If you’re thinking, “Ashley, I didn’t have much of a rhythm in the first place...” Keep reading, this one’s for you too :)
Alright, here we go, parents. It’s back to school time for the kids. Back to actual meals. Back to regular sleep schedules. Back to some normalcy and flow.
I don’t know about you, but I LOVE new beginnings – a fresh start, a good reset.
But transitioning into a new season can feel like a LOT. With Back to School madness, you’re juggling getting new school supplies and meeting the teacher and scheduling fresh haircuts for the kids and ordering school clothes… sheesh. Like I said, a lot.
As parents, how do we juggle all of this while maintaining our workout regiment (which can also mean maintaining our mental health)?
Here are a few tips that help our family:
Get organized.
Having structure helps you to be proactive instead of reactive. Why wait until the last minute and stress yourself out?
Look, I get it. The school and the teachers send a gazillion emails, app notifications and newsletters, and it can all feel like a blur as you receive alert after alert in the middle of a busy workday.
But what would it look like if you and your spouse had a shared calendar that you can both edit? Then, when school info like “Picture Day” or “Dress Like a Reindeer Day” (why?) pops up, you add it to the shared calendar. Maybe you even take it one step further and also add a calendar reminder to actually buy the reindeer costume on Amazon a week before.
And you know all of those “school is closed on a random Tuesday” days? If you don’t know yet, you’ve been warned. Well, those snuck up on us like a bandit when Little Terry started Kindergarten last year. But when it’s in the shared calendar, you’re able to communicate and devise a game plan ahead of time:
“Hey babe, Terry’s gonna be home on these random 4 weekdays in September, what’s our plan? Can one of us hold it down? Do we need to see if the grandparents can help out? Maybe we should consider paying for the “School Kids Program” at the daycare with the littles?”
Conflict is low when conversation is high.
“Getting organized” will look different for each family, so get good at being open-minded and curious and willing to do some trial and error to figure out what works best for yours. It will ultimately pay off big!
Make the necessary adjustments.
Does the kids' school schedule put a wrench in your workout routine? Get curious about some adjustments you could make.
Maybe the 5:30am workout is calling your name. Is that the necessary adjustment that helps you maintain your 3-4 workouts per week? Yes, it may be intimidating to wake up at the crack of dawn – believe me, I know how real that struggle is. But you might actually surprise yourself and end up loving your workout being done before the kids are even up! You might learn that you make better eating decisions when you start the day strong. That fasted workout might increase the effects of your intermittent fasting protocol. Wow, this adjustment might be a blessing in disguise!
One tough adjustment was Little Terry starting kindergarten last year, and the pickup time was at 3:20pm! Wow – it’s smack dab in the middle of our workday. We weren’t in a place to afford after school care, so we put together a game plan.
We determined the days each of us would own pick-up and get him settled at home. This “you have X days, and I have Y days” could feel rigid to some, but for us it’s freeing. It allows us to be able to schedule work (and our workouts!) around our scheduled pick up times and if there needs to be a shift for some reason we talk about it in our weekend meetings as we prepare for the next week. It works great!
Get the kids back into a rhythm.
Because this will help you commit to your rhythm. For example, our kids have spent a lot of time with their grandparents this summer, and that basically means that there have been zero rules: Eat what you want, sleep when you want, do what you want. Ahhhh! It is what it is and I’ve stopped trying to fight it.
But this means that we need to steer the ship back in the direction of structure. And this doesn't have to be wearisome – try finding ways to make it fun! You can involve the kids in the planning and execution too:
“Who wants to be the ‘Night-Night Time’ captain? You’re in charge of letting us know when the clock hits 7:30pm and it’s time for the family to head upstairs to brush our teeth!”
Or, another example:
“Remember, you’ll get 30 minutes of screen time after school! Let me guess.. You’re gonna choose Ninja Turtles?”
As we all know there will be push back and a tantrum here or there, but we as parents, and leaders, can do our best to bring positive and calm energy in these moments.
Ask for help.
This one is especially for the moms: you don't have to be the default person for all the Back to School things.
You can say “Yes” when grandparents offer to help with ordering outfits and costumes for the special dress up days.
You can ask your husband to fill out a school form or two, or register for “Meet the Teacher,” or handle a Back to School task like ordering supplies.
You can reach out to a neighbor with older kids if you have some fears about the first day of school or what a new experience is like.
This is what it means to have a village and to lean into that village when it comes to tricky transitions. When that overwhelm starts to creep in, take a deep breath and a look around for someone who can support you.
It’s okay to ask for help. We all need help, and we’re better together.
Get a workout buddy to hold you accountable.
It’s a lot harder to not do what you said you would do, when you’ve told it to someone else you would do it.
Accountability is powerful. Maybe you text a workout buddy your workout schedule every Sunday (add that reminder to your calendar, wink). Then, even if the two of you can’t actually attend the same classes, you can still check-in with each other throughout the week.
There have been many times when I just didn’t feel like working out and had several seemingly valid reasons why I could skip… and then I remembered a friend had mentioned they were gonna be there in class. Accountability can often be the little push you need to be better at follow through.
Remember your why.
You are a leader of your family. What the kids see you do, they will value and they will mimic. We talk about legacy and we talk about generational wealth – imagine leaving a legacy of health and movement and mental wellbeing, as the next generation sees you commit to your workouts each week, even amidst the cray cray.
What’s your why? Remind yourself of this on those hard days and let it fuel you to throw the covers off, lace up your tennis shoes and #KEEPMOVING.
Hopefully these tips help make the Back to School transition easier! Remember, this season can feel like a LOT, but it’s less of a big, scary monster when we break it down into bite-sized pieces and take things one step at a time.
DM me (@ashleymonee) which Back to School tips work for you and your family! I’d love to hear and learn from you too!
