How a heart health dietitian — and mom of 4 boys — stays fit

• Michelle Routhenstein, a preventive cardiology dietitian, balances full-time work and childcare.
• The mom of four boys, she has to get creative in finding time to work out and cook heart-healthy meals.
• She stocks her home office with workout equipment and squeezes in workouts when she can.

Finding time to exercise can be a challenge, whether you work full-time hours or have just had a baby (or both).

For Michelle Routhenstein, a preventive cardiology dietitian in New York City, there are a few extra obstacles to staying fit. For one, she runs a private practice and counsels patients directly, meaning her schedule can vary significantly from day to day.

She's also a busy mother of four sons, ages 2, 4, 7, and 9.

Routhenstein, who primarily focuses on strength training and cardio, told Business Insider that the key is being proactive about scheduling workouts — even short ones — when they fit into her schedule. "If you don't plan it, it's not going to happen."

As a dietitian, she said that cooking most of her meals helps her maintain a balanced diet rich in protein, fiber, and carbohydrates to build muscle and stay energized.

"I'm a mom to four very active boys who thankfully enjoy eating well," she said. "So meal prepping is truly my lifesaver."

Routhenstein broke down how she fits full workouts (and mini sessions) into her week, while eating enough nutrients to support them.

A combination home office and gym

Routhenstein used to go to cycling classes at a gym. Then, her second son was born.

"With two kids under two, I knew I needed the flexibility to work out whenever it fit into my schedule," she said. She purchased a Peloton first, then Tonal, an at-home strength training machine, because she wanted to incorporate more weight training.

Her latest addition to her home office was a walking pad. She usually starts her day walking for 30 minutes while she answers emails and gets settled.

She said having a gym in her office makes it easy to pencil in quick workouts. "The night before, I look at my day the night before to see, 'OK, do I have cancellations?'" she said.

She aims for about 20 minutes of resistance training with her Tonal equipment three to four times a week, and a cardio workout on her Peloton three times a week.

"I plug it into where it fits in my day, whether that means I wake up before my kids wake up, or I block off a night without clients to work out," she said.

She tries to save longer workouts for the weekend

At least once a week, Routhenstein aims to get in a more robust workout, usually on Sunday.

"On the weekends, I am typically active with my kids — from running around with their sports, errands, and grocery shopping," she said.

Somewhere between her parenting responsibilities, she'll aim for up to 60 minutes of a Peloton session, a 45-minute Tonal workout, or a 30-minute yoga class for mobility training.

Her family helps her prep heart-healthy meals

Sunday is also typically the day Routhenstein meal-preps for the week. Her family helps her choose what to make, which she says helps keep her from overspending — she only buys what they'll eat.

"I get the kids involved, my husband pitches in, and together, we make family-friendly, heart-healthy meals we all look forward to," she said, adding variety to what she eats every week.

"I don't recommend anyone eat the same thing every day because your gut needs diversity in order for the gut microbe to flourish," she said. Routhenstein, who also wrote a cookbook focused on heart-healthy meals, tries to incorporate protein, vegetables, healthy fats, and whole grains in her dishes, whether she eats savory oats for breakfast or fish tacos for dinner with her family.

She also stocks up on pantry staples like frozen vegetables, which are cost-effective and can quickly bulk up meals.

She said her love of cooking makes meal-prepping fun — and her family's input keeps their lunches varied.

"One of my sons is basically our in-house food critic, so every dish has to pass his taste test, which honestly makes it even more fun," she said. "He gets extra invested and keeps us switching things up so it never gets boring."