How Business Moms Live Healthy

How do busy business moms keep a fit and healthy lifestyle? We’ve talked to owners Amanda and Noelle on how they incorporate fitness, diet, and all of those healthy habits that can easily get left behind into their lifestyle.

What does your exercise regimen look like? How do you find the time?

Amanda: I am the 5:30am wake-up call kinda girl. I work out from 6-7am six days a week. I like to keep it fresh, taking a couple classes each week at the Provo Rec Center. I also love to run, and then I’ll do a day at home using an app video that incorporates a simple workout easy to do at home. My favorite app right now is Blogilates- it’s fantastic! You subscribe for $1 a month and it gives you a calendar of workouts each month. I know there are a ton out there but this one is my favorite because when I work out I really want to sweat. I want to be on the floor exhausted after I workout. But I know that it’s also very important to stretch and do workouts that help create muscle and lean me out. These workouts are great because although they don’t always make me sweat, they are still really important when exercising.

Noelle: Amanda likes to burn, really burn. She’s kind of lightening it up, but she will do stairs. So she’s running up and down the stairs, 10-12 sets. That’s crazy! She’s doing one whole hour of high intensity burning. Yeah...I don’t do that.

I like to workout inside. Everyday I try to run at least 2-4 miles on the treadmill. Then I do pilates. Pilates transformed my body. I was training with a pilates instructor for a while and it completely changed my body composition from having a lot of muscle to becoming more lean. I found myself a pilates machine and a cadillac reformer, so between those two I do rotations with them after my run. Using those, I work my arms, legs, and abs. I only like to do 30-40 minutes running, and maybe 20 minutes on the pilates machine and then I’m off.

I do all of this in the morning time, but it ain’t happening at 5am. I roll myself out of bed around 7am to get the kids to school. I’m really not a morning person, so I sit and think for a second if I’m ready to go, then hop on the treadmill. That happens around 8:30/9am. I’ll tell you, it takes a minute for me to get going.

How do you eat healthy as a busy mom and business owner? What are your favorite busy-mom healthy food hacks?

Amanda: My favorite way to eat healthy is getting together with a group of ladies and doing an 8-week challenge. It’s fantastic because it takes all of the good things you’re doing by keeping track with points then at the end of the day you add up your points. Last time we went to Salt Lake for a girls night if we averaged a certain amount of points. We also have weight-loss competition to see who can lose the most during the challenge.

Right now I’m really into eating clean. For me that looks like limiting the gluten in my diet, and definitely no sugar. As I have gotten older I have found that sugar is my nemesis and that it ruins everything.

Noelle: She really is looking so good. I mean, when you’re going to push that hard, the results are clear. You have more energy in the day and you can handle the kids better.

Amanda: A big reason why I workout so early is because I’ve noticed when I don’t workout and I have to get all the kids ready for school, there’s a huge shift in my attitude. I’m a lot faster to snip at the kids, but when I’ve got a good workout in I’m ready to rock and roll.

Noelle: I completely agree. When it comes to eating healthy, for me I don’t like diets. I absolutely cannot stand them. If I feel restricted by any means, then I will want to be crazy! My crazy is that I will want to eat chips, but they’re Baked Lays so you think they’re not that bad and then you eat the whole bag. I also love peanut butter. Peanut butter on a wafer, with a little bit of jelly, ah so good. But so bad for us.

Amanda: I have to be very structured and have accountability. Noelle is much more disciplined, she doesn’t waver when she knows what she’s doing. I need the structure and goals in front of me.

Noelle: My favorite thing in the world is my V8 Energy Diet drink. Everyone needs to try this. I love these, and I might have three a day. If it’s a busy day, maybe four. Just kidding. But these are what get me through the day! The kids are crazy, by the time I get home and have to deal with them, and after dealing with Amanda all day, it’s hard.

Amanda: For a healthy snack, I love almonds, an apple, and my go-to if I’m really feeling snacky is a Clif Bar Nut Butter Filled. They’re organic, although I don’t care too much about organic, they’re gluten free and relatively low on sugar.

