Guest Post- Fitness & Time Management with Kids

Hello All,
  So, A few weeks ago I was approached by Caitlin Hudson, a reader of my blog, who wanted to write a guest post . After discussing her interest I realized that she could really connect to my readers with a passion of maintaining a healthy lifestyle, taking care of children, and herself, all together. I feel like a lot my readers could benefit from new ideas on time management with kids at home as well as taking care of yourself. As women, we are providers and caregivers to others, but we sometimes lack in focusing on ourselves.  I hope you find this post inspiring and helpful :)

Hi all, I'm Caitlin Hudson, a full-time SAHM, nature lover, writer, and health nut! I am in the process of starting my own blog, but in the meantime, Lori has been nice enough to have me as a guest on her amazing blog. Today, I'd like to share with you some of my favorite tips for starting the morning off right! If you have any questions feel free to email me:  caitlin.hudson1@gmail.com

5 Ways to start your morning off right

Ugh, is it morning already? Gotta rush through the routine again. Don’t you wish it could be easier? It can. If I take  some time to simplify, stay organized and prepare ahead of time, the morning goes off without a hitch and I feel great.

Easy Nighttime Preparations

A great morning starts at night. We pick outfits and make sure we know where the shoes are. I check backpacks to confirm that homework and any permission slips are there and signed. On Sunday, I make a number of meals that will stay good throughout the week -that way, organizing daily lunches and dinner takes only a few minutes. And don’t forget that all-important energy boost. I have my coffeemaker ready so that I have easy coffee when I need it most.

Quick Morning Routine

Whatever I can’t do at night, I try to simplify. I have deliberately chosen a hairstyle that is wash, comb, and done. It has the flexibility to allow me to have a nice hairdo on special occasions, but simple enough to be easy to manage. And if I’m running behind, I can shower in a few minutes. This applies to my makeup routine, too. It used to wallow up my morning to apply concealer, foundation, and a sunblock moisturizer. Now, I just use BB Cream (this one from Olay) mascara, and eyebrow pencil. It’s a more natural look that still gets the job done.

Move It

I know how much easier it is to go through my day knowing that I’ve got my workout done, but I had a hard time working it in. That is, until I learned that short workouts are all the rage these days. On busier days I set aside 10-15 minutes for interval training. I pick four or five activities like squats and burpees that work various muscle groups and perform them for one minute.Pump it up by adding in workout bands or weights. I get mine from Beachbody.com.  

Fast Break

I’ve got to have a good breakfast, but it seems like breakfast can be anything but fast. The trick to saving time is  easy prep. Did you know you can freeze almost anything in ice cube trays? It’s brilliant! You can make something like protein shakes easily enough without it. But smoothies are easy to make at home. Cook, puree and freeze cubes of spinach and carrots. Do the same with watermelon, pears, and pumpkin. In the morning, I throw in the cubes with some greek yogurt, protein powder and some milled chia seeds, and I have an awesome, healthy smoothie that tastes great and appeals to my kids, as well.

Ready to Go

This is like a diaper-bag approach, only applied to lots of things. If you know you’re going to take the kids to the park several days a week, grab a reusable grocery bag and fill it with snacks, jackets, and hats. I did this for splash parks and swimming this summer. I kept the kids’ swimsuits, water shoes, towels, swim diapers, and sunblock in the bag. After I washed the stuff, it went right back in the bag. That way, if I got a sudden splash park play date, all I had to do was grab the bag on my way out the door.

Implementing these easy tips has really revolutionized my day. I get the kids off to school and I don’t feel like I’ve been run over by a truck. Then when I finally get to some downtime, I can enjoy it instead of worrying over what I missed.