Back-to-SchooL Time to Get Your Schedule Back!

It’s that time again! Many parents and their children have greatly enjoyed the summer season, but now it’s time to make a smooth transition from late mornings and late nights to “rise- and-shine” time to regain a better quality of sleep. Sunday-food-prep days are back again like the “oldies,” and rocking your kids’ healthy bento lunch box. The bottom line is that we’ve got to get back to our schedules once again. As Mark Twain put it: “The secret of getting ahead is getting started. The secret of getting started is breaking your complex overwhelming tasks into manageable tasks, and then starting on the first one.”

            With the introduction of a new school season, many of my clients always seem to wish for a few more hours in the day. Why is it that some people seem to get everything done effortlessly while others feel that time constantly eludes them? The key to managing one’s time well isn’t working more hours. It is about prioritizing the important things and learning to use one’s time more efficiently and effectively. The secret is working smarter, not harder.

            We shouldn’t label ourselves or beat ourselves up with regret. We need to realize that time management is an area of life that most of us can strengthen and improve. Like a new muscle, it takes practice and repetition to make it stronger. To help get started, here are some ideas to aid parents and their children transition more smoothly into a healthy lifestyle for the upcoming school year: 

WEEKLY PLANNING:

•          Allocate time for planning and organizing.

•          Create to-do lists that are realistic, not intimidating. Use only one to-do list.

•          Under-schedule your time: Leave time for the unexpected and for interruptions. When estimating how long a task will take, add on a third of that time.

•          Limit computer and TV time, so kids will find more active things to do.

SLEEP:

•          Try going to sleep one hour earlier every night and waking up earlier until the new routine is established. Begin a week or two before going back to school, not the night before school starts.

•          According to The National Sleep Foundation, the amount of sleep children should get changes at different ages. Kids between the ages of 3 and 5 should get 10 to 13 hours of sleep a night; ages 6 to 13 need 9 to 11 hours; and teens 14 and older should get 8 to 10 hours.

•          To help you and the kids fall asleep easier, take a hot bath to cool the body down, which often induces sleep, along with dimming the bedroom lights an hour or two before bedtime.

NUTRITION:

•          Columbia health-conscious chef Judy Etheredge, of Celebrity Fit Foods, urges individuals to eat the “color of the rainbow” and to start the day off with a balanced, health-promoting breakfast. Include whole grains, fruits and veggies. Kids tend to want unhealthy foods (often white in color); however, the more colorful the food options on their plates, more often the better the nutritional value.

•          Choose nutritious snacks that fuel and provide energy. 

•          Make a Sunday egg frittata filled with veggies to last the whole first half of the week. This is a great way to make sure breakfast is prepared and ready in a split second!

For help creating and implementing an effective back-to-school, lifestyle-lift program (and for the egg frittata recipe), call Dr. Michele Reid, with Get Well With Michele, at 803-200-1158.