3 Ways to Beat Back to School Stress

Ready for back to school? Listen in as I give you 3 ways to get ready to start the year off on the right foot!

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Talk soon!
K


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Transcript

0:00

Hey guys, it's back to school time. Everyone's favorite time of year, right? It's fun. It's exciting. And maybe a little bit like bundles of nerves as maybe you send your Kidner gardeners off for the first time. Like I am mine. Or, um, just really kind of feeling stressed or rushed, trying to get all the right school supplies and colors of folders in. You know, wondering what class your kids are going to be in and helping them to manage their feelings as well. And you don't need your routine to set you up for even more stress. You need to have a routine that streamlined and supporting your little ones as they go back to school. So I'm sharing with you guys today. Three of the things I've done to writing my family and myself to get right back to school, right back into the routine. So that we are. Ready for the year. My kids are set up to learn and have an awesome start to their year. Take a listen share your favorite tips that you do in your family and we'll talk soon Hey, everyone. Welcome to The Nourished and Thriving Show. I'm your host, Katie Lovitt. I'm a registered dietitian on a mission to help you increase your impact and legacy on the world while healing your gut and reducing your IBS symptoms. I'm so grateful to have you here. Each week I'll inspire you to live vibrantly and provide valuable resources and information that empowers you to take bold action towards your health goals. Before we dive in, make sure you follow or subscribe to my show wherever you're listening so you never miss an episode. Ready? Let's go!

