This is how I roll.

Having 4 kids and running my own successful online fitness business has generated a lot of comments and questions from so many people.  I get people who feel the need to give me blessings, (which I appreciate), but I do sense sarcasm in some of these.  I also get people who think I'm crazy (not sure why, I'm not doing anything that weird, like base jumping).  Then I get the people who ask if I'm going to have more kids (um, no), or the people who say having all those kids is what keeps me in shape (um, I wish, but no again on that one). Or that I must be super organized (well,I wasn't a born organizer, but am working on that), or that I don't get any down time (hmm, I think I get more downtime than most people :))) )

So, I thought I'd share a little bit of what helps me and what doesn't.

Okay, for starters, if you don't know me by now, I'll get you up to speed.  I've been in the fitness industry since 2003.  I started out with 2 boys (11 months apart), teaching 12 classes per week and training private clients 10 times per week.  In 2005, we added another boy to our family.  Then in 2008 we added a little girl.  My husband is helpful with the kids, but he works outside of the home.

So, as I stated earlier, I wasn't born organized. Its still a work in progress for  me.  But now more than ever I see the importance of staying focused, but being flexible.  When I decided to take my fitness career to a new place (my online business), I definitely saw the need to having a plan in place. In the beginning it was very easy to get lost and put chores off.  Although my house wasn't horrible, I noticed the dust starting to accumulate, clutter was threatening in the rooms, and when I was forgetting to pick something up from the store or run an errand.

Enter my "TO DO LIST." Yes, I wrote it in caps because its very important to me.  I can't live without it.  I used to think lists were for organized people and that I was to unorganized to keep a list.  Oh boy, how warped is that thinking? How do you think people who appear organized stay organized? A LIST!!!

It doesn't need to be a fancy Daytimer, I just picked up a cute spiral notebook with lots of paper in it.  Every night, I make up my list for the next day.  I include exercise, my time to read 10 minutes of something inspirational, and then I list my daily chores to do, errands to run and if something unexpected pops up, I add that too.  I checkoff each item I complete, and if it was a last minute add, I check it off so I don't feel bad when something else might not have gotten done.  If it didn't get done, I move it to the next day.

At the end of the day, at the bottom of my page, I write down at least 5 things I was grateful for on that day.  This way I always end on a positive note.

Now as far as my family goes, we're pretty simple.  We only enroll our kids in one (max 2) sports per season.  And they usually take the summer and winter off.  I'm lucky because my older boys just like baseball right now.  So this save time and there is less chaos for the entire family. Too many people run their kids around to all sorts of activities, and then there is no downtime for their children.  Kids need downtime!!

Maybe it helps that my husband and I are loners.  We used to have a busy social life, but that gets exhausting. Ever since our last move, our social calendar has slowed down a lot.  But I like it like that.  So instead of going to holiday gatherings every weekend from November until January 1st, we have a lot of weekends where we get to stay home by the fire, watch movies, go on hikes, do projects around the house and just enjoy our family.  I love not having to worry about packing up the kids or finding a sitter every weekend.  I know this sounds mean, but my parents live in FL, so during the holidays we only have to worry about visiting with one set of parents. Yes, I do miss my parents but we go visit them during a less stressful time of year.

Now all of this helps, but I still needed something to keep me on track with keeping the house tidy.  In a perfect world, I'd have the motivation and desire to do this, but housework was never my favorite thing to do.

I don't have the luxury of doing my cleaning while my little one naps.  She needs me to lay down with her (trust me I love this!).  And I really want to get my daily exercise in too. Well, enter http://www.flylady.net/.

I used to use the Fly Lady when we lived in our last house.  It came in handy when we had Realtors coming daily to show the home.  Everyone who saw my house couldn't believe how clean it was for having 3 kids (one of which was a baby).  Somehow I got off track when we moved in to our current home and then got pregnant again, but I have rediscovered her system and found that it has really simplified my life.

I know this sounds nuts, but I wake at 5 am every morning to do my exercise (almost always a Beachbody one).  Then while my husband is showering I do a quick "swish and swipe" of the kids' bathroom. Then I shower, clean our bathroom and get ready to start the day.

The Fly Lady sends you missions that take 15 min to do.  I can't explain it all, so you need to check her out yourself.

Okay, so my next time saver is menu planning.  I love to cook, but used to just cook by mood.  Not good when you have 4 kids and you might need to run to the store.  I've found that the Beachbody Custom Meal Plan Wizard has really been a useful tool in planning the weekly dinner menu.  It also gives you breakfasts, snack and lunches. It's really helped me save money and have less food waste.

Well, there you have it. Those are some of my secrets to appearing to be organized and in control.  I love my days with my family and they're a lot less stressful now.

