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Author: Jessica Marie

Professional copywriter, NASM certified personal trainer, mom of 2

Lately I’ve Been…

…Around, just not as much in this space as I’d like to be. For that matter, even my home could use quite a bit of TLC right about now.
…Surviving some terrible nausea and attempting to make peace with the fact that the only thing you can do is just wait it out.
…Waiting out the cold here in Wisconsin. A day in the 30s would be bikini weather at this point. Poor kiddos have been so cooped up in school without recess, they’re really getting restless.
…Looking forward to our upcoming trip to Florida in March. This will be the first time in my life I get to go to Disney. Can’t wait to watch Peanut soak it all in. Hopefully Florida welcomes us with the warm air we so desire.
…Getting very inspired by the Olympics and all the chatter about it. What, me? Into sports?
…Reading Amanda Knox’s story, Waiting to be Heard. I mean, wow! She pretty much lived nightmares that I’ve had before. Like any good mystery, the book has me unable to put it down. It’s thick, but I got through most of it in a weekend.
…Looking at houses and dreaming about living in the country. However, the thought of actually listing our first home (and making is show-ready!) and the prospect of moving have me completely paralyzed.
…Staring at my Peanut and all his expressions and movements and just reveling in them. Kids are special, no? He reminds me of everything that matters most.
…Cooking up a special project that I can’t quite announce yet, but you’ll see…

What have you been up to?

Workouts and Guilty Pleasures Confession

I have a confession to make. I think workout time is the best time to indulge in some harmless guilty pleasures. When I was working out at the YMCA, I really enjoyed catching up on a little bit of trashy reality TV since the treadmills had built-in televisions. I loved that! On treadmills without TVs however, I enjoy reading gossip mags when I get the chance. I don’t subscribe to any, but when the gym offers them, I shrug and grab one. Might as well, right?

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I don’t normally indulge in these kinds of things. I like to try and keep my mind fresh with ideas and inspiration most of the time. I like to read more intelligent writing, but I figure if I’m doing something of virtue (exercising), and I’m able to multitask, I should allowed to indulge a little bit. I would never usually waste my time watching this type of show, but it’s not really wasting time if you’re running too. I’m always trying to push myself to be a better person, setting new goals, trying to improve, etc. I figure for all that work I’m allowed to give myself this one teensy chance to regress a little.

Be careful though, because multitasking on the treadmill could make you stumble and fall. I’m one of those people that can read and run at the same time, without holding the rails or compromising form. I don’t recommend trying it unless you can do the same.

What do you think? What are your guilty pleasures and how do you justify them? Any other gym confessions you’d like to share.

Weekly Workout Rundown

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Monday:

Tuesday:
  • 30 min moderate walk at lunch

Wednesday:
  • 30 min run in the AM
  • 30 min moderate walk at lunch

Thursday:
  • 40 min Tracy Anderson workout
  • 30 min moderate walk at lunch

Friday:

Saturday:
  • 35 min run

Sunday:
  • Rest

Now that I’m finally feeling a whole lot better, I’m able to work out with a little bit more consistency, albeit on a much lighter-scale version. After three weeks of spotty workouts, I’m trying to ease back into my routine and regain my endurance. This week, I was finally able to participate a little bit in the Love Your Body series, bit by bit. 
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Hubster just decided this week that we should look at new houses. We went from being content where we are to surveying properties at the snap of a finger. I’m kinda thrilled and terrified at the same time. One house we looked at has THE perfect room for a treadmill and weight set, not to mention a magical backyard. I hadn’t really anticipated any of this, so I haven’t had a chance to wrap my head around all the nesting details that a woman is inclined to have. I had to start a Pinterest board just for my ideal workout room. My dream room would have a wall of long mirrors, inspiring images, perhaps a TV and DVD player for all my workout videos, and a pretty place to film workout videos for you all. #dreaming
This week, I also signed the whole family up for our now-traditional yearly fun run. I ran the Half Marathon section of this the very year of its inception. Last year, we enrolled Peanut and he excitedly asked to do it again. We’re all 3 going to participate, as per tradition. I can’t wait!
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How are you staying fit this week?

