Interview: A Mom on a Health Mission
Rachel Johnson is one of our mom and expert members, mom of two kids, a lawyer, and CEO and Founder of ah*mi, a health and wellness company for sustainable living. We love when we can talk to moms who just get it. Who understand the demands of our daily lives and the challenges of creating a healthy lifestyle. What’s even better, her transparent approach to finding simple and easy ways to get healthy doesn’t involve pretending it’s going to be easy, but rather committing to achievable goals and staying the course.
We all know that putting our health first can be really hard. Learn more from Rachel about what she’s found that works, and how ah*mi may be able to help you.
What is ah*mi?
ah.mi is a health & wellness company for sustainable healthy living. Created by a team of busy women + a realistic and relatable Registered Dietitian, ah.mi is all about small attainable goals.
The name “ah.mi” pronounced “Ah-mee” is a play on the French word for friend – since at the core of ah.mi is getting healthy together.
What is Le Health Club?
Our membership offering, Le Health Club (“LHC”), helps members develop healthy micro habits – think Greens.Water.Move.Repeat – and actually keep at it. More info about it here!
What made you, a busy working mom, decide to start a health company?
I needed this in my life! I had just had my second baby and was in a rut. I knew what I needed to be doing to get healthy, but I just totally lacked the motivation, and everything out there seemed overwhelming. I knew so many of my friends felt the same. I was the queen of 1-2 months of being really on it, but then I would go week-long stretches without prioritizing myself. I was looking for a company that spoke my language and made getting healthy fun and approachable. I couldn’t find anything, so I decided to go for it.
Healthy eating is overwhelming! What advice do you have for moms who are looking to make some changes?
I can relate to this one big time. I hated the idea of cooking dinner after a crazy day, and on top of it, making something healthy? UGH. With ah.mi, our goal is to find simple, easy recipes that you can make after a sh*tshow of a day. Our Le Health Club members have access to our growing collection of easy, ah. mi–approved recipes – I cook at least a few of them every week! All our recipes are formatted to get straight to the point: What to Get, What to Do, and then a nutrition breakdown from our R.D.
At ah.mi we are all small attainable goals and encouraging our members to stay consistent by participating in Le Health Club. Greens.Water.Move.Repeat. are our cornerstone micro habits that are a great starting point and default when things get crazy.
- Greens. Aim to eat something green every day – a smoothie packed with greens for b-fast or a salad for lunch is usually easiest!
- Water. Have a bottle with you throughout the day and take it with you everywhere. Know how many times a day you have to fill it up to get to 90 oz per day.
- Move. Aim for at least 3 days a week and then increase from there. Try to move your body daily, even if it’s a walk in the neighborhood or on a conference call. Find what you love and always mix it up!
Everyone says “drink more water,” but what does that look like, and what can it really do for our health?
I was living life dehydrated before ah.mi and I swear most people are! I would always hear people talk about water intake and gloss over it. Our Registered Dietitian at ah.mi, Tori really emphasized the importance of getting about 90 oz per day and how much of a difference you would feel. A great article she wrote on it here.
I started tracking how many times I had to refill my water bottle to get to 90 ounces and realized fast that I was drinking nowhere near that amount. Basically, you have to be drinking water all day long and peeing all day long too! If that’s not happening, you likely need to up your intake. I find I can focus better and am much more energized when I am keeping up with my water intake.
My key to staying hydrated – I cut up a bunch of lemon wedges on Monday for the week and bring them to the office and then sip on hot water with lemon all day while at my desk.
What’s been the biggest surprise you’ve learned from this new approach to health?
I’m definitely not here to sugarcoat anything; getting healthy is FRIGGIN’ HARD. You have to really want it and be dedicated. BUT – if you have the right mindset and are ready for real change, there is a way to get healthy that doesn’t involve disrupting your entire life. The steps can be simple – the hard part is sticking with it. That’s where Le Health Club comes in – a community that helps you get healthy and actually stick with it for good. The biggest surprise is that almost 2.5 years later, I am still consistently eating healthy and moving my body with no big vacation or life event motivating me.
Of course, like everyone, I still have weeks where I just feel blah. But, thanks to Le Health Club, I have been able to always jump back into that healthy mindset. Taking care of myself and living a healthy life makes me feel so darn good and energized (and happy!) ~ I want everyone out there to feel this way!
