Home » Archives for Jessica Marie » Page 11

Author: Jessica Marie

Professional copywriter, NASM certified personal trainer, mom of 2

Plant Your Own Backyard Anxiety Garden

Every year for my birthday, my mom buys me plants for my garden. Best gift ever!

At our new house though, we have deer, which does not bode well for a vegetable garden. So I wasn’t going to plant anything this year.

But then I realized we had a few garden beds that were filled with only weeds, so I did have some space to fill, with flowers at least.

We are also obsessed with butterflies and hummingbirds at our house, so the more butterfly- and hummer-friendly flowers we could find, the better.

Our backyard is becoming quite the magical fairy land.

We’ve seen at least four different hummingbirds on our feeder, we now regularly have lightning bugs and deer and caterpillars and all kinds of whimsical things.

 

I also created an anti-anxiety garden kind of by accident.

 

At the nursery, I thought, oh it would be amazing if I had lavender. So, on my quest to find it, I found a section called the “tea garden” where I also found chamomile and lemon balm. They not only sounded fabulous for fresh homemade teas, they are also all renowned for their anti-anxiety properties. I need all the nerve calmers I can get!

 

20160608_184831.jpg

 

Quick profiles of these amazing anti-anxiety herbs:

 

I love that I can go heal in my own garden!!!

I won’t stop taking my anxiety medications, but these are a great natural way to supplement my anti-anxiety regimen.

These plants were super easy to find at my local nursery, so they should be for you too.

As I gather and try out new recipes, I will share what works on here. Last night, I put a sprig of the lemon balm in my chamomile tea and it was delightful! I certainly felt relaxed afterward.

What are you favorite natural calming techniques?

How to Find Extra Hidden Time in Your Day

You have no time to …………[fill in the blank]

  • Work out
  • Start an online business
  • Take your kid to another extracurricular class
  • Take up knitting

It’s the biggest excuse of all time. But, if you look closer, it’s one that has all different layers of meaning.

First of all, you’ve probably heard it before, but typically the “I don’t have time excuse” really just means “it’s not a priority.” You just don’t want to come out and say that, because it’s much less confronting to say “I don’t have time to come to your home jewelry party” than “I think that party is a waste of my time.”

If exercise was actually a priority, you would find the time, just like you find the time to meet with your boss because she’s a priority. There are a million things I could get done in the mornings instead of working out, but it’s important to me to get my exercise in then, so I do it.

 

K, so now that we’ve got that out of the way, what if you feel like you really don’t have time? Let’s dig around a little and find some for you.

  1. Lunch breaks: you can change your life on your lunch break. 30 minute increments are enough time to make headway toward any goal in your life. Learn a language, do a workout, build your website, write a blog post (ahem!), take a course…I could go on. And in fact, changing your life on your lunch break will probably become a new feature on this blog, I love it so much. Don’t just sit at your desk scrolling through Facebook or daydreaming. Get up and hustle for your goals for those precious 30 minutes. Over time, these repeated activities are going to compound into major traction.
  2. After kids are in bed: I would never want you to sacrifice your sacred time with your family for anything. They are likely the reason you do everything you do. But there is a sweet spot right after the kids go to bed and before you go to bed that you can use to manufacture your dreams. If you sit down and do a Power Hour every night, you will be leagues ahead of everyone in a month or two.
  3. Involve the kids: some of the things you’re working on might make your time with your kids even richer. If your goal is to exercise 5 days per week, take a family bike ride or jump rope together. If you want to make more biz videos for your Youtube Channel, turn the whole thing into a learning experience by turning your kids into little producers and film crews. If they’re interested, you may even have them create their own channels and do films for them too. The entire process from getting the right lighting to editing is educational and will likely give them a huge educational advantage.
  4. TV Time: I have always said and will always say, if you have time to watch TV, you have time to change your life. Period.
  5. Waiting in the car or in lines: there are quite a few things you can do while you’re waiting in your car for school to get our or standing in line at the store. Post something inspirational to your Facebook biz group. Record an audio for your online course. Catch up on some self development reading. Get out of your car and do a HIIT interval. Do deep breathing meditation. Use those few minutes to really LIVE those moments instead of passively letting them slip away.
  6. Commute: I would never recommend anything dangerous, but you can certainly get things done while driving, like listening to self-development podcasts or sermons. If you’re not the one driving, you can certainly do all kinds of things like knitting projects, sketching designs, reading, learning a new skill, etc.
  7. Find 10 minutes here and there: Even if you can’t string an entire half hour together to squeeze in a workout, you should certainly be able to find three 10-minute segments to give you just as good of results. You can easily do all kinds of social media work in 10 minutes or comment on 3-4 blogs to build relationships. You could write an introduction to the book you’re going to write and then write a paragraph here and there. If you want something bad enough, you will use these little time segments to your full advantage!!!

