I can only imagine the stresses that come with taking the kiddos back to school, but, at the same time, you can use this time to get back on track yourself and tackle some of your own goals. With the schedule and structure of the kids’ school hours, you can now make a little time for yourself and when the kids get home from school, take the time to workout with them, meal prep with them, and get lots of things done while they are tackling their homework!
Here’s how to make the most of this new season:
1. Go to Bed Early and Wake Up Early!
This is my new favorite routine! Set an 8-9 o’clock bedtime for yourself and the kids!! This will allow you to get in a good eight hours of sleep before waking up at 5:00am the next morning! By setting my alarm each morning for 5, I’m up before the rest of the world wakes up (no distractions); plus it’s the BEST time to get in a great workout at home, a healthy breakfast or Shakeology smoothie, some personal development time, and maybe a little side-business time like many busy moms and dads do these days (i.e. many coaches in my tribe).
Not a morning person? Trust me… I never used to be until I learned (and fell in love with) how much MORE I was able to accomplish in a day and how much more CONTROL I had over my day rather than letting the day run me. Ease into it though. Start with just waking up a half hour or an hour before you typically would and gradually work up to the 5am wake up call. And remember, the first 5 minutes of waking are the hardest… once you conquer those… you’re up, awake, and ready to go!
For more tips on how to become a morning person…. I HIGHLY recommend the personal development book “Miracle Morning” by Hal Elrod. It was a game changer in my life.
This will also be the topic of my blog in September so stay tuned 🙂
2) Homework Time = Your Workout Time
Set a timer for the kids to do their homework after school because that’s another great time when you could bust out your workout! When I was a kid, it was all my parents could do to get me to actually sit down and complete my homework. One thing that worked well was setting a timer and telling me I had to work for those next 45 minutes on my school work before I could go out and play. This was the perfect time for my mom to get the things done she needed to do as well, one of which being an at-home workout she could bust out in the living room! We have so many options for streaming workouts from home these days on the TV and computer and tablets, that this makes it a great time for you moms and dads to get in a great burn while the kids are exercising their minds!
For help on picking which workout to start with based on your ability level, or help getting Beachbody on Demand set up in your home (it’s like Netflix for workouts)…. Just shoot me a message, and I’ll give you my code to try it for a couple weeks for FREE! (bonus tip: we now have a variety of programs that actually involve the kids… AND a brand new one coming out in the fall called “Double Time” where parents and kids can partner up and do the fun moves together… so this is a great way to get the kids moving after workout time too!)
3) Park & Walk a Few Blocks to School
Every morning that I drive to the country club to train my clients, I always laugh at all the cars JUST SITTING in the LOOOOONNNNNGGGGG lines… All of which are parents trying to pull into the school parking lot to drop their kids off in the morning! Same thing happens at 2:00pm when the kids are getting out of school. What a great time to park the car along the sidewalk (a few blocks away from the school), get everyone out of the car, and WALK up to the school to drop the kids off?!
This accomplishes multiple things… 1) the kids will arrive to school SOONER because most people can walk faster than those snail-paced cars sitting in line. 2) You’ll get in an extra couple thousands steps for the day. 3) You don’t have to get frustrated sitting in morning traffic. Instead you’ll be exercising which will boost your endorphins and make you happier and less stressed!
Same applies when you go to pick the kids up from school… Park a few blocks away and use the walk time back to the car to listen to how your kids’ day was! My dad and I used to have a “fast-walk” race back to the car. Only rules were you couldn’t run… you had to walk. We would do this in pretty much any parking lot too! First one to touch the car WON!! (I think he always let me win! LOL)
4) Pack Both Your Lunch & the Kiddos Lunches at the Same Time
My mom used to pack my lunch every night so that it was ready the next day. At the same time, she would pack her own so she was ready for work the next day as well! This accomplished so many things… 1) She was able to save money by not going out to eat with her co-workers 2) She was able to save the calories of restaurant or fast food and eat her own healthy meals instead 3) She was able to decide what food we were eating each day rather than leaving it to the somewhat-unhealthy-school-lunch system to decide what we were eating each day (I would have always gone for the pizza and soda if I could have!) 4) She wasn’t rushed in the morning to get us out the door — her lunch was already packed and so were ours!!!
5) CrockPots!
We ate so many amazing crock pot meals as kids, and I know it’s because both of my parents worked full time!!! I remember so often my mom would start the crockpot at night, and, when we would wake up in the morning, dinner was already ready for that night! Another great method was starting the crockpot before we left for work/school in the morning, and then the whole concoction was hot and ready when we got home in the afternoon/evening. For my healthy crockpot menu and recipes, just shoot me a message, and I’ll send it your way! I have a full week’s worth of ideas, and I make enough so that I can take the leftovers to work the next day for lunch! It’s the BEST and such a money and time saver as well!
6) Healthy Snack Time
My FAVORITE time as a kid was coming home after school and having snack time!!! Conveniently, this is right around the time that we as adults should be choosing a healthy snack as well to help with preventing the afternoon crash and keeping us satisfied until dinner time so that we aren’t STARVING going into our last meal of the day (the time most people tend to overeat).
My favorite healthy snacks for adults and kids consist of veggies and hummus (try this homemade recipe!), a handful of raw almonds or walnuts, plain greek yogurt with a drizzle of honey or maple syrup, kale chips, Daily Sunshine and Shakeology (kiddos are loving the new Daily Sunshine* and it was specifically designed for picky kids and even pickier parents), cottage cheese and fruit, or my new fave… RX bars (kids and adult versions – use this link for $5 off your first order!). Try to avoid the sugary drinks that we used to have as kiddos like Capri Sun, Sunny D, and sodas and instead reach for water as much as possible! (homemade fruit infused water is a great yummy option for kids!)
*Daily Sunshine is certified organic as it is made with organic fruits and vegetables, and organic pea protein. It’s also Non-GMO, soy free, dairy free, and gluten free. For a free sample of either Daily Sunshine or Shakeology, or to get my coach pricing on a month’s supply, just shoot me a message, and I’ll get you the “family/friends pricing” 🙂
This is an exciting time of year. A time for new beginnings for the kids and a time of getting back on track for us adults! I am hosting a back to school challenge where I will take you through all the steps of how to make this transition even smoother and I will give you daily tips and tricks and recipes to get you feeling awesome as we head into the Fall season! Jump into our Back 2 School Challenge or request more info HERE.
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