Where did I go?

I’ve been completely MIA for about three weeks. MIA from my social life. MIA from motivation. A little too MIA from work. Almost nearly MIA from fitness. And most certainly a bit MIA from here. I had a few things I needed to work out with my health before I could tackle any other aspects of my life. It’s Maslow’s pyramid in full effect y’all. You know how sometimes when you’re feeling sick or just not yourself, you just want to lie around watching Netflix all day? Yeah, that’s been me since about the week of Christmas. And I hate TV!

You see, I had this major list of stuff I wanted to get done on the 12–Twelve!!!–days off I had during Christmas break. These were exciting things, not stressful things. I wanted to work on an e-course, more blog posts, sewing projects, and all kinds of things that make me happy. But right before Christmas I started to feel really odd. I don’t want to get into the specifics, but my anxiety problems were coming back full force and there was no amount of meditation, relaxation or chamomile tea that could make it go away. Finally, after seeing a doctor about it, I started some medication. I tried to tough it out for about 7 days, but things got worse and worse to the point where I didn’t think I could stand it anymore. I was assured that no, I wasn’t supposed to be feeling that way, and that I should discontinue use. I had lost several nights’ sleep, laid around without motivation, lost my appetite, and just felt junky all around.

So, I stopped that medication and tried a new strategy that seems to be starting to work, but in the midst of that, I got sick with the flu, which lasted 3 days (and cost me precious PTO time already in January), and which amplified everything I was already feeling by about 100. I was terrified! However, after some rest and some things that I really needed and love and kindness from my family, I’m finally starting to feel like myself again. I got in about four workouts in the last few weeks and am slowly regaining my running charisma.

So anyhow, thanks for sticking it out with me. It’s been a long, scary three weeks, but this experience has taught me more than ever to be grateful for wellness.

So, instead of being too much of a bummer, let’s switch gears and celebrate health. Here’s what I’m finally excited to be able to do:

  1. Participate finally in the Tone it Up Love Your Body series. I’m waaaay behind on the 100 miles by Valentine’s Day challenge, but I’m still going to try my best.
  2. Run my little heart out. I’m going to have to start slow and build up my endurance again, but I’m just so happy to be able to put some time back into this love of mine.
  3. Eat! I’ve been on the bland, toast and soup diet for a few weeks now and really want to be able to look a Swiss mushroom burger in the eye without gagging.
  4. Play Legos with Peanut. He’s been begging me for days to play with him. I didn’t know how many more times I could tell him I wasn’t feeling good and couldn’t play before one of us would burst. Poor kid.
  5. Go out in public. Not to be melodramatic, but I was worried for awhile there that I would get sick or panic in public until I started feeling better. Now I’m good to go.
  6. Work. Did I mention I’m sick of TV?! I watched waaaay too much TV while I was at home in bed. It was about the only activity that I could muster the strength for and at some points, the nonsense of my favorite familiar characters on the Big Bang Theory or King of Queens seemed rather comforting. But now, I’m sick of being at home in bed in front of the TV and am really loving being back at work, focusing on something other than my own ailments.

I’m back! Full force. I will be posting regularly again, so thanks for baring with me:)

The Best Parts of 2013

Sitting at home, thinking about my goals and ambitions for the upcoming year, I thought it would be nice to review 2013 for its strong points. It’s a good way to get perspective about accomplishments and abilities, as well as to remember travels and other memorable events.

