Tag Archives: fitness

[Fitness] Talk

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Hi guys! So I thought I should elaborate a little bit on this whole Beachbody Coach thing I told you about last Friday that I’m now doing. Sorry in advance, it’s wordy!

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not gonna lie, I’m pretty stoked about these abs. Especially since they’re better now than they were pre-baby!

Here’s a bit of my fitness backstory: I grew up playing sports years round. Soccer, basketball, horseback riding, karate, track… you name it, I did it. I was always active. If it was organized sports then I was swimming in our pool or playing street hockey out front. I was fortunate enough to be recruited to play volleyball in college which started off great, but with a change in coaching, quickly spiralled down and out of control. I soon became the most inactive I had ever been (also partially blaming college parties/studying/blah blah blah) and broke my foot during my Junior year season which launched me up to nearly 200 pounds. WHAAAT. It’s hard to even think about it now because I was in such a crap place in life.

I made it through college and immediately moved into my own apartment just outside of Boston. A new working-girl lifestyle left me pretty exhausted, but I started spending my free time at the apartment complex gym. In fact, I preferred going there to unwind and would often forego social engagements so that I could watch the Real Housewives of Orange County on the treadmill.

After a year, I moved to a different apartment and joined the YMCA that was down the road. I started attending various classes after work and quickly became addicted to making sure I went every single day. I loved it! (and it was starting to show in my clothes too) One of my favorite instructors? Athena!

Before I knew it, I was taking classes to become a fitness instructor myself. I was so excited to be able to share my love of fitness with others! And then I took the ACSM cPT exam and was a certified personal trainer. Ahh, so exciting. I was looking forward to potentially making this a career rather than a part-time job (outside of my finance full-time job).

But then, I met Tyler. And within 6 months I moved to Canada to marry him. I applied for my permanent residency and couldn’t work for the duration of my application being processed. I tried volunteering at the YMCA’s here in Calgary, but there were so many obstacles that I just couldn’t get over (given my legal status), so it really through my hopes  of getting into fitness full-time for a loop.

I wound up getting another financial position once my residency was approved, and was only a member of a local gym- I was so bored with it. SO BORED. I was randomly introduced to Beachbody through a work challenge and bought Focus T25.  I fell in love with the change up + I loved that they were only 25 minute workouts that were kicking my butt!

About a month after I bought the program, I found out I was pregnant and continued to do modified workouts from T25 (plus a variety of other prenatal workouts). Four weeks post partum I jumped back into T25. Since Wes was born in April 2015, I have tried 21 day fix, 21 day fix EXTREME, and Insanity.

I came to realize that I had fallen in love with Beahbody programs. Not only because they were quick, but because they could be done at home with the baby (or anywhere), and they were EFFECTIVE. [please refer to above photo]

And unlike before, I was pushing myself to properly complete these workouts. I only have so much time while Wes naps to squeeze in a workout, so I better do it RIGHT. My health isn’t just for me, it’s for him. He’s a big boy, and I need to stay on top of my game if I want to carry him around all the time 😉

I’m now in the best shape of my life. I don’t think the scale properly reflects ‘fitness’ but I am 60ish pounds lighter than my heaviest weight. I am more mindful of what I eat. (I still drink beer and eat cake). And I am the happiest I’ve ever been. This just reminded me of a time in college I went to the mall with friends and we went into a jeans store. They were all trying on jeans and I realized I couldn’t even fit into the largest size. Insert huge crying emoji and a bottle of vodka.

Then there’s the Shakeology. It came with the first challenge pack I bought and I fell in love with it. I found it to be so worth it to keep my energy up, curb my crazy chocolate cravings, and to keep me satisfied. I was breastfeeding Wes when I first tried Shakeology and it really helped in so many ways (that’s a whole other novel to tell!)

It only made sense for me to become a Beachbody coach so that I could help motivate others. I’m still pretty active outside of these programs- walking, hiking, hot yoga, spin, etc.- but I have Beachbody to thank for allowing me to be this fit. Sound corny? Yeah, kinda. But it’s actually pretty darn true.

I am really looking forward to the opportunity to work with people (maybe even you?!! wink wink) because I know how hard it can be to be in a fitness rut. I will be your buddy from day 1 and help you get to your happy place 🙂

If you have any questions or want more info, please feel free to email me at jennifer(dot)l(dot)linton(at)gmail(dot)com

Making a Bold Statement

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I feel the need to talk about workouts and/or fitness right now. I haven’t really addressed it lately on the blog. [Don’t get me wrong, I am still SUPER active, I’m just SO active with work-workouts-life-and such that I haven’t really focused and sharing some of this stuff!]
 
