Plan

It is crazy to think that I have only one more week here, to finish up my junior year in college. As always, time is flying by far too quickly and I just need it to SLOW down.

But! In nearing the end of classes and exams, I am overwhelmed with excitement for the summer! Sunshine, ocean waves, tan lines, late nights with friends, baseball games, ice cream, snowballs, reggae music, bikinis, smoothies, pina coladas, cookouts… the list could go on forever. What also gets me extremely excited is the great workouts coming my way for the next few months!

The summer is the best time of the year to focus on YOU and your healthy lifestyle. Although there are endless temptations every where you turn, it is a season that can inspire you to progress even farther toward your goals!

Something that I love to do during the summer is create a plan that I can follow week by week to ensure that I stay on track. This does not mean that I will restrict myself from all of the seasonal savory and sweet treats, just that I will up the intensity of both my workout and meal plan.

If you are like me, you are probably sick of being in a gym and want to explore the outdoors. Thankfully, the summer is your time to try out a new running path and get creative with your exercise ideas. Throughout the summer months, be sure to check back each week because I will post what fun and crazy things I get myself into with new plans!

For the time being, I am going to provide you with a broad overview of how you can structure your week during the summer. The important thing is that you find a plan that works with your schedule and your body, whatever that may be. Use mine as a sample, but don’t feel restricted to it!

Monday/Wednesday:

10x 100 yard sprints

30 sec. on/30 sec. off burpees, jumping lunges, explosive push-ups

Tuesday/Thursday: 

Full Body Strength Training 

Friday: 

1 timed-mile 

25 Hill Sprints 

Saturday:

Trail Run/Distance Run 

This is just an idea of what could work wonderfully for you! All of these things are high intensity and get your entire body engaged. Plus, you will get a nice tan as you run outside and who doesn’t love a natural, summer glow!

As for food, I will be posting more specifically in the next few weeks. But essentially this is as easy as your food plan should be. Don’t over complicate it!

Breakfast: Protein, Carb, Veggie/Fruit

Mid-Morning Snack OR Afternoon Snack: Protein, Veggie/Fruit

Lunch: Protein, Veggie/Fruit, (Carb if you worked out in AM)

Dinner: Protein, Veggie/Fruit

Essentially, you want to stay away from mostly ALL processed food and focus on meat, fresh veggies and fruit. Here is a list compiled for you to choose from for each meal. If it’s on the list- you’re golden! If not, it is NOT worth it. For this posting, I am just interested in good protein and good carbs.

Protein: chicken, turkey, tuna, cottage cheese, plain greek yogurt, eggs, fish, pork, steak, almonds, quinoa, walnuts

Carb: oatmeal, banana, grapes, brown rice, sweet potato, baked potato,steel cut oats, legumes, rice cakes

There is more to come, but this is a plan just to get you started! Do you research and I will offer all that I have learned. The next few months are YOUR TIME to CONQUER. Be ready to sweat hard, eat good, and feel GREAT! 🙂

Love,
Jen

Make Time For You

Every so often, we all hit rock bottom. We start to think that we are incapable of completing all of the tasks that must get done. We want to give up before we begin because the process scares us away from the thought of even trying. Small annoyances slowly escalate and all of the stressors that we once could bypass are standing right in front of our face. We feel suffocated and want nothing more than to quit. Currently, I am inches away from falling into this hole of exhaustion due to the vast amount of work piling up before my eyes. I want nothing more than to walk away from my responsibilities and just quit.

Deep down I know that quitting is never an option. Deep down, I know that I have all of the necessary tools to accomplish all that is necessary to get done. But, before I will return to tackling my to-do list, what I must do is take time for myself.

In these situations, it is easy for us to ignore our own well-being, as it does not seem as important as that 10 page research paper looming over our head. However, I am here to tell you that YOU do matter and that YOU are far more significant than any of those tasks that you have yet to do. After many years of overcomplicating and overanalyzing all of my work, I have learned that if I keep my sanity in check, I will get everything done with no problem.

