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U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion

Joni

Making time to get active when life is busy and taking the stress out of eating healthy

Joni spending time with her family
Joni playing with her baby

Life changes when you have young kids. But even when you don’t have much time to focus on yourself, you can take small steps to make healthy eating and physical activity part of your routine. They’ll go a long way to help protect your health — and will keep you at your best for those you love.

Learn how Joni makes time to move her way and finds creative ways to eat healthy with a baby and a young child.

How I move my way

Before I had kids, I was pretty active. I spent lots of weekends hiking or going on bike rides with friends. But 2 pregnancies in just over 4 years changed all that!

After my second child was born, I was constantly tired and just didn’t have any energy. I knew it was partly because I wasn’t getting enough sleep at night — but I also realized that I missed getting active. I found that getting outside even for just 15 minutes and taking a quick walk gave me an energy boost, and it helped me feel more like my old self. I take the kids along in the stroller — sometimes we stop by the park, and my older child and I play ball while the baby naps.

That’s not to say getting active is easy with a young child and a baby in the house! Taking them with me on walks is a challenge sometimes — and when I finally get some time to myself after the kids are in bed, physical activity usually isn’t the first thing on my list. But I try my best to get active a few times a week, whether it’s outside or with an online exercise video. I don’t always get to do as much as I’d like, but that’s okay! I like knowing that even a little bit of activity relieves some stress and helps me stay healthy — and it’s setting a good example for my kids.

Joni walking with her kids

Adults need a mix of physical activity to stay healthy

5 circles, each containing a stick figure doing an aerobic activity: climbing stairs, doing pelvic floor and core exercises, walking with a stroller, practicing yoga, and walking briskly.

Moderate-intensity aerobic activity

Adults need at least 150 minutes each week of moderate-intensity aerobic activity. Anything that gets the heart beating faster counts! Brisk walking is a great option if you’re recovering from childbirth or if you’re just starting to get active — and you can do it almost anywhere. Invite a friend along for some social time while you get moving!

And

Muscle-strengthening activity

It’s also important to do muscle-strengthening activities 2 days a week — that’s anything that makes your muscles work harder than usual.

3 circles, each containing a stick figure doing a muscle-strengthening activity: lifting weights, gardening and weeding, and doing resistance exercises with elastic bands or tubes.

How I make every bite count

I grew up eating home-cooked meals, and I always thought I’d give my kids the same experience. But taking care of young children doesn’t leave much time for cooking — I’m not interested in anything that takes more than 30 minutes to make. The faster I can put together a meal, the better.

It’s also a challenge to find healthy foods that work for all of us — a young kid who’s still figuring out what they like, a baby who’s just starting to eat solid foods, and myself. I want to make sure we all get the nutrients we need, but at first I had no idea how to do that with so many different preferences to take into account.

I talked to our family doctor about my concerns, and she shared some good advice: It’s absolutely okay not to cook a whole meal. Eating healthy doesn’t have to be complicated! She said I should just try to include something from each food group in our meals throughout the day — fruits and vegetables, protein foods, grains, and dairy. 

So sometimes I serve something as simple as peanut butter on whole-grain bread, cut-up grapes or bananas, and low-fat yogurt. I also try to make it fun and add variety — I let the kids pick out new, different fruits and vegetables when we’re at the store, and we taste them together to find new favorites.

Joni grocery shopping with her kids

Adding variety to your — and your family’s! — plate doesn’t have to be complicated. Try to choose something from each of the 5 food groups throughout the day.

Vegetables — peas, green beans, and carrots are quick and easy options, and you can get them fresh, frozen, or canned. Look for low-sodium options when you choose canned or frozen.

Fruits — cut-up fruit makes a great snack or side dish for the whole family. 

Grains — aim to make half your grains whole grains, like whole-wheat spaghetti, brown rice, or oatmeal.

Protein foods — peanut butter and grilled chicken are healthy sources of protein that many kids love. 

Dairy — low-fat milk, yogurt, and cheese all count, and so do lactose-free dairy and fortified soy beverages (soy milk).

Read more stories about eating healthy along with being active

Luis, Camila, and their 3 kids are getting active and making healthy meals as a team. Read their story.

Nikia stays active during pregnancy and makes healthy food choices. Read Nikia’s story.

Read all stories

Want to learn more about making healthy changes? Check out these resources:

MyPlate.gov has everything you need to know about healthy eating —including an option to create your personalized MyPlate Plan and healthy recipes that take 30 minutes or less.

Move Your Way is your go-to resource for tips to help you get moving. Try the interactive tool to build your activity plan, and check out this postpartum fact sheet.

Watch this video for more tips on getting active after you had a baby.