Written by Amy Horvath
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Ever feel like it is impossible to stuff more time into the busyness of the school year for your fitness? As a working mother of four active daughters, I am not only going to suggest that it is completely possible, but I am also going to lay out some easy-to-follow tips to help you make fitness a priority and forging new habits a part of your routine. Just as it takes your family a few weeks to slide back into a new school schedule, it will take just a few short weeks for you to adjust to a healthier, fitter lifestyle.
Schedule your workouts
Put your exercise time on the calendar just as you would the kids’ soccer practice. Do not cancel this appointment with yourself any more than you would a family event or a meeting with your boss. This is you time, which is important for your physical and mental health. It is also a wonderful way to step up as your family’s health ambassador and role model.
Start your day earlier
Summer is over. It is early to bed and early to rise time again. Set your alarm clock early enough to comfortably get a 30-45 minute workout in before everyone starts demanding of you. Making one healthy decision first thing in the morning makes it that much easier to make additional positive, healthy decisions as your day progresses. Yes, it will be challenging to get up earlier than normal, but it will feel good to get your workout done first.
Set a “food prep” day
Carve out a couple of hours into the weekend to prep some healthy choices for the week. You can boil eggs to have available for a breakfast on the run or to top on salads. Grill and dice chicken breast and lean flank steak to make into healthy lunch options instead of ordering out with the office group. Make healthy snack options for the kids’ after school treats or your afternoon sweet tooth. We make trail mix, homemade granola and granola bars so we know they are not loaded with hidden sugars and sodium. Food prep takes time, but makes a huge difference with being able to stay on track during the week with your food choices. It also makes it more convenient and time efficient when packing your lunches during the week.
Eliminate processed foods
You can spend as much time as you want exercising, but if you do not clean up your diet, it will be an uphill battle that will be nearly impossible to win. Unless you are an Olympic athlete in training, you will never out-train a poor diet. Keep your nutrition to simple whole foods such as fresh veggies and fruit, lean meats, eggs and nuts. When you do eat processed, find foods with five ingredients or fewer, as well as familiar ingredients or ingredients you can least can pronounce. There are many harmful chemicals in processed foods. Keep an eye on sugar, too. Be sure that it is not one of the top three ingredients on the label.
Get Movin’
Grab a jump rope and a stable chair or coffee table. Rest for one minute between circuits and repeat the series for a total of three times.
- Speed rope for 2 minutes to get your heart rate up
- 20 lunges per leg
- Speed rope for 1 minute
- 20 ab crunches
- Speed rope for 1 minute
- 20 tricep dips on seat of chair or edge of coffee table
- Speed rope for 1 minute
- 20 push ups
- Speed rope for 1 minute
- 20 jumping squats
