Let’s Keep You Healthy: Healthy Mom Series
May 06, 2022
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There are many ways you can live a healthy lifestyle while juggling multiple roles and responsibilities. In honor of Mother’s Day, this month we are sharing healthy lifestyle tips from some of the moms who work at Legacy Health.
Whether you’re a new mom, a mom with multiple children or just a mom with various responsibilities, it can be hard to focus on your mental and physical health. This month, we will be sharing how living a healthy lifestyle can look different for everyone. We hope that reading about how other parents live a healthy lifestyle encourages parents to create and live a healthy lifestyle that fits them!
Abbie Sagebiel, senior project manager for Legacy Connect
I stay healthy by trying to get to the gym two or three days per week and I play on a women’s volleyball team one night per week, which is as much for camaraderie and fun as it is for exercise. Finding a form of exercise that I really enjoy is the only way I’ll make myself stick to it!
I’m fortunate that most days, I have about 30 minutes between when I drop my kids off at school and when I need to start working from home. I try to use that time for something that brings me joy or relieves some stress! Depending on the day, that might mean a cup of coffee and the Wordle, curled up in my favorite chair, or it might mean doing a few quick chores and having the peace of mind knowing they’re done.
Healthy activities I do with kiddos depend on the season. We all enjoy bike rides (we live close to an awesome network of trails), skiing, swimming, walks to the park and hiking. I try to get us outside and exploring as often as I can!
The advice I have for other moms is to put on your own oxygen mask before assisting others. However you choose to care for yourself, you will be a better mom for it!
Kaitlyn Morrell, provider outreach and engagement advisor for Randall Children’s Hospital at Legacy Emanuel and Legacy Health Partners
I stay healthy as a mom by first recognizing that while parents are truly superheroes, we are human and can’t do it all, every single day. I stay healthy by giving myself grace on the hard days and celebrating all the wins, big and small. Sometimes health looks like a run during lunch time or an ice cream cone with my daughter, Edith, in the evening.
I love taking walks and listening to podcasts, going for long runs with my friends on the weekends, treating myself to coffee and weekend naps.
When Edith was smaller, I would run with her in the stroller. Edith even ran the Eugene Marathon while in the womb! I ran the Portland Marathon while pregnant with her baby brother, who is due in June.Running aside, we love to do crafts, go on nature walks, walk our dog and go to the climbing gym and playgrounds. Edith also loves to help in the kitchen, cut her own strawberries and scramble her own eggs (with supervision, of course!). We are currently planting a garden in our backyard, too.
My advice for anyone in a parental role is that you are not alone. Sometimes it can feel very isolating and overwhelming but reach out to friends and family and don’t be afraid to ask for help. I try to find one moment every single day when I am completely present with my daughter, even if it’s just for 20 minutes. I intentionally put aside all distractions to be in the moment with her, and mentally make note of it.
Lindsey Wright, Legacy Health accountable care consultant
Staying healthy as a mom is a work in progress for sure, and I certainly don’t get it right every day, but I try to do some form of exercise, eat well and make time for rest.I make time for myself by reading, cooking and spending time with my friends and husband.
Healthy activities I do with my kiddos involve lots of outside time. Walks to the park. My kids are at great ages where they love to use their bikes and scooters and play in the backyard. (I’m) thankful for the longer days now and the extra outdoor time in the evenings.
The advice I have for other moms is to follow your gut! You’re the best mama for your kiddo and find your people that will support you.
Katie Dunn, clinical art therapy program coordinator at Randall Children's Hospital at Legacy Emanuel
As a working mom I feel pulled in so many directions every day. To stay healthy, my ultimate priority is decreasing stress related to the work, self, parenting juggling act. One way I do this is by taking special time to really be with my daughter — singing together in the car, making art together or chatting over ice cream after school. It doesn’t have to be anything major, just being together without distractions goes such a long way to fill us both up.I aim to wake up 30 minutes earlier than my kiddo to start the day with simple “me-time.” This always involves coffee and sometimes Wordle, a social media scroll, meditation or several pages of a good book. I also love vacations from work with family and friends and take them, near or far, throughout the year.
My daughter and I love adventuring. Some days we walk miles on local nature trails with our dog. Other days we scooter through new neighborhoods, ride horses outside of town or find places to swim.
I often feel pressure to do it all, in the best possible way, and that is so unrealistic. Moms are good — we are indeed magic a lot of the time — but we aren’t superhuman. Also, with technology, we are constantly attached to everything all at once and that can feel overwhelming. Unplug and enjoy some time with the kids, your partner, friends or just time alone. Keep it simple and uninterrupted, whatever it is you enjoy, for as long as you can spare. And be kind to yourself. Trying counts!
