THE BACK TO SCHOOL STRUGGLE….IT’S REAL!

The back-to-school season is here for us busy moms. Whether your kid/s have already started, or are preparing to start school again, summer is coming to an end and school is about to kick into high gear.

And along with that comes the tide of back to school activities – shopping for clothes, shopping for supplies, meet the teacher, fall sports, and any other beginning of the school year activities on the calendar. To put it bluntly, stuff is about to hit the fan.

While for some, back to school can be a return to routine and stability for you and your kiddos, for others it can signal the beginning of a relentless run of programs, activities, and a schedule so full you don’t even know where to begin separating it all.

As much as I wish I could give you the “number one sure-fire way” to survive back to school for you and your family, what I CAN give you is a bit of reassurance that this too shall pass, hang in there you’ve got it, and a couple of hints for how to keep your OWN health and wellness goals on track during this hectic and stressful time.

Make a Plan 

Sit down for a few minutes (even if it’s just in your car after work or in between running errands), decide what parts of your health/nutrition/weight loss efforts are MOST important to you and write them down. Only pick the TOP 3 PRIORITIES. This isn’t long-term. Just for a few weeks (3-6 weeks) until everyone gets acclimated to the new in-school routine and then you can start making adjustments. So, if nutrition, hydration, and stress management are your TOP 3 priorities, write those down. If it’s movement, nutrition, and sleep, write ‘em down.

Of those TOP 3, prioritize them in order of importance – 1. Sleep, 2. Nutrition, 3. Movement. Or whatever you decide.

Then we move on to…..

Keep It Simple 

This may seem obvious, but it still needs to be said. Don’t try to do too much and keep your goals/actions simple. So, if you prioritized Sleep, Nutrition, and Movement, pick ONE THING you can keep up with for the next 3-6 weeks with each of these areas. For example, if the kids’ bedtime is now 9pm instead of 10pm, maybe your bedtime can now be 10:30pm instead of 11-11:30pm? Or maybe you can wear a sleep mask, play soothing music, or turn off all blue-light devices 30 minutes before bed to help you sleep better for those few weeks.

If it’s Nutrition, maybe the one thing you can keep up with is making a protein shake or smoothie weekday mornings for breakfast, or packing an extra piece of fruit for an afternoon snack at work.

Whatever you have chosen, don’t stress about not doing ENOUGH. This is only for a few weeks until routines are established, schedules are figured out, and everyone is back on track for the new school year. THEN you can jump back in to setting additional health and wellness goals, picking up your routine where you left off, or starting a NEW health, nutrition, or weight loss lifestyle.

Take Short-Cuts Where You Can 

This will depend on which habits you want to prioritize, what your schedule is like, and where you need to focus your energy. If all you can manage for the first few weeks is parking at the end of the lot and taking an extra lap around the store to get extra steps for your movement, great! Baby carrots and cheese sticks for snacks, awesome! Whole grain cereal and fruit for breakfast, or a protein shake/smoothie, fantastic!

If dinner needs to be rotisserie chicken, bagged salad, and a package of dinner rolls, go for it. Stress management might mean deep breaths and aromatherapy while getting the kids in the bathtub.

The point is, don’t make it harder than it needs to be. You don’t have to cook every meal from scratch if you have practice/games, church activities, or other school functions 7 days a week. If you can’t fit in an hour at the gym, maybe it just needs to be a 20 or 30 minute walk with the kids or the dog.

Ask for Help 

It’s okay to get your family involved in helping you during those first few weeks. I know I struggle with feeling like I need to do it myself, but it’s much more beneficial for my mental health to get Hubs and Mini-Me involved in prepping for our busy weeks. Hubs is GREAT about keeping up with Mini-Me’s uniforms and other sports related necessities. We both compare schedules each week and check in with her to see what we might have missed. I’ve been dragging Mini-Me into the kitchen on Sunday afternoons to help prep meals for the week ahead, even if it’s just getting the protein cooked and the veggies chopped for the week. Those steps are done and it only takes about 15 minutes for a meal to come together after a LONG evening of sports.

Maybe it’s sending your partner to the store with the grocery list while you work on something else. Or getting a sitter for an afternoon so you and your spouse can take care of errands more quickly and peacefully.

Don’t take on all the responsibility alone when you don’t have to. Ask for help. Even with small things, it can take an incredible amount of stress off your plate.

Give Yourself Some Grace (and Personal Space) 

While it’s important not to let yourself get sucked into the whirlwind of back to school, it’s also important to understand that things are going to happen. Time is going to get away from you. Between work, new routines, extra activities, and all the LIFE things, the first things to go in a busy mom’s life is usually her personal health/wellness/weight loss efforts. You will eat crappy food at a concession stand because you didn’t have time to prepare a healthy snack/meal for before or during the game.

You will skip the evening walk because you are running your kids to soccer practice, piano lessons, and Scouts all on the same evening and your partner is probably working late that night too.

Things are going to happen. Give yourself the grace and patience to say, “Oops. That didn’t work out like I planned. Time to try again tomorrow.” And then try again tomorrow.

But like I said at the beginning of this post – this too shall pass. Everyone will get adjusted to the new normal. You’ll figure out what fits into your schedule, what doesn’t, and you can make the necessary changes to get right back to your healthy habits in a way that fits your life.

And if you would like to learn how Health and Nutrition Coaching can help you create habits that fit your life and your schedule, Book a FREE Consultation.