Skip to main content

Three Ways Busy Moms Can Thrive

by Julie M. Gentile

Life is constantly dishing up curveballs. Motherhood adds more, like mysterious rashes and toddler meltdowns in the middle of a crowded grocery store on a Saturday. Working parents have yet another layer—an unexpected work trip when a 2-year-old has a double ear infection and having to work late to meet a deadline long after the entire house has gone to bed.

        When we’re busy, it might seem unrealistic to give attention to the very things we need but don’t have time or energy for, such as eating clean and exercising. But these wellness practices help us thrive, and self-care can help get us there.

        In addition to the essentials of eating high-quality food and moving more, here are three ways to thrive:

1. Go to bed. In a sleep-deprived nation, getting eight hours of sleep every night is often overlooked, but sleep isn’t optional. It’s for all of us, including you. How often do you stay up well past 10 p.m. to catch up on email, social media or Netflix? Just as you clean other areas of your life, clean your sleep. Commit to a bedtime and wake-up time, which is nowhere near as easy as it sounds when you’re a working parent. But no amount of caffeine will ever replace the valuable, vital, restorative work that goes on when your body and mind are at rest.

2. Unplug. It’s okay to disconnect from the ringing, buzzing and beeping of your devices, which distract you from what’s begging for your attention in the present moment.

3. Get inspired. Do something every day that lights you up. Better yet, do it in the morning before your kids wake up so the day can’t get away. Wake up excited.

We make the decisions that create our day, our experiences and our world. Design a lifestyle that empowers us to not just survive motherhood, mamas, but to thrive.

Julie M. Gentile is author of the award-winning book 108 Yoga and Self-Care Practices for Busy Mamas and creator of the blog Stand-Up for Your Self-Care. For more information, visit juliegtheyogi.com and follow her self-care adventures on Instagram and Facebook @juliegtheyogi.





