All you need are some suitable breakfast containers to store your food and keep them fresh.

Starting your day with a nutritious breakfast is good for eating healthy and boosting your energy before the start of a busy day. If you are in the habit of skipping breakfast, then finding yourself snacking on unhealthy foods, you can break that habit by eating a good breakfast every morning.

The post below has a list of healthy grab-and-go breakfast ideas. Please check it out.

16 EASY, HEALTHY GRAB-AND-GO BREAKFAST IDEAS

3. WANT TO STAY HEALTHY AS A STUDENT MOM? STOP SNACKING IN BETWEEN MEALS

Student mothers lead such busy lives especially if they are also working moms. It’s imperative that you stay healthy while juggling all these responsibilities because you won’t be able to do them if you become sick.

An easy way to eat better and stay healthy is to stop snacking in between meals. Mind you, I know this isn’t as easy as it sounds, but it can be done with a little discipline and lots of practice.

Instead, of mindlessly snacking on unhealthy snacks in between meals, you can curb the desire by eating well during meals, then keeping snacks out of sight. However, if you must snack in between meals, try to snack on fruits or other healthy snacks.

You can get the same energy boost from healthy snacks as you do from unhealthy ones. And, the boost from healthy snacks usually last longer, so they are actually better for you.

As a student mom, staying healthy is really important especially if you are a single mom, so do everything you can to keep yourself well long term.

4. MAKE EATING HEALTHY A FAMILY THING

One of the easiest ways to achieve your health goals is to get your kids on board. If you can get your kids to start eating healthy with you, you will make your life easier and save a ton of money.

Kids love their snacks and candy even though they know they are not very good for them or very nutritious. If your kids are a bit older and used to eating unhealthy foods and snacks, it will take some time to get them on board, but you can do it as long as you are consistent.

You may have to start slow and work your way up. For example, when I decided it was time for my family to start eating better, I didn’t just stop buying all their snacks without warning. We talked about it, and I explained to them the benefits of staying healthy.

Next, I started replacing their snacks with more healthy options. I did it one snack at a time to avoid any pushback or food fights. I asked them for some of their favorite fruits and snacks and looked for healthier options.

So, my advice to you is to try to get your kids or other family members on board, then slowly ease into it. However, remain firm and consistent, and lead by your example.

Check out the post below for some easy ways to get your family eating healthier.

20 Easy Ways To Have Your Family Eating Healthier in No Time

5. STUDENT MOTHERS CAN STAY HEALTHY BY WORKING OUT MORE OR MOVING MORE

Another way you can stay healthy as a student mom is to allocate a good amount of time for workouts. Now, I know this isn’t always possible, but you can always be on the move more if you can’t find the time to work out as much as you’d like.

So, for example, instead of driving short distances, you can choose to walk or run to the shop. Yes, you will spend more time and I know time is so precious when you are a busy mom in college, but think about the health benefits.

You can also engage in family fitness activities to help you work out more. You can go for walks with your kids or husband, play a ball game with them, or take part in some other fitness activities as a family.

I don’t really recommend joining a gym unless you are positive you are going to use it. Lots of moms join gyms every year but they end up wasting a lot of money. I have been there and done that, and I know how that works.

If all else fails, you can always find some free Youtube exercise videos for home workouts or you can invest in a stationary bike for some good workouts.

Here is how a stationary bike can help you improve your health.

12 Ways A Stationary Bike Helps Improve Health

You can also check out some stationary bikes here.

Another way you can be on the move more is to walk around your campus instead of driving or taking a shuttle. I did a lot of walking when I was in college because my college campus was pretty big, so there were a lot of opportunities to walk around.

So, take advantage of evey moment you have to walk or run because it all adds up and evey little helps.

6. PLAN YOUR MEALS

Meal planning is a great way for student moms to cut costs and save money while eating healthy. Now, you may be wondering how you are going to find time in your schedule for meal planning, but the thing is, planning your meals in advance actually saves you time and takes the guesswork out of your meals.

If you spend some time thinking of what to cook or eat, meal planning is definitely for you. All you need to do is to find a chunk of time to create a menu, write a list of the ingredients you need, go shopping, then prep some of your meals in advance. All of these can be done a couple of hours each month.

I love meal planning because I don’t have to think of what to feed my family when dinner time arrives. I already know what we are going to eat well ahead of time. Now, don’t think you have to make every single meal or every ingredient from scratch to eat healthily. There are healthy options available for most ingredients that you need to prepare a meal.

Some moms freak out when they hear “meal planning” because they think they have to make every single thing from scratch. Busy student moms don’t have time for that!

So, if you are new to meal planning, here is a great article to get you started.

SIMPLE MEAL PLANNING FOR BEGINNERS – STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS

And, you can also find some great meal planning resources here.

7. HAVE A PHYSICAL AND KEEP UP WITH CHECKUPS

I know the price you pay when you ignore your health or fail to keep up with checkups, so trust me when I say it isn’t something you should do.

To stay healthy, you need regular checkups and an annual physical to make sure you are doing okay. These checkups can catch things early and prevent any medical condition from getting worse.

Now, I know it isn’t always easy, convenient, or affordable, but it is something you can plan for and put in your budget so it gets done. I ignored my health for some years and I am still paying the price.

So, keep up with your checkups, take any medication you are on, and contact your doctor if you have any concerns about your health. Don’t wait for things to get really bad before you seek help. Preventive care is way better and more effective than trying to treat a sickness or disease.

Stay healthy mamas and don’t ignore your health.

8. MINIMIZE STRESS

A healthy and happy mom is the best kind of mom. As a student mom, you are faced with all sorts of challenges, and it’s pretty hard to live without stress. Everything from finding a reliable babysitter, to worrying about your grades, or how to pay for college can be a source of stress when you are a student mom.

However, it’s still up to you to minimize stress as much as possible. Stress can cause a lot of damage to your health and it really doesn’t help in any way. So, instead of stressing out about different issues, get creative, and focus on finding solutions.

Stress reduction is a great way to stay healthy, so take a look at your life right now. What are some of the sources of stress? Can you get rid of them? What do you need help with and where can you go for help?

9. STUDENT MOTHERS NEED TO RELAX AND GET ENOUGH SLEEP

There was a time when it felt like I hadn’t slept in years. I have been a single mom for a long time and I went to college as a single mom of two young kids (I was three months pregnant when I started college).

I can tell you that it was tough as hell and finding the time to relax felt like an impossible task. When I started my main program, I had the summers off from school but that didn’t mean I got a break! I still had to take care of my kids, provide for my family financially, and do all the other mom stuff!

With that said, I know how important it is to relax and get enough sleep. Now, you may not get eight hours of sleep each night, but you should try to get as much sleep as you can every single day.

Don’t be like me feeling tired and sleep-deprived all the time. Find time to rest, ask for help if you feel overwhelmed, and let your kids know that mommy needs to rest sometimes so she can keep doing all the mommy stuff.

Next steps for staying healthy as a student mom

Lots of student moms wish they could be more healthy, but for one reason or the other, they struggle to get healthy. Now, you can change that with the tips in this post.

Start by picking one tip in this post and getting to work. Don’t try to do everything at once. For example, you can start by walking more, starting your day with a healthy breakfast, or getting rid of some causes of stress.

Whatever you decide to do, make sure you do take action this year. Don’t let another year roll by with you making excuses for not getting healthy. Eat better, walk more, and don’t forget to get as much sleep as you can!

Are you a student mom? What’s stopping you from getting healthy?