Our Back-to-School Daily Rhythm

Thank you Council For Responsible Nutrition for sponsoring this post. I am proud to be one of the 170 million Americans who take dietary supplements each year!

With nearly two full months of the school year under our belts, it’s safe to say that the girls and I have settled into a nice weekly routine.

Though I like a shake-up to the monotony from time to time, I generally thrive on routine; I think our girls do too! Hadley usually knows what day it is when she wakes up, and she’ll immediately spit out what they have on tap at school that day – Spanish, music, chapel, library time, etc. She knows what happens on what day and looks forward to it!

With Hadley in school five days a week and Sadie in school three of those days, I’m finally feeling like we’ve found our new school year groove. I shared last year about creating a daily rhythm and how it helped me immensely to be fully “in the moment” with whatever I’m engaged in, knowing that I’d blocked off time to do other things later that day. For example, if I’m spending time with a friend having a playdate, I don’t feel like I need to rush out of there prematurely to get home and catch up on xyz. I’ll know that from “this time to this time”, it’s time for friends. Maybe this sounds bizarre to you, but welcome to a little tour through my brain. 😉

Here’s a glance at our updated school year daily rhythm that helps me be the most productive and feel my best.

4:20 a.m. Wake up, get ready, drink natural energy drink cocktail (recipe + suggestion by Coach Mark), out the door

5 a.m. Orange Theory Fitness class

6:15 Arrive home, drink a protein shake, take a bath/shower, get ready for the day

6:45 Girls wake up, hang with us while we get ready

7:15 Breakfast for whole family + take multivitamins

7:30 Kiss Jamie goodbye

7:45 Get kids dressed, pack school bags/lunches, brush hair and teeth, start daily load of laundry, unload and load dishwasher

8:40 Out the door for school

MWF 9:15 Head to a coffee shop (or home office) to work on blog-related tasks / go to pre-scheduled appointments without kids / meet up with a girlfriend

T/TH 9:15 Grocery shop / Have a playdate for Sadie / Run errands with Sadie in tow / Relax and play at home together

12 p.m. Eat lunch / throw clothes in dryer

1:00 School pick-up

1:20 Unpack backpacks and lunches, snack time, bathroom, go to rooms for quiet time

1:30 Resume blog-related tasks / mix and consume natural energy drink to power through the last half of the day

3:00 Girls wake up / snack time

4:00 Girls play in playroom, watch TV, or play in the backyard

4:30 Start dinner

5:15 Jamie’s home

5:30 Eat dinner / Take multivitamin / Clean up kitchen / Hang outside as a family or with neighbors

6:45 Bath time, books, brush teeth for Jamie and the girls / I fold laundry

7:30 Lights out for girls

8:00 Collapse on the couch with Jamie for a little bit of adult talk time since we probably haven’t had an uninterrupted conversation that day 😉

9:30 Get ready for bed / Take bedtime supplement / Lights out

Whew, typing all of that out makes me a little tired, but I know most of your days look just as jam packed, if not even busier! It’s crazy once you sit down to type out a “day in the life” how you realize how much you tackle on any one given day. Obviously things vary slightly from this depending on what’s on tap, but generally this is the pretty good rhythm we stick to. I like a little bit of daily productivity + relaxed family time.

A big change from last year to this year

One major addition to my daily rhythm this year versus last year is the addition of daily fitness + dietary supplements. Working toward a healthier daily lifestyle has helped me feel better mentally and physically, and Jamie and I both strongly believe that one without the other simply would not be as effective. I can put my finger on a noticeable difference regarding the way I feel this fall versus last fall.

This past spring, I shared my skeptical thoughts toward supplements since Jamie was such a believer in them, but after dabbling with a couple multi-vitamins plus a pre-workout drink, I was a believer.

Fast forward to the end of August when I signed up to work with Coach Mark. I wasn’t sure what areas he would teach me the most about regarding a healthy diet, but I was ready to be taught and he hit the nail on the head with dietary supplements. I didn’t know what I didn’t know, so I was super intrigued when I saw a list of daily dietary supplements he wanted me to start including in my diet.

I talked with Jamie about it, and sure enough he already had a number of them on hand in our pantry. I had no idea! He shared with me about the health benefits each have (he is such a health guru and does a ton of research), and I’ve been hooked on routinely taking them ever since. I’ve learned that these important supplements are not mean to be a supplements for healthy habits, but rather just be a supplement to healthy habits.

Twice a day, we each take a multivitamin (among other things suggested by Mark), which I’ve recently learned is the most popular dietary supplement, with 73 percent of supplement users taking one according to a 2017 survey from the Council for Responsible Nutrition.

Dietary supplements, like protein powders, multivitamins, omega-3 oils, and more – provide a convenient and sensible way for consumers (especially those who are athletes or working out) to make sure that they’re getting in order to perform and/or recover well.

The Council for Responsible Nutrition‘s website is helpful in figuring out what supplements are healthy and which you should stay far away from. Take a quick tour around their website to help you make educated choices about which dietary supplements would be the most beneficial to add to your daily rhythm.

Let’s chat!

Do you thrive on routine, or are you more comfortable with your days having less structure?

Are supplements a part of your daily food/fitness/healthy lifestyle routine?

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of CLEVER and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.