If you’re ready to reinvent yourself after baby, let’s talk about the mommy glow-up tips!
Having a baby changes you completely! From physical changes you could have never imagined, to mental changes no one actually can see, you’re a completely different person after you have a child. After having my first child, it took me about a year to feel like myself again. After having my second child, it took me over two years to start feeling like myself again. If I’m honest, I still have some time to go! Through a combination of experience, research, and sound advice, I’ve compiled a guide to help you reinvent yourself after a baby!
This post is your guide to your mommy glow up tips for the ultimate healthier you. Here is exactly how to reinvent yourself after a baby!
“It is okay to reinvent yourself as many times as it takes to live out your most authentic self”
What Does It Mean To Glow Up?
If you’re looking for an exact definition of what it means to reinvent yourself, Merriam-Webster says reinventing oneself means to become a different kind of person, performer, etc (source). In other words, we’re changing the way we are to become something new. What’s that something new? That’s the beauty of the mommy glow up – you have something new it is literally whatever it is that you want it to be.
The difficult part of this reinvention, at least for me, is that I was so caught up in being a mom, I didn’t exactly remember what my authentic self was I was striving to reinvent! That’s part of the challenge, but it is a roadblock, not a stoppage. We’ll address it later in this post.
One thing I want to make clear is it does not matter your age, or the age of your kids, we’re never too young or old to reconnect with ourselves and reach our highest potential. Another thing I want to make clear, if you’re truly committed to a glow up, it will take work – hard work. You will have to challenge yourself in ways that may be outside of your comfort zone and confront hard truths. There’s a reason why it has taken me years to embark on this journey – it’s not easy, but the reward is so worth it!
“When times are bad, it is the best time to reinvent yourself”
Whether you’re sleep deprived, feeling burnout and a loss of self, or even battling with anxiety and self-confidence, you most likely are ready to start on this journey because you’re struggling in a way. For me, my anxiety had come to a head, it was starting to impact my day-to-day and I was feeling completely lost.
1. Get a Journal
Whether it’s a composition notebook or a cute notebook like this, we’re going to need to do some writing and reflecting. If you’re not a paper and pen girlie, try digital journaling or note-taking. Here are some of the things you’ll need to reflect on in your journal:
- Write down things that bring you joy. Time yourself for 15 minutes and write down as many things as you can.
- Write down your perfect day. Start from the moment you wake up to the moment you will go to bed. What are you wearing when you wake up? What do you see? What do you hear? What do you smell? What will you do? How do you feel? Remember, this day is PERFECT. In this journal entry, perfection exists. Be detailed and incredibly specific.
- Look at the next month, choose one thing you can do each week to bring you joy. Examples can be a pedicure, a massage, a facial, a solo book date, wine tasting, a bubble bath, taking a nap, baking something, etc.
2. Create a New Pinterest Board
Most of us are already on Pinterest, but you may not be using Pinterest in the way I am going to suggest. Using Pinterest in this way will significantly help with your glow up. Create a new board and name it something defining: The New Me, Reinventing Myself, etc. I named mine My Asethic.
I strolled through Pinterest in search of photos that resonated with me – not what I’ve seen others post, not what is trending, not what relates to others, but things that resonate with me. Super random things like quotes, sceneries, and your general aesthetic.
3. Establish a Workout Routine
It wouldn’t be accurate to talk about glow up tips without mentioning physical health. Creating healthy habits has a direct impact on the way that we feel. Whether you’re a runner or prefer walks around the neighborhood, being active and finding a realistic workout plan is important. I’ve been incorporating Pilates, Yoga, and low impact workouts into my week as often as I can. As a busy mom, I may not be able to workout 5-7 times a week, but making sure I do at least 3 days a week is reasonable.
For those of you who may not be into strength training or heavy workouts, just try walking! Whether that be walking at home or buying a walking pad to walk at your desk or while watching TV. If walking is too much, try a few simple stretches each night.
4. Evaluate the Role of Social Media in Your Life
Getting rid of social media catapulted my glow up. Why? Not only did I have more time, I was no longer submerged in the negativity of others or drowning in short-form dopamine doses. Getting rid of social media not only freed up time for me to pursue other things that brought me joy, but also freed up mental space for me.
It took me a few days to get over the constant urge to click on the app or grab my phone to check my notifications, but after my brain readjusted, I felt so much more free. What’s more – my attention span increased. Thoughts, ideas, and philosophies of others no longer lingered in my mind from the content I strolled, and I instead was able to think more clearly and use the time to focus on myself.
5. Evaluate the People in Your Life
Everyone doesn’t have access to you. Just because you’ve known Sasha from down the street since you were 10 years old, doesn’t mean she’s not a gossip queen who secretary cringes each time something positive happens to you. This glow up tip has been one of the hardest for me and is still a constant point I am working on.
