This post was sponsored by adidas, all opinions are my own. Thanks for supporting the brands I work with and love!
I’m teaming up with Adidas today to share a few back to school morning hacks that make our morning smoother and help me stick to my fitness routine! One of the most common questions I get asked is, “how do you find time for exercise with 5 little kids and a busy schedule?”
Here’s the thing: I’ve been active most of my life. I grew up playing sports, played volleyball in college, and have been active ever since. So exercise is a habit for me- it’s a part of my daily routine. And it’s also part of Brett’s– which I think having his support/being on the same page is so helpful! We work together to make sure we both make it possible! I do think though, we can always find time for the things that are important to us! Even if it’s 20-30 minutes a day, we can find the time if we really really want to, right?
During the summer, it was easy to get a workout in before Brett went to work because we didn’t have the stress of getting kids ready in the morning and off to school. Now that school has started, in order to stick to my exercise routine AND get kiddos out the door in the morning, Brett and I really have to be on top of our morning routines!
We are trying some new things this year to make our mornings run a little more smoothly and that help me stick to my exercise routine as well!
This is only the boys’ second week of school so we are still ironing out the kinks but we are already seeing improvements each day in our “organized chaos!” Here they are…
Adidas Tank | Adidas High Rise Wanderlust Tights | Adidas 24/7 Shoes
#1. PLAN WORKOUTS– Every night I go to bed with a plan for the next day’s workout. I almost always exercise before the boys go to school, or right after the babies morning nap. My workouts are a combo of F45 fitness (a class I have to schedule), going for a run, doing workouts at home when babies are napping, or taking them to the gym with me after their morning nap. Either way, Brett and I both know the plan so we can both help execute, especially those early morning workouts. “Execute” sounds like I’m running a bootcamp or something over here, but we are getting an army of kids (plus feeding two babies) ready every morning 😂 We have to run a tight ship! Brett works out at 5am and as soon as he’s done it’s my turn (unless I’ve planned to workout after babies’ nap) and he takes over with the kids. #tagteam
One of the first things I do when I wakeup, is put on my workout clothes. Don’t linger in comfies, if you want to get moving! Get your workout clothes on and be ready to get out the door! PS- this Adidas Tank is only $30 and I love it!
Also, I rarely exercise for more than an hour. So having a plan each morning is key to helping me be efficient with my time!
#2. EARLY TO BED + EARLY TO RISE: I’m actually really bad at the whole going to bed early part, but I do get up before my kids. Now that the twins are on a pretty good schedule they wake up around 6:30 and so do the older boys. So I set my alarm clark for 5:45 every morning. When I got to bed early and sleep well, I’m so much more pleasant in the morning- more patient with my kids (less barking orders) and also have more energy for my workout. Plus, I absolutely see a correlation in how I eat with how tired or how well-rested I am. No sleep = give me all the chocolate, processed sugar and carbs!
#3. GIVE THE KIDS RESPONSIBILITY! Stop doing everything for your kids in the mornings! We’re not packing their entire lunches for them, packing bags, finding socks and shoes, etc. We are available to help but not just doing it all! Been there done that and it’s too much for myself or Brett to do for 3 kids while taking care of two babies too. For lunches- they pick and pack their snacks and I make the sandwiches (usually the night before).
We’ve found that rather than repeatedly barking orders, asking questions to help keep them on task works much better! Help them create their own systems- an order that they do things and ask questions to prompt the process. In the beginning it will take guidance and more patience but the only way for them to learn to get ready from start to finish with lunches and backpacks packed is to let them actually do it!
{Even our 3rd grader’s teacher asked the parents to stop doing everything for them. Not to manage homework folders, or pack bags, etc. She wants them to learn to be assertive and be responsible, and said now is the time for them to practice (and fail) because the consequences are minimal right now}
#4. Implement a Breakfast Menu- Sounds crazy I know? Last year I complicated our mornings by making breakfast by request. What THE ? ? was I thinking. I’m no short-order breakfast making chef this year, and neither is Brett. We have a weekly breakfast menu! The boys helped plan it and we’ll switch it up when it gets old. Even just after a week and half I’m loving waking up knowing what I’m making.
•Monday: Oatmeal (we are loving this Strawberries & Cream Oatmeal)
•Tuesday: Smoothies & Toast {Dave’s Killer Bread Toast}
•Wednesday: Waffles {Kodiak Cakes Frozen Waffles or Pancakes made the Kodiak mix}
•Thursday: Yogurt Parfaits & Scrambled Eggs {Greek Yogurt, Fruit, Granola}
•Friday: Fluffy Pancakes {aka German pancakes. But this is also my wild card day to basically make anything a little more special- crepes, muffins, etc.}
#5. NO TV!– After a summer of laying around watching tv in the morning, this is a tough one to break. My boys like to say “But we have so much time in the mornings” because they are pretty early risers, and I just like to say, “then sleep longer!’ But even with all the time in the world, we tend to be perpetually running late. So TV is just a hard no. Even for Graham on the days he’s not going to school (at least before the older boys leave).
Like I said, this is only our second week of school and we are still getting in to a groove. I’m not sure with five little kids our mornings will ever be completely stress free. But having a system and some guidelines for our morning routines is already proving to be so helpful! It’s organized chaos over here and it’s working for us….and the hope is that it will just get easier and easier. And I for one love knocking my workout out before they leave because it frees up my whole morning!
I’d love to hear about your mornings! How do you make sure you get you workout in, kids ready for school, and make mornings run smoothly??!
Share any tips below!
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