As a busy mom and business owner, I know first hand what it feels like to be spread thin and pulled in every direction at once. There are many days I wake up and hit the ground running, then in the blink of an eye, the week is over.
Since I also work from home, there is a lot to do – in addition to seeing clients daily, keeping up the house, making sure the kitchen is stocked with healthy food to eat at all times, making time to play with the kids and get everyone to various appointments, etc. Also making sure I get ME time in, for self-care, routine dr appointments, as well as spending quality time with my husband.
I LOVE what I do, and so grateful for my clients and the opportunity to help people achieve their goals and make their bodies feel better. With all of that, being a full time caregiver is a lot of work, and definitely requires planning ahead, while also being flexible for unexpected events or surprises to pop up at any time. Sometimes I feel like I should try out to be in the circus with all the juggling – haha!
With that being said, I know that there is not one definitive answer to making things work for you, as everyone is different.. but from my experience, what I have found that works for me.. is sticking to an ‘outline or layout’ for the day.. and I feel like for anyone.. finding the right system is going to be the key to your success, and keeping your sanity.
Here’s my personal guide to balancing your life, one day at a time:
Above all – BREATHE, stay CALM and be KIND (to yourself and others).
The Night Before:
1. Meal Prep
I pack Alexander’s lunchbox AND lay out my breakfast so I don’t have to rush in the morning.
- Example of Xander’s lunchbox: protein, carb, fat, fruit & veggie
- Example of My breakfast: power oatmeal
2. Floss & Brush. Skincare. Stretch & Roll
My dentist once said “you only need to floss and brush the teeth you wish to keep” – so, that was advice enough to get me to floss daily, and I do them all, haha! After my teeth are done, I do my nightly skincare routine. Finally, I do my nightly stretching routine and foam roll because it is a way to decompress from day, calm my body, and set me up for a more comfortable night’s sleep. Just before getting in bed, I roll my feet – 1 minute each for each foot.
3. Meditate and Journal
I use the app called Headspace, and choose either a 10 or 15 minute option. I’ve been doing this for the past 3 years and it has made a huge difference in my mental, emotional and physical well-being. I journal a little paragraph about what went on in my day, but mostly to capture cute or memorable things the kids did so I can look back and share their stories with them when they’re older.
The Morning Of:
1. Meditate, Stretch & Hydrate
I’ll choose the daily Headspace and select 5 or 10 minutes. I do my morning stretching routine while still in bed to gently wake up my body and work out any kinks that may have been created while sleeping. I drink 1 full glass of water and use the bathroom.
2. Breakfast, Skincare & Get Ready
I eat when the kids eat. Since I already have it all laid out, it makes the morning so much easier. Skincare routine with SPF and get dressed. I take 5 – 10 minutes to water my herbs and other potted plants before I take my son to school.
3. Laundry & Dishes, Emails & Appointments
A load goes in, and the dishwasher goes on. I set my timer for 15 – 20 minutes to answer all emails, and any other computer work. The timer helps me stay focused, and not get distracted with any other house tasks. I also have client appointments in the mornings.
Mid-Day:
1. Workout, Hydrate & Lunch
It varies day to day but I will do between 30 – 60 minutes, depending on if I rollerblade, run, swim, do a strength circuit or go to a yoga class. Lunch is almost always at/ around the noon hour while sitting down with my baby girl (30-45 minutes).
– my example lunch: a big green salad with grilled chicken, avocado and sweet potato
2. School Pick- Up
Since we do half-days at school and Alexander still naps for 2 hours in the afternoon, I allot time for having some quality time and a snack with him when he gets home from school, before he goes to sleep.
3. Work – Client Appointments
Almost every minute of my day is accounted for, because I work best off of a pre-planned schedule. My client appointments are each 1 hour long. Now, I used to train well into the evening for the after work clients (9-5ers) and didn’t want to say “no” to seeing them because I want to help everyone, but I realized a few years ago that it is healthy and very important (especially now that I have kids) to have boundaries, so I have time to breathe too. So my last appointment ends no later than 6pm most days.
Playtime, Dinner, Baths & Bed:
1. Family Time
After my appointments are done for the day we will either go for a family bike ride to the beach, park, swim, or just play outside before dinner.
2. Dinner
Usually we do our big weekly meal prep on Sunday nights so we don’t have to cook every night, and most of the time it can last us a good 3 to 4 days. Our chosen 1 night a week to eat out (if we have run out of meals and don’t have time to cook another) is Thursdays. We have a handful of our go-to healthy restaurants we switch between.
3. Bath, Books & Bed
It takes one hour to do the bath, books and bed routine. When the kids are down, the house is finally quiet and I take that time to catch up on any outstanding items on my personal to-do list, and then repeat step #1.
I have a more detailed layout of different scheduling options in my nutrition guide, The Fit Body Way, for what it looks like whether you workout in the morning, mid-day, or evening, as it relates to planning the timing and contents of your meals.
So, whether you are a busy parent like myself, or just busy in general with your own life/work stuff, I hope you can see the benefits to having a general outline for your day. Sure, there are many times when things just don’t go as planned, but also have the ability to be flexible and expect unexpected things come up. For me, I KNOW that we’ll all need to eat again at some point (soon), and in order for me and my family to remain healthy, I have to maintain my guidelines for routine.
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