The roles of the people in your life is incredibly important. Who you surround yourself with is not only a reflection of you but also serves as a means to inspire you or make you doubt yourself. If you’re in the midst of your glow up – you should surround yourself with positive people who radiate the energy you want in your life. At this transitional point in your life, the best way to stay the course is to ensure you have a solid group of people supporting you. You don’t need 12 friends or an army of women. Having 1-3 solid people in your life who you know will support you and manifest positivity is enough!
6. Declutter Your Home and Space
Speaking of mental clarity, nothing and I mean nothing, clears up space in my head more than a clear space. If you’re ready for your glow up, make space in your life physically so you can have space in your mind mentally. Clean out cabinets, closets, the playroom, your office, and any space you use regularly.
Related Posts: What is Project 333? Declutter Your Closet With This Minimalist Clothing Challenge
7. Redefine Your Wardrobe
This is a glow up tip that can either be wonderful or painful. For me, this was painful. I used to pride myself on shopping and having a closet full of clothes. After minimizing my closet, however, shopping for clothes no longer brings me joy. This being said, I used Pinterest and celebrity lookbooks to redefine my style. I didn’t really have a personal style and I struggled to figure out what I liked. By using Pinterest as I guide I was able to pin outfits and clothing that resonated with me ad begin to find common themes in that clothing.
8. Find a new hobby or gain a new skill
A few months ago I made the decision to start Spanish lessons. Spanish is the first language for my husband’s side of the family and I’ve always wanted to be able to better understand conversations. I can’t even describe the feeling I get when I finish a Spanish lesson each week. It’s like an internal glow from knowing that I am prioritizing myself, but also that I am flexing my brain in a way that I do not do day to day. What’s more – there is a reward at the end! The more lessons I take, the more comfortable I get hearing and speaking the language, and the more I can interact with my in laws.
Although Spanish-speaking may not be your hobby or skill of choice, find something that brings you joy and pursue learning more. If you’re not sure, pick something you find interesting – pottery, flower arranging, baking, sewing, cooking, etc. The possibilities are endless. Although I pay for Spanish lessons, you can try these skills for free or with little money. Use Tik Tok, Duolingo, Skillshare, LinkedIn Learning, etc. Perhaps you can even take advantage of training offered by your employer.
Remember, to do it messy! If you’re a mom with young kids like me, this means I’m studying Spanish while Paw Patrol is on in the background and I’m making snack plates. It won’t always be cute, neat, and orderly, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t make a huge difference in your glow up.
9. Start Reading (or listening!) To Books
Reading is such a powerful tool for your glow up. One of my life philosophies is to remain a student. You can never have enough knowledge and it can never be taken away from you. I’m not just talking about self-help books for your personal development either, read anything that is of interest to you! Do you like romance? Go for it! Into spooky, mystery thrillers? Grab a blanket and get to reading. Historic fiction about World War II more your speed? Have at it. My point is that it’s not what you’re reading it is that you’re reading.
Reading helps you remember to slow down. It gives you an escape from your own day-to-day and it helps to increase your attention span as well as your vocabulary and writing skills. In the glow up sense, reading will help you be more conversational and interesting. Talking about what you’re currently reading or the book you just recently finished will immediately make you more conversational.
10. Consider Spending Time In Nature
This will forever be a part of my glow up tips because it is so incredibly important. I just created a post on how to encourage your child to spend more time in nature, but spending time in nature is good for us as adults too!
For starters, most of us do not get enough Vitamin D which naturally comes from the sun and certain foods we eat. Vitamin D helps with your mood, cancer prevention, bone strength, lowering blood pressure, a stronger immune system, and even weight loss.
With that, it should be no surprise that spending time outside boosts our mood and helps with both anxiety and depression. For me, glowing up was essential to helping to have better control of my anxiety and finding myself again. To habit stack, I would get outside for my walk! Whether it is having a cup of coffee on your porch or taking a hot girl walk along a park trail, getting fresh air and spending time in nature will have a huge impact on your glow up.
11. Prioritize Sleep
I have to be honest. I hate when someone says “One of my best glow up tips is getting 8-10 hours of sleep. As a busy mom, I always want to scream DUH! I would LOVE to get 8 hours of sleep, but my child won’t let me! So instead of getting 8-10 hours of sleep, my glow up tip is to prioritize sleep.
What I mean when I say prioritize sleep is that after you get your little one to bed, start to get yourself ready for bed too! If you’re in a sleep struggle (like I was for what felt like 4 years straight), I know that you crave that alone time after your kids are asleep. It’s so easy to want to stay up to have that extra time or to use nap time to catch up on work around the house.
