‘Part of who I am’: How this mom juggles four kids and three businesses

Cara Loren Van Brocklin is a serial entrepreneur and mom of four who has learned that fitness is the key to physical and mental health.

Loren launched The burn app this year to help women around the world achieve their fitness goals, sharing that her life mission is to empower women to put their health and wellness first so they can be the best version of themselves.

Here she joins the series of 9Honey Coach 5 fitness questions.

READ MORE: Sam Wood’s secret to finding time to exercise during the busy holiday season

1. We are always promised “the secret” to getting and staying healthy. What is your?

Consistency, consistency, consistency. It stays true to your workout routine even when life around you is chaotic. I love that exercise keeps me grounded in the midst of my busy life with my kids and my businesses.

Even if my baby is keeping me up all night or we have an emergency at work, knowing that I can sweat is my favorite form of therapy. Finding a routine or program that I like makes me want to work out, so it’s a part of my day that I look forward to and crave.

Now, daily exercise is so ingrained in my day that it’s part of who I am and my lifestyle.

2. What do you know now about health (whether it’s training, diet, or general well-being) that you wish you could go back in time and tell yourself five or 10 years ago ?

I used to be so intimidated by implementing an all-healthy lifestyle 10 years ago because I thought you had to be perfect. But the real answer is that you don’t have to be 100% all the time with every aspect of your health.

“Strive to do better than before, for perfection is not lasting.”

Sometimes you’ll cut back or be more strict with your diet/routine while other times you’ll be in “maintenance” or “stable” mode, where you give yourself a little more grace.

Sometimes you’re in full strength mode and hitting the weights hard, while other times you’re focused on cardio fitness or just doing the minimum to get through a busy time (for me, my busy month is October – so many birthdays!).

The main thing is to strive to do better than before, because perfection is not lasting.

READ MORE: A dietitian explains what your food cravings could mean

3. What is your nutritional philosophy?

Learn and educate yourself first about the foods that are good for your body. Some things that have really helped educate me about healthy eating are counting macros and being sugar free.

Learning what to put in your body is key first, but then I’m a big proponent of finding the best way to incorporate that into your own lifestyle.

Everyone leads different lives, so there’s no one-size-fits-all diet – the key is knowing what is healthy and good for you, and then finding the best way to live it. As with fitness, there are seasons when you are more focused on healthy eating than others. I’m sure we all have a pass over the holidays, and then come January, it’s time to clean out that gut!

4. What area of ​​your health, fitness or well-being are you striving to improve? Is there a goal you’ve set for yourself or a skill you’re trying to master?

My children are my life and I love setting aside my weekends to spend as much time as possible with them. And this is where I get a little too greedy with all the treats. I try to train myself to realize that one treat is enough, but sometimes I still get a little carried away! Come Monday, I smell this sugar fog and my stomach hurts.

5. What is one small practical step you would tell a friend to take if they asked your advice on something they can do to improve their health, starting today?

For me, a workout plan is always much more likely to be executed if I write it down. Writing down your exercise program solidifies it in your brain and makes it a living, tangible thing.

Another great way to stay consistent with training is to follow a program on a fitness app, like Burn. There’s this well-known saying that’s perfect here: if you don’t plan, you plan to fail.

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