So, come on, be honest, there are times throughout your day when you are truly just sort of puttering about, aren’t there? If you are really serious about your goals, you will reclaim that time for your own self-advancement.

But hey, if your kid really doesn’t want to go to annnnnnother club meeting, no one’s going to stop you if you say “We don’t have time for that.” But if you tell me, “I don’t have time to work out,” I will likely raise my brow, signaling that I’m reading right through that.

 

Where do you think you could harvest some time for your goals?

Getting Published Over the Weekend

Hey #flashers,

Two of my writings were published over the weekend, no big deal. LOL. But really, I’ve been hustling and submitting my work as much as possible, and it’s paying off. I have so many ideas whirling around my head and this is giving me such a spectacular outlet for all the creativity. I am also super passionate about helping and touching people and especially spreading mental health awareness.

I just read Kat Loterzo’s Launch It e-book and I’m more fired up than ever about becoming a content machine. If you haven’t met Kat yet, you’re missing out!

Launch It!: How to Create, Launch and Market Your Information Product in 2 Weeks or Less! (Make Sh*t Happen Book 4)

 

So, here’s what’s brand new:

  1. 9 Things Everyone Should Know About Postpartum Depression on The Mighty.
  2. After the Drought poem on Kind Over Matter.
  3. I published my first e-book!!!!!!!!!

Please show the love:) Share these articles and drop a comment–I would be ever so grateful!

Two Quick Hairdos that Stand Up to Rigorous Workouts

Hey #flashers,

I have two new videos up on Youtube showing you two hairstyles that hold up in the gym. Cuz sometimes a girl just gets sick of the ponytail, no? These updos are:

  • Super quick: they only take seconds to do. Ain’t nobody got time for decorative hair.
  • Easy: you should be able to do them yourself or ask your 8-year-old daughter to do it.
  • Super durable for rigorous workouts. I hate when you can feel your hair loosen.
  • Meant for long hair. Cuz that’s the kind of hair you need to keep outta your face.
  • A little on the messier side. Just call me messy Jessie.

French Twist

Twist Braid and Bun

Come on over to my channel and subscribe. That way, you can keep an eye on what I’m up to. I have plenty more videos like this up my sleeve.

Also, I’d love for you to #flashme your favorite gym hairstyles over on Instagram.

Woven Tennis Racket DIY

So, I’m a fitness junkie (duh) but I am not very excited about the workout “look” that is pretty much universal in the world right now, from clothing to equipment to logos.

The athletic look is basically a one-size-fits-all look. Lots of athletic stripes, lots of hardcore sweaty pics, lots of iron and heathered polyester and patterned leggings. The traditional athletic look is really not my style at all–well, except for the leggings.

In fact, in my search of interior design inspiration for my home gym on Pinterest, I came up pretty empty-handed. Everything looks like a regular jock-style gym (for lack of better terminology).

Let’s change that!

So, I’m trying to come up with some of my own decorations to fuse my love of fitness with my love of vintage and boho styles. Those things usually don’t go together. At least until I get my hands on them.

One decoration I came across on a different search were these embroidered tennis rackets I found on Pinterest. Love at first sight!!!!

 

Woven Tennis Racket DIY

So, I picked up these two old tennis rackets at a junk store for just $0.50 each! I chose two with the most vintage-y designs that I liked. And I like the juxtaposition of wood and metal. They really weren’t in playing shape anymore, so I didn’t feel bad retiring and re-purposing them.

vintage tennis rackets

Then, I just freestyled a weaving design with a “me” color scheme. I used yarn, but you could also use embroidery floss. You just weave under-over-under-over the strings. You can easily weave horizontally, vertically or diagonally.

Alternate light and dark yarn colors and alternate the thickness of each section to give it a variegated look. When you come to the end of a section, just tie the string off in the back.

woven tennis rackets for vintage home gym decor

Then, hubby helped me hang them, staggered, over my weight shelf.

repurposed tennis rackets

I love the sporty, vintage vibe these tennis rackets add to my workout space now. I can’t wait to add more elements like this!

If this post inspires you to make your own woven tennis rackets, I’d love to see them!

Would you like more ideas like these?

 

 

PS, I finally claimed this blog over on Bloglovin, and I’d love for you to add it to your regular feed. I need my workout space to fit my personality, so I have lots of styling projects to invent and potential blog material to go along with it.

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

DIY Zumba Belt

I love the idea of Zumba belts. I love the idea of wearing jingly Zumba belts for other dance programs too.

 

DIY Zumba Belt

I also have a stack of silk scarves that I’ve collected from thrift stores over the years. They’re usually something like 50 cents, so it’s hard to resist their ornate designs. Problem is, it’s hard to know what to do with them. I’ve seen neat curtains and skirts made out of them, but that’s about it.

