Healthy Living & Fitness Tips With Lifestyle Coach Meredith Schneider! by Donna John

Trying to balance busy work schedules, school drop-offs and pick-ups, homework deadlines and all the various extracurricular activities? We can appreciate how hard it can be to balance busy schedules with healthy living! That's why 30Seconds contributor and healthy lifestyle coach Meredith Schneider was our guest at this week's #30SecondMom chat. Her passion is to support moms on their health and fitness journey. Here's what she had to share with the tribe!

Q: How do we get a workout in with very limited time for ourselves?

• Take out your calendar and schedule it! No matter if it’s at home or at the gym. We have more time than we think.
• Make that time non-negotiable! Unless of course for emergencies.
• Don’t overwhelm yourself thinking you need hours in the gym.
• Find something you enjoy – running, HIIT workouts, yoga.
• The most important thing is to have a strong WHY! That will keep you motivated on the days you need it most.

@Merber38 Good point. I almost skipped my scheduled yoga today, but @dieteraschmitz insisted I go. Scheduling & support r key! #30SecondMom

— 30Second Mom (@30secondmom) October 13, 2016

Q: What is the best way to plan healthy meals for a busy week?

Just like our workouts we need to schedule meal-planning time. While making your grocery list plan out your week. Make it fun! Include the kids in planning the weekly dinner menu and have a theme each night. Look at your week and see what you can make ahead of time. Sundays. I bake, roast veggies and cook up some of the protein for each night. Makes it quick for reheating once we get home. This will make your week a little more stress-free and eliminate those unhealthy decisions to hit the drive through!

@Merber38 The hour before dinner time always seems to be so hectic. Planning ahead means one less decision to make in the midst of chaos!

— Kelli Schulte (@IcoachEQ) October 13, 2016

@rychepet I make a batch of pasta, put out diff sauces, bowls of steamed veggies & a grilled protein & everyone makes a bowl #30SecondMom

— Chrissy Jones (@CYJones30) October 13, 2016

Q: How do I make sure my kids are getting the nutrition they need, especially if active in sports?

Back to planning! You plan for your kids just as you plan for yourself with your nutrition and fitness goals. While working on your grocery list plan out healthy grab-and-go snacks for the kids and you. Most important, be sure your kids – athletes or not – are eating a well-balanced breakfast. Stock fridge and kitchen with yogurt, turkey, chicken, apples, veggies, hard-boiled eggs, string cheese, bananas, watermelon. While on the go in the car arm yourself with a cooler bag packed with healthy snacks and water.

It’s super important to stay hydrated and avoid getting dehydrated at all costs. I shoot for 100 ounces a day. Was it easy at first? No! Once you make it a habit and see and feel the difference in your body you will stick to it. While getting into the habit, add fruit or veggies to you water which adds flavor to it naturally. Increase your intake of uncooked veggies that have a high-water content like cucumber, celery, tomatoes, spinach, broccoli.

@Merber38 Yes! it's hard to eat "junk" if it's not there #30SecondMom

— Toni B (@rychepet) October 13, 2016

@30secondmom @Merber38 yes, i need this! i cant drink water endlessly #30secondmom

— Holly @Tweenspot (@tweenspot) October 13, 2016

😳😂it's takes a few days to get used to it! Your body feels amazing when we'll hydrated! 💦💦💦 #30SecondMom https://t.co/zArWvRc2Tn

— Meredith Schneider (@Merber38) October 13, 2016

Q: How do I get rid of the mom pooch?

Of course no quick fix but you can melt it away! Even with four pregnancies and four C-sections you can get that flat stomach back. Increasing your cardio is a must! Cardio helps burn that layer of fat covering our stomach which causes that pooch. Having your nutrition dialed in is super important. You are not dieting you are making healthier choices. Some fat burning foods I eat regularly:

• extra virgin olive oil
• avocado
• salmon
• green tea
• broccoli
• eggs
• lean meat
• whole grains
• berries

@aeott26 @merber3 I have 1 in college and 1 just out and it’s a blink. Enjoy those precious kids….and go gently on yourself! #30SecondMom

— Jan Mostrom (@j_mostrom) October 13, 2016

Q: What exercises should I do when I’m short on time for a full workout?

Be sure to warm up first! I love fast high knees, walking lunges, butt kicks, side lunges and old-school jumping jacks. I love Tabata training HIIT (High Interval Training) – eight rounds of high intensity, 20 seconds on 10 seconds off. So a 16-minute workout would be a series of four exercises for eight rounds. They are super fun! For example:

• Exercise 1: pushups
• Exercise 2: squats
• Exercise 3: jumping jacks
• Exercise 4: mountain climbers

The fun part of Tabatas you can mix up the exercises each workout so you will never get bored of getting an awesome burn.

@30secondmom @Merber38 A6 Jumping rope is a good one.....fun as a family too #30SecondMom

— Toni B (@rychepet) October 13, 2016

Q: How do I keep making healthy eating and exercise not feel like a chore?

Keep it SIMPLE! Don’t let leading a healthy lifestyle stress you out! Here’s a 3-step plan:

• Step 1: Having a strong WHY is huge! Ask yourself what is your WHY and write it down.
• Step 2: Make realistic goals. It’s never too late to start have patience. Take it one day at a time!
• Step 3: Accountability with no guesswork! As a personal wellness coach I love providing the tools needed stress free.

#30secondmom @Merber38 Thks for a great chat! Inspired to schedule time, even 15 min to do some exercise!. Need to make this happen!

— Kelli Schulte (@IcoachEQ) October 13, 2016

@Merber38 Thank you for 2night learned so much! #30secondmom see all of you next weds! My little 🍒💣's !

— Chefgigi (@chefgigi) October 13, 2016

Be sure to follow @merber38, like her Facebook page, visit goherbalife.com and check out her 30Seconds page!