This past year, I have gotten very proficient at finding time for myself, whether that be lying in my bed watching “Parenthood” or “Friends,” strolling around Harris Teeter aimlessly, or taking a longer path to get to class. Almost every single day, I try to find time to be by myself and that is what has enabled me to be more productive and more relaxed, despite the workload. It is funny because although I have added in more “Jen time” throughout the day, my GPA and health has improved.

In order for you to stay on track with your schoolwork, exercise, meal plan, and social life, you MUST take portions of your day out for just you and you, alone. It is crucial that you find little bits and pieces of serenity in your every day life, for this is what will give you the strength to be successful.

When I am stressed about one part of my life, I find that I begin to stress about an additional million other things. So, naturally, just last week I complained to my brother that I wasn’t losing weight, that every time I stepped onto that stupid scale, my weight didn’t change. Without thought, he jumped to quite a relevant explanation- I’m stressed, I’m not getting enough sleep, and I’m overexerting my body. This was certainly an eye-opener for me because it never truly occurred to me that my stress level could actually be hindering weight loss.

If we let all of these stressors manifest into our sanity, we will not only be able to perform as well, but more importantly, we will be heading toward an unhealthy trend. Therefore, we must find moments of serenity throughout each day and as a very amazing man once told me, we must focus on the mile that we are currently on and not on how many miles we have ahead. Take it all one step at a time and I promise that in due time it will all be done!

My challenge for you is to take 15-30 minutes of each day for the next week to do something for YOU! Make time for you because in the end, it is you that matters. 

Time To Conquer.

We need to stop listening to the voices that are telling us we can’t. We need to stop listening to the images that make us feel as though we can never do it. We need to disregard every single individual who has ever doubted our ability to make change happen.

For each and every one of us, there is that person that comes to mind when reading that last sentence above. This is a person that either straight up told you “you will never accomplish that” or a person who did not support your aspirations. I know someone near and dear to me who continually thinks of that one woman that told her that she would never be able to lose the weight, that she was just “big-boned”. Well you know what I am here to tell you today?

It is now time for you and I to…PROVE THEM WRONG. 

If you succumb to an external, negative force, you immediately lose. It is when you stand up, fight back, and work your ass off that you sprint to the winner’s circle. By no means is this a game and I do not mean to provoke the idea of beating out another individual. Rather, my intention is for you to take all of that negative energy and criticism that has created a massive wall in your life and do nothing but tear it down. 

You will never be able to reach your full potential if you allow these voices to keep you from pushing it harder and harder in your workouts. I am guilty of this. There have been times recently where I look at girls with perfect bodies or girls who have lost substantial weight and think, “what is the use? I will never look like that. I will never get rid of this fat.” First off, there is truth that I will never look like “that” because I am ME and not them. However, more notably, I allow an external force destroy both my motivation and my confidence instantaneously.

Instead, what I need to do is rid myself of those forces and prove those that doubt, those that do not support, and those that criticize wrong!

During a tough workout, what I love to do is for a brief moment before I begin an exercise, think about those people and other such things that have ever doubted my strength and abilities. I envision these people standing before me, arms crossed, just staring down at me. “Alright, Jen,” I think to myself, “It’s time to conquer.”

From then on, I push myself to go faster, to do an extra rep, and to exude my strength beyond my expectations.

Whatever or whoever is causing you to ever question your worth, your ability, your strength- USE THEM as motivation. Think of them during a workout and push yourself as if they were with you. This is your time to get down and crank out a hard workout; it is not a time for you to be hesitant or timid.

Be confident. It is your time to prove yourself.

You are always a kid at heart!

I was a very, very happy kid! Noted for my continuous grin and giggle, I was rarely upset. From dancing around the front yard in my pink tutu, dressing-up with my cowgirl hat, or playing school in the basement, life was fun, life was simple, and life was pure.

What I want you to do is think back to a time when you were little. Think of all of the fond memories you have with your family, your playdates, you name it! I guarantee that as you recollect all of these sweet memories, the one thing that DOES NOT come to mind is what you thought about body image. I guarantee that your memories do not include you standing in front of a mirror picking out each thing you wanted to change about yourself.