Katie Lovitt: 1:39

Guys, it's August. Here we are. And whether you're a parent or teacher or student, you know that that means back to school. And I don't want you to think, you know, oh, if you don't have kids or something, it's not applicable to you because it is. Um, We are also, you know, almost three quarters of the way through the year. And so if you are somebody who set some really big goals at the beginning of the year, um, and you haven't really made significant progress towards them, it's time to really double down and get it done, make some progress, figuring out what's kept you stuck in the past while you haven't made it, like, at least to the halfway point of that goal and troubleshooting. So it's gonna be helpful for you too, um, as we get through this. So routine can be great with back to school, but it also means busier schedules and, you know, whether you're back to school, busy schedules or just always have a busy schedule, um, this is gonna be really, really helpful for you. Um, whenever you're busy, it just can feel really challenging to honor your health during your daily life. With the decisions you're making all day, it can feel a lot easier to just not do those things than to do them, especially whenever the things that you're doing. That actually lead to sustainable change. Feel small sometimes, and that's great because they're really sustainable, but because they're not this like overwhelming, huge action that's going to immediately get results, it can feel just as easy to not do them as it is to do him. So we're gonna give you three tips to help you stay on track. Or get back on track if you've fallen off the wagon throughout the year, which the best of us do, right? Life is always about growth and evolving time. Doesn't matter. Like as long as you like, keep trying and don't give up. That's when you don't fail. Like you fail when you decide that you're done and you're not gonna try anymore. So keep trying. Even if you haven't, you know, moved the needle like you wanted to in the past. Let's see if we can get you some progress. So, The first thing I'm gonna tell you about is important for everyone, and it is to prioritize your sleep. Okay? That means mapping out what your evening and morning routines look like to ensure that you get enough rest, your kids get enough rest, all of that. If you're not sleeping well at night, your body isn't resting and you're repairing itself during the day or during the evening. And then during the day, you, um, Are just not at your best. So for adults, this can look like brain fog, fatigue, you know, relying on sugar or caffeine to keep us going. Um, and just kind of like drifting along through life. For kiddos, it's kind of surprising, but a lot of the time, like hyperactivity and inability to sit still and pay attention is actually linked back to fatigue. So you really want them at their best during the school day so that they are ready to learn at school and all of that. So, um, prioritizing sleep is super, super important for them. So I always like to actually start in the morning first whenever I'm doing this because it helps set your rou your routine in the evening as well. So it's kind of working backwards. So in the morning, figure out what time it is that you need to be leaving your house, what time it is you need to be loading your car, because if you have young kids, that is a completely different time than when you need to leave. Like, As adults, you can just be like, oh, we need to leave at, you know, seven 15 With kids. It's not just like, I mean, especially if they're young, you know, it's not like, oh, you just go get in the car and go, you know? It's like, oh no. It's a whole process of like getting the bags and making sure everything, everyone has everything and all that. So if you need to leave at seven 15, maybe that means you need to be completely ready and then start the process of loading your car. Seven, just to give yourself an abundance of time. Um, so then what does that mean? Like, how long do you need to eat breakfast? How long do you really need to get ready? Um, and working backwards from there, figuring out what time it is your kiddos need to get up, what time you need to get up if you are getting up before them, and all of that. From there, you are gonna calculate what time you need to go to bed and figure out, you know, what is your bedtime. So if you. Go to bed. You know, say you wake up at 6:00 AM you need eight hours of sleep. You need to be lights out by 10:00 PM if you are an adult to get eight hours of sleep. Um, now that does not mean that you start washing your face at 10:00 PM I'm guilty of that. I'm like, oh, it's bedtime. I'm gonna go start all that. It takes me 20 or 30 minutes just to brush my teeth, wash my face, take my dog out, give her her medications, um, put my PJs on the whole thing. Um, so that's like a whole thing. So if you start that at 10 when you should be turning out your light, it's gonna be closer to 11 by the time you're actually sleeping and you've lost an hour of sleep. Now this is especially tricky if you're waking up even earlier. You're already maybe only getting six or seven hours of sleep, and then you're like all of a sudden getting five hours of sleep. And this can actually be a mysterious reason of why you feel tired when you're getting enough sleep. Like how much sleep are you actually getting? Like are you intending to fall asleep at a certain time or is that actually when you're falling asleep? So definitely some things to explore. From there, once you figure out your bedtime, your like lights out time, um, you need to figure out what bedtime routine looks like. We do this for our kids. Why don't we do it for ourselves? Right? Like you need to wind down and signal to your body like, Hey, it's time to end our day, time to rest, all of that. So, like I said, it takes me 20 or 30 minutes just to like do the. It's great to not have blue light in your face right before you're falling asleep because that stimulates you and keeps you awake. We know this, so if you're a late night TV watcher, maybe opt for some blue light glasses, maybe, you know, stop watching television a little bit earlier in the evening and pick up a book, you know, and, and read a book for a little bit. Um, so that's a really good option as well. Or do some puzzles. I actually used to use Sudoku puzzles in college before bed. I still can't start to do a Sudoku without falling asleep or like feeling like I need to go take a nap.'cause there's such like a strong connection now between Sudoku and sleep. Um, So watch out for that. Don't do something at night that you like, wanna be able to do during the day, but your might involves like some light stretching, you know, or like some yoga nidra, some like rest, you know, restful yoga, that kind of thing in the evening before bed. Um, now for your kids, definitely check with their pediatrician on how much sleep they need for their age. Um, or check with like the American Academy of Pediatrics, like they may need like 10 to 12. Hours of sleep at night. So, you know, it's really important to prioritize those bedtimes and it's such a challenge during the school year because they have afterschool activities and homework and if you're out of the home, you know, working, you're trying to get home and do dinner and all of that. So I get it. So it's just about like what works best and not every day is gonna be perfect, obviously. But what are you like. Working towards, and then on those days where things are just off or like it doesn't go according to plan, you're just intentional and you're like, I know that this is not like what we need, but we're choosing in this instance to make a change. And that's fine too, but you're not just falling into this habit and pattern of like accidentally not getting enough sleep. Does that make sense? Okay, so that's one sleep. I've beat you over the head with it because it's a big one. The second tip is pack your lunches before night or the night before. Um, this will make your mornings go like 5,000 times more smoothly. Now if your kids are older, you can get them in on this. Like they can pack their lunches the night before too. That also helps them to learn to be prepared. Um, Trying to get breakfast and dressed and all that and make a lunch when you're getting out the door in the morning is just not, like, it doesn't work for us. So packing lunches the night before, I actually like to do it while I'm making dinner, while I already have things out in the kitchen, I'm already going, you know, and doing stuff in there. Um, and it makes it a lot easier. I know some parents of kids do like, Grab and go bins for lunches where there's items from different food groups. So there's like a veggie, a fruit, a carb, a protein, um, stuff like that. Some healthy fats. And the kids can like d i y, their own Lunchable, you know, they have to like pick one thing from each container and then they're having the ability to choose, um, what they're eating, but it's also meeting, you know, the nutritious guidelines that are gonna help support them and them be at their best at school. So couple of ideas for you there. Um, and then my third tip is breakfast. Plan out two to three balanced breakfasts that you can easily grab, reheat, and go throughout the week. And so this may look like. Batching some egg egg cups on the weekend. Um, making some smoothie bags ahead of time where they're just, you know, individual single serve smoothie bags. You just stick'em in your NutriBullet or your, you know, a lot of people these days are using the Beast Blender. I still have my like old trusty NutriBullet from forever ago'cause it works great. Um, add some liquid blended up and you're good to go. Make sure you're getting some good protein in with breakfast because this. Gonna help keep your blood sugar levels stable throughout the day. It's gonna tide you or your kiddos over until lunchtime. Um, and just be more nutritious and supportive. So definitely go for some protein. I think breakfast just tends to be a sugar fest sometimes, right? Like a carb fest. And we need carbs. I'm not against carbs. We need them, you know, for energy. They serve an important role in our diets. But it does need to be balanced also because, you know, a sugary cereal or just a bagel or something like that can leave you, you know, feeling that like drop in blood sugar later and super hungry, not making it to lunch, that kind of thing. So, um, share me your favorite breakfast prep ideas. Um, I'd love to hear, um, what you're doing and if you have any other tips for starting the school year off. Um, well, and just getting back into that routine, definitely let me know. I love hearing from you guys. Um, reach out to me over on Instagram and we can talk. Uh, through that. So, um, if this is helpful for you and you're needing more support with your hot mast going into this new school year, and you were like, I'm ready. My kids are back in school. I'm not going through another school year dealing with this. I wanna feel better by the holidays. I have just the thing for you. So comment guide over on like any of my Instagram posts. Send me the message guide by itself. I have a cute little chat bot that will get over my six stages to get rehab for you. Um, this is going to walk you through what the process of peeling your gut even looks like, where you're at. You'll be able to help identify where you're at in that journey, what keeps you stuck from making progress, and then how to keep moving forward again so you can feel better because. The world needs you to feel your best, your kiddos, you know, need you feeling your best, your spouse, your coworkers, and you need to feel your best. You are a light into this world. You have a purpose, and it shouldn't be dimmed because of your digestive issues. So I'm here to support you however I can. I hope this is helpful for you and we will talk soon.

13:13

Thank you so much for listening to the entire episode. I hope you are feeling inspired and empowered to take bold action towards your health goals. If you enjoy what you heard, don't forget to follow my show so you never miss a new episode. And it would mean the world to me, if you left me a review, so others know what to expect from my show. Last, get in touch. Let me know what bold action you're taking. Let me know how you're inspired. Follow me on Instagram@the_healthygut_dietitian. I've put a link in my show notes for you, so you can simply click and follow. Come say hi, I respond to all my messages and I can't wait to get in touch.