Back to School, Back to You: Small Steps to Feeling Like Yourself Again

September is like New Year for parents ! We roll out of the summer holidays perhaps feeling a little sluggish and full of cocktails, ‘picky bits’ and BQQ food! September hits and we get hit with that thought: I really need to sort myself out.

That ‘New Year, New Me’ feeling creeps in. But you don't need a drastic detox, a punishing new gym plan, or a rigid diet to feel like yourself again. Back to school doesn’t mean your life gets any less busy, so start with small steps and you’ll get to October half term feeling more in control, more energised, and have habits in place that can last a lifetime.

Start with sleep

It's tempting to leap straight to food and exercise, but the foundation of feeling human again is sleep. Late summer nights don't undo themselves overnight, so ease back gradually. Bring bedtime forward by 15 minutes every few days rather than trying to reset in one go. Better sleep improves energy, mood, and appetite regulation making everything else feel easier to achieve once this is in place.

Rebuild routine around meals

Rather than overhauling your entire diet, focus on rhythm. Eating at roughly similar times each day helps steady your energy and focus for the day. Make it easy for yourself by batch-cooking some meals at the weekend, prepping breakfast the night before, and always making double portions at dinner for lunch the next day. Creating a rough plan at the weekend can really help to you feel organised when Monday rolls round. Nothing complicated – pick a breakfast option and 5 dinners, repeat the breakfast each day, make double portions of the dinners to cover lunch and you have your food sorted for the week.

Get moving

You don't need an hour at the gym to feel the benefit of movement. Simply park further away from the school gates, walk while you’re on a call, get your coffee to go for your catch up with friends. Don’t punish your body for its summer of fun with gruelling gym sessions if it’s not for you. Simply start building momentum with some daily walks and once movement becomes a habit again you can build from there.

Lindsay Montgomery

Get rid of the guilt

Don’t look back on your summer holidays with regret for the extra glasses of wine, the lazing on the sun lounger or the multiple ice-creams. Look back with a heart full of memories. We spend too much time feeling bad for the food choices we make rather than celebrating the fun we had. Maybe you overindulged – that’s what holidays are for! The important bit is rebuilding back to the things that make you feel good when you can. The goal this September isn't to "undo" summer, but to gently get back to a structure that benefits your health and makes you feel better.

Start today

Pick just one small action you can start this week. Not a whole new lifestyle. Just one step. The rest will follow.

About Lindsay

Lindsay is a Nutritionist and Personal Trainer based in Marlow on a mission to cut through the noise and make healthy living simple and achievable. If you need help implementing healthy habits like those mentioned above, and need some accountability and support, then check out Lindsay's new group coaching program on her website www.lm-nutritionandfitness.com,

Follow her for plenty of nutrition tips on Instagram @lm_nutritionandfitness