Well, you marry your love of Zumba belts and your love of thrifted silk scarves, and you’ve got yourself an upcycled dancing belt!!!

 

Ingredients

  • Silk scarf
  • Elastic or cord
  • Thread and needle
  • Small jingle bells
  • Other embellishments

DIY Zumba Belt Supplies

Directions

Check to see if the scarf can be tied around your waist at the corners.

If not, you will need to sew on elastic or some type of cord that is long enough to tie around your waist.

Fold your scarf in half, corner to corner. Figure out where you want your cord.

Zumba belt instructions

Sew the cord to your scarf at 1″ intervals or so, using just a basic stitch to hold it in place.

Zumba Belt Waist Tie

Lay your jingle bells and other embellishments out on your scarf and once you’ve found an arrangement you like, sew the bells in place. Feel free to make it as embellished or simple as you’d like. It’s important to personalize it to your own taste.

DIY Zumba belt embellishments

Try it on to make sure it fits!

20160425_180650.jpg

 

DIY Zumba belt finished

That’s it! Your very own, one-of-a-kind, ornate Zumba belt.

If you make one, I’d love to see it! Comment with a link!

Natalie Jill’s Applesauce Overnight Oats

As promised yesterday, here is one of the recipes from Natalie Jill’s new book 7 Day Jumpstart, Unprocess Your Diet. It hasn’t even been released yet, but I was given special privileges to read a draft copy.

Applesauce Overnight Oats is what I’m having all week for breakfast! Close your eyes and imagine the smell of apple pie or apple crumble. That’s exactly what you get with this healthy, unprocessed recipe!

My son loves them too, they’re totally kid-friendly. I had to make a few extra just for him.

image

Applesauce Overnight Oats

  • 1/4c rolled oats
  • 1/4c unsweetened almond milk
  • 1/4c unsweetened applesauce
  • 1/4tsp cinnamon or apple pie spice
  • Pinch of salt

Directions

  1. Stir all ingredients together and place in a sealed container like a mason jar or plastic container.
  2. Place in fridge overnight and eat it as is or warmed in the microwave in the morning.

This recipe makes one serving. I multiplied the recipe times 7, which made 5 days of breakfasts for me and 2 days for my son.

I used steel cut oats and it turned out just fine. This recipe is a serious breakfast powerhouse and seriously cheap. Do you know how many servings of this you could make with one $3 carton of oatmeal and one $2 bottle of applesauce? Lots and lots, that’s how many.

Did you know a clean breakfast could be this easy either? Drop a few typical pantry items in a bowl and plop it in the fridge. It’s not a chore to eat clean, like it might seem.

Don’t let all those “unsweetened” ingredients scare you off either. This is plenty sweet without it. I never knew how good unsweetened applesauce really was until I tried it either! I never bought it before because it sounded gross, but it’s not! And one of the things that Natalie teaches you is that once you remove all the extra sugar and sweeteners in your diet, your taste buds actually become much more sensitive. After a few days of unprocessing, you stop craving sweets and don’t need things to be quite so sweet. That doesn’t mean you’re banished to a life of bland food! Quite the opposite! Your tongue starts appreciate real food for what it is.

 

Let me know if there’s any other juicy details about the book that you’d like to know!

Don’t forget to show the love and pre-order your copy here:

Natalie Jill’s 7-Day Jump Start: Unprocess Your Diet with Super Easy Recipes—Lose Up to 5-7 Pounds the First Week!

Review of Unprocess Your Diet by Natalie Jill

I was chosen out of hundreds of people to be part of the Launch Team for Natalie Jill’s book, 7 Day Jumpstart, Unprocess Your Diet. What that entailed was being given an exclusive draft of the book before it was even published to review–it comes out in May!!! Then, we were encouraged to share about the book on social media, however we saw fit. Natalie Jill herself popped in our secret Facebook Group for live chats, which was really neat. So, there were some cool perks to being part of the exclusive team.

 

Natalie Jill 7 Day Jumpstart Unprocess Your Diet Review

Book Synopsis: Natalie Jill has her own unique approach to clean eating. (Someone in our group even pointed out that the term “unprocessed” versus “clean” had much more wholesome implications and is much more clear. “Clean” can be a troublesome, polarizing term for someone with a previous eating disorder.) She makes it so easy to eat real actual food in just one week by completely laying it all out there for you with shopping lists and recipes. But, there are substitutions for everything, so you will never have to eat food you don’t like. And there are way more than 7 days’ worth of recipes. Natalie is gluten-free, but you don’t have to have gluten sensitivities to appreciate this book. It’s about avoiding as much processing as possible.

