Mom Hacks: 100+ Science-Backed Shortcuts to Reclaim Your Body, Raise Awesome Kids, and Be Unstoppable

by Darria Long Gillespie

100+ self-care hacks for any mom to eat right, move more, stress less and get a good night's sleep, by a doctor who is also a momWhy is it generally accepted that motherhood comes at the expense of our health--with all that weight gain, fatigue, and exhaustion? It doesn't have to be that way. What if your baby AND you could thrive together? We cure diseases. We create artificial ears using 3-D printers. We solved how to pee in space. We can figure this out--and now Dr. Darria has done just that. An Ivy league-trained physician and mom of two, Dr. Darria combed the latest in medicine, psychology, and holistic health for answers when her own health crises struck. She now brings those solutions to moms everywhere. For moms who just DontHaveTheTime (or energy), Mom Hacks gives you the specific smallest changes that yield the biggest impact for you and your child. Every hack is a mini super-charged solution with an immediate impact. So you feel good, lose the baby weight, and are more present, while raising thriving children--in an entirely do-able, time-saving, with-you-in-the-trenches way. Her humor and personal stories bring warmth and encouragement when mothers need it most. You can be the mother and woman you want to be, and with Mom Hacks, you don't have to listen to anyone who tells you otherwise. It's time for a new mom world order.

Genres: Parenting, Nonfiction

306 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 19, 2019

Reviews

[Zibby Owens · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the introduction to "Mom Hacks," which I loved, the author related some startling facts about mothers’ health and became worried for moms. A mom’s risk of obesity rises seven percent for every child she has. And moms are statistically more likely to have poor nutrition, get less exercise, have “way less sleep,” and face alarmingly increasing rates of pregnancy-related complications and death in the United States.

After the author did all this research, she pulled all these hacks into a book to help other moms use these lifestyle techniques to lead healthier lives and a better quality of life. She said, “Hacks don't add to your to-do list. They make it easier to do,” which is excellent. Nobody needs more stuff to have to do. The book includes some amazing, science-backed tips for eating well to improve your health.

To listen to my interview with the author, go to my podcast at:
https://zibbyowens.com/transcript/dar...

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meh. This book was okay. Bit awkward as an audiobook because there are tables of information. I didn't find any of the information new or majorly life altering. Each section can pretty much be summed up as follows:

Nutrition: read labels, don't eat or drink junk often and when you do consume it mindfully (at other times keep it out of sight), give your kids veg for snacks, buy pre-cut veg or prep yours all at once to make cooking quick and easy

Exercise: 5 minutes here or there adds up, include your kids or get creative in entertaining them, do what you find fun, pair exercise with something you enjoy like listening to a book and only listen to the book when exercising, have a contingency plan so that no matter what comes up you have a way of getting in exercise

Sleep: create a good environment and lifestyle, get your circadian rhythm right, avoid sleeping pills, take turns being on night duty for kids

Resilience: you control your thoughts, choose to focus on the positive, meditation or prayer is helpful, forgive

[Taylor Yardley · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read at the recommendation of my husband who listened to the audio. I was expecting a bit more in this book that it just did not deliver. There was a decent discussion of nutrition that cut straight to the point without a lot of medical fluff. Then everything sort of plateaued into a cookie-cutter self-care book that didn't present much that hasn't been said before. I ended up skimming the last third because I just didn't feel the need to read it in detail to grasp her point. Much of it could have been conveyed in smaller online articles or blogs vs an actual published book.

[Elisabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had a hard time feeling encouraged by this book and wound up skimming most of it. The food section in particular made me feel very despondent. I do my best to feed my family healthy, well-balanced meals regularly, but walked away from that section feeling like I certainly didn’t do enough and that we’re all doomed if we don’t get nutrition right 100% of the time. Maybe it’s just not the right book for this season of motherhood.

[Robert Patterson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Summaries of tips and topics of interest to parents having challenges with fitness, nutrition, parenting etc. Narrow summaries make this so worthless however that a google search for tips would provide more thorough insight and advice. Shared with my partner who equally found the book drivel and worthless. Still might provide someone with advice and motivation in one of the 100 topics she covers.

[Becky · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book on mom hacks! It was an easy read and a good reference book- you can always come back to read the sections you need. It was insightful and encouraging. You DON'T have to be super mom. I really appreciated the section on 'mom guilt" too.

[Grace · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don’t think I was the intended audience for this book after all, but I found it helpful talking to other moms who are looking for something they can do quickly to get healthier so I can appreciate why it was published. No magic here, just common sense of nutrition, sleep, exercise, meditation.