While scrolling Instagram isn’t normally described as a healthy activity, clicking follow on local metro Detroit mom Brittany Miles might actually inspire you to ditch the phone and go for a walk.
The Madison Heights mom of two inspires other busy parents to focus on their health and happiness through her work as a content creator, certified nutritionist and personal trainer.
On her social media accounts, Miles might be dancing with the kids on a light up floor or posing with her husband on a fancy date night out. There’s plenty of nutrition and fitness posts, too, for followers looking for health advice and motivation.
Her social media presence is “a good mix of all things ‘mom life’ and places in metro Detroit and experiences you can do with kids or date nights,” Miles says.
Her 12.5K instagram followers also watch her food related content, like a family trip to JoJo’s ShakeBar or an original recipe for apple parfaits.
“I’m a big foodie!” she says. “A lot of my collaborations are with local restaurants and making mom-centered connections.”
As the new year kicks into high gear, Miles has advice for moms trying to change their lifestyles while juggling responsibilities.
“My biggest advice would be to focus on the addition mindset versus a subtraction mindset,” she says. “Any goal focused on stopping something tends to not go as well as focusing on what you can add in.”
“Being positive will always be better than focusing on the negative–like, ‘I’m going to add in a walk after lunch,’ for example,” she adds. “It’s adding something versus taking something out.”
Q&A with Brittany Miles
What’s your backstory?
“It all started with my personal weight loss. I lost 60 pounds and it changed my life. My friends and family started to ask for my help in their own health journeys, and I realized I loved helping women through their nutrition and fitness journeys. My confidence also took off. I went back to school to become a nutritionist and then got my personal training certification. When I started promoting myself and my coaching services, I got into marketing and working with local businesses, and working with them in the nutrition realm.”
As someone balancing multiple jobs and responsibilities, what does your day-to-day look like?
“It’s always a bit of a mix. I start my mornings teaching group fitness classes at PeachLab in Birmingham. Then I head to a coffee shop to connect with my nutrition clients and work on collaborations with local businesses, and maybe do some work for my social media. At some point I’ll work out, and if I don’t go back to teach more classes, I’ll head home and hang with the family. Night time is usually when we have the most family time, and once the kids are in bed, I might finish a little more work or spend some time connecting with my husband.”
What challenges have you faced in your career?
“COVID was an interesting one. When things shut down during COVID, I wasn’t doing collaborations and going out to businesses at that point. It was a challenge. I think my biggest challenge now is trying to balance work and mom life.”
How do you juggle parenthood and work?
“It’s a constant juggling act. I’m not sure I’ll ever feel I’ve really nailed it, but like all moms I’ve gotten really good at multitasking. I try my best to create time when I’m completely out of work mode, and just present with our kids. It’s hard to be intentional about separating your job and family life, but I always try my best to not let my phone become a member of the family. It’s hard to do that when you have a job when you can work all the time on your phone. I’m better at it some days than others.”
Do you have any advice for other parents on fitting physical activity into their lives?
“Start small. I think that’s a thing for women. We as women, we try to incorporate these big, massive changes into our lives. Setting a goal that’s almost too easy is a good place to start, like five minutes of working out a day. Or, instead of overhauling my whole diet, I’m going to add a serving of vegetables into every dinner. It should be something that almost feels too easy, but from there, you can build momentum and confidence. Starting small will always be better.”
Fast Talk with Brittany Miles
What’s your favorite way to get active lately?
“With it being winter and not getting outside, usually I love walking outside, but I’ve been doing more group fitness classes.”
What’s a good piece of advice you’ve been given?
“My favorite advice or mantra is ‘if nothing changes, nothing changes.’”
What’s your new year’s resolution?
“My New Year’s resolution is to spend the first 10 minutes of every day without my phone. I have a happy light in my office and I turn my happy light on and I do devotionals and affirmations and journal.”
Favorite day out activity in Madison Heights with the whole family?
“When the weather is nice, we are water park and beach people. But when it’s not–indoor play places, arcades, kids play areas. And movies!”
What’s your family’s favorite movie?
“Our kids are huge Boss Baby fans. I’m also raising little Swifties, so the Eras Tour movie is always on in our house.”
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