Creating a healthy lifestyle is easier said than done, especially when you’re a busy mom! So is there anything you can do with such a tight schedule? And meal planning sounds good but you haven’t been able to master it yet so you gave up. You are not alone!
What are some healthy habits you can get started with? What things can you do to keep consistent, healthy habits? How can you fit in a workout if you don’t have 30 minutes? Those are just a few of the questions Lisa Klein answers during our chat.
Shannon Baker
So I want to thank everyone for joining us for this week’s episode. And I’m excited because Lisa is one of the health and wellness experts in my community that has shared some amazing tips that has really helped me on my fitness journey as a mom trying to build a business and take better care of myself. What I appreciate about Lisa is her approach to healthy eating habits that aren’t restrictive, you can still enjoy life, but once we get into the episode, you’ll see exactly what I mean.
But the combination of Lisa’s tips and her approach to habit stacking and really sustainable routines, which is what we’re going to talk about today has made a difference combined with the tips that were shared actually in an earlier episode of the podcast in January when I talked with Jennifer Nagle of Figured Out Fitness,. And she shared you know, instead of a setting New Year’s resolutions like everyone does and never keeps. She also talked about healthy habits and small adjustments we can make in our busy schedules to make sure we get in our workouts and the two of them bridge together has bought me amazing results in our lab, exercise and still does not my favorite thing. It’s more fun because of the tips and example that they set with getting their workouts in. So let me let Lisa introduce herself to you all. And then we’ll dive into today’s topic.
Lisa Klein
Oh, thank you so much for having me. I’m super excited to be a guest today. A little bit about me, my name is Lisa Klein and Lisa Klein wellness, I have been a coach now for seven plus years, I actually fell into this business. My husband challenged me to an app home fitness program. And of course, being a mom to two young kids. I was like No, but at the same time I knew I had to start taking care of myself, for myself. And for my family. It was also at the time my mom was going through chemotherapy to breast cancer survivor and it really made me refocus on my priorities and my health. So I begrudgingly accepted his challenge to start an at home fitness program. And it was a 90 day program. About 60 days in I started feeling better was when you finally noticed there was a difference.
And I know we’re going to be talking about nutrition because that’s the biggest piece but where I started was fitness. And so after I went through this transformation, for myself, is what kind of sets the ground running for me to help other busy moms like myself start feeling better through fitness and nutrition. And obviously those two combined along with mindset has kind of the full package to get you the results and the sustainable healthy habits to last a lifetime. So here I am, you know, like I said seven and a half years later, passionately helping others on their health and wellness journey. And yeah, that’s, that’s me. So I’m a mom of two and now I work with clients one on one, I do group coaching as well as one on one coaching.
Shannon Baker
Great. So let’s talk about those being consistent with the Healthy Habits, so healthy habits for those who may not you know register because you haven’t gotten deep into your own health and wellness journey. What are healthy habits that or you know, what would you say are healthy habits.
Lisa Klein
So some of those that will include, I would say number one is drinking water. A lot of times that is one of the biggest issues is for dehydrated we don’t even know it which can lead to feeling hungry all the time being lethargic. So water is key, getting more fruits and vegetables in your diet, portion control movement of any kind so it doesn’t need to be spending hours at the gym, even if you’re out walking or riding your bike, any type of movement. Sleep is also another habit it’s probably a hard one for people to recognize as well as your mindset having a positive mindset believing in yourself knowing that you can do it.
Shannon Baker
And those are key especially sleep and what I found with the adding the fitness piece and the movement piece in, I sleep much better because I’ve gotten in so much movement throughout the day. And my lovely Apple Watch tells me how many hours I’ve slept and, you know, what was restful peace and what wasn’t. And then I can identify on the days where my sleep wasn’t all that great or restful, what I did throughout the day. And most of the days is the days that I don’t really get in enough movement, I don’t sleep as well. So it does make a huge difference and they’re easy habit. So give us some suggestions of things that we can do to keep consistent, healthy habits. I know you’ve given me some great ones, let’s talk about getting in more water, how we can do that.
Lisa Klein
Okay, and let me I will follow up with water, the number one thing is to take baby steps. So when you’re starting any building any new habits, I know you want to go all in, do all of it all at one time, you’re ready, you’re ready to see change, you’re ready for your big transformation. But that usually will set you up for failure. So to set you up for success is knowing that it’s okay to start small to start with drinking more water. And once you’ve tackled that, then add on making sure you’re not skipping your meals, making sure you’re getting in your breakfast. Then add on moving. So definitely taking those baby steps. Tips for drinking more water – number one, always leave a water bottle next to your bed. So it’s the first thing you do when you wake up, you wake up. You haven’t had anything to eat or drink in hours, you are dehydrated, it is what your body is craving.
