THOSE lovely summer days (erm?) are beginning to dwindle, the nights have begun drawing in and much to most Mums’ relief the little ones have packed up their miniature back packs and returned to school ready to cause their teachers a whole new year of trouble!

Everyone loves their kids, but like many parents six weeks of constant exposure has probably exhausted every little bit of energy you had. In fact some of you might even feel like you need six weeks off now just to recover.

Over the six week holidays you probably noticed that your routine changed. This can have dramatic effects on your waistline: later starts, little structure to the day and time spent mustering up plans to keep little minds amused left sparse amounts of time time for you to even consider your nutritional plan let alone get to the gym.

But the Good News – your last little excuse just went back to school.

Now it’s YOUR time Follow my five easy tips to be top of the class in health and fitness this September!

The Term Time Routine

Many Mums’ know that kids work better when in routine. Adults do too!

Prioritising your exercise regime and nutritional plan is easy when you build it into your routine. Why Dad is feeding the kids (come on he has to do it sometimes) before school, Mum can pound the pavement or partake in a quick interval workout. Getting up 15 minutes earlier can give Mum valuable time to prepare food for the day before havoc enters the kitchen.

And remember, Mum needs an early bed time too for optimum recovery and fat loss!

New Lunchbox

You don’t need the latest Barbie lunchbox with the leaky cup, but you do need to follow your kids in their nutritional routine.

Mothers are highly skilled in the art of preparing school lunches. Often times, mums are so busy taking care of everyone else that they neglect themselves. As a result, it becomes second nature to simply grab whatever is available. Too often this consists of unhealthy and fattening foods.

I know it, you know it, good, healthy eating requires planning. While making the kids lunch, mum should consider preparing her own and perhaps even a few snacks, this will make it a lot easier to eat right when hunger arises..

Stationary

Every kid wants new stationary for their first day of school! Kid’s don’t need flashy pencil cases but it does help them ease back into the term by having that little bit of excitement and something to be proud of.

Adults are pretty similar creatures. We like new shiny things, and we like showing off our new items. It sounds silly but maybe all you need to boost that excitement and get going again is some new kit and a new exciting routine using equipment you have never used before.

First Day Neatness

I always used to amuse myself looking back at my school exercise books. At the start of term all my work was titled, aligned with precision and my writing much to my teacher’s pleasure was legible.

Eight weeks down the line however and I was back to my usual habits: Scruffy writing, no dates, no title…no effort.

Much like a new year’s resolution, new fitness regimes are exciting for the first few weeks, but they quickly become tiresome once you get back into old habits. Keep your work neat and organised this YEAR by working with a personal trainer who can vary your routine and motivate you by showing you quick results!

‘Don’t forget your PE Kit’

In my day it was almost considered criminal if you forgot your PE kit. You probably tire of telling your kids not to forget their PE kit, after all any activity is good for your little ones, but you need to remember this rule yourself.

Lay your sports gear or your nutritional plan somewhere you will see it on a daily basis. This will remind you of your routine and remind you of what you need to do. You have less chance of ‘forgetting it’ allowing you to get the results you have only ever dreamt of.

Scott Marsh is the director of Xcelerate Fitness (www.xceleratefitness.co.uk), a results focussed personal training company based in Marlow. For more information on transforming yourself in 2012 email info@xceleratefitness.co.uk or call 07921 856308 for your FREE information pack.