September can feel like whiplash after the slower, sweeter days of summer. But don’t stress — we tapped incredible women who run wellness businesses while raising kids (including our own rockstar Nutritious Life founder, Keri Glassman, R.D.) to get their top back-to-school survival strategies.
Take a page from their hectic-season playbook:
Keri Glassman
Founder, Nutritious Life
Making lunch the night before and deciding what breakfast will be is a huge help in keeping the morning peace. Doing this (and prepping the coffee the night before, too, of course!) allows me to be present and enjoy morning family time. Also, deciding what breakfast will be with the kids ensures I don’t get hit with the “I don’t want to eat that today” complaints — most of the time! I am a morning person, so making each one as calm as possible is very important to me and to us as a family.
Chloe Epstein
President, Chloe’s Fruit
I have to prioritize my workouts or I can’t function, so finding a great workout and sticking to it is a must. Also, it sounds counterintuitive, but I’ve found that spicing things up with the family at home at the start of a new school year helps. For example, we launched all family cook-offs two Sunday nights a month. Each family member prepares a dish for our Sunday night dinner and is responsible for cleaning up their own mess. Thus far, it’s a lot more time in the kitchen for me, but it’s been a hit as a great way to end the frenzy-filled weekend together. Prioritizing time together is always a challenge, but it helps keep everyone balanced and happy, for the most part!
Catherine McCord
Founder, Weelicious + One Potato
It’s all about smoothie jars! Every week we make seven jars filled with our favorite smoothie essentials like bee pollen, hemp seeds, chia seeds, walnuts, dates, collagen powder and more. This way all you need to do every morning is add a banana, your favorite frozen fruits, a handful of greens, and the ingredients in your smoothie jar, and you’ve got an easy, fast nutritious breakfast for yourself and your family.
Patricia Moreno
Creator, The intenSati Method
With three girls under six and getting back to school, I find that picking clothes, preparing snacks, and packing book bags the night before is a total game-changer. I also find the best way to keep myself active and healthy is to pick activities for them that we can do together, so I’m not just sitting on the sidelines watching. For example, we just went roller skating, an activity I look forward to doing as much as they do.
Kristin McGee
Celebrity yoga and Pilates instructor
As a mom of three boys, I’m pretty crazed a lot of the time! My advice includes always keeping a sense of humor and letting things go as much as you possibly can. Stress is a huge downer and can wreak havoc on your health. The more we can take things in stride, the better. On top of that, I recommend staying consistent with a few set things. For instance, I always eat a healthy breakfast no matter what. If I”m not getting as much sleep as I would like to, I make sure to move my body during the day and get some fresh air. I also think it’s important to stay connected with your kids and partner as much as you can —and do one thing daily for yourself, whether it’s a yoga class, glass of wine, or a few minutes with a good friend or book.
