Fitting Wellness into your family schedule.

We hear it at least once a week: “I just don’t know how you guys do it”. Being small business owners, working with our clients, coaches in some of our kids sports, parents of 4 and fitting in your physical wellness can be a handful. Well here is the secret- you need to plan ahead and maximize our time efficiency.

So we are going to peel back the curtains and share some of our biggest secrets to not only keep our own wellness a top priority, but also teach the kids how to make their wellness a top priority.

Nutrition: Making Healthy Meals

At one point we were juggling 6 different after school activities! The default for many families is to just “grab something quick”. For most people quick does not mean the healthiest option, so we are going to share some of our favorite quick healthy hacks and a few ideas to make homemade healthy meals! Just like all of these tips- you need to look at the week ahead of you, have a plan, and do a little prep work!

Quick grabs:

Subs- Most sub places have healthy proteins like chicken, turkey, tuna, and beef. They can also be loaded up with lots of healthy fresh veggies. A few bonus tips- get the shorter sub and bulk up the protein - go light on the sauces - keep a few bags of healthy chips and low calorie beverages on hand to save some extra money and calories!
Mexican- Yes that’s right- Mexican food can be some of the healthiest quick options around… if you make the right choices. In fact Taco Bell's “fresco style” and “power” menu options have some of the best protein/carb/fat ratios in the fast food chain game. Bonus Tip- Hit up your local burrito place for some more adult flavors. Go ask for the bowl, go heavy on the protein, ask for extra beans, light rice, and fill it up with lots of veggies! Don’t forget avocado/guacamole is a healthy fat!
Hit up your local grocery store - From premade wraps, salads, sushi to fresh steam tables. Many grocery stores have something for everyone. Bonus tip- grab some extra fruit for the kids to snack on for extra hydration and carbs between activities!

Home Prepped Meals:

One Pan Bakes- These can be lifesavers especially if the extra person at home is not the cook in the house. Put together your favorite protein, carb and veggie and bake. The best part- only 1 pan to clean up after dinner! Bonus tip- if you have to set a timer to bake and it will be leaving it in your warm oven- take a few minutes off the cooking time. The food will continue to cook in the oven as it sits and you won’t have dried out proteins!
Slow Cooker- It’s not just for winter. Yes you can make stew, soup and roasts but you can also make tender meats ready for shredding for tacos, wraps, salads and more!
Grocery or Meal Prep service- With so many different options and family sizes it’s easy to find the right service that fits your family and budget. Even for our family of 6- a Costco rotisserie chicken + mac and cheese + frozen veggie = happy full bellies and leftovers for the next 2 days!

Here is a sample of a busy week of meals at the Hill House:

Monday - Pasta Bake: Spaghetti Noodles, Marinara Sauce, Meatballs, Ricotta cheese, Topped with Mozzarella - Side Salad

Tuesday - Slow Cooker shredded chicken - super tasty chicken tacos (make sure to make extra chicken to toss on some salads for lunch)

Wednesday - Stir Fry: Pre-make the rice, grab some pre-sliced chicken or beef from the grocery store and a bag of stir fry veggies. Actual cooking time is about 10 minutes and it tastes even better reheated!

Thursday - Grocery meal prep: Costco for the win for our family of 6. Chicken pot pie or that mac combo from above. Bonus - our kids LOVE the microwave organic broccoli with some EVOO.

Friday - PIZZA NIGHT… What did you think we were health robots? Grab it from your favorite take out place, make your own or have some frozen options on hand! I like to add in a healthy salad.

Saturday - CYA (Cover Your Ass….ignments!!!) Our family is frequently pulled in a few different directions, so we grab the healthiest options on the go (see above)

Sunday - Lean Loaf: A meatloaf made with 90% lean beef is ready to go and set to come out around 6 when we get home from our activities, some homemade mashed potatoes and frozen veggie are on standby ready to reheat!

Exercise: Being Active

One of the top reasons we hear people don’t workout is because they just don’t have time. Trust us- we get it. Sometimes it feels like we don’t even have a few moments to take a breath, not to mention trying to fit in a workout. So here are some of my favorite ways to “hack” some extra fitness in.

Get it in when you can fit it in: I’m often asked when the best time to exercise is. The answer is “Whenever you can consistently get it in”. So if it’s the 5am crew, a quick lunch break workout, after the kids get to bed or a weekend warrior. Make sure to budget in the time and protect it just like you would a doctor's appointment.
Get involved: With having multiple kids, volunteering to coach or getting out to practice with your kids can be difficult. If you can manage the time, this is a great way to be active and show your kids the importance of physical activity. Don’t just roll out the ball, take the warm up laps and stretch with them, jump in a few drills, fill in an open spot on the field. You and your kids will have a blast!
Get in early: Show up to school or practice pick up a few minutes early and get in some steps.
Don’t just sit and watch: Yes, I love watching my kids just as much as anyone else, but if I can fit in a 20 minute jog while my daughter is doing gymnastics or during pre-game warm ups, that is a golden opportunity.
Remember something is better than nothing: Even when times are at their tightest, 5 minutes walking will do much more for your wellness than 5 minutes on social media. A weekend workout routine will do much more for your wellness than a weekend binging the newest show. Heck, even just getting down on the floor and doing some core and stretching while you watch TV is better than sitting!
Get them involved: Get a family workout in. This could be a traditional fun gym workout, some play time in the yard, a walk after dinner or even hiking or biking your local trails. There are lots of ways to get your kids off their screens and enjoying a healthy lifestyle with you!