This may be somewhat of a bold statement, but it is extremely rare for a child under the age of 10 to truly want to undergo drastic dietary changes just to be a smaller size. Instead, a child’s focus is on the joys of his or her own specific life. A child does not care about how his or her tummy looks in a particular shirt or how other children will judge he or she in a bathing suit as they play marco/polo in the pool.

My point with all of this recollection of childhood is simple-

We must stay true to who we were as a kid. 

When we were young, we were active and full of adventure, just wanting to explore the unknown! Our curiosity drove us to seek answers and find treasures hidden in faraway lands. The innocence and the pure bliss that a child possesses is something that we should never lose. Yes, as we grow old we most certainly gain an abundance of knowledge and experience, but…

in our hearts, that little girl who would run around with no cares in the world is still there. 

Do not allow that little girl to lose a battle to your insecurities and frustrations. Instead, hold on tight to her and let her teach you how to live again!

Before each workout, I want you to take a deep breath and look into a mirror. I want you to think of yourself as a seven-year-old, joyous girl. This is a girl who will not judge you or tell you that you need to change the way you look. Rather, this is a girl who will run by your side with a giggle and glorious grin! She is within you and is always within you. If you can do this time and time again, I promise that you will see that that sweet girl never left, you just chose to ignore her.

Cheers to us, young and old, for we are always kids at heart!

5 Promises to Yourself

We are human. Each time we look into a mirror, we tend to point out flaws. One flaw to the next, we are soon engulfed by a false perception of ourselves.

We are human. Each time we leave the gym, we tend to expect to drop a few pounds the next time we get the chance to step onto a scale.

We are human. Each time we are surrounded by other people in bathing suits, we tend to judge bodies, for better or for worse, in comparison to our own. Soon, we are theorizing diets that will enable us to look like “skinny mini” tanning by the pool.

I could go on for pages and pages about all of these circumstances in our daily lives where we take precious time away from the joys of life purely to focus on our “flaws.” Notice that I said precious time, as our lives are not eternal. In fact, once we recognize that our lives mean far more than a number on a scale, I guarantee that we will truly enjoy the life that we are living!

What I want to do is list out 5 promises that we ALL need to make to ourselves in order to lead a live of endearing love and confidence and HAPPINESS!

1. I will wake up each day and thank God I am alive!

2. I will say 3 positive things about myself when I say something negative about myself. (Thank you to my beautiful friend, Cam, for this one!)

3. I will say YES if my friends ask me to go get ice cream and enjoy the sweets of life, even if that means rainbow sprinkles and a sugar cone!

4. I will never lose faith in myself.

5. I will look into the mirror as I go to brush my teeth each night and tell myself that I am beautiful, I am strong, and I am of worth. 

Regardless of where you are with your fitness journey, I want you to stay true to these 5 things. Speaking from my own experiences, (past, present, and of course, to come) I will lose sight of what is really important in my life. I will beat myself up if I eat the wrong thing or if I didn’t go to the gym that particular day. Obviously, you want to keep yourself within a strict program, but NEVER ever let that program hold you back from living. As my future sister-in-law told me a few months ago, God did not put sweets on this earth for us not to enjoy them! So go out and enjoy what life has to offer. (in moderation, obviously!)

Focus on you and NO ONE ELSE. Believe that you are capable of becoming that strong woman you have always wanted to be and I PROMISE YOU that you will transform your life into one of pure grace, love, and serenity.

Love,

Jen 🙂

Find Your Partner

I used to hate to workout with others. I thought that it would be annoying to have to wait on someone else or embarrassing if I was not at his/her level. There were various other apprehensions that held me back from finding a “gym buddy.”

Not until relatively recently did I finally decide to give it a try and boy oh boy, was it a great decision! When you have a friend with you, the workout does not seem as taunting and I guarantee that you will chat your way through reps that time will pass far too quickly!

Maybe you are like I was- timid of having another person by your side in fear of judgement, distraction, whatever! I get it, we all get it. However, wouldn’t you love to have a companion with you who is encouraging you to finish that last set to the best of your ability, who is making you laugh with silly jokes, who is keeping you up on the latest gossip, and who is working just as hard as you to get themselves in shape?

