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Women encouraging women, of all ages on those things that we know to do but need some support in doing them along the way!

We’ve all heard the adage, “If Mama ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy.” Those words were penned many years ago and even became a popular country song. The saying reflects the fact that we as women have great (or not so great!) influence over those closest to us. As nurturers that spend a good deal of time cultivating relationships, it’s vital that we make the time to practice healthy habits.

At the beginning of our Movin’ Together series, we talked about hydration. Starting my day by drinking two glasses of water helps me to be hydrated for the unplanned adventures of my day (such as chasing our puppy through our back woods when someone left the door open – true story). Whatever your daily activities, hydration benefits all of us and our organs! Getting enough water helps our hearts by thinning the blood and consequently making it easier for the heart to pump oxygen-carrying blood throughout our bodies. Hydration is the first tool in our healthy “tool basket” that we are building in Movin’ Together.

The second tool in our healthy tool basket is eating breakfast, or breaking the fast. Like hydrating, if you start your day by eating breakfast, you’ll feel better right from the get go and have more energy later on! If you start off the day “behind” in terms of nutrition, though, it can be difficult to catch up. Hydration and breakfast help us to start our day with an advantage!

Peter Economy wrote an article titled, “The Seven Things Extremely Happy People Do Every Single Day.” That caught my attention and I was encouraged by reading it. His second point, choose to take care of your body, is in part what we’re addressing today. Like hydration, which benefits the whole body, breakfast also provides nutrients to the whole body from your head to your toes. Breakfast helps the brain, heart, and other major organs to function more efficiently. Like hydration, breakfast is a choice. Some of us have been skipping breakfast, making the excuse that there isn’t enough time in the morning. Or, maybe we protest that we do not like “breakfast food.” However, with a little creativity, both hurdles can be overcome.

One morning, my six-year-old daughter Julianna asked me if she could have spaghetti for breakfast. I was about to say no, but changed my mind. That got me to thinking, what do others eat for breakfast around the world? (Watch this video for information). Some suggestions are fruit and cheese, fruit with peanut butter, wholegrain cereal, instant oatmeal, scrambled eggs, and fruit shakes. It is always good to have a protein and carbohydrate together. Breakfast bars are okay in a pinch, but if you want great benefits you need to eat more than one.

Another way to make time for breakfast is to prepare it the night before! You can put regular oatmeal in the crockpot on low overnight, using the same ratio of oatmeal to liquid as you would on the stove. Adding fruits, berries, nuts, honey, or maple syrup lend flavor to your oatmeal. Or, if you aren’t a hot cereal fan, boil eggs in advance and keep them in the refrigerator to grab. When making pancakes, put the leftovers in the freezer to pop in the toaster for another quick morning meal. These tricks can save you early morning stress and make sure you get a quick boost of energy all the same.

Simple choices, like staying hydrated and eating breakfast, do wonders to make “Mama happy.” The outcome not only benefits us as individuals, but those around us as well. Ecclesiastes 3:12 says, “I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live.” A worthy goal, don’t you think?

We now have two tools in our basket – drinking water to hydrate and eating breakfast to rejuvenate. Next time, we’ll cover wearing shoes to stretch.

If you still need encouragement to start the breakfast routine in your life, here is another source.