When it comes to being active, keep looking for opportunities rather than focusing on all the obstacles that are in your way.

Lifestyle: Infusing a wellness lifestyle for you family

Let me start this off by acknowledging every family situation and every child is unique. I’ve got a kid who is very internally motivated and wants to get involved in any and every activity possible, and I’ve got a kid who needs a lot of external motivation and wants to give enough effort to get by. So how to use these next few tips are going to rely on your experience with what will work best for you and your family. I personally love these differences, because these are opportunities to spend some more one on one time and create some deeper and stronger bonds. It also gives me a chance to really understand them as a person.

This section is going to focus on the non-exercise and nutrition aspects of a wellness lifestyle. These can include sleep/recovery, digestion/gut health, and stress/fatigue management.

Sleep/recovery:

The average adult needs 7 to 9 hours of restful sleep each night. Toddlers need about 11 to 14 hours while your teen needs 8 to 10 hours.

A summer vacation is a perfect time to find out how many hours you and your family need! Try to create the best sleep environment possible. Don’t stay up super late and try to let everyone naturally wake up. Do this for 3-4 days. How much sleep did everyone get? That is likely the amount of time everyone needs. I am closer to 7 hours while Lindsay is solidly a 9+ hour girl.

In order to put this into action at home: Find the time that everyone needs to be awake in the morning, yes this includes you. Turn the clock back the needed hours of sleep from above and poof! You have everyone’s bedtime. Setting the understanding that everyone has individual needs and bedtimes early makes setting this habit early much easier.

When it comes to the sleep environment (your bedroom) , invest in making it a sleep oasis. You will spend about ⅓ of your life sleeping. Making sure it is high quality sleep will not only improve your health, it will improve your mind, recovery, and spirit.

When it comes to recovery, we are all very different. A 35 year old professional athlete can handle a huge workload and might not require a ton or extra recovery. A 35 year old deconditioned person who just started working out might need a bunch. Here are two big things you need for proper recovery- 1) If you are pushing yourself hard enough, your body will require some kind of down time/recovery. 2) After initial inflammation, increased blood flow is almost always better than just sitting around. Walking, massage, gentle movement, electro-stimulation, hot-cold therapy, compression, etc are great methods for increasing blood flow. Find what works for you.

Digestion/Gut Health:

The best way I have heard our current knowledge of digestion and gut health described is “We know about as much about the complex interaction of everything that is going on in our digestive system as we know about space. We think we know a lot, but the more we discover, the more we realize just how much we don’t know yet”.

At the time of writing this, knowing how little we know, I’m going to give some of my best tips that will help to improve your digestion and gut health. If you have major issues please see a doctor or gut health expert.

Eat a variety of fiber rich whole foods like vegetables, fruits, whole grains, beans, nuts and seeds. Current recommendations are 20-40 grams daily.
Fully chew your food to a paste prior to swallowing. Remember digestion starts in your mouth, not your stomach.
Keep hydrated. Current recommendations are 2-3 liters of liquid water daily.
Limit/Eliminate personal digestive irritants. THESE ARE VERY PERSONAL. Personally my stomach does fine with wheat products but I get hiccups directly after eating rice. Peppers and tomatoes are easy for me, but cucumbers make my mouth itch. I’m fine with eggs, but apples give me the worst smelling gas.
Eat a variety of probiotic rich foods like Kefir, yogurt, and fermented foods.

Stress and Fatigue Management:

This could be one of the least talked about, but most important aspects of your wellness. Especially when you are trying to juggle a busy family life. Managing your stress and fatigue properly can not only help to keep your energy where it is needed, but also create a more positive mindset to crush other areas of your life.

I’ve always told my clients: “Stress is stress.” If we are stressing our body, it doesn’t decipher if it is from crushing your workouts, getting crushed at work, or your constantly on the go trying to keep up with family activities. If your body is overly stressed, it will get a break. No matter if you want it or not, it will take it. This might show up mentally bout of depression, anxiety or loss of motivation or physically in the form of aches/pains, injury or illness.

So here are my biggest secrets when it comes to Stress and Fatigue Management:

Learn to listen to your body: If you feel something is creeping up, get in front of it. Unless you are a competitive athlete, I’ve found that in most cases “pushing through it” rarely pays off.
Be flexible with your workout intensity: If you are bringing your A game to the gym, take advantage. If you can only bring C or D level focus, adjust the workout and/or intensity to get the best workout you can. Try to avoid skipping your workout all together. This could create a habit of skipping your workouts. As long as you are having more A and B days than D and E days… you're doing fine!
Schedule and be proactive in fatigue management: Make sure to schedule micro sessions for fatigue management. This could be a short trip to the sauna or hot tub, a 30 min massage or stretch session, some “special” time with your partner or even just a afternoon nap to give your batteries a quick recharge.
Take a break: Yes, even professional athletes have an off season. If you are truly pushing your body in the gym, you may need to lower your intensity and increase your recovery sessions for 3-4 weeks 2-3 times per year.
Reach out: When you need help, reach out. Help can be letting your partner know you need some help with housework, or a break from the kids. Help can be asking for a coworker or boss for assistance on a project. Help can be reaching out to a professional to work out ways to better manage your stress.

Well there you have it! Some of our biggest tips in fitness, nutrition and lifestyle on how you can keep wellness a priority even with a busy schedule and a big family! We would love to hear any of your tips and tricks so make sure to let us know!