Parents welcome it, while children dread the loss of their freedom of late nights and sleeping in. It's the end of summer, and all the craziness that goes with school is starting again. Those carefree days went by too quickly. Now there will be rushed morning routines (and more traffic on the road), short lunch periods, overloaded evenings of homework and probably weekends too. And, let's not forget the added pressures of being part of a military family.
Keeping everyone in the family physically and emotionally fit during this stressful time requires deliberate healthy choices, habits and routines (with a big emphasis on routine!). It should go without saying that eating well, exercising and getting good sleep are the pillars of a healthy lifestyle. When you have too much going on, it's more important to sustain this healthy lifestyle to propel you to get through your hectic schedule effectively and without illness. Inevitably, children bring home more than just heavy backpacks full of textbooks and hours of homework every night; they'll probably bring home a virus that slowly affects everyone in the house.
Maybe this year will be different! Say it with me!
The first thing to do is create a wellness routine, and have everyone in the house get on board. Before school starts, sit down with the family, and discuss the changes. Here are some ideas to get you started:
- Plan out weekly meals for the whole family, and stick to them. Be realistic though. You will need healthy, yet very simple, meals during busy times, and sometimes you'll need to eat out. If you take this into account, however, you can make sure eating out happens rarely instead of every night.
- Create a grocery shopping list based on the plan to buy everything you need for the whole week. Save time by using a grocery delivery service and meal planning apps.
- Do as much meal prep as your schedule allows on Sundays. Making the kids' lunches ahead of time might be easier to do if you're a first time prepper. Don't forget to make your lunch too so you won't have to eat out.
- Restaurant meal calories might surprise you. For example, a seemingly healthy salad or sandwich can be two meals' worth of calories. Do this every day, and you'll not only waste money but also eat too many calories and gain weight.
- Take calories and balanced diets into account when making a meal plan. Are the necessary food groups represented in each meal (see dietary guidelines related link)? Check the guidelines for children too. It can be daunting to think about, but once you write it down, it will make sense.
- Consider keeping a food journal for yourself or a big one for the whole family. To take it to the advanced level, track calories (you've heard of the apps that can help with this). For now, it's recommended you aim for approximate calories and eat clean, balanced meals.
The basic guidelines to eating healthy:
1. Make half of your plate fruits and vegetables (have whole fruits. Minimize-- or better yet, eliminate-- dried fruit or servings of fruit with added sugar. Switch up your veggies so you're eating a variety.
2. Transition to low-fat or fat-free dairy.
3. Vary your protein sources.
4. Drink and eat less sodium, saturated fat and added sugars.
5. Make half your grains whole grains.
- To get your recommended daily calories, try the Supertracker calculator.
- Set a bedtime alarm to signal to everyone when it's time to start shutting down and prepare for sleep. Make sure the adults and children are getting the recommended amount of sleep. Adults need seven to nine hours of sleep. According to the Sleep Foundation, school-age children shouldn't get fewer than seven hours of sleep but no more than 12. Don't think that little sleep is something to be proud of or brag about!
- See how much physical activity every household member needs, and start working toward a goal for you even if it involves only taking a walk during lunch.
- When you feel stressed out, look to a five-minute meditation session for relief instead of engaging in unhealthy behaviors such as smoking, excessive alcohol and binge eating.
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