I don’t eat before I workout. For breakfast I’ll have eggs, or a piece of wheat toast with an Atkins Cookies and Creme protein shake, those are my favorite.

Noelle: When I wake up I’ll grab a handful of cereal, my V8 energy diet, then I’ll hit the treadmill. I’m usually rushing so I don’t eat until I get to work later in the day. I know this is terrible nutrition but I am usually rushing so I don’t have time. Then I’m grumpy until I eat my next meal. For lunch Amanda and I love to get salads from Wendy’s, pecan chicken is my favorite. Their chili is also really good. If we are snacking and want to have treats we love these gluten free vanilla crackers called Kinnikinnick KinniKritters. There’s only 3 grams of sugar for 12 cookies. They’re so good! Especially in peanut butter.

How do you incorporate healthy living with your family?

Noelle: We don’t bring crappy food in the house because you can’t buy sugar and expect your kids not to eat it, so of course I have a little bit of that sugary foods here and there, just not a ton of it. I have oatmeal and cream of wheat out for the kids for breakfast. Amanda told me about how bad fruit snacks are for the kids’ teeth, so I stopped buying those.

I feel like anything I put in front of the kids, they will eat it. I like to cut up fruit or put peanut butter in celery for them. Pre-made protein shakes in the fridge are easy go-to’s for my kids.

Amanda: I get in trouble all the time that we have the boring house when it comes to snacks. The second I stopped buying fruit snacks, it took so many cavities out of the equation for my kids. It really made a huge difference.

My kids like protein shakes for breakfast, and I try to make dinner every night. Unless it is basketball season, or Taco Tuesday. 3 tacos for a buck- I love it. I can feed my whole family for $4.

Another thing that I feel is important with getting our kids healthy is turning the screens off. Once I tell my kids to turn the TV off, they’re over on the iPad. I have to say all screens off. That’s all it takes and they’re fine, they’ll go outside.

I am a big fan of the crockpot. Making food at home is so important.

Noelle: We really try to think ahead with dinner time. We are working moms so we know it is hard, but it makes a big difference. I love to make spaghetti and meatballs. I make a mean meatball. Sometimes it’s just chicken quesadillas, but throwing in some veggies is great.

What is your best advice for a busy mom struggling to get healthy?

Amanda: No excuse. I really don’t think there’s any excuse. The bottom line is that we are only as powerful as we take care of our bodies. The more we take care of our bodies, the more able we become in our kids’ lives, in our husband’s lives, in our personal lives or business. Whatever we’ve been given physically, we need to take care of that and do whatever it takes to make sure we are giving our bodies what it needs.

Noelle: I think it is great to start small. Don’t make massive huge goals. I really think the best thing is to tell yourself “today I am going to get up and I’m going to put on my tennis shoes and I’m going to hop on the treadmill.” And guess what, it may only be 15 minutes, but that’s okay. Or it may not be in the morning, it may be later in the evening. Maybe the kids are with me and we’re going for a walk. Just thinking about things that will either get you outside or doing active things to get you to move your body, little by little you will crave it. You will want to do it more, and the more that you do it you will find more energy.

The days that you don’t workout you will notice something is off, and you will remember that you needed that little pick me up or that little serotonin boost. Working out gives you that. Set a commitment to yourself that you are going to workout, you deserve it and you need your time. That time you workout is your time to regroup and think about what you want to think about. It really does a world of a difference in how productive, healthy, and happy your day is.

Amanda: Find some friends! Women need friends. If you need some extra support, invite your friends to workout with you. My sister and I used to do “Captain Week” where one week I would be the captain so I would have to make sure she got up out of bed and working out. I love to send texts to my friends throughout the day where we talk about how our workouts or healthy eating is going. There is power in people. Surround yourself with positive, good people that want to workout too.

Amanda and Noelle are women who do it all. If they can be a busy mom running a business, and still make time for a healthy living, you can too!