Former Bachelorette Trista Sutter Reveals Her Best Tips For a Healthy, Happy Home

When it comes to shifting priorities and making room for what matters, former Bachelorette star Trista Sutter knows what she's talking about. As every fan of the franchise knows, Trista and her other half, Ryan Sutter, are one of the show's most successful love stories. The couple have been together since they fell in love on the very first season of the show in 2003, and since then, they've welcomed two children, Blakesley and Max. Following a health scare over the Summer, Trista's been focused on taking care of herself and her family. Along with revealing her two cents on the upcoming season of The Bachelor, she also shared some of her best health tips with POPSUGAR.

"One of the big things for me is to limit stress as much as possible, and saying no is something I'm trying to be better at," she said. "As a mom, I get asked to do a lot of things for my kids and with my friends, and I'm learning the art of saying no. Or at least trying." So what does she keep saying "yes" to? "I keep the things in my life that are authentic and organic to who we are, including our healthy lifestyle."

To stay balanced, Trista says "yes" to the things that suit her family's healthy lifestyle, and she makes a point to consider time management. "Being efficient with your time is something that's really helped me, and giving time back to yourself," she said. "I know it sounds counterintuitive, but when you give to yourself and fill your bucket, you're going to be able to pull more from that bucket and give to your family." She added, "Whether it's getting out with your girlfriends, having a date night, or just some downtime to watch your favorite show — whatever it is you need to do to give back to yourself, it's crucial."

Meanwhile, she tries to keep everyone physically healthy by managing allergy symptoms for both herself and her son. Trista, who's partnering with Honeywell Air Purifiers, keeps them in every room of their house, and she revealed some pro tips for other parents who deal with allergy issues. "If you at least keep your windows closed during the morning hours, you can decrease the pollen count in your house," she said. "Also, make sure you take your shoes off at the door so that you don't drag pollen in from outside, and washing hands and changing clothes after you come inside can make a huge difference."

Trista's focus on family includes date nights with Ryan, and they'll do "whatever they can do" to make time for themselves. "Whether it's hiring a sitter and having them watch the kids so we can go to a movie, or watching a movie on the couch, or out in nature, it's really important."

Oh, and speaking of Ryan, she joked that she can't pick a favorite season of The Bachelor or The Bachelorette. "It's like picking a favorite child!" she said. "But obviously my season is my favorite because it's all about my personal love story." Joking about the differences between her time on the show and more recent seasons, Trista mentioned social media, saying, "We had message boards for our season, which is totally archaic and hysterical and I'm completely dating myself. The funny thing is I went on the message boards — I didn't have to, and they weren't coming directly to me, which is obviously a big difference from social media." She added, "I think people feel like they can say whatever they want, even if it's hurtful. My heart always hurts for the people on the show with some of the stuff they have to deal with."

She tunes in to all the Bachelor franchises, including Bachelor in Paradise. Her favorite storyline? She loved last season's bartender, Wells Adams, and his sweet moment with Danielle. "I would love to see more of Wells. I think he's hysterical," she said.

Now that the countdown to the next season of The Bachelor has begun, Trista is excited to see Arie Luyendyk Jr.'s story play out. "I've always been one of the people pushing [the show's creator] Mike Fleiss to pluck someone out of obscurity," she said. "Arie's not someone out of obscurity since he's been on the show before, but it's kind of the middle road between choosing someone who was just on the show and somebody nobody knows."

Over the years, she said, she sounds like a "broken record" when she offers advice to the show's leads. "Know that anything and everything you say can and will be held against you!" she said, laughing. "I also tell them it's a once-in-a-lifetime experience, so enjoy the ride, appreciate it, and be grateful." Sounds like Trista's taking her own advice to heart.