9 Tips for Healthy Living During Back-to-School (Back-to-Busy) Time

For many families and some single adults, this is back-to-school time (AKA "back-to-busy")! It's my favorite time of the year. The weather finally gets nicer (at least in Utah), and it can be fun to start new classes, make new friends, and I've always loved getting new notebooks and other school supplies.

But what about diet and lifestyle? Is this the time of year that you get so busy that you give up and start eating more fast food or frozen meals? Never fear-- I have tips for you!

1. Meal prepping: You've heard of this. But do you do it? Try picking one or two days per week to make multiple meals at once. Put them in the fridge or freezer, and use them throughout the week. Sundays and Wednesdays are common days for this, but find what works for your schedule! And there are always more expensive options to help you along (Green Chef, Hello Fresh, Citrus Pear, Factor, Beehive Meals, etc.). While I don't always recommend subscription services due to their lower-quality ingredients and sometimes high carb content, it's better than resorting to fast food, or in my case in my 20's-- cereal! When it comes time to reheat a prepped meal, don't use a microwave. Instead, be patient, and slow-cook in the oven, CrockPot, or InstantPot, or eat it cold if that suits you. Slower cooking helps preserve the nutritional value of the food and if you cook it mindfully, your body will digest better, too!
2. Bonus tip: For snacks, try to keep healthy things ready and available at all times. I like to have hard-boiled eggs in the fridge that I can just grab and go with. Other ideas are grass-fed beef sticks, jerky, baby carrots and other veggies, cheese, raw nuts (better if they are sprouted), and fruits. Minimize the ultra-processed (factory-made) foods as much as you can, but sometimes, they are a necessary evil. But if you have wholesome, substantial meals and eat them regularly, you shouldn't need to snack very much between those meals.
3. Meal Planning: It sounds similar to meal prepping, but this is about planning ahead on what you will eat. When I was a child, I remember often asking my single mother, "what's for dinner?" and she exhaustively said something like "pancakes" or "cereal" because she was so tired, busy, and too poor to give us real food. If this sounds like you, this tip may help. I don't recommend planning recipes for each day, unless you have a lot of time on your hands. This is because recipes tend to overwhelm people. You feel like you have to find something different every day, and you have to keep going back to the grocery store to get all the ingredients that you thought you had but can't find in the kitchen. We are somehow taught that we have to make our meals fancy and entertaining, but this is not true! Food is nourishment, not entertainment. It can be as simple as picking a meat and picking a vegetable--that's your dinner (even the cheapest meats are better than refined carbs). Make extra for leftovers, which make a great lunch for the next day! I know it sounds boring to some people, but as you start to feel better from eating real food (no sugar), you won't care about the entertainment part anymore. If you need help planning ahead for simple foods, AI tools are very good for this! If you are on a ketogenic diet, like many of my clients, and you want actual recipes, dietdoctor.com is an excellent option.
4. Intermittent fasting: Is it a fad? No. We all fast on a daily basis, at least while we sleep (that's why we call the first meal "break-fast"). But studies have shown that increasing your fasting window -the time when you don't eat- can actually boost metabolic health and insulin sensitivity. Snacking all day long until you go to bed is hard on the body! It's best for everyone to have at least a 12-hour fasting window. Eating between 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM is doable for most people. But here's where it may be helpful for you during busy times: If you are eating whole foods, especially low-carb, you might even skip a meal! Metabolism is higher in the morning, so breakfast is still the most important meal of the day, but many people skip breakfast and only eat lunch and dinner (on purpose). Do what works for your schedule. If you are skipping a meal, just make sure your other meals are pretty substantial. I don't recommend skipping meals for growing children, so this is more of an adult tip.
5. Staying hydrated: I mentioned this in a previous email, but most people don't drink enough water. This is especially true when you get busy and when the weather gets cooler. Keep a stainless steel or glass water container with you all the time and sip on it frequently. Aim to get at least half your body weight in ounces each day.
6. Breathing: Maybe this is a busy time for you because you have young kids in school and you have to keep track of their homework and other activities. Take time for yourself, too! Even if it's just once per day for a minute at a time (while you have a moment of privacy in the bathroom is a great time for this), do this. Breathe in for a count of four, breathe out for a count of six. Do that repeatedly as long as you have the time. You'll feel less stressed.
7. Going to bed: Maybe you're really busy and you just can't go to bed on time. But consider this: You'll sleep better AND feel better if you go to bed on time every night, even on weekends. So if you have a project that can wait until morning or for another day, just go to bed. You don't need to finish it at 1:00 AM. Going to bed at a consistent time each night is one of the easiest ways to boost sleep quality and overall health.
8. Avoiding adding more to your schedule: We are tempted to keep adding more and more extra-curricular activities to ours or our children's schedules. It's like we think we are better, more ambitious people if we are constantly busy. Resist the urge! Distracting yourself from your problems with busy-ness is a sign that you need to heal. Just add what's necessary and remember that it's okay, and even healthy, to have down-time. Use the extra time to spend with loved ones or practice some self-care.
9. Taking magnesium: Over 70% of Americans are deficient in magnesium. But quality and form both matter! Magnesium citrate is a very common, inexpensive form, but it's not very absorbable (it's very good for constipation). If you want an absorbable form, try magnesium bisglycinate or threonate. Magnesium helps the body regulate stress and anxiety, and subsequently, helps improve sleep! You can take up to 350 mg per day, but ease into it. As soon as you get diarrhea, you'll know you're taking too much.
10. Getting into therapy: I want to warn you that if you are thinking of getting yourself or a child into therapy, now's the time (schedule with me here for adult sessions). Therapists get busier after school starts (I certainly do). If you wait until September or October, you might end up on a waiting list. And you might be wondering how you'll fit it into your schedule. Work with your therapist to find a consistent time each week that you can meet. Most employers are understanding if you have a "medical appointment" to go to. But you might even need to schedule sessions during your lunch break. And most therapists are happy to see you online.