The best parts of 2013:

  1. I entered my 30s.
  2. I studied for and passed the NASM personal training exam and became certified for my 30th birthday.
  3. I purchased my domain name and started setting up my personal training website.
  4. Traveled to our cabin getaway.
  5. Sewed my very first and second quilts.
  6. Designed five free workouts.
  7. Tried Crossfit for the first time.
  8. Took a few summer boat rides and even saw a bald eagle.
  9. Attended our annual Perseid Picnic.
  10. Traveled to Mackinac Island.
  11. Met a few celebs.
  12. Traveled to Door County, WI.
  13. Traveled to Chicago.
  14. Chaperoned my first field trip for Peanut to Sullivan’s Woods.
  15. Traveled to Elkhart Lake for a retreat weekend.
  16. Bought and conquered my new moped.
  17. Ran a 5k in April and Peanut even raced too.
  18. Became a manager at work.
I know 2014 will hold even more surprises. We’re already gearing up for our next trip to Florida in March, and I have a whole lot of things in the works for this blog. I can’t wait to see what else is in store!
Celebrate with me this week as we enter a new year. Jot down a few of your best moments for 2014, what you learned, where you traveled, what you crossed off your bucket list. Take a moment to remember how far you’ve come and how strong you are to galvanize you for the future. I’d like to hear what you favorite parts of the year was. Leave a comment here on the blog or tag me on Twitter so I can see what you accomplished too.
Happy New Year!

Visit to the Oshkosh EAA Museum

Our town has absolutely nothing for a small child to do in the winter, indoors, unless you are a YMCA member. Even our McDonald’s Playland went away during the last round of renovations and a close-by kid-friendly cafe disappeared. We run out of ideas for keeping Peanut entertained in the cooler months sometimes. That is, until we stumbled upon the children’s museum inside the EAA museum in Oshkosh.

You see, Oshkosh hosts the biggest aircraft convention in the world every year and so the aircraft museum is a signature part of our city. Since we live here though, we are all too used to that one week in July where our city is completely descended upon and consumed for the love of airplanes. Many of us try to get out of the city and rent our homes out to avoid the hubub of tourism.

Sure, we’d been to the museum before, but not in a long time. One day Hubster decided to take Peanut there for a visit just for something to do. Then, we happened upon the kid’s section of the airport. And we discovered that the interactive play area beats out the Mickey D’s Playland any day of the week! We immediately purchased a family membership and now enjoy the place as often as we’d like.

Since I’ve been off of work for about a week and a half with Peanut this Christmas vacation, mostly cooped up in the house with all our new Christmas paraphernalia, we decided to take a day out to the museum to burn off some accumulating steam.

Check this place out.

Test how many pounds of thrust you can generate on this mother of all exercise bikes.

Use this robotic arm to build and move around blocks.

Watch flight simulators

Sit inside a real cockpit with tons of controls and buttons and pretend you’re a pilot.

Tilt and lean to maneuver a hang glider, and just across the way, a hot air balloon.

Sit in one of the rows of flight simulators and actually give your flying skills a try.

Then, sit in the viewing tower and see if you can see any action with the provided binoculars.

This place is awesome. It’s like science and physical education and math all got together and made this awesome place. An interactive learning experience and boredom buster all in one.

All you adults out there, the regular museum is definitely worth the admission. There are several hangars’ worth of aircraft to see and learn about, even for the person who isn’t entranced by planes. Hubster and I like to peruse the exhibits once in awhile too and always learn something. If you’re ever in Oshkosh, WI, you need to check this place out. And if you live here, especially if you have children, you’ll be doing everyone a favor by purchasing a membership and enjoying the exhibits.

10 Ways to Get a Head-Start on your New Year’s Resolutions

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I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again and again: if you have a goal, start it today! If you want to lose weight, start with your next meal–don’t wait until Monday or New Year’s. I myself started South Beach right in between Thanksgiving and Christmas, knowing full well what a treat hell I would be facing. Right now is the perfect time to get a head-start on your New Year’s resolutions. Here’s how:

1. Start Small: Break your big goals down into the smallest parts. For example, if you’d like to get out of debt, you need to make a checklist of all the strategies you need to try to do so such as cancelling credit cards you don’t use, paying $5 extra per month on your highest loan, shopping for lower interest rates, etc. Start with just one piece of the goal at a time. Just check off one item per week until you’re well on your way to financial freedom. It’s easier to stick with small changes you incorporate over time versus implementing a whole bunch at once.

