Lisa Maxbauer Price
“I’m Lisa Maxbauer Price, and for the past 18 years I’ve worked as a health journalist. I’ve interviewed hundreds and hundreds of people all over the country who have struggled with profound weight and health problems and almost all of them have revealed the same thing to me: ‘I wish I had learned about healthy eating when I was a kid.’ So for me, nutrition is my number one thought each day as I try to stay healthy for my busy family.
“I’m not perfect. I enjoy sweet treats during the holidays and salty snacks during the afternoon slump like the next person, but I also try to make some smart food choices every single day. I reach for fruits and veggies, drink plant-based smoothies, get inspired by new recipes and visit local farmers markets. And I’m getting my three little kids into the act too, hopefully raising them as brave eaters, willing to try new vegetables.
“I confess, despite being a former collegiate athlete, I’ve been very streaky about exercise in my adult life. Working out is often the thing that gets skipped on my busy to-do list when I’m trying to juggle urgent press deadlines for work and important schedules for my family. But since I have to eat everyday anyway–it’s not something I can skip–I try to follow what some people describe as the 80-20 rule–striving to eat healthy 80 percent of the time. There are so many great resources these days to make it easy. I love looking at pretty food photography on Instagram for inspiration. If you see me in a restaurant, I’m probably the annoying person taking a photo of my meal before eating it!
“I also like to listen to inspiring, health-based podcasts while I’m cleaning or driving. For example, I enjoy One Part Podcast, by the author of the One Part Plant cookbook. Her challenge is to get people to try to eat at least one healthy, plant-based meal a day and to see how it improves their life. Eating the right food certainly affects how I feel: I have more energy, a better mood, and clearer thinking. Life just gets easier when I have access to those super powers.
“I haven’t given up on on the idea of exercise either. I’m trying to find ways to move more. It helps me to have a goal in sight—like signing up for a 10K race every once in awhile. My husband is also a huge support. He recently added a treadmill and a kettle bell gym in our basement. I think it’s okay to start small. I’ve noticed, especially as I’m about to turn 40, that doing something as simple as taking 5 minutes a day to stretch can really reduce my back pain. So I try to get on the floor and do a circuit of yoga poses whenever I can. Raising three rowdy little boys, who like to tackle me, means I have to keep finding quick, easy ways inside and outside of the kitchen to stay strong for the long run.”