Healthy Habit Building with Coach Tina

We sat with wife, mama, and fat loss coach, Tina Schoenfeldt (@tinaschoenfeldt), who shared her best pieces of advice to building steady and sustainable habits for a better, fitter, healthier life. 

Tina is wearing Ellie October outfit, Plum Perfect.

What is your favorite part of living a healthy lifestyle?
Having the energy to keep up with and truly enjoy my family. We are an active family that likes to get outside, so being able to fully enjoy each moment with them is my favorite part. It is also my hope to provide my kids a strong foundation for a healthy life ahead of them. When they choose healthy options and like to work out on their own, it’s the best feeling in the world.

What is your go-to breakfast?
I carb cycle so it depends on what type of day it is (it's either low-carb or ALL the carbs)! On a low-carb day I love a fried egg, avocado, arugula, and bacon. On a higher-carb day I LOVE a hearty bowl of oatmeal. I mix in collagen for added protein, and top with fruits, honey, and nuts.

How do you balance staying healthy/working out while also being a mom?
This is so tricky sometimes, and is not something I have always handled well. It all starts with mindset. You either decide that you “have” to work out, or that you get to work out. For me, working out and prioritizing healthy eating have a direct effect on my mood and energy for the day. I am a better mom because I prioritize my health. Keeping that in the forefront of my mind helps me stay on track. All of my kids are in school now, so I get them to school, then come home and do my 30 minute workout before starting my day. For me, doing it first thing works best. If I wait until later in the day, the excuses and other to-do’s may try to sneak into its place.

What is your favorite form of working out?
I really love a good total body strength workout! Lifting weights and doing moves that target multiple areas of your body always feels like you are getting the most bang for your buck. I am a coach for the Faster Way To Fat Loss program, and also follow their program as a client myself. We have a new set of workouts on the app each week, which always keeps things interesting and new.

What do you think is the biggest misconception of living a healthy lifestyle?
Hands down that it has to be complicated or overly restrictive. My mission as a coach is to help my clients learn how to make healthier choices, without feeling like they have to overwhelm themselves with huge life changes. Some simple swaps here and there, and a little bit of redirection is sometimes ALL you
need.

What inspired you to get started on your health journey?
For most of my life I’ve been a pretty healthy person. I come from a family that’s very active and health conscious. My dad is a chiropractor and a runner, and always encouraged my sister and me to eat healthy, play sports, and stay active. Through most of my college and early motherhood years, I felt pretty good
about my health. I wasn’t making the most consistent healthy choices, BUT I was getting by!

After having my third baby, something shifted and I really started struggling. I wasn’t motivated to take care of myself, my hormones were all out of whack, and I literally found myself laying on the couch most days with no motivation to do anything. It was at that point I knew something had to change. I began to really dive into my journey of studying foods, becoming my own health detective, and seeing how my food and exercise habits DIRECTLY impacted how I felt. After seeing how much those choices changed how I felt, it FINALLY clicked with me, and I knew this had become a lifestyle change for me, and not just a quick fix. (That baby is now almost 6 years old, and I can honestly say I feel better now at 34 than I did at 24.)

What is one piece of advice you’d give someone just starting their health journey?
Allow yourself time and grace. A lifetime of habits is not going to happen in one day. One week. Or even one month. It’s going to take time and you deciding each day that YOU are worth showing up for. Give yourself grace, and focus on progress, not perfection. Have a bad day? Don’t throw the towel in completely. Just get up the next day and decide to start fresh again. Get yourself some accountability,  like a friend, coach, or group that will check in with you and help you stay motivated on those days that you just aren’t feeling it!