I SURE DO!!

We are all at different stages in the journey to strong and you may feel that working out with someone will just set you back; but, that is quite opposite of the truth. With a good partner, your journey will hit a new level and you will be so happy!

Obviously, not just anyone could be your gym buddy, so do not feel discouraged if your friend, Sally, does not seem to fit the mold. I find that people who may not be my closest friends serve as the best partners! I have bonded with several people through working out together and I truly believe that we have formed a deep and special relationship. When you find that special someone, you are able to be open about your goals, your setbacks, your fears, your failures, your triumphs, you name it.

I think that many a time, we like to do things on our own for various reasons, one being pride. But, the minute that you recognize that some things can and often times should be done in cohesion with someone else, things will change for the better. To feel empowered, to feel support, and to feel accountable, you should try finding your partner that will do all of those things and more!

Outside of the gym, one suggestion that I have for you and your new partner is to hold each other accountable for both of your food intake by means of texting. I started this with my brother many months ago and have since then been doing so with numerous friends. Simply take a picture of your meal and send it in a text! That way you feel motivated to eat what is right, hearty, and full of PROTEIN. (Post on protein to come!)

Little day to day things such as this are awesome to get into the habit of. Come up with other ways and see what great results it will bring!

Ultimately, it is your individual journey and it is up to YOU to get those results you want. No partner will be sitting with you all day, every day and no partner will ever be able to give you confidence. All of which comes from within.

BUT, there is strength in numbers and from my experience, having a friend with me to workout brings about a great deal of fun! (even if we are doing burpees….) So try it out and see for yourself!

No Body Shaming!

Yesterday, I had the incredible opportunity to meet and hear Whitney Thore of TLC’s “My Big Fat Fabulous Life” speak at my school.

If you do not know who this is, watch this video!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tbcoh5hre74

Whitney is an incredible icon of strength, beauty, grace, poise, energy, passion, and CONFIDENCE. Transforming her life from that of shame and disgrace for her own image to that of great comfort in her own skin, Whitney has inspired many to appreciate who they are beyond a number on a scale. Growing up as a dancer, Whitney surely got her wrath of external forces telling her she needed to lose weight and fit a certain physical mold. She battled with eating disorders for a great deal of her life, always wanting to please those around her in hopes that it would bring her happiness. Later in life she was diagnosed with a disease (polycystic ovarian syndrome) that does, in fact, severely hinder fat loss, which made her feel helpless and extremely distraught. She stopped dancing and ultimately, she stopped living her life.

Long story short, Whitney decided that she did not need to hide behind her weight and she did not need to stop her life just because of other people. She started dancing again, posted that video and it went viral! Soon thereafter, she received a call from TLC wanting to give Whitney her own reality TV show!

A M A Z I N G.

As if she could not get any more empowering, she has started a campaign.

No Body Shame 

As a former dancer myself, this campaign and all that Whitney shared with us could not be more relatable. Although I am not overweight, I have struggled with my own self-worth and body-shaming for years without realizing that it was not healthy. I distinctly remember being about ten years old when I got to dance with a boy for one of the large opening dance numbers my studio performed for the annual recital. In the dance, I had to be picked up and the boy I was paired with struggled to do it. I remember getting home and going onto my sister’s stationary bike and going as hard and as fast as I could so I could burn whatever I could.

I WAS TEN YEARS OLD and ALREADY body shaming myself. (Not to mention I was practically a stick)

It only got worse from there. When I looked into the mirror, I saw a girl who needed to lose weight. I constantly compared my body to the dancers around me and just wanted to be like the tall and slender girls in my classes. Thankfully, my feelings never developed into an eating disorder. However, when I got to college a couple of years ago, the body-shaming continued to escalate and I hated the way I looked.

Again, I was and still are not seen as fat, but there are days I sure as hell feel that way. Fortunately, I have had the glorious support of my family and friends who have taught me to appreciate my body for all that it does for me and to keep on living a happy, healthy life.

