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Make Back to School a Breeze

───   14:07 Mon, 08 Jan 2018

Make Back to School a Breeze | News Article

One moment you’re unwrapping Christmas presents and popping champagne at midnight on New Year’s Eve and the next you’re elbow deep in stationery lists.


Odette has found some great tips to make sure you don’t miss the bus on back to school in 2018.

Dr. Frank Lipman believes it best to think ahead and put a few strategies in place to help make the transition into the new school year a smooth one.

1. Re-Connect the Whole Family with a Consistent Sleep Schedule

To recalibrate and re-set from the anything-goes bed-times of summer holidays, start moving up bedtime at least a week or two before the first day of school. The same goes for times for dinner, pre-bedtime rituals and electronic sundown — get started a few minutes earlier each night to make those earlier morning wake-up calls less of a shock to the system.

2. Embrace the ‘Night-Before’ Ethos

You’ll have a better, less stressful morning if you do much of the heavy lifting at night: Select and lay out clothes, right down to the underwear and shoes. Pre-prep breakfast and lunches. Collect all the items you’ll need for the day ahead and pack up briefcases, purses and backpacks before bed so there’s considerably less to do in the morning.

3. Fool Yourself

Use an old-school alarm clock and set the time 5 – 10 minutes ahead to help you get out of bed and out the door on time. If you must leave the cellphone on, use it as a backup and keep it far away from your bed to limit EMF exposure.

4. Take Healthy Meal-Time Shortcuts

When that first wave of back-to-school chaos hits, it’s easy to let healthy eating slide into frequent restaurant visits or worse, a carb-bomb bowl of cereal for dinner. If cooking, shopping and/or prep time is especially tight, try taking a few healthy short-cuts that will help keep immunity strong and your belly full.

•Pre-washed organic salad greens and wild canned sardines , mackerel or salmon (instant dinner!)

•Enjoy leftovers from the weekend (or from the night before)! Cook a little extra and store in portion-size containers as an easy lunch or dinner option during the week.

•Stock your fridge with ready-made staples from your local health food store or favourite healthy restaurant.

5. Compress Your Clean-Up

For the first week or two of the school year, while parents and kids are settling back into the routine, try using biodegradable, compostable plates and utensils (look for non-toxic, plastic and coatings-free) to make mealtime cleanup quicker. Another bonus: doing so will make mealtime feel more relaxed, like a late summer picnic, regardless of whether you dine indoors or out.

6. Find Your Escape Hatch.

Though it’s hard to hang onto the chill-out vibes of summer, you can connect with them periodically by making time for some daily R & R, with the help of a few minutes of morning meditation, before the rest of the family rises, and some restorative yoga at night before bed.

Source: Be Well

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