NWMR- smoothies, energy starters, give me some tips

jtmomma13

I am struggling. Babes sleep is horrible and even though we are either up super early or awake throughout the night I still can't get myself to bed before 11. I am also eating poorly which is giving me a major lack of energy.

I need to STOP drinking diet cokes and red bulls. Yes, I will drink both of those (not together) before noon. It's disgusting. 

Does anyone have any tips for foods to eat or things to drink that can help increase my energy? Working out isn't an option. I have to get both myself and LO out of the house by myself and I like to have some one on one play time with him before I drop him at daycare. 

djm31012

lots of water. eggs , especially the yolk. soybeans like edamame for vitamin b. raw nuts with dried fruit (nothing with too much sugar). if you can try to get outside midday...when I am really dragging I will take a 5 minute walk around the block in the sun which i find helps a lot. can you walk with the baby in the stroller in the morning, then its bonding time and exercise?

MommyAtty

Baby and me yoga was a lifesaver for me when I only had one. We bonded, she loved it, and it got my blood flowing. The baby thinks you're playing, it feels like playing, but you're getting physical benefits out of it. And anything with banana makes me peppier. And coffee. People shouldn't talk to me pre-coffee. Or look at me. Or drive on my highways. You know. The normal stuff.

jtmomma13

@djm31012 Good call on eggs. I can always hard boil them too. I am working on getting LO to like eggs- I think it's a texture thing so I can add that in easily. I am thinking that when it's 430AM and he's wide awake I should just put him int he stroller and go for a walk. 

@mommyatty- I will try that! I think we have it on demand. LO is almost one so he might be a little to little for it but it's worth a shot. I used to love yoga before baby.

@K3am- ugh all I've been eating is processed foods for breakfast...not LO though he eats fresh fruit every day lol. Why am I not eating what he is eating?! I've been reading some recipes on onehandedcooks.com.au and maybe I will still a breakfast recipe of there. I was working out 2 nights a week with a trainer but I pulled my shoulder and fell off the work out wagon. H and I were talking last night about gym memberships and switching off nights during the week to go. 

Thanks ladies! This no energy things is so crappy. 

jlaOK

Agree with PP's suggestions. 

I also want to add that you can make eggs in muffin tins (and add any kind of add in that you want) and they will keep for a week.  Just microwave them for around 30 seconds and they are just fine.  I've never had a problem with the consistency but if you don't like it you could also add some salsa on top.

potbellypig

Fruits/veggies. I sometimes buy the easy pre-cut stuff meant for parties as I know I'll eat it. Love walnuts, cheese strings. Red meat for iron. Multivitamin. Lots of coffee!!! Lots of water. I do eat sugar but try to limit it because it makes me feel like crap.

I try to get out for a walk at lunch time to get some sun and go walk in the evening with the kids.

jtmomma13

good to know about the muffin pan! That's awesome. It's so hard for me to put myself first so anything that saves time is a plus! 

Virgo17

I can relate.  My youngest is just about 13 months old and is a pretty crappy sleeper compared to my other two.  I was in a bad habit of rocking her to sleep, then she would wake up as soon as I laid her down, was waking up multiple times a night, etc. etc.  She just got over being sick and cutting some new teeth so I decided to try CIO.  We did this with my oldest and had great success.  She has already started sleeping 11-12 hours per night with 1, maybe 2 wake ups.  Most of the time she has put herself back to sleep.  Sometimes I go in and settle her and put her back to bed.  I know this is not for everyone, but thought I would suggest it if you haven't yet tried it.  

To answer your question about energy, I have the most energy when I am not eating processed junk, sugar, and white flour.  Also, could you trying doing shifts with DH so you can get a solid chunk of sleep in?  I would often to bed at 8-9pm and DH would be "on duty" until 12-1am so I could get a decent stretch in there somewhere.

  

dashofreality

I find sub-lingual B12 helps.

 

Other than that, I would try and work on sleep. Up for the day 4:30, yikes! My second was crappy sleeper, but with some work he was pretty close to my goal of 7-7 with 1-2 quick wakeups depending on teeth by a year. Have you checked out Healthy Sleep Habits Healthy Child? GL, I hate that sleep deprived first year.

jtmomma13

@virgo17 we do try and do shifts! But H leaves for work at 5 so if baby is up at 430 it's pointless for him to go in there. And right now we living in a basement "apartment"- our condo sold quicker than we thought Lo has his own room but our room is also our living area. So it's just hard to unwind and go to bed early.

@dashofreality I will have to check out Healthy Sleep Habits Healthy Child- right now I can't stomach a CIO approach. And it seems like his sleep is really only bad when he's about to hit some big milestones- right now he is working on walking. 

This has been a really hard few days with sleep. He will typically sleep from 630-5 with a random 4 or 430 wake up but this week he's been all over the place and refusing to sleep in general some nights. My goal is to get him to sleep until 6. 7 is too late with my work schedule. 

ss265

I went through a phase where I made green monster smoothies. It's basically almond milk, half a frozen banana, spinach, flax seeds or chia seeds and honey. Gave me a lot of energy at the start of the day and filled me up.

Otherwise, I really would try and go to bed earlier. Just get ready for bed, lie there and read a book or listen to relaxing music. Sleep is the best way to get more energy.