6 Pillars of Wellness Every Mom Should Know

I’m just like you. Before having my babies I spent hours preparing to become a mom. I did all the newborn care classes, bought all the cool baby items, and read everything I could about breastfeeding. I felt ready, maybe a little apprehensive, but ready.

Wow, how not ready it turned out I was.

What I didn’t prepare for was the impact becoming a mother would have on me. I didn’t realize how physically demanding and exhausting the whole ordeal would be on my body. There were no strategies in place to replace nutrients lost from stress, pregnancy, birth, and postpartum. I had no tools to navigate the juggling act that is working full-time while taking care of a newborn. And, maybe most important of all, I wasn’t equipped to deal with the intense emotional roller coaster that is mom-life.

All of the above led to me feeling burned out and anxious, not a combination I ever imagined would be apart of my mothering journey. I was depleted and drowning in my own unrealistic expectations of myself.

I knew I needed to make some serious changes, but I didn’t know where to start or how to even approach it. So I started small and went back to the basics, and for me, that’s always been nutrition. I made small changes over time while incorporating new habits in other areas of my life.

These areas are what form the basis of the Mama Restore Program and eventually became the 6 pillars of wellness.

Purpose, sleep, nutrition, stress, movement, and detox. Feeling well is about restoring and maintaining balance to each of these areas. It’s about learning your body’s signals so that you can course correct when any of these pillars get knocked out of alignment. No one pillar is more important than the other.

Purpose

When you become a mother, you experience a major shift in identity. Without giving yourself the time and space to sort through it things can start to feel a little hopeless. Motherhood isn’t cookie cutter, you have to decide what it is you want, how you want your life to look, and how you want to feel. Then take action.

Sleep

Let’s face it, there’s not a lot of sleep in motherhood. Whether your baby is a newborn or an ornery toddler it can feel like their mission in life is to keep you awake. But you’re likely not sleeping enough even when they aren’t around. Lack of quality sleep has a direct impact on your energy and stress levels. Sleep has to become a priority and there are ways to optimize your sleep, regardless of what stage your child is in.

Nutrition

When your body doesn’t get what it needs to function well, you don’t function well. The first place to start is with food. Pregnancy, birth, and postpartum are extremely taxing on your body and if you’re not thoughtfully trying to replenish, then you are likely depleted. A macronutrient balanced real whole-foods based approach is a great place to start.

Stress

You have to take care of yourself first before you can take care of others. It’s not just how you are feeling emotionally, it’s also what your body is experiencing. Chronic pain, digestive issues, sleep issues – these can all indicate that your stress bucket is overflowing. Learning stress management tools and techniques (e.g. meditation, breath work, journaling) that work for you is key to feeling like yourself again.

Movement

Moving your body (joyfully) is crucial to your overall health. It’s not about getting a flat stomach or toned legs (though that might be a nice side effect), it’s about moving joyfully and avoiding the sedentary life that is killing so many of us. Just moving your body for 10-minutes a day will work wonders for restoring your sense of self.

Detox

Supporting your body’s natural detoxification system is important for so many reasons, though most relevant here is hormone health. Taking care of your liver through nutrition while ensuring your detox pathways are open (e.g. sweating & pooping daily) are key to feeling your best. It’s also a great idea to reduce your toxic burden in the first place by switching to natural cleaning and beauty products.

Making small adjustments in each of these areas can have a huge ripple effect in your overall well-being. Anytime I start to feel a little “off” I take a mental assessment in each area and make changes accordingly. I believe that every new mom should be equipped with a toolbox full of items to restore themselves back to balance. It’s not about the big sweeping changes, it’s about those little shifts across the board that build momentum and change your life.

I teach women how to navigate these pillars in their own postpartum journey.

If you are ready for support navigating your postpartum health journey, I am here to serve you. Whether you gave birth yesterday or a decade ago, I can help you finally heal your body by bringing these pillars back into balance. The easiest way to get started is to book a no-obligation call here.