I'd love to hear from you! Please feel free to leave a comment or send me an email to fitwithjessica@live.com

The biggest excuse for not working out...TIME

One of the biggest excuses I hear for people not exercising is time, or lack of.  Look, I know we all have busy lives, with work, school, holidays, kids, spouses, friends, church, you name it. But taking care of your body is not a luxury, its a necessity.  If you don't take the little steps now, you will regret it later on in life.  The good news is that you can just pick up now, don't feel like you need to make up for lost time.

Here is an article by Beachbody's Monica Ciociola on how to find more time to squeeze in that work out during the holidays.

No Time to Work Out? 7 Ways to Find the Time


Monica Ciociola

The perceived lack of time is one of the main reasons people on the Message Boards give for not exercising regularly. Even those of you who have discovered the wonders of in-home fitness still find it difficult to juggle work, family, and fitness—especially during the holiday season. We hear you asking for help, and here are 7 smart ways to find more time for your workouts.

Shop online. Now that you can basically order anything and everything over the Internet and have it delivered, consider doing your holiday shopping this way. Most major retailers have online stores, and provide gift-wrapping services along with shipping options. So there's no need to go to the mall or the post office.

Farm out some chores. Try dropping off your laundry—especially if you're already going to the laundromat. You'll find that it doesn't cost that much more.

Wake up 30 minutes earlier. Work out before heading to the office. A little trick for waking up faster is to touch your toes as soon as you open your eyes, bringing blood to you head so you feel alert more quickly. After your workout, you'll be more energized for the day ahead and hardly notice the lost sleep. Working out in the morning as opposed to midday or at night also saves you the double cost of showering, getting dressed, and making yourself beautiful.

Make it a family affair. Mike Y. and his wife Christine and daughter Samantha made shedding pounds with the Power 90® program a family activity. By working out together at 5:30 AM each day, before getting ready for work and school, they managed to get in both some family time and exercise. They became Success Stories and were invited to Hawaii to star in the Power 90 TV show. It may be a little more difficult for you right now, with everyone's schedule crammed with holiday events, but working out together as a family ensures a built-in support system, and that support is crucial when you're trying to keep your fitness goals on track.

Prepare meals in advance. Try to get most of your meal preparation for the week done over the weekend. That means washing all your lettuce, veggies, herbs, fish, and poultry up front, and stocking complete salads-in-a-bag to take to work. You can also prepare individual slices of poultry and fish and a variety of veggies for dinner. Also make vats of soup, pasta, and brown rice that you'll be able to microwave throughout the week. Filling up on healthy meals and having low-fat, good-for-you snacks readily available at work will reduce the temptation to sample the goodies at the office—the gingerbread cookies, chocolates, and inevitable fruitcakes.

Take your DVDs with you. If you're traveling over the holidays, make sure you pack your favorite fitness DVDs along with your laptop so you can work out wherever you are, whether it's at your in-laws', your friend's house, or in a hotel room.

Pop in a 20-minute workout. Beachbody® makes some superfast and effective workouts for when you're seriously short on time. Try the Turbo Jam® 20-Minute Workout for an excellent calorie-blasting session and the Great Body Guaranteed!™ collection to focus on specific trouble areas in even less than 10 minutes. Look out for Tony Horton's all-new 10-Minute Trainer program launching in January—just give Tony 10 minutes and he'll give you incredible results! No more excuses—now you can always find the time to squeeze in a 10-minute workout . . . And the rewards stretch far beyond that to stronger bones and muscles, a sharper mind, and a lower risk of cancer and diabetes. And remember, working out reduces stress. You'll enjoy the holidays much more if you're healthy and energized.
 
If you're having a hard time getting started, that's what I'm here for.  As a Team Beachbody Coach, I can help keep you motivated and reach your goals.  Its hard to try and figure it all out on your own, but you have me here to help you.  You can sign up for free or get a club membership with custom meal plans and recipes.  Click here to sign up.
 
I'd love to hear from you. Leave a comment here, or send an email to fitwithjessica@live.com.

You don't need to be a superstar.

You don't need to be a superstar.  Its what I tell my kids all the time.  I don't care if they don't become the baseball superstar, or musical prodigy, I just want them to be good, healthy kids.

I think we focus too much on our kids becoming the next prodigy.  We pay all this money to get our kids private lessons to be better for baseball, football, you name it.  But we forget to just raise happy, healthy kids that are kind and not spoiled.

Its kind of the same thing with fitness.  You don't need to look like you're getting ready for a Sport Illustrated Swimsuit cover, or Men's Health magazine.  You're primary focus should be getting healthy from the inside out. Don't worry if you still might not be able to wear a bikini or have a 30 inch waist for a guy. What really matters is having a healthy heart, a healthy body.