Whitney is a woman that has inspired me to look in the mirror and be happy with what I see, naked and all. I may not have the body that our IDIOTIC culture views as beautiful, but I have a body that I am proud of. Our bodies tell a story, one that is unique and special to us.

Our bodies are a holy ground, not a battleground. I know that I have talked about this in previous posts, but it is worth repeating.

What we need to recognize is that our joy is up to US and not society. No one is telling us we can’t enjoy life!! Get out there and have fun.

Obviously, we all need to be healthy and we need to nourish our bodies in a way that gives us energy and the nutrients we need to live. But, it is OKAY to EAT and enjoy the pizza, the cookies, and all the other sweet and salty treats we love so dearly.

Join this movement that empowers you to start living and stop focusing on what you need to change about your body.

Although I no longer dance like I used to, I am a devoted Zumba instructor that continues to dance and shake my body like no one’s business! I may not be a stick, but I am healthy and I AM HAPPY!

I cannot thank Whitney enough for sharing her story with our school and for empowering our nation to stop shaming bodies, both other’s bodies and our own.

Now, GO DANCE and LIVE YOUR LIFE.

How Fast Can You Go?

Arms pumping.

Strides long.

Hair flowing back.

Sweat dripping down the temples of my face.

Breaths short.

Speed. Endurance. Strength. 

Nothing is sweeter than the feeling of a good, hard run; a run where I am pushing my body to high speed and not stopping.

Generally, I am one to prefer a long and leisurely run where I let Dave Matthews’ sweet voice carry my strides a great distance. However, I am here to tell you that…

I am addicted to the feeling of a fast run.

It is interesting because when I am in a fast sprint or a timed mile, my immediate thoughts are at war within themselves due to the first moments of pain and discomfort. When I am really pushing it, I want nothing more than to stop. I feel weak or I feel like there is no way that I am going to complete this run. But, what happens after those brief moments of discomfort is absolutely incredible.

I start to feel invincible. I feel like I am flying and unstoppable.

I am not here to tell you that I am necessarily a fast runner; it is far more personal than that. When I run to the point that I know that I am pushing myself, I come alive and cannot be stopped. I am determined to continue my pace and I am determined to get better and faster than ever before.

I will let you know a little secret about how I am able to get faster each week and by no means is it by simply running the same distance over and over again. What has enabled me to run faster and faster is variability. Without a variety in your workout, it will be extremely difficult for you to truly become a faster runner. The rush I feel when I sprint comes from the work I do beyond running. Throughout the week, what needs to be emphasized is your strength training! DO NOT SKIP OUT ON YOUR WEIGHTS.

I make sure to at least get 2 to 3 days a week in of some sort of strength training, whether that be intensified body-weight training or actual weight-training in the gym. In addition to the strength training, I add in some good cardio, whether that be interval sprints, Zumba, or a longer run. Whatever your preference may be, be sure to mix it up and be persistent.

Here is a great workout that engages cardio, weight training, and body weight exercises that are sure to give you a great sweat and give you the speed you need when you go to time your mile.

1 mile of 30 second sprint/30 second rest

• 1 min plank
• 10 burpees
• 25 squats

3x through, rest

• 30 sec left side plank
• 30 sec right side plank
• 10 DB press up from knee (5 per side)

3x through, rest 

• 16 DB side lunges
• 25 Jumping Jacks
• 5 slow full push-ups

3x through, rest 

THE END!

By that point you should be sweating and feeling oh so good about yourself!

It is my challenge for you to track your mile time each week to see how fast you can go. I guarantee you that with a variety in your workout routine, you will see a great difference and I am so excited for you to finally feel that rush that a fast run can give you!

Are you ready? LETS GO.

Your Mind is the First to Quit

Today, the guy who leads my bootcamp yelled to us advice that although I have heard quite a ton, left me with a new outlook on my workout regime.

As we were pushing through some gruesome circuit work with a designated partner, (Can you say suicide sprints!? UGH) he told us something along the lines of…

…keep going, keep pushing! Don’t quit because 9 out of 10 times, it is the mind that makes you stop and not your body. If you keep telling yourself you can do it, you will do it. 