Stop the Amazon Fires
The Amazon rainforest is in a critical state of near-collapse with a record number of fires in Brazil this year—twice as many as in 2018. Read More »
Chicago’s Field Museum Involves Public in Monarch Research
Monarch butterflies have experienced an 80 percent population decline over the last 20 years, partly due to loss of milkweed plants, the only food source for monarch caterpillars. Read More »
Learn About Natural Health in Tinley Park
Empowering the future of our natural health, the Trinity Health Freedom Expo will take place on October 26 and 27 at the Tinley Park Convention Center. Read More »
Monitoring for Bees in Midewin
Monitors look for bees in 100-meter transects, spending 30 minutes in each one. Barb Krupa, an undergraduate zoology major at ONU, is active at Midewin as often as three days a week. Read More »
Mark Drugs Pharmacy Offers Customized Medications
That is the philosophy at full-service Mark Drugs Pharmacy, with locations in Roselle and Deerfield, that specializes in the custom compounding of medications for both people and animals. Read More »
Attaining The Hole-In-One Asana
Yoga is a discipline with physical and mental benefits that include increased flexibility, energy and vitality; improved muscle strength and tone, respiration and posture; stress reduction and maintaining a balanced metabolism. Read More »
Sunset Meditation to Elevate Our Perspective
Vacation of the Mind is a community of meditation instructors on a mission to touch 1 million lives or more through the power of making positive, impactful lifestyle changes. Read More »
Raise Vibrations Toward Healing at Annual Expo
Orgonite Healing Crystals will present the second annual Raised Vibrations: Energy, Health, & Healing Expo from noon to 5 p.m., October 13, in Round Lake. Read More »
New CCHW Office Opens in Schaumburg, Adds New Classes
The Calandra Center for Health & Wellness (CCHW), is moving its northwest suburban office from Arlington Heights to 830 East Higgins Road, Suite 112, in Schaumburg. Read More »
Chicago’s Wrigleyville Dental Tests for Oral Galvanism
Having mixed metals in the mouth can be harmful for our bodies in many ways. Oral galvanism is brought on by the electrical currents that occur when a patient has several metal-treated teeth. Read More »
CyberScan Available at Kintsugi Wellness
Jill Briska, DC, owner of Kintsugi Wellness, in Lombard, offers U.S. Food and Drug Administration-approved CyberScan technology to address many chronic health conditions. Read More »
McHenry County Farm Stroll
The McHenry County Farm Bureau and the University of Illinois Extension McHenry County Master Gardeners will host the fifth annual Farm Stroll, a self-guided tour of 12 family-owned farms from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., September 29. Read More »
Structural Integration Explained
Whole Body Kinetics, in Chicago, will present The Explanation of What’s Rolfing Structural Integration, an educational discussion on the benefits of Rolfing Structural Integration and Pilates, at 1 p.m., September 28. Read More »
One-Day Introduction to Zero Balancing
The Zero Balancing Wellness Center, in Wilmette, is offering a one-day introductory class on September 25 that can benefit both practitioners and lay people. Read More »
Kangen Water Quenches Thirst Like No Other
Patrick McMurray, owner of Flotstone Floatation Therapy in Lake Bluff, in partnership with John Welch Fitness, will host a demonstration of Kangen water by Enagic at 5:30 p.m., September 11. Read More »
Evanston Streets Alive Features Green Living Fest
The annual Streets Alive event, organized by Citizens’ Greener Evanston, the Evanston Environmental Association and the city of Evanston, will be held from 1 to 5 p.m., September 8. Read More »
Letter from Publisher
As I write you this month, my office window is open to the sounds of late summer in my neighborhood. Read More »
Make Breast Health a Priority
Breast health includes monitoring breasts, but mammograms aren’t the solution for everyone. They expose the body to high levels of radiation and can lead to overdiagnosis and overtreatment. Read More »
Give Children the Gift of Success and Freedom From Stress
Each new school year brings opportunities for growth and learning, but these new experiences can also present challenges. Read More »
Downward Dog After the Dog Days of Summer
Here we are at the end of summer. My parents tell me that “back in the day,” summer months were filled with frolic, outdoor adventures and low-stress summer jobs. Read More »
Goldenrods: Autumn Food for Pollinators, Color Feast for People
Plant experts Sandra Mason and Greg Spyreas agree that goldenrods, those prolific plants that bloom bright yellow in September and October, are unjustly maligned. Read More »
Three Ways Busy Moms Can Thrive
Life is constantly dishing up curveballs. Motherhood adds more, like mysterious rashes and toddler meltdowns in the middle of a crowded grocery store on a Saturday. Read More »
3 Easy Steps to Living a High-Energy Day
When we’re in a positive high-energy state, we often feel like we can do anything, but many of us struggle to accomplish our daily goals because we lack the strength to get them done. Read More »
Adaptive Yoga is a Tool For Building Resilience
The examined health benefits of yoga are vast, from stress reduction and reduced fatigue to improved posture, balance, strength and joint health. Read More »
Recipes From a Farm Kitchen
Early summer is thrilling, with increasing day length, rainy and sunny days, and the foundational farming activities like daily trellising that will support our later summer crops. Read More »