Hey, if you really want to set the goal of entering a bikini contest or guys if you want to get a washboard abs, that's fine.  But don't forget what really matters in the end, and that's just being healthy. Being healthy enough to walk up a flight of stairs, or play with your kids or to prevent that stroke.

As a Team  Beachbody Coach, I can help you reach your healthy weight. Let me know if you need help setting realistic goals.  You can email me at fitwithjessica@live.com or you can sign up for free online coaching with me by clicking here.

I'd love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave a comment:)

Lesson learned.

On Friday morning I was schooled with my own advice.  As a Team Beachbody Coach, I often tell people that they need to prepare for their journey of eating right and exercise. You need to make sure you eat 5 small meals per day.  You need to stock the house with healthy foods, prepare snacks to take with you, etc...

Well, this past Friday I really annoyed myself by not following my own advice. I had gotten out of the habit of packing a mid-morning snack for myself when the weather turned cooler. Park trips with the kids were dwindling down and any errands I had to do were short and sweet.  I always made it back in time for my snack.  But this day I my husband took off from work and wanted me to visit Home Depot with him.  Well our Home Depot is about 20 min away, but I still thought we'd make it back in time, so I just packed snacks for the kids.  After looking at all the mirrors, toilets, lighting (were giving our powder room a makeover) the quick trip was extended. Then my husband had an idea to take the kids to the park afterwards.  At first it seemed like a good idea, but as each minute ticked by my stomach was growling and the smoothie I had for breakfast was wearing thin.  I really wanted to do the park and be happy about it, but I was starving! I should have insisted that we stop home first so I can grab and apple and a handful of almonds, but I didn't want to delay us.  What a mistake that was.  By the time we reached the park, I was hungry, chilly, grumpy, you name it.  I was annoyed with myself for not being prepared.  I teach people to prepare themselves and I didn't do it.

Well, I reached the point of being famished by the time we left, and now I had a cranky 2 year old to deal with too.  Luckily, I still had some Shakeology left (was waiting for a new shipment), and I was able to blend up a fast lunch for myself.  I don't think anything has ever been so welcomed before.

So my valuable lesson that I learned that day was to get back in the habit of being prepared with snacks.  You never know what the day will bring and if you may get delayed.  I didn't  want to be tempted with stopping at Dunkin Donuts or McDonald's because I knew that I was so hungry I wouldn't make good choices.  Did you ever get like that?

I'm going to make sure that I keep one or two protein bars in my glove compartment. I'm also going to make a snack to-go like I do for my kids.  What's worked for me in the past is something like an apple or pear with 1/4 cup of nuts, or instead of nuts a Kraft low-fat cheese stick.  Even a half of a peanut butter & all fruit spread on whole wheat bread would be a good choice.

It just goes to show you that even the "pros" mess up sometimes, but mistakes are a necessary tool for learning.

I'd love to hear from you:) Feel free to leave a comment here or email me at fitwithjessica@live.com

Procrastination

Okay, I know we're all guilty of it.  I'm perhaps one of the biggest procrastinators out there. As I type, I have a big pile of my 2 year old's clothes to bag up for donation.  I did promise myself I would get to it later today though:)

I had been procrastinating about cleaning my fridge for a long time, but my mission today from Fly Lady was to set the timer for 15 minutes and go to work on it. Well, I set the timer for 20 minutes and finished with 3 minutes to spare - woo hoo! So later today I'll set my timer for 15-20 minutes and tackle that pile of old clothes.

I've often thought that procrastination had to be good for some things though.  Its kept me from spending money on stuff I didn't really need. But there is still a big down side to putting everything off.  Like when it comes to doing something you know really needs to be done, such as de-cluttering, cleaning, exercising, eating right, paying bills...

What happens is every time you put it off, it just seems harder and harder to do it.  In our quest for perfection, we tend to set our expectations too high. For instance, some feel they can't exercise until they lose weight.  I had someone tell me they weren't going to the doctor for a physical until they lost weight (WHAT?). Or we put off eating right until after the holidays. After a while we get so used to making the excuses that we never start what we said we would do and we turn a mole-hill into a mountain.

So what is it that you keep putting off?  How do we stop the excuses and just do it?  What's worked for me is letting go of things having to be perfect and taking baby steps. For example, I could have taken an hour to clean my fridge, taking everything out, getting every nook and cranny clean, but that would have been horrible for me and I would never do it. So I took the advice from the Fly Lady and set my timer for a short amount of time, which I felt I could handle. And guess what? My fridge looks great and I was really proud of myself, plus it was fast!

So what about exercise or eating better? Well you could incorporate the same baby-steps philosophy. Instead of vowing to run for an hour, but never doing it, try 10 minutes, see what happens. Could you handle just 10 minutes? 10 minutes is better than 0 minutes.  Or instead of trying to go full force into better eating, try eating just one good meal per day.  Could you handle that, or maybe even just one healthy snack?