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2. Practice your New Year’s Resolution: Testing out some of the habits that you want to change will give you a feel for what types of obstacles you’ll be facing. And if you know what obstacles you’ll be facing, you can make a better action plan, helping you to solidify your final plans. Test the waters in the next two weeks. Maybe you’ll find that outdoor workouts this time of year just aren’t going to work for you. Good thing you found that out now, not mid-January! Maybe you’ll find that you need to gather a few more resources. Maybe you’re going to start a weight loss plan on Jan 1, but you don’t know how to lose that weight. Check some healthy cookbooks and fitness magazines out from the library this week! Start listening to weight loss podcasts while you work. Plan out your workout schedule for the entire month of January in your Google calendar. This goes for any type of goal you wish to set for the new year. Gather all your supplies and test out your plans. Tweak from there so you are fully prepared once January 1 rolls around.

3. Establish SMART Goals: that SMART acronym is such a foolproof way to set goals. Your goals should always be specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and timely. For a refresher on what these all mean, look here. Your goals must be written and understood in a way that is trackable, has a time limit, and isn’t beyond your realistic capabilities. Make sure every resolution you make follows the SMART guidelines.

4. Reward System: Put a reward system in place as soon as you reach those measurable goals. Knowing you’re going to treat yourself to a massage or your new favorite book after losing 5 lbs just might give you that extra push you need. Just like in school, you deserve a tangible way to tell yourself “way to go!” Rewards also make the process of achieving your goals much more fun. Would you rather run 4 days a week for a month just to increase your speed or to increase your speed AND enjoy a massage? See what a difference that little reward makes?

5. Make your Goal Emotional: Emotional goals are much more compelling than more shallow, vain ones. Find a way to make your goal hit straight to the heart. For example, instead of losing weight to fit in a bikini, how about reframing your thought process? What will it feel like to be healthy? Will you feel light and carefree? Will you feel capable and strong? Use those emotions to propel you toward your goals. Run your miles for cancer survivors. Beat a medical condition before it even starts. Create a family bonding time with nightly walking rituals. Whatever you do, connect to your goal on an emotional level to make it that much more meaningful.

6. Start Over: Most resolutions fail by after about one month. In fact, only 64% of resolution makers even make it to the one month mark. Don’t be one of those people! If you fall off, get back on. Start over. What I want you to do is to set your start-over dates right now. Start over on January 15, then on February 1, then on February 15 and so on. All-or-nothing thinking will only make you frustrated. Slip-ups are allowed, as long as you keep the forward momentum. If you allow yourself a little wiggle room and a few extra chances, you leave more room for goal achievement. Plus, tackling your goals in 15-day chunks seems much more do-able, right?

7. Join a Challenge: Find a challenge that begins on January 1 right now that coincides with your goal. Plenty of Diet Bets (with monetary rewards) and money challenges will be beginning in the new year. Find one now and get psyched to start!

8. Put it in Writing, in Public: Social support is one of the key factors to goal adherence. Make sure you post your intentions on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or wherever else you’d like. Once it’s out there, in writing, you are less likely to falter. You can’t fly under the radar anymore, and that’s a good thing! Simply posting your resolutions will give you another extra push to make sure they happen.

9. Join Forces: Does someone else close to you have a similar goal? Try doing the tasks with them, or at least check in with one another. Find a Twitter buddy–Twitter is teeming with fitness and money buffs that you can make easy friends with. At the very least, follow some of your favorite fitness, money or other related personalities. Checking their tweets every day will be a source of constant motivation. It’s amazing what healthy pictures on Instagram and motivating quotes on Twitter can do for a person when they’re running low on fuel!

10. Research: Wanting to save more money? Research your investment options beforehand. Lose weight? Read articles on fitness and nutrition in your free time. The more you know, the easier it will be to implement your plan, the more competent you’ll feel, and the more pumped you’ll be! Just don’t get too overwhelmed with the details that you never start to begin with. Just start! You’ll find that over time you start to absorb the information, so don’t try to memorize every little thing. Just cultivate an awareness and understanding of what you’re doing before you start so you can start strong! Sign up for a few newsletters and check a few headlines every morning to stay in-the-know.