During your glow up journey, prioritize your sleep. Getting more sleep will have a dramatic impact on your mood and your energy level. According to a study in the Journal of Sleep Research, an inadequate amount of sleep can negatively affect emotional processing and impose a negative emotional bias (source). In other words, when we don’t get enough sleep, we’re more likely to respond negatively to situations and have an overall more negative outlook.
If you want to be more pleasant and feel more pleasant during this glow up journey, try to squeeze out sleep when you can. They don’t call it beauty sleep for nothing!
12. Set Personal Goals
Although I am a type A, enneagram 1, I have never been good at goal setting. One of the main reasons I’ve never been good at goal seasons is because I didn’t like not reaching my goals. To avoid that, I wouldn’t set goals at all. Crazy, right? Well in my twisted mind at the time, it made perfect sense.
During your glow up time, it is imperative to set personal goals. This is especially true after a baby. I was so focused on the health and nurturing of my babies, my personal goals were the furthest thing on my mind. Because of that, I really struggled with prioritizing my needs for my own personal growth.
13. Watch Inspiritng YouTube Vidoes
Find people that resonate with you on YouTube. You can do this with podcasts as well, but since I am such a visual person, the YouTube videos just do it for me! Whether you’re in the car, washing dishes, in the shower, or cleaning the house – listen to another person who is on a similar journey or someone who talks about how to glow up.
Staying inspired and a student to personal development is imperative! Sometimes I get so motivated by these videos I can’t even watch them before bed because I just get so excited and want to go out and “act” and “do the thing” that it gets me too jazzed to sleep. That is what you need! Find whoever that is for you. Your inspiration may be different than mine. But actively find people who are talking about how to become your better self or on their journey to being the best version of themselves.
Here are some of my favorites:
14. Take Care Of Your Skin
I’m not going to tell you you need a 12-step skincare routine because I’m not a skincare girlie either. What I will tell you is that you need some sort of skincare regime. My current skincare routine is the definition of minimal, but it still makes my skin feel tight, even, clean, and glowy. I get compliments on my skin all the time. Part of it is genetics of course, but I also take good care of my skin and don’t overdo it with a lot of makeup.
My morning and night routines are pretty similar: a cleansing face wash, a toner, face lotion, and eye cream. Super simple! The simplicity of the skincare routine helps me stick to it and it also makes me feel put together. Our skin is one of the largest organs in our body and deserves extra time and attention. It has not only impacted my physical glow up, but also makes helps with my self-esteem.
For pamper days, grab a face mask that you love as a great way to give your skin some extra love and give your physical appearance the same glow up you’re working on on the inside too.
15. Dental Hygiene
Speaking of self esteem, dental hygiene is one of the glow up tips that I don’t feel like is talked about enough. Not only are teeth important to your body, but maintaining good hygiene is a healthy habit that has a positive impact on your everyday life.
Did you know hygiene is crucial to our overall health? According to the CDC, a mother’s oral health status is a strong predictor of her child’s oral health status (source). Having clean and healthy teeth will literally make you glow. Brushing teeth twice a day, flossing, using mouthwash, and staying up to date with necessary dental procedures are so important to this journey. Again, I know as a mom it may be difficult to want to prioritize something that seems so trivial, but it will reap so many benefits in building your confidence for your glow up.
To step up my dental hygiene game I’m even investing in a waterpik!
16. Body Care
Again, I’m not a health and beauty blogger, I’m an eco-conscious lifestyle blogger. For this reason, body care has always been difficult for me! It’s so hard for me to find body care products that are eco-friendly or incorporate sustainability and are less toxic. Most body care products are high in fragrances and other ingredients that are not good for our bodies or the environment.
For a long time, I didn’t want to both with finding better products for my body and the planet so I stuck to the bare bone basics. Let me just say, that investing in body care that I feel comfortable with and makes me smell and feel good has had a huge impact on my glow up journey. There is nothing better than walking out of the bath or shower and your body feels smooth, smells good, and is soft and glowy.
Here are some of the products I’ve incorporated into my body care routine that make me feel amazing! They’re generally less toxic and/or more clean and eco conscious. Again, it’s hard to find the perfect product, but these are pretty decent at checking some of those boxes!
17. Drink Your Water
I don’t care if it’s a Stanley Cup, a Hydro Flask, an Owala water bottle, or whatever the newest thing is. Drink your water, girl! Drinking my water has a direct impact on my everyday life. It not only flushes out toxins, but it keeps my skin clear and helps curb my appetite. A lot of times when we say we’re hungry, it’s really because we’re thirsty! It also gives you an actual glow! This is one of the most obvious glow up tips because our body is made mostly from water.
Grab yourself a cute reusable cup and drink your water!