Plain and simple- it’s a mind game. 

The entire journey to strong is dependent upon your mind conquering all of its doubt and defeating any bit of temptation to quit.

While I am running and feel like I just can’t go anymore, I like to think back to the reason why I started in the first place. There are times, I’ll admit, that I give in and stop because I begin to believe I just can’t do it. 

But you know? When I think that I can’t do it, I lose the game and must start over.

UGH! Don’t you just hate starting over? It is normal to start over and over and over again with your personal journey to a healthy and strong life. I mean hello! We are humans and this is supposed to happen.

With each time you feel yourself wanting to quit and truly believing that there is no way you can complete that mile run or those 5 reps of pushups you have left in your set, I want you to take a moment and breath. Repeat to yourself,

I will not lose.

I will not lose. 

I will not lose. 

Then, once you collect yourself, I want you to push harder than you ever had. I want you to feel the energy shooting out of every inch of your body. YOU are a warrior and you will NOT lose this battle. 

What astounds me is the infinite possibilities that exist within this journey to strong. If you truly follow your exercise routine, get rest, and eat well, you will be amazed at what you can do and how amazing you will feel.

Never lose sight of the reason why you began this journey in the first place.

As my bootcamp leader tells us just about every day,

HOLD YOURSELF ACCOUNTABLE. 

This journey is between you and your mind. NO ONE ELSE.

Stop allowing your mind to quit and start pushing yourself beyond your comfort level. YOU GOT THIS.

Do Not Fall into the Trap

Let’s just clear the air…

How many times have you found yourself searching for new diet plans and fast results with a particular “magical” product? 

I am going to be honest with you. I have fallen into this horrible trap numerous times in my life, one in which I finally learned my lesson.

Last spring, I was getting desperate to get rid of that final 10 pounds that I just NEEDED to lose. My exercise routine was consistent of both cardio and strength training and my eating (for the most part) was healthy. I was losing weight the right way but it just was not fast enough. So, I did a bit of research and started with buying quite the plethora of ingredients for a Dr. Oz detox, because why the heck not! Well, this surely didn’t last long. Let me just say, drinking your calories SUCKS, especially when it consisted of cucumber, kale, coconut water, and pineapple in horrible liquid, chunky mess.

I soon after resorted to my alternative plan- a green bean coffee extract pill. It kept appearing on my twitter feed with these incredible photos showing notable weight loss that was supposed to be quick and easy with this little pill to be taken with each meal. Well…I tried one with my breakfast and within a half hour, something was not right.

Now I will tell you that I have a history of fainting, medically referred to vasovagal syncope. So, if I my emotions are severely heightened, I faint. Well, after taking this pill, that feeling that I get before my lights go completely out was upon me. I was sitting with a friend and my vision was going blurry, my heart rate was quickly going up. Now, at this point, I was freaking out. I knew it was the pill. I just knew it.

I was too embarrassed to tell anyone why I was feeling this way, for diet pills aren’t something that I believed I should be proud of consuming. Thankfully, I began to feel better and did not end up fainting. However, the way that my body felt that day scared me to NEVER resort to those pills ever again.

Eventually, I broke down in tears a few weeks later with my parents and told them what I had tried to do. They made me promise that I would never do that again and try my hardest to lose weight the healthy way.

I shared this story with you because within our generation, especially all of our social media, we are CONSTANTLY inundated with the latest trends. Although these posts may seem legitimate due to their convincing before and after pictures, do not try any thing crazy unless you first truly research it by speaking to a nutritionist, dietician, doctor, you get my point!

The journey to strong is one that may tempt you to fall into the trap of trendy diets that you believe mean fast results. What you must promise to yourself is that you do not fall for any of it!

In my next blog post I will give you a great food breakdown for you to follow that will not only allow you to lose weight, but more importantly it will teach you how to be healthy, happy, and STRONG.

Remember that this process is one that is an ongoing journey with no end point. You are changing your lifestyle to save your life not just to have you fit in that one dress!