I wish you the best of luck with your New Year’s resolutions and have a wonderful holiday. Report back if any of these tips helped you create a resolution that stuck. I’d love to hear about it.

P.S. I’m really loving this list of resolutions from Huff Post. I think all of our resolutions should look more like this:)

Weekly Workout Rundown

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Monday:

  • 40 min walk/run in the AM
  • 20 min run at lunch

Tuesday:

Wednesday:

  • 40 min interval run in the AM
  • 27 min run at lunch

Thursday:

Friday:

  • 20 walk at lunch with mom

Saturday:

  • 45 min run

Sunday:

  • Rest

Not too eventful this week, when it comes to workouts. I started the week a little weak with that run/walk Monday morning. Not sure what my deal was, but I couldn’t muster much more than that. But I was fine by lunch and pulled a strong week anyhow. Zuzka Light leaves me feeling sore the next day, just how I like it.

I am still doing ok on South Beach. Not much more movement on the scale, but I managed to maintain through a weekend filled with big dinners. We had a big dinner with some friends followed by another luncheon at church where I filled my plates. I was just happy to come out of the weekend unscathed, and sometimes that’s the best we could ever hope for during a bustling holiday season:)

How was your week in workouts?

Weekly Food Prep

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Upon entering Phase 2 of the South Beach Diet, I’d like to share what a typical menu looks like on this plan. No, I do not eat salads for every meal (hardly eat them at all!). And yes, I do cheat just a little bit. This week, I’m finally allowed to have a few carbs including one fruit and one starch, which will be quinoa.

Left to right: salsa meatballs over a bed of quinoa,
egg scramble and turkey sausage, broccoli/cauliflower, apples

Breakfast, 265 calories:

  • 5 egg whites + shredded zucchini, mushrooms, onions and a sprinkle of cheese
  • 3 breakfast turkey sausage links

Snack, 210 calories: 

  • Apple with cinnamon
  • 20 almonds

Lunch, 299 calories:

  • Quinoa + salsa meatballs with sauce (similar to this recipe, but with ground turkey)

Snack, 177 calories:

  • Raw broccoli and cauliflower with hummus
  • 1/2 cup 1% cottage cheese

Dinners: 

  • Turkey chili dogs (minus the bun)
  • White bean chicken chili
  • Taco salad
  • Something with turkey bacon
  • Etc.

I’m really loving the variety I’ve found with the South Beach and low-carb recipes out there. I brought a stack of cookbooks home from the library, flagged pages like crazy, and saved all the recipes I knew I would actually use to a Google document. Then, when I sit down to plan my menu for the week, I just scroll through to see what looks good. I’ve been sticking with eggs and sausage in the morning and just change up the veggies in the eggs because I don’t see myself getting sick of this breakfast. I try to keep the snacks easy too, usually along the lines of plain Greek yogurt with nuts, cottage cheese or veggies and dip. That way, most of the planning goes into lunches and dinners and prep time is still manageable. I also eat the same thing for breakfast and lunch every day to keep things simple.

Dinners, we typically plan like normal for the family, but I just switch things up a little bit for my diet. For example, this past week we had spaghetti on the menu. Instead of having noodles like Hubster and Peanut did, I used shredded zucchini that I roasted on the stove for a bit. I still eat hot dogs and burgers too, just without the bun or wrapped in lettuce instead. They still taste great! Really, you have to try it to dig it. We had pizza mozzarella burgers on the grill and it tasted so delicious wrapped in lettuce, I didn’t miss the bun. All the great taste is in the burger itself, not the bun!

Every night before bed, I pack all the various pieces of my lunch in my big lunch bag and stash it in the fridge. The next morning, I literally only need to grab the bag and go. This food prep plan keeps me on time for work, fully prepared and allows me to fully adhere to my meal plan.

What are you eating this week? What are your best tips for meal planning?