THE KIDS ARE BACK AT SCHOOL. NOW, WHAT ABOUT YOU?

September is a fresh start for parents too

The uniforms have been found, the shoes that definitely fitted in July have somehow become two sizes too small, the lunchboxes are back out, and your mornings are once again a carefully choreographed operation involving breakfast, bags, traffic, missing PE kits and repeatedly asking someone to put their shoes on.

Back to school brings routine back into family life, which can feel wonderful after the beautiful chaos of summer, but there is another side to September that we do not talk about enough.

For weeks, your attention has probably been everywhere except on you.

You have organised days out, juggled childcare with work, fed everybody approximately 47 times a day, navigated holidays, entertained bored children and somehow kept normal life moving in the background.

Then September arrives, everybody goes back to where they need to be, and you suddenly realise just how tired you are.

“I’ll focus on myself once the kids are settled…”

Sound familiar?

As parents, we are exceptionally good at moving ourselves further and further down the list, particularly when everyone else seems to need something more urgently.

But looking after your own physical and mental health is not another responsibility to squeeze into an already packed diary, and exercise does not need to become another thing you feel guilty about failing to do.

Sometimes, what you actually need is one hour where nobody is asking you for anything.

One hour where somebody else has made the plan.

One hour where you can put your phone down, move your body, have a laugh and remember that underneath “Mum”, “Dad”, “boss”, “partner”, “taxi driver” and “finder of mysteriously missing water bottles”, there is still you.

Your routine needs to work around the school run, not compete with it

This is where personalised coaching makes such a difference.

At Route 1 Fitness, we are not going to hand you somebody else's workout programme and tell you to find a way of fitting it into your life, because we want to understand what your actual week looks like first.

Maybe you can train after drop-off. Maybe evenings suit you better. Maybe two really good sessions each week are far more realistic than promising yourself five and feeling disappointed when you manage two.

Your programme should reflect your schedule, your current fitness, your goals, the type of exercise you enjoy and what your body needs right now.

Several members of our coaching team are parents themselves, including Anna, Ash and Sammy, so when you say that life is busy, we know that “just prioritise yourself” is not particularly useful advice.

We would rather help you work out how.

And what about your head?

The mental load of parenting does not disappear when the school gates close.

Work deadlines, appointments, clubs, homework, dinner, washing, family commitments and the endless internal list of things you must not forget can leave your brain permanently switched on, and that can affect everything from your mood and sleep to your appetite, energy and motivation to exercise.

Anna's background as a nurse, combined with her qualifications in nutrition, sleep and stress recovery coaching, is one of the reasons our approach goes beyond sets, reps and calories.

Sometimes progress means adding weight to the bar.

Sometimes it means recognising that you are exhausted and adjusting the plan accordingly.

Both count.

Perhaps September can be your new term too

You do not need a dramatic transformation before Christmas, and you certainly do not need to punish yourself for whatever happened over summer.

What you have in front of you is something much more useful: a few months to establish a routine that makes you feel stronger, gives you some headspace and belongs to you.

The kids have their new timetable.

Maybe it is time you got yours.

Ready for your new term?

If September feels like the right moment to put a little bit of yourself back into the diary, speak to Anna and the Route 1 Fitness team about your goals, your routine and what has made fitness difficult in the past.

We will build from there, together.