It doesn't have to be as my husband would say a "full balls" effort. That could be very intimidating for a lot of people.  You could just dip your pinky toe in:)

I'd love to hear from you! Please feel free to leave a comment or email me at fitwithjessica@live.com

Jessica's Healthy Whole Wheat Muffins

This muffin recipe makes a great snack to for your kids. They're lower in fat and sugar than most muffins, and you can make them plain or add blueberries, cranberries or whatever you wanted.

I made these the other day and added blueberries to half of them.  This recipe will make 12 muffins:

•1/4 cup oil

•1 egg
•1 cup milk (fat-free)
•1/3 cup brown sugar
•1/2 teaspoon salt
•1 tablespoon baking powder
•2 cups flour (1 cup whole wheat and 1 cup all purpose)

In a large bowl combine the oil, egg, milk, sugar and salt. Mix it very well with a fork or wire whisk. Measure in the baking powder and flour. Mix again until moistened. Do not over mix.  Spoon the batter into a dozen muffin cups sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Bake at 400° for about 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool slightly before removing from the pan.

If you want to add blueberries, gently fold in 1cup frozen or fresh blueberries before adding to the muffin cups.

These muffins aren't going to be sweet at all.  My kids love them warm and with a little butter on them.  I would love to hear how they turn out for you.  Leave me a comment or send me an email to fitwithjessica@live.com

Is it hard or is it easy? Only we can determine that

Why does it seem like its easier for some people to stick with an exercise or nutrition program? Why is it that some people can find the time to workout and make the most of it? Why do some people struggle with all of this? 

I know many of you who do struggle with this will quickly come up with defensive answers like "I'm too old" or "I don't have enough time." "I'm just meant to be this weight." "I can't control myself." "Its genetic." "I hate exercise." "Diets are too restrictive." "It will take too long." "Its too hard!" Trust me, I've heard them all and may have used one or two myself.  Nobody is perfect. If I don't watch what I eat and how much I exercise I can easily put on 15 lbs.  I know, I've been there.

But getting in shape or back in shape doesn't have to be hard at all.  Its really quite an easy formula. If you need to lose weight, you need to burn more calories than you eat. Its that simple and easy.  No weird science behind it.  The deficit in calories can be from adding exercise into your day or reducing calories, or a combo of both.

Its really scary because the US government estimates that over 2/3 of the adult US population is overweight or obese.  That means a lot of people out there either find it way too hard to do the right thing, or they've just totally given up hope.  What would make someone give up hope to jeopardize their health that way? Don't you think you're worth more than settling for high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, joint problems? If you are one of the majority of people who believes that there is a God or Creator, do you really think this is what he had in mind when He created you?  I don't think so. I think you definitely deserve better than to settle on the new "average" in the US. 

So let's quickly take a look on how easy it can be to lose 1 pound per week. If you lost 1 pound per week, that would be 52 lbs in one year! That's amazing!! And its easy to do. You just need to train your brain to 1) appreciate you and love yourself enough to take better care of yourself, 2) be positive about this, don't worry if you mess up, its not a race 3) realize that even the smallest changes you make will result in huge long term health gains.

By cutting your calories by approximately 500 calories per day you can lose 1lb per week.  The cool part is, if you exercise, you don't have to cut 500, it can be less than 500 (or even 0) depending on how much exercise you do!

But let's just tackle eating for now.  Here are some ideas on how to cut out those 500 calories.  I don't want you to cut the good stuff out like veggies, or high quality lean protein, we're talking the stuff your body really doesn't need:

3 homemade choc. chip cookies = 500 cals (approx)
2 beers, + 2 oz of chips = 500 cals (approx)
1-1/2 cups of ice cream = 500 cals (approx)
2 12 oz glasses of soda, + 1 cup of pretzles + 500 cals (approx)
1 tall mocha Frappucino + 1 plain bagel 500 cals (approx)

Now I don't want you skipping meals to cut out those calories. Skipping breakfast and lunch is probably the worst thing you can do because you'll be famished before dinner and on a rampage in the kitchen.  The above is just some of the extras we may include in our day that could be cut out if you really wanted to cut some pounds.

Hard or easy? Its really depends on how you look at it and how badly you want to improve your health before a doctor orders you too.

I would love to help you with healthy meal ideas and custom meal plans.  Having a meal plan will make losing weight and your life so much easier.  I love using my meal planner,it helps save me time and guessing what to make.  Click here if you'd like to take a 30-day trial of the meal plan I have to offer.  If you don't like it within the 30-days you get a full refund. 

Please feel free to leave a comment here or email me at fitwithjessica@live.com