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Stay at Home Moms
NicoleWI
member
SAHM=healthy lifestyle?
NicoleWI
member
Especially if you used to be a WM, do you think your lifestyle is healthier now that you SAH? I'm a WM and would like to stay home someday and don't know if this is just wishful thinking...or something true w/ only one baby but not true once more than one kid is in the picture! When I'm off of work (like this week), we get more exercise and have better meals, and I actually do some menu planning. I can see the exercise angle being especially true in the summer...pretty sure I would do a lot of walking to the park! Plus, I can work my sleep schedule better w/ the baby's natural schedule, so I think we both get more sleep. What do you think?
(Before people get all crazy, I'm just asking in general what you think of this. I realize nothing is true for everyone. I'm sure plenty of WM have it way more together than me and work out and make healthy meals every day.)
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Re: SAHM=healthy lifestyle?
I dont think either W or SAH leads to a better lifestyle. I just think you get out of (either situation) what you put into it.
Doing 'prep' with meals goes a long way i.e meal planning, grocery shopping with a list, prepping meals before hand, etc- by doing those things either a WM or a SAHM can more easily prepare healthy meals.
That is what i mean by you get out what you put into it-
same thing with exercising.
I think so. I have more time to get out and walk with the baby than I would if I worked. When it's nice outside we go on 2-3 walks per day.
I cook most of our meals, which is a lot healthier than eating out, and I get plenty of sleep (most nights, not including this pregnancy, lol). I get up when DD gets up, which is around 7:00-7:30. If I worked we would be up around 5:30 to get it all done.
Before I got pregnant this time, I went to the gym, and even had a trainer for a few months twice/week. My mom or DH's mom would babysit (they work flexible hours). Now that I'm pregnant with #2 and it's flu season, we are avoiding the gym, but still get out for long walks when it's not freezing. I can't wait for it to warm up and we'll spend the majority of our time outside again.
I ate chocolate for lunch, so that should answer your question.
Honestly, though, I have a gym membership (with daycare). I have more time to do healthy things than when I worked, but what I lack is the motivation.
Haha! My lunch today has consisted of another cup of coffee and four chocolate cookies...ugh!
To answer OP, unfortunately, it's not as B&W as it may seem. Sure you may have more time for meal planning and preping (for instance) but mentally it may be more taxing. I, for one, find my mental health has declined considerably since I became a SAHM. I'm unable to go to work because of my DD's health. There were a million times when she was a baby that I'd just count the hours until DH came home. And it's not just that. Kids, in general, are draining. They are demanding and selfish (appropriately so) and need a lot of help and interaction. It's exhausting somedays.
And while I have time to go to the gym during the day, I still go at night because DH is home and I tend to like the classes they offer at 5:30.
I will say that the weekends don't seem as crammed as friends who have children and work. I do the groceries and a lot of the errands on the weekdays so we have a lot of family time at night.
Pros: I get to the gym a lot more than when I worked (3-4 times a week - DS goes to the gym daycare), I get a lot more exercise in general throughout the day walking places with DS and playing with him, and I cook dinner most nights/meal plan (DS and I eat out for lunch a lot, though)
Cons: nap time is the devil for me with snacking. I am resisting as we speak. Also, being home with the kids just means a lot more snacks in general - playdate snacks, baking to occupy him during snowy days, loads of birthday parties, cupcakes, going out for ice cream in the summer, etc,
In general, though, I personally am in much better shape now staying at home.
Such a great question and I agree, on some level, with all the previous posters: your health is what you make of it and you are only going to get what you give (ditto Stacyc625!) regardless of your employment status; however, depending on the age of your child, how much real "free" time sans hubby & baby you have, and how much motivation YOU have to make the most of what you need to get done, SAH can lead to a healthier lifestyle.
For me personally, never having been a working mom, SAH has been great for me at times and a detriment to me at times, it's like riding a roller coaster!
I sleep a LOT better, have a lot less mental stress and love the freedom & flexibility to do what I really want to do or need to do on any given day as a SAHM. I am the happiest I have ever been and I've been at home 4 years now. It hasn't always been "easy" to be at home full time, there are definite trade-offs where working outside the home would've been better but this is the life I chose and I try not to think what the grass might feel like on the other side. 
eclaire 9.10.06 diggy 6.2.11
I know that FOR ME, I am healthier (mentally, emotionally, and physically) being at home. DH and I both try to put our health somewhere in the top 5 priorities in our lives. So after DD gets her spots for health/happiness and general taken care of-ness, it leaves DH and I as pretty high priorities too. If I was working full time, there is NO way I (I am sure others can) could balance everything and keep our health at the top of the list.
Being at home enables us to all find time to work out, eat well, spend time together, spend time apart, rest and sleep, and take care of ourselves. I think you are on to something. Of course, there are always exceptions.
I think it's a personal decision. Many women would go nuts staying at home, so for them it's healthier to work.
For me, it's great. Both DH and I value having time to spend as a family on the weekends, not having to rush around and get everything done that we couldn't have done during the week if we both worked. We each get more "alone" time, too. The house is basically organized (well, okay, it's a mess right now, but we just moved a month ago). Some people thrive on being busy -- not us, just the opposite! So me staying at home keeps our lives pretty low-stress.
For me, and for my family, SAHM defintely means a healthier lifestyle than when we were both working.
I have more time to cook, and love this. No more convience items, no more carry-out dinners, things like that. I have the time to do most of our cooking and baking from scratch. Of course I could have made the time to do this while working, but honestly, I preferred to make quick and less healthy dinners and spend the extra time with DS in the evenings.
I don't snack on unhealthy things during the day because DS always wants whatever I'm eating. We go on walks EVERY afternoon with the dog, regardless of weather, and on nice days we hit the park in the mornings.
Add in the reduced stress for the entire household, and it's win/win for us.