Sep 20, 2023
Back to School Frenzy – How to Get Back into your Running/Fitness Routine
So, this is the time of the year when parents are back in the grind of everything. Back to schoolwork, traveling back to school, dealing with countless minutes and hours in traffic. The time of the year when our schedules get extremely busy and crazy.
This is also the time of the year when we lose our self-care. We get caught off guard with our training schedules and early morning runs are difficult.
Why, you might be asking?
We were so used to sleeping in or we simply just are not ready to get back into the full swing of things. This is the time of the year when we truly need to be in the maintenance phase and restoration phase. Building ourselves back up and not overtaxing our minds and bodies. But how can we avoid the craziness of the season and still get back on schedule with our runs?
Here are my 5 top things that I do to focus on getting back on schedule during the craziness of Back to School
- Planning is key.
Plan out your week to not only include kids’ activities, and fitness for yourself but also ME time. Be realistic with your time, don’t overbook yourself or spread yourself too thin.
- It’s okay to say NO.
I battled with this for a long time. I was constantly chipping in, always trying to help, always trying to lend a hand to someone else. I quickly realized that I was leaving me out of the equation. I was forgetting about my goals, my aspirations, my fitness. It’s hard to take care of others when you are not taking care of yourself. At some point, you will wear and tear your body down to the point that someone will need to care for you. So, remind yourself it’s okay to say no to others so that you can say YES to you.
- Stop putting yourself LAST!
I used to always make sure that everyone in my family was situated first. I would make sure that I showed up 100% for my job and others and then would be left with -2% for myself. I realized that to truly achieve my goals, achieve that race that I always wanted to do I had to stop putting myself last. It was essential to make sure that I scheduled time for myself; time to love me and to take care of my body. I realized that going for a run or walk is an act of taking care of myself.
- Stop overextending Yourself!
I was the best multitasker ever! At least that’s what I told myself. What I realized is that the more things that I put onto my schedule the less I spent with myself. The less time I had for my runs/walks. The less time I had for my fitness goals. I knew it was time for me to stop overextending myself and spend more time with myself.
Back to school can sometimes feel overwhelming, however, if you genuinely take the time to do these 4 steps it can feel less daunting and overwhelming. So, here’s to loving and caring for you even more!
By: Felicia. R. Hall @feliciarhall
Felicia is an educator and motivator at heart. Felicia is a Certified Athletic Trainer, Corrective Exercise Specialist, Run & Fitness Coach, RYT 200 Yoga Instructor, Educator, and a doctoral candidate. She is a small-town girl who loves running, nature, and helping others become the best version of themselves.