So start even before you drink your cup of coffee. I know that’s most people’s motivation sometimes to get up out of bed in the morning is that cup of coffee. But start with a cup of water first. And that’s number one. If you are exercising, again, your body needs even more water. So when you finishing a workout, whether you’re working out at home, or at a gym or running outside, make sure when you finish your workout that you’re drinking water again. I always recommend carrying a water bottle with you wherever you go. So even if you are running to the grocery store, you’re picking up your kids from preschool, keep a water bottle with you in the car. Sometimes it’s about playing a game, you get to a red light, you get to a stop sign drink. When you get to your final destination, finish your water bottle before you get out of the car. So what is not known to many is that it’s recommended to drink half your body weight in ounces a day, which can be a lot. So if you’re not used to it, start tracking it. See where you’re at and see where you might need to sit in more water during the day.
Shannon Baker
Those are great and actually, believe it or not, and you know for as much as I love coffee, and that was the first thing to touch my lips other than my toothbrush. Keeping 24 ounces of water beside my bed and just getting that 24 ounces down before that first cup of coffee has given me a jumpstart to where now I consistently can get in at least 48 ounces, sometimes 64 ounces in a day. It just makes a huge, huge difference. And I use it as an excuse to buy more pretty water bottles.
Lisa Klein
I get that and I love them.
Shannon Baker
That’s been my incentive. Even my dad says you know how many water bottles do you have? And I’m like I have a different one for every day of the week. They’re different ounces. So they have different purposes. So just leave my water bottle collection alone. There’s a whole shelf in our kitchen that’s just for water bottle. So another healthy habit is movement. So what are some ways we can get in more movement, especially when we have busy schedules where we may not necessarily be able to get in a full 30 minute workout at one time. So how can we break that up? Maybe?
Lisa Klein
Great question. So my number one recommendation, which might not be what you want to hear is to set that alarm a little bit earlier than you would typically wake up. I know when my kids were younger my alarm clock where my kids I woke up when they woke up. But if you’re able to adjust that and set your alarm 20-30 minutes earlier, and have your exercise time kind of be your me time the way to start your day. That way nothing else will kind of get in the way of it. I know sometimes we say oh well we’ll work out during nap time or we’re workout after after work. But something inevitably will come up one the baby doesn’t sleep, work gets too busy life takes over. So as best you can schedule in your movement, your exercise time for early in the morning. So that would be tip number one.
Again, like you mentioned It doesn’t have to be an hour workout, even if you’re doing a 10 minute stretching, or yoga, if you’re able to. If you have dogs, take the dogs out for a walk. Maybe you’re just picking up the pace a bit than you normally would, if you’re walking, you’re gonna start picking up the pace. You can go for a little bit longer. You could hold hand weights, and that sort of thing. Breaking it up, I understand too, kids busy schedules, ideally, you want to do a full 20 to 30 minutes, consecutively. But if you do have to break it up, you could do you know, stretching, 10 minutes stretching, you could lift some lightweight, or do some hit cardio that doesn’t need a lot of time. You can get a great HIIT which is high intensity interval training in, you know, 18 to 20 minutes and call it a day.
Shannon Baker
And that is very true. And you’d be surprised at how fast just that 18 minute workout just goes. And then like you said, it’s done. So again, it’s just small adjustments that we can make, you know, maybe cut down on the time that we’re scrolling through social media, and use that time even to just get out and take a brisk walk just around the neighborhood or something because most people don’t like to be on a treadmill. Everybody doesn’t have a treadmill, but we all have streets. And we can use those for free.
Lisa Klein
And I know a lot of times people say I love being in a gym and being motivated by other people where you have a workout partner. And so that’s what gets you up and going. And I get that I used to love going to Barre classes and Pilates classes. But if you think about the time commitment to schedule in a class to drive there to get in an hour, it’s some it’s too much. It was like I could never do my thing my kids were in school and by the time I dropped them off at school, I had to pick them up and and that’s where having an at home fitness, opportunity and option you don’t need fancy equipment. You don’t need to have a peloton if you haven’t, that’s great.