This Month at The Market
This quick and easy salad is a colorful showcase of fresh farmers’ market produce and is perfect for any summertime celebration. Read More »
Recipes From The Gluten-Free Kitchen
Fire up the grill and invite your friends and family over for a fresh, gluten-free take on this classic kabob recipe. Read More »
Age-Defying Bodywork: How to Turn Back the Clock
The key to keeping body and mind young may lie in the therapeutic modalities of bodywork, including massage, energy work, acupuncture, shiatsu and reflexology. Read More »
Ayurvedic Cooking: Ancient System Restores Balance
Ayurveda works to rebalance health in coordination with mind-body energy. An Ayurvedic diet can address imbalances and optimize health and well-being. Start with these simple recipes. Read More »
Be a ‘Warm’ Parent to Extend Kids’ Lives
Researchers have discovered that cold or unsupportive mothering styles can harm a child’s health into adulthood. Read More »
Be Wary of Dental Antibiotics
It has been found that preventative antibiotics prescribed by dentists for senior patients with specific heart conditions are unnecessary 81 percent of the time. Read More »
Brainy Beasts: Elephants Never Forget—What They Smell
Elephants have such sensitive olfactory discrimination that they can determine different amounts of food just by sniffing it. Read More »
Breathing Risk: Pollution Rises Across the U.S.
Air pollution in general worsened markedly across America between 2015 and 2017, likely due to raising temperatures from climate change. Read More »
Cetacean Liberation: Canada Bans Captive Sea Mammals
Canada’s Parliament recently passed legislation banning the practice of breeding and keeping whales, dolphins and porpoises in captivity. Read More »
Cola Quandary: Companies Urge Vietnam Recycling Plans
Suntory Holdings, a giant Japanese beverage company, has joined its rivals Coca-Cola and Nestlé to encourage new recycling strategies to fend off outlawing single-use plastic items. Read More »
Deathly Air Pollution: More Deadly Than Cigarettes
New research finds that toxic air is killing more people in Europe than tobacco smoking. Read More »
Digital Kids: How to Click With Young Techies
Sound strategies from experts that parents can use to help kids navigate the electronic world we live in. Read More »
Eat Vegan Without Compromising Stamina
A new study shows that eating a vegan diet does not compromise endurance in runners. Read More »
Fairy Magic: Feeling Their Touch in Nature
Fairies are the heart and soul of living nature. To enter into a profound relationship with fairies, first we must believe in them—we must make-believe. Read More »
Growing Pains: Climate Changes Upend Farming
Cultivation throughout the U.S. is becoming more difficult because of unpredictable weather patterns, leading to higher prices and lowered productivity. Read More »
Lower Anxiety to Ease Allergies
Those suffering from anxiety or depression are more likely to have seasonal or chronic allergies. Read More »
Pet Peeve: Natural Remedies for Allergies to Furry Friends
Natural, alternative treatments for those who are affected by allergies from dogs, cats and other furry animals. Read More »
Radha Agrawal on Creating Connections and Community
Entrepreneur, DJ and author Radha Agrawal is on a global mission to catalyze community and connect people with her new book. Read More »
Sleep Tight to Keep Ulcers at Bay
Sleep quality, including taking longer to fall asleep and waking more during the night, may be linked to the development of peptic ulcers. Read More »
Soak Up Rays for a Healthier Bowel
Regular exposure to sunlight can decrease the incidence of irritable bowel disease (IBD), including Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, in children. Read More »
Sustainable Scrubbing: Tips for Toxin-Free House Cleaning
Safe and effective non-toxic, green cleaning solutions using natural ingredients that are good for our health and the planet. Read More »
The Power of Yoga: Tapping Into the Life Force
The many health benefits of practicing yoga, including protecting against loss of mobility, cardiovascular disease and depression, lowering elevated blood pressure and much more. Read More »
The Re-Use Revolution: Plastics Peril Drives New Strategies
The growing plastics crisis has inspired companies to shift away from single-use containers to ones that are reusable with a deposit. Read More »
Trees Please: Rain Forest Dwindling
The Amazon Rain Forest continues to lose habitat for animals and plants by clear cutting practices that add to the burden of climate change. Read More »
Try Maqui Berry for Dry Eyes
Maqui, black berries that grow wild in the rain forests of Chile and Argentina, show promise for relieving dry eyes and eye fatigue from excessive screen time. Read More »
Venous Rising: Natural Help for Varicose Veins
Varicose veins can cause pain, cramping, itching, swelling and lead to blood clots and poor circulation. Here are natural strategies to alleviate symptoms and prevent them from developing. Read More »
Whale Wipe-Out: Record Numbers Starving to Death
More than 160 dead gray whales have washed up on the Pacific Coast this year, and scientists estimate that they represent just 10 percent of the total number of the dead. Read More »
In-Print Feature September 2019 healthy living motherhood sleep deprivation self-care
Subscribe to our Email Newletter Here!

April 2024 Issue

Read It Now

April 2024 issue of Natural Awakenings Magazine, Chicago edition, with a woman in a yoga pose.
Click Here to Read Past Issues