Healthy Back To School Tips

By MATCHUP (Star Patcher)

As summer comes to a close and the school year approaches it’s important to get back into your healthy routine. As the pace in your life picks back up, incorporating some hacks into your schedule can be very beneficial for the whole family.

Make good habits

Set a routine and stick with it. You want to make sure your whole family stays happy and healthy all year round. For this to happen adequate sleep, healthy food and regular exercise is vital. By turning everyday actions into habits your family will begin to work like a well-oiledmachine.

• Keep a family calendar with events each day and responsibilities for each family member
• Teach your family about healthy eating and it’s importance
• Set up a time for homework and studying everyday

Get enough sleep

Setting specific bedtimes and wake up routines can help to ease a potentially painful process. According to the National Sleep Foundation, it’s important that children younger than 5 get between 11-13 hours of sleep, ages 6 to 13 get between 9-11 hours and ages 14 and older get between 8-10 hours of sleep. Go to bed early and wake up with enough time to get your whole family ready. Delayed timing coffee pots are miracle workers for those who need a cup or two right when they wake up.

• Prepare the night before: pack bags, pack lunches and pick out clothes
• Get in the habit of starting your bedtime routine an hour early
• Wake up with enough time to get everything and everyone ready for school/work

Eat smart

Eating healthy for every meal of the day helps your children to grow big and strong. Don’t skip breakfast, the most important meal of the day. Make sure to pack their lunch with whole grains, proteins, fruit, veggies and skip the added sugar. Adding in a nutritious energy boosting snack for the afternoon will help too.

• Meal prep on Sunday every week
• Buy colorful foods
• Avoid buying junk food-- this will limit temptation

Get moving

It’s important that your family is getting active everyday. The best thing you can do for your children is lead by example. For adults, it’s important to get in at least 150 minutes of exercise each week. It’s recommended that in a day a child gets at least 20-30 minutes of exercise. Have them join a sports team they are interested in or an after school activity.

These are just a few tips for getting back into the swing of things. What are some of the healthy hacks you use for getting the whole family ready for summer to end and school to begin? Share in the comments below.