What I love about the book:

  • I love Natalie’s story, she just printed an e-book on a whim using pics from her iPhone and built an entire fitness business from there. She went from broke single mom to successful entrepreneur.
  • You don’t have to be gluten-free to enjoy the book. In fact, I learned something from the book that I never knew before. Food in its most natural state is already gluten-free. Gluten is something that is added somewhere in processing.
  • I love the approach of this book. It’s a little easier to “dabble” and slowly emerge into clean eating with this book by trying it out and learning to appreciate clean eating and why you’d ever want to try it in the first place.
  • Even if you’ve purchased her 7-day or 4-week Jumpstart programs, you will still get so much out of this book. There are completely new recipes and completely expanded upon information. I already own her 4-week jumpstart and this book has so much more to it, more detailed explanations, more backstory, more testimonials, more food choices, just more.
  • It’s not about just eating strict for 7 days to lose a bunch of weight and then quitting. It’s about starting with just 7 days to completely revamp your diet, see how you feel, and test out the waters. It’s like she’s asking, if you just give me 7 days, I will give you this: a whole new way to approach eating, a whole new energy level, a few less pounds, and a more natural as-God-made-it diet. The title may sound like it’s a quick fix crash diet, but it is soooo NOT!

I would put this book on my shelf right next to The Eat Clean Diet by Tosca Reno! It’s not quite as comprehensive, but that’s why I like it! It’s approachable for a newcomer.

You can pre-order your book on Amazon. Just click the link below! Show Natalie Jill some love and support as she publishes her first book!!! Her goal is to try to get on the New York Times Bestseller List, and you have to sell a certain number of books in the first few weeks to make the list, so time is of the essence!

 

I’ll be back tomorrow to share a recipe or two from the book. These are recipes you can’t get your hands on yet!!!

~Jess

 

PS: You should also follow Natalie Jill and Unprocess Your Diet on Instagram because she posts very motivating content, clean recipes and workout vids, mostly using just your bodyweight. I’ve been a fan for a long time!

PPS: I am not affiliated with the book or Natalie Jill in any way, I’m just doing this because I loved the book and figured it deserved a good review, especially after being gifted a pre-sale copy for free. I am an Amazon affiliate however.

How Sugar, Hormones and Stress Mess with Weight Loss

Sometimes, there’s more to the weight loss game than just diet and exercise.

I went to a very interesting Lunch N Learn at work last week about how sugar, hormones and cortisol affect weight loss. So, let’s start with your typical weight loss equation. If you burn more calories than you take in, you lose weight. That’s typical for almost everyone. Most people respond well if they eat less and exercise more.

But, if you’re like me, you have a few more factors that affect that equation. My body doesn’t respond that easily. And I’ve been thinking that every one of those factors mentioned in the title might be affecting my own personal weight loss. I’ve been working out 6 days a week, eating pretty darn clean, and seeing no progress. So, I had to start thinking outside the box of diet and exercise.

Reduced Diet Calories + Increased Exercise ≠ Weight Loss

I do have issues with anxiety, so cortisol is something I’m exploring. Diabetes runs in my family, so I’ve been trying to eat more protein and fewer carbs, including sugar, at my doctor’s advising. So, when my workplace offered this presentation on sugar, hormones and stress, it was 100% in line with what I wanted to dig into more. So, I signed up right away!

Our speaker had her own amazing weight loss story, having lost and kept off 70 lbs just in the past couple recent years, so she had some immediate proof in her own body. And I just really clicked with everything she said and have a lot of similar views as her.

Let me sum up the presentation for you:

1. Sugar is the root of all evil. Seriously.
2. Cortisol makes your body hold onto fat.
3. Hormones from sugar and stress create a vicious weight loss struggle.


So, we have these stressor in life, just general worry and real stressor too like deadlines, bills, and close calls. These stressor activates the sympathetic nervous system–fight or flight.

During this, the body is told to stop digesting, stop muscle building, and flood the body with glucose (suger). Then, glucose comes along thst needs insulin to clear it out, but cortisol blocks insulin. All the extra sugar floating around, that you didn’t use to flee from a tiger, is stored as fat.

But then, to add insult to injury, leptin, the hormone that tells you when you’re full, is blocked by insulin.


So, let me summarize: 
Cortisol blocks insulin and insulin blocks leptin.

So basically, sugar and stress cause fat to hang on like crazy!

 And the body is still over there telling you it’s hungry, feed it quick, with sugar!

Sugar feeds disease in all different ways. It is evil.

So what do you do to combat this? Meditation, sugar elimination and a plant-based diet can have a profound impact on your life and weight! Guess what I’m adding to my diet and fitness regimen? A daily meditation practice, a kitchen sugar clean-out and a shopping trip to the produce and Steamer aisles. It seems so simple, but are you actually doing it? Can you do it better? Start there! That’s where I’m starting.

As a side, our presenter is a certified eating psychology coach, which really intrigues me. Of course healthy eating and fitness have always been my passions, but I’ve also had lots of interest in the psychology behind it. I had an emphasis in psychology in college and just couldn’t get enough of it. Check her out: