Back to school. Back to work. Back to shorter days. Back to more activities. Back to a schedule. Back to “it’s-not-too-long-before-we-jump-into-the-holiday-season”. Just a lot of “back to’s”. I don’t know about you but this time of year is always a little mixed for me. I’m usually ready for the summer to end and get back to a regular schedule. While I LOVE having everyone home for the summer (my husband is a teacher so we’re all home), there comes a point where I start to get antsy and want to get more done. At the same time, however, this also means that the whole house gets a little nuts. Baseball, soccer, meetings, babysitters, more meetings, homework, even more meetings, music lessons, etc.  And those relaxing summer days quickly become like a warm but fuzzy memory.

Everyone has their own version of the “back to” season story. So when I saw this article from the University of Maryland Medical Center about a bunch of easy, fairly quick relaxation techniques I thought it would be fun to share. And believe me, I will be trying these ALL out in the next few weeks. They not only should help you fall asleep if you are having sleep trouble, but could also be helpful for just calming and focusing your mind.

I will summarize the techniques below, but definitely check out the full article for complete instructions and tips. Some of these are things I have learned in yoga and pilates classes but some are new to me.

• Progressive relaxation, which is consciously relaxing the muscles from your toes to your head and everything between.
• Toe tensing involves lying down, pointing the toes toward the face, and holding for 10 seconds before relaxing the toes and repeating.
• Breathing in deeply for eight to 10 seconds, holding the breath for one to two seconds, and slowly releasing.
• Guided imagery, which involves closing your eyes and visualizing a happy, peaceful place.
• Quiet ears, in which you lie down with hands beneath the head, then block the ear canals with the thumbs. Hold this position for 10 seconds to 15 seconds.

So keep your body and mind clear this season and the next using these great tips. Many of these techniques take only take a minute or so – while some sound perfect for when you need a good solid regeneration. *sigh*.  Enjoy.

I just picked up my youngest son from daycare. His birthday was on Sunday – he turned 4 (can’t even believe it). So today I brought in cupcakes (the ones that I cheated on my diet with) for his class. He was so excited about it when I picked him up. He told me how they all had them for snack in the afternoon, and there on the board it said “afternoon snack – Cupcakes for Aidan’s Birthday”. Even the teachers were excited. It made me realize – sometimes some good ol’ chocolate cake can really just make your day. And if there’s brightly colored frosting? Well, there’s a reason for the expression “that’s icing on the cake”.

(And in case anyone is wondering, the 4 lbs lost are down to 3lbs after all that chocolate cake and buttercream frosting this weekend…)