Goethe said that the day is too long for those who do not know how to appreciate and use it. But without any doubt when we do not stop with the children for a moment we can say that we are missing hours. At the moment when the suckers add to the family life, time seems to be shortened, the days go by at full speed and at the end of the day (we are probably looking forward to it) we have the feeling that we have lacked time.
"You will not get bored with children," they say; And it is true. Although we unfold ourselves to try to cover everything, we often neglect certain aspects and personal care is probably one of the major victims in this regard. How much time do mothers devote to personal care and welfare?
It is one of the questions asked by the "II Study of healthy lifestyle habits and well-being in women", prepared by DKV Seguros in collaboration with the Rey Juan Carlos University, in the framework of initiatives to promote the improvement of health and life of the population through the dissemination of information and training aimed at instilling healthy habits.
The study has had 3,000 Spanish women (54.8% are mothers), between 18 and 65, of all the autonomous communities, and is structured in six large blocks: perception of well-being, healthy habits, medicine and prevention, food, physical activity and rest.
Well, in the section of time dedicated to oneself, as you will have assumed, women with children spend less time on themselves, reducing that time compared to other women who are not mothers. We talk about practicing a hobby, going out with friends, playing sports or enjoying leisure time on a regular basis.
Mothers and personal well-being
The differences can be seen especially in regard to personal care: 75% of women only spend less than one hour a week. As for leisure, 35% of women without children spend three hours or more compared to 23% in the case of mothers. Much of that time or dedicated to the same is used in the kitchen (in this case, respondents without children do not usually devote so much to preparing their own dishes).
About performing physical exercise, neither do we all have them with us: 64% dedicate less than one hour a week or nothing. That is why, often aware of this issue, we talk about how it is possible to exercise with infants and children and we also have to look for physical activity habits as a family. If "personal" care is not possible, welcome family care.
Another important issue that emerges from the study, compared to the previous edition of 2013, is that the worse the economic situation, the less time women dedicate themselves and the less they maintain a routine of healthy habits.
In your case, have you noticed that decline in personal care after the arrival of the children? Is there a time when we "recover" emotionally healthy habits? No doubt motherhood brings us a lot and does not mean that this lack of exercise, relaxation, makes us unhappy.
Good times come differently, but I'm sure that devoting ourselves a special moment to do what we like, or simply to rest, would increase the welfare of mothers, And it would give us more strength to continue fighting the next day! By the way, I would love to know the data concerning men. Do you think the differences in this issue would be so noticeable between those who are parents and those who are not?