You don’t need a treadmill, like you said. But there are so many different options for at home fitness programs that you can stream. Like I said, I use Beachbody. But there’s everything on YouTube nowadays, free classes and this and that. So find what works for you. That’s the other thing is finding what makes you feel your best. If it’s high intensity, you know, cardio, go for it. If it’s dancing, that’s great. If it’s yoga, do yoga. Everybody is so different. And sometimes it takes a little bit of time to figure out what’s going to work for you.
Shannon Baker
Good recommendations! So now, we’re getting more water, even if we increase our movement, I can attest it’s not going to make a difference and get your results unless you’re eating right. And I know one of the biggest struggles that we have as moms is figuring out the meals, cooking the meals and getting through without, as you say, having to go through the drive thru or order pizza. So I know this is like this is your your area.
Lisa Klein
Yes, I do I get like goosebumps I get so excited meal planning has been my jam because it is so beneficial. And just like everything else, I know you’re gonna say I don’t have time. It’s not my thing. I can’t do it, you can. And just like exercise, start small. So my recommendation is creating a plan. You don’t need to go on Pinterest and search 900 new recipes a week. Keep it simple. Know what works for you and your family. So for example, Sunday is my meal planning guide makes one day a week where you’re going to sit down. By the time you start doing this regularly, you won’t be more than 10 minutes. I understand the beginning it might take a little bit longer a little bit longer while you’re getting into the routine of it. But pick your one day. Look at your calendar for the week ahead. See what you have going on. When do you have work meetings? When will you your kids have activities out of the house? What types of meals will work for you. And with that I say start planning dinner.
Start small start with just dinners and see what’s going to work. Then breakfast lunches keep consistent. So I typically eat the same thing for breakfast every day. It’s what works for me. Maybe we can switch it up a bit. And the same thing with lunches. It’s like take out the extra stress of all the meal planning and stick with just dinners to be For starters, with that said, easy things to do for dinners would be using your crock pot or instant pot. I am a huge fan of sheet pan meals as Shannon knows sheet plan meals have been my lifesaver probably for the last at least the last three years. Because I don’t like spending time in the kitchen. I know there’s people that love to cook. I’m not somebody that loves to cook but I like to eat healthy, I’d like to feed my family healthy meals. But I do like to spend less time in the kitchen and sheet pan meals, less ingredients, less time to prep, less time to clean.
So it’s kind of that full combination and the same thing with using a crock pot. If you’re able to put a full meal into a crock pot and you can, it’s not 100 different things. Sometimes that’s just a lot easier. So step one and meal planning is looking at your calendar and figuring out what’s going to work. Do you have time to grill? Do you have to make a meal ahead of time sometimes and we can talk about meal prepping as well. But you can make a double batch, say your spaghetti and meatballs night. Instead of making a pot or however you make them of meatballs for Wednesday night, make a double batch, freeze half of it and now you have a second dinner for you know two weeks from now.
So double batching. Making enough even in your dinners, making enough for leftovers for lunches for the week. So kind of think about things that you can cook once but twice. So great example with that would be if you’re using making like a pulled pork pulled chicken, something that makes a large volume even if you have a large family, there’s bound to be leftovers. So figuring out how you can use leftovers cook it once but then eat it twice in different ways. So pulled chicken maybe one night you’re doing a barbecue style. The next night a couple nights later you’re having chicken tacos.
Shannon Baker
Those are great and they actually, your tips have really helped me refine my meal planning. I even I have a whole episode on how I use Trello to do my meal planning it intimidates some people but once you get used to using it, it’s it’s like so convenient because I use it to keep an inventory of the ingredients I have in my home already. That’s you know, rice, my pasta, my meats, my seasonings, and then I create the list the grocery list based on what I don’t already have at home because I take that time and say okay, we’ve got this going on this week. Let me outline these are the meals we’re going to have and my daughter has to cook once a week. So she gives me what meal she’s going to cook and we look at what ingredients we already have on hand. Whatever we need. Otherwise we add to that grocery list and then in the grocery store I use that checklist in Trello to just, I’m in and out of the grocery store in 30 minutes or less. That’s if I’m not getting my groceries delivered which has been like a self care thing for me to get my groceries bought to me but I like to pick my own meat so I do shop for meat once a month. But that has been a game changer. And the sheet pan males hands down has been like the best thing like he said I put the aluminum foil on tray spray it put all my ingredients on and pop it in the oven and then I dumped it on a boat and we’re done. Done.
