Miller credits her employer, Griffin Communications and their efforts to provide healthy options in the workplace, with making it easier for her to make good food decisions. The company has a health food pantry with cheap and healthy alternatives to the vending machine. They also host fitness challenges for employees, like a ‘”Fit Bit” challenge to earn time off and cash incentives for walking with a device that counts your steps. “I’ve never seen a company like Griffin go above and beyond for the wellness of their employees like this, and because we do have hectic TV life schedules it’s so wonderful that they care about us being on the go,” Miller says.
“We see that mom eats this, we are on a bike ride with mom, so I’m active because I want to be a good example and be there for them, and I truly do love healthy foods, but I also like desserts,” she laughs. Of Martin Nature Park, Miller is especially thankful. “We love Martin Nature Park. We’re there often on the trails, because it’s an adventure, and they don’t know that they’re exercising. Doing something fun is just the goal. They love it, and I feel good about it because we’re outside, we’re not in front of a TV. We’re breathing fresh air,” she says.
Miller thrives on the pace.
The family also utilizes a trampoline to get physical activity into their day. The boys, Marshall and Merritt, enjoy having lunch up in their tree house with mom.
“I love the ‘go go go’ of it, so then when I’m done [at work], I keep going, because our three kids are five, three and one, so they’re at home waiting on mommy and they’re ready to ‘go go go.”
Staying healthy is especially important for Miller’s daughter, 1-year-old Margo, who was born with only one kidney. Thankfully, her one kidney is classified as a “super kidney” Miller explains.
Her workday is done around 9:30 a.m., but as a mother of three young children, there is more work waiting back home in Edmond.
Miller’s hair goes into a ponytail and her on-set clothes turn to play clothes and that’s when her on-going mission to be a role model for her children kicks off, and it starts with healthy eating. “You have to really think about it, you have to do things consciously, because my day is long. When you’re tired you’ll eat whatever, and you’ll make bad choices because you feel low energy. So you have to be really careful to say ‘ok what time of day is it, and you really have to keep track, I think more than on an average schedule,” she says and adds, “yes it is a challenge to stay healthy, but any exercise I do, I do with my kids. I don’t have a gym membership, because right now I need to be their mom, and I need to influence them with these healthy decisions. That’s just the stage of life I’m in.” Miller emphasizes the importance of her children seeing her make good food choices as well as walking and hiking to stay healthy. The family goes on their favorite walks in Martin Nature Park.
“That means it’s 30 to 40 percent larger than an average one year old’s kidney, so it’s compensating. It’s like God blessed her with a super kidney to do all the work that her little body needs.” Margo is a healthy bouncy baby, but Miller and her husband Kendall are sure to take all precautions on medications and any other issues that could affect the kidneys. On a lighter note, another challenge Miller faces is with her picky eater. “He gets that from his dad, so we do things like ‘you eat your three broccoli, you get a dessert, you eat your three carrots you get a dessert,’ because I’m all about dessert. Mommy wants it too, but we need to make sure we’re getting our veggies too,” Miller laughs. Above all else, Miller has this advice for other moms, and for herself.
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