18. Keep Junk From Building Up In Your Body
On the same note as water, it’s important that we’re flushing out toxins and taking care of our gut. I still have a lot of work to do on my gut health, but I will say that I am actively working on it as part of my glow up journey. Like most people, I’ve always had a lot of issues after eating, typically stomach pain and bloating.
I started focusing on taking probiotics and a daily cleanse and it had a dramatic impact on how my body cleaned out toxins as well as how bloated I felt throughout the day! Remember junk in, junk out. Avoiding junk food and drinking enough water will propel you forward in your glow up journey. Probiotics help to restore the healthy bacteria in your gut. Specifically, these bills help with vaginal, digestive, and immune health. I also take a once daily cleanse pill which has helped me detox my body and skin from impurities.
19. Watch Your Portions
These glow up tips are both for the physical glow up and the internal/mental glow up. This glow up tip fits in both categories for me because not only does watch your portions require you to physically eat less, it also causes you to practice mental restraint.
If you’re breastfeeding, this glow up tip may not be for you. Instead, check out my blog post about the best breastfeeding food to help with milk production.
Otherwise, watching your portions allows you to become connected with your body and actually listen to what your body needs. More often than not, we’re giving in to all our cravings and overeating/stuffing ourselves full. We crumble (pun intended) to the taste and desires of our food, but rarely consider the impact on our health.
Feeling in control of your body and knowing how to satisfy what your body needs without overindulging is a glow up.
20. Caffeine Can Make You or Break You
Don’t get me wrong, I am all for a good cup of coffee. I look forward to drinking my coffee every morning – bonus points if I can have a cup of coffee before the kids wake up or if I can finish it before it gets cold. This doesn’t include the way getting coffee out is an entire vibe and something I’m working on decreasing in my life to curb my spending and waste.
If coffee is a part of your daily routine, while you’re on this journey, be mindful of the amount of caffeine you are taking. I found that too many cups of coffee made me jittery, unable to focus, anxious, and disrupted my sleep. As a reminder, my increase in anxiety was one of the main reasons for me starting to make positive changes for my glow up! So the coffee anxiousnes shad to go.
To maintain the balance of helpful caffeine increasing my energy levels without overdoing it, I stopped drinking coffee after 12pm. If I just needed to have a coffee for the taste (or the vibe), I would order decaf. I limit myself to a standard of 1 cup of coffee per day. If there is a good reason, I will allow myself two cups, but again – before 12pm. This has had a dramatic impact on the success of my day and aided me in having energy at the appropriate times to focus on what needs to be done.
21. Step Outside Your Comfort Zone
This is a bit different than finding new hobbies and skills because this is triggering that uncomfortable feeling. That feeling makes us a bit anxious and makes us wiggle in our seats in anticipation.
“Comfort is your biggest trap and coming out of your comfort zone is your biggest challenge” – Manoj Arora
Take baby steps and start to challenge yourself to become the best version of yourself! Meet new friends, switch up your routine, adjust your mindset, take yourself on a solo date, leave your baby with a babysitter and go on a date night, face a fear!
Although they seem uncomfortable, they will propel you forward and help in this glow up journey.
22. Affirmations
I’m in my delu-lu era. My delusional era where I am speaking things that I cannot see and place myself in spaces that I’m not a part of. I’m so committed to this glow up journey for myself since having kids that I am truly pulling out all the stops. I say positive affirmations every single day. They may not necessarily be things that are currently true, but they are things that I am willing, praying, and manifesting to be true. These affirmations are also how I want to present myself to the world. They’re a reminder to me of who I am and the woman I am striving to be.
My positive affirmations look like this: I am a six-figure blogger, money comes to me easily, I am such an awesome mom, I have empathy and patience for those around me, I am fun to be around because I am a breath of fresh air and positivity, I glow with the confidence God has given me, my skin looks incredible today, my body is gold and in excellent shape, etc.
If you struggle with positive affirmations, remember the first step is to stop with the negative self-talk. Whether you are speaking positively or negatively you are professing over your life.
23. Practice Gratitude
If you have a few extra dollars to spare for this glow up tip I promise it is worth it. This inexpensive 90 day gratitude journal has been INCREDIBLE! Seriously it takes 5 minutes out of my date today and it has helped me to mentally gather myself every morning in an effective way. It has also helped me to reflect on the night and quickly plan for the next day. I’ve tried so many of these types of guided journals before but what I love about this one is how fast it is!
We’re busy moms, right? Time is of the essence. This journal takes less than 5 minutes to complete each day!
24. Consider Therapy
Therapy may not be for everyone, but there is no shame in giving it a try. Your mental health is so important and has an impact on your entire body. When I was pregnant with my son, I was experiencing extreme postpartum anxiety.
25. Keep Going
Keep moving even when it is uncomfortable or hurtful! You can glow up your life even after baby! Please give yourself grace, push through, and pay attention to your triggers.
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