Lisa Klein
Yes done. It’s so easy and i that is super impressive. That is awesome. Another thing people do to make meal planning easier and I love that your daughter is involved in picks what she’s going to make for the for the night is to have theme nights. You know whether it’s meatless Mondays, Taco Tuesday, so you don’t have to always be thinking of new ideas and new recipes. It’s taking some of the guesswork out and minimizing you know that thought process so is isn’t so overwhelming when you sit down to do your meal plan each week.
Shannon Baker
Yes, and we may be overwhelming you with talking about meal planning but good thing is Lisa’s freebie that she offers to everyone listening is her meal planning and grocery list freebie. So Lisa, tell us a little bit about what’s what they’re going to get if they grab that download.
Lisa Klein
Yes, you definitely want to get your hands on it because I create an entire week’s meal plan for you. It includes breakfast, lunch, dinner, as well as snack ideas and for each of the meals that has recipes to go along with it. And then a complete grocery list as if you have nothing in your pantry is nothing in your fridge already. Obviously. Take that grocery list, check off the ones that you already have. And my recommendation is to always go to the grocery store with a list and shop from your list where however you keep your list whether it’s paper and pen or electronically, always shop off a list will save you time as well as for your budget. Along with this, the PDF download of the meal plan and the grocery list there’s also a blank meal planning template that you can print out as many times as you want. A great starting place to help you get in the process and into the habit of meal planning each week.
Shannon Baker
Great. And make sure you follow Lisa on Instagram because there was a hack that was life changing for me. Which you know I cook green peppers or you know all kinds of peppers in so many different things – fajitas sausage and peppers you name it, I’m always am cutting green peppers. But that reel that you share on how to save time cutting them I did it last week and I cut up nine peppers in like 15 minutes with your hack. It was amazing. So definitely make sure you follow Lisa on Instagram. So Lisa tell us where can they find, what is your profile on Instagram and anywhere else they can find you online.
Lisa Klein
It is @lisakleinwellness, all one word. And that is also my website www.lisakleinwellness.com.
Shannon Baker
Great. Now before we wrap up our chat today, bonus question, what is one system in either your life or your business that we haven’t talked about today that you can’t live without?
Lisa Klein
Wow, that question. Well, one thing I would say we haven’t talked about is meal prep. And with that said, meal again, meal prep to people can be something they just shut down. They can’t do it, they don’t have time. But it’s finding what is the most challenging part of your meals. Whether it is you’re skipping breakfast because you’re running out of the house to get the kids off to school, you’re running out of house for work, you’re skipping a meal, that’s not good. Is it your to say things skipping lunch, or is it that dinner you get to that time and you are exhausted, you don’t want to cook and you’re ordering pizza.
So the one thing with meal prep is figuring out which meal is your pain point and then figuring out how you’re going to solve that. So for example for breakfast, if you’re a breakfast skipper, I don’t want you to be so I am a huge fan of making overnight oats, egg cups, even getting them at the grocery store pre made they now have like the egg cub, egg white bites, and like a two pack pop them in the microwave 90 seconds boom you’re done. You can run out of the house with them, eat them on the road. Any way you can take shortcuts whether it’s pre cut veggies pre cut through, yes, they’re going to be more expensive, but if that is the one thing that’s holding you back from making a healthier meal, see where you can buy prepackaged things for you even use frozen veggies, Frozen, you know cut up fruit for smoothies and that sort of thing. So taking shortcuts. And remember too that a rotisserie chicken and a bad salad that you can pick up at the grocery store will take you the same amount of time as it does to go through a drive thru.
Shannon Baker
That is true and rotisserie chickens are like a lifesaver around these parts of my house. I will buy one. We’ll eat it for a meal with the sides. And then I turn it into chicken salad. So definitely shortcuts are great. So this has been great. I even got some more tips to kind of update my meal planning and meal prep myself. So thank you so much for sharing these valuable nuggets with us today Lisa.
Lisa Klein
Thank you so much for having me. This has been great. I appreciate it.
To hear my chat with Linda listen to episode 87 of the podcast. Click below and tune in on your favorite platform.
Connect with Lisa Online
On Instagram @lisakleinwellness
Grab Lisa’s Meal Planning and Grocery List Guide
Other Links Mentioned
How to Simplify Your Meal Planning with Trello
Connect With Me Online
Follow Me On Instagram: @the_shannonbaker
Join the More Than Capable Mompreneur Facebook group if you would like some support to build healthier habits, accountability to reach your goals and to be part of a community of resourceful women that will help you build your business as well.
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