“How to maintain a healthy lifestyle” seems like the golden question these days, am I right?! It can be SUPER hard to find the balance that works for YOU and your family. Life is fulllll of ups and downs and everything in between. I don’t have all the answers, (nor am I an expert!) but I try my BEST to live a BALANCED LIFESTYLE and am sharing with YOU what I’ve learned along the way in this FAQ!!What is a healthy snack that you take on-the-go? Great question! 100% my Super Protein Smoothie. It is PACKED with healthy ingredients like spinach, bananas, and blueberries. Throw it all into a blender, pour into a reusable cup and BAM: you’re ready to start your day. You can also put your own spin on it by adding strawberries, raspberries, etc.

1) How do you keep your energy up? I use MTN OPS (Ignite is awesome for an energy boost) on the reg whether it’s in my coffee, smoothie or water… total life saver!!

2) What’s your beauty secret? I am a firm believer in self-care so if you feel like getting a massage or a mani/pedi when you get a spare moment… by all means, DO IT! If you’re on a budget you can SO do these at home. Ask your husband (or fam/friends) to watch the kids for a few hours, watch a good movie and have some R&R (rest & relaxation). If you’re looking for a lifestyle change, try my Eva Shockey System from MTN OPS (super greens, collagen peptides and egg white protein). Self-care is basically preventive wrinkle/stress/happy health care, so I’m all about it. I have come to realize that I’m much better at being a mom/wife/friend/daughter when I’m not worn too thin. Making sure I take care of myself is better for EVERYONE around me.

3) What’s your favorite work-out??I don’t have one work-out I swear by but I love mixing it up with barre, pilates, and lifting weights at the gym…when I’m not exercising outdoors, which is definitely my favorite! I love spinning on my Peloton and need to get back into that now that I’m not super pregnant, but don’t forget fishing, shooting your bow, walks, hiking mountains etc. are GREAT workouts. Also, using your babies as weights is a game changer….squats, anyone?!

4) What’s a great stress reliever? This is an easy question for me… anything and everything outdoors related!! Personally, I love walking with Leni and Boone outside. She gets her hands dirty and it’s a great time for me to put my phone down and disconnect. Also, I love to shoot my bow and have found myself spending a TON of time out there releasing steam.

5) Do you and Tim go on date nights? Yes! Although, we haven’t had the chance yet since having Boone. I definitely recommend doing this to keep a healthy relationship with your significant other. It doesn’t have to be expensive either… picnics, hiking, going out for ice-cream, etc. are the BEST. I should take my own advice and plan a date night asap!

6) What’s the best way to ask for help? I know a lot of people struggle with this! To be honest I think it’s healthy to ask for help when you need it. I had my Mom in town when I first had Boone and it was amaaaaazing. She could keep an eye on Leni for an hour or two while I was feeding Boone or trying to get something done. I think most people want to help (especially family and friends) and they are probably more willing to ask you?in the future when they need help.

7) How do you get a good night’s sleep??Those are far and few in between at the moment. Boone gets up once a night right now, so overall is doing REALLY well for a 5-week-old baby. When I don’t have a newborn, my go-to’s to wind down are praying, reading a book, or taking a lonnnng bath to unwind from the day (wine may or may not be included).

8) What is your favorite healthy meal to cook on the Traeger??I have SO many but a few staple items are meatloaf, wild-salmon, and jalape?o-poppers (a healthy swap is to get low-fat cream cheese and turkey bacon).

9) How important is it for you to know where your food comes from??SO important…and now more than ever since I’m a mom. Filling the freezer with meat my family hunted is and will always be my first choice, but otherwise I make sure it’s responsibly sourced from somewhere like Butcherbox!!

10) Where do you shop for cute clothing without breaking the bank??I LOVE the Natural Reflections line at Cabela’s and BPS?and they are super affordable and come in a wide range of sizes. I can’t tell you how many jeans, flannels, and jackets I have from there that are SO cute and good quality–being able to layer and mix pieces is key.

11) How do you raise an outdoor enthusiast? ?I know a lot of my followers were raised with an emphasis on the outdoors, but many people live in large cities, towns, and may not know how to incorporate nature into their lifestyle. If you do live in an area where it’s hard to find green space…go to your local park, walking trails, or nature overlook spots. I promise you won’t regret it (I delve deeper into this question on this blog)!

12) Do you pray? Yes, I pray ALL the time. I think it’s also super healthy to be introspective and reflect. I recommend writing in a journal with a pen to get all of your thoughts, feelings, and goals down on paper.

13) How do you balance raising a toddler and baby at the same time? Woof. This one has been SO hard and rewarding all at the same time. I have a wonderful nanny (Sandi, I love you!) who helps me stay afloat and she’s a huge help now that I have Boone because she does a lot of the shuttling to-from Leni’s activities/school, plus she’s available if I need to run to a meeting, but oh man… even with an extra set of hands, these little ones are so cute and SOOOOO exhausting all wrapped into one. I think it’s best to roll with the punches, know you’re doing your best and no one is perfect! We’re all in this together.

14) How do you stay organized? Everyone has their own method to their madness! I like to label everything, stay tidy, and always have my white-board and phone calendars updated with meetings, doctor appointments, travel dates, etc. Tim thinks I’m border-line OCD when it comes to organizing our house and I wouldn’t disagree.

15) What’s a good quote to live by (said by you or others)? “In hunting- as in life- sometimes the thing you need most isn’t the thing you went looking for.”

16) How do you stay close with your family when they live far away? We have FaceTime dates ALL the time with Nana Weezy and Baba (my Mom and Dad) and Tim’s entire family. It’s hard but we do our best to stay involved with eachothers’ lives as much as we can.

17) Do you think traveling is important for a healthy lifestyle? YES! Whether you are traveling for hunting or pleasure I think it’s great to see how others live around the country and/or world. You can learn so much just from seeing new places and faces and forcing yourself outside of your comfort zone.

Are any of these healthy pointers in your day-to-day lives?! Share some of your tips in the comments so I can learn from YOU! Be on the lookout for my next blog post!!

– Eva

(photo credit to the wonderful Brynn Gross Photography!!)

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