So many people are getting ready to send their little ones back to school, and with that comes a whole new schedule for everyone. You may also be sending them back to sports, art classes, or other after-school activities. My husband is an elementary school teacher and I see it first hand.
This often means a lot more “hurry we are late” breakfasts, packaged snack foods in the house, and possible drive through trips after a long night. It can lead to a lack of planning for yourself, because you are so focused on everyone else and big changes like this always rock our routines as we have to settle into a new normal.
I wanted to share some quick tips to help you make this transition as healthy as possible for everyone!
Make Breakfast FAST: Breakfast is the most important meal of the day for so many reasons. It sets the tone for your day, can trigger cravings for other things, and provides much needed energy and brain fuel for the hours ahead. If you skip it you will often feel more tired, crave sugar or carbs as your blood sugar drops, and be less patient or clear headed. These are all important things when toting kids all over town and getting your long to-do list handled. Consider making an “egg mug” or “overnight oats” or any of the thousands of fast breakfast ideas on Pinterest. I love the organic kids shake, Daily Sunshine, for a high quality quick option for the little ones.
Plan Out Your Meals: Not having a plan always leads to the worst decisions. Having no idea what is for dinner often means a drive through or skipping meals. If you make a plan for your meals, not only can you make a clear shopping list and save money, but you’ll know what is going on each day. Maybe you need to use a slowcooker one day, or make food in advance and freeze it, so it’s easy during the week. It all works, regardless of how you execute the plan, having one is key!
Don’t Ditch Your Water: There can be a tendency to drink less water as the weather cools down. We can also increase things like coffee, energy drinks, or soda, for the caffeine, as schedules get crazier. This tip of the scales can have an impact on the actual scale, full pun intended 😉 Make sure you start your day with water, before anything else, in order to increase energy, help with digestion, and keep overeating at bay! Keep water in the car, in lunches, everywhere and make it the go to beverage.
Choose Healthy Snacks: We all make compromises in the interest of time, but you don’t have to completely throw in the towel. It doesn’t have to be chips, soda, and fruit snacks just because you are busy. Fruit, nuts, Beachbars low sugar snack bars, low sodium air popped popcorn, and crunchy veggies like carrots, snap peas, or sweet peppers, require no prep and can hang out right in your purse, or their backpacks.
Move as a Family: Yes that means YOU TOO. You may not be at the water park, the zoo, or the beach any more, but you don’t have to spent the whole fall parked in one spot. If you are sitting at football practice, walk the track around the field. Is your little one doing gymnastics at the Y? Jump on a treadmill. Use the time to move your body too. We get so focused on being there for the kids, we forget that we are the only person that is going to really be there for ourselves! Maybe it’s only 10 minutes because you have to leave that practice to go get another kid at another thing. So be it. The blood flowing, and endorphins, are going to help give you energy, mental clarity, and desire to make better food choices.
I hope you found this helpful and I am wishing you a very healthy school year!