I’m a terrible writer, so  bear with me here.
 
Around this time last year I lost a ton of weight. Not drastically. Unemployment allowed me to focus on any and every workout I wanted, plus I could exercise a lot more restraint in the eating department. If I was bored [and that was a LOT] it was usually something I’d remedy at my desk with a snack. The big ‘U’ [referring to unemployment, don’t get lost!] allowed me to just nap it off. Or take the dogs for a walk. Or head to the mall and window shop for however long I pleased.
 
Back to that weight loss thing. SO. I loved the way I looked. More importantly, I loved the way I felt<– most likely a result of how the way I looked. I wasn’t killing myself in the gym, yet I was buying smaller and smaller pants.
 
Then my trip back home in January happened. Once I got in mom’s kitchen, I just couldn’t stop eating. Eating and working out. More eating….more working out. Blah. My main focus then was making sure I fit into my wedding dress by July. HUGE STRESSOR THERE YOU GUYS.
 
The scale barely moved.
Then I discovered hot yoga. The scale didn’t go back down, but my body responded beautifully to the new practice, and I was in love with the way my muscles looked and felt.
Then I got into more heavy lifting. And I saw the muscles really pop.
Heavier weights=more muscle= weight gain because muscle weighs more than fat.
 
(The above paragraph was a 4 month time-lapse, FYI)
 
Now, I don’t dare get on that nasty little scale. I know the number is going to be higher than it was last year, but it’s because I enabled my body to gain more muscle and change through a variety of different and new fitness activities. And I LOVE how I feel because of it. I’m going to bold the next sentence because it’s a heck of a statement for *me* to make.
 
I am more proud of what my body is able to do than what a scale could ever tell me.
 
Besides, if I brought my scale to Jupiter, I would be crazy obssessing over a number that would be well over 300 lbs 😉 (check out the link here if you want to see what your weight would be on other planets!)
 
That statement has taken me just about 27 years to realize. And I am SOOO happy to come to terms with it.
 
Soon after starting my new job, I noticed some changes in my body that immediately triggered thoughts that I would gain it all back because I was back at a desk job. But then I reminded myself that my eating is a LOT better, I am getting in a 2 mile walk at lunch each day (something not done at previous job) AND I’m working out 5-6 days a week, remembering to change up my workouts so that I don’t fall into a routine [routine= SLUMP].
 
If I eat something crappy, I know it’s just one meal/snack and that I have a liftime of workout/healthy eating opportunities to reset from what is, in retrospect, a very minor teeny tiny setback. Plus chances are I ate said rappy thing because I WANTED it, and pleasing the brain is just as important! Craving met= crisis of binging later averted.
 
So that, my dear friends, is what has been happening with ME lately. Lots of physical, emotional, and mental changes.
 
Be sure to check in on Thursday for this week’s edition of “Latests.” I’ll be linking up to some of the workouts I’ve been doing lately!

Stuff on the Internets

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*Just add to add this little story before publishing. Last night, a friend on twitter mentioned that she had just ordered pizza online for the first time. It immediately made me think of a story which I promised to include in this post, as it’s longer than the 140 character twitter limit.

SO. A few years ago, my ex and I were at my parents house in NY. They were in Florida for a few months, and their house was the halfway point between where he and I were living at the time. The first night we were together at the house, we decided to have a few drinks and hang out at the house. Fast forward to around 1AM and we were pretty drunk and STARVING. Since my parents were gone for quite some time, there was no food in the house. We decided to register and order a pizza online since it was pretty much the only available option.

We set up a profile for Domino’s pizza, entered my parents address, picked our poison, and prepaid. About 10 minutes later, the pizza arrived at our door. Genius idea, Dominos. Genius.

Ok, now fast forward about a year- year and a half. I was back at my apartment in Boston. I was out drinking with a friend and we decided to share a cab home. He ended up coming to my apartment for a food break (we tried to get the cabbie to stop for Chinese on the way home because we were STARVING. Cabbie wasn’t too keen on the idea). So we get into my apartment and start scavenging the kitchen for food. Pretty much the only thing that was remotely meal-like were a bunch of frozen dinners. Meh.

I had the brilliant idea of using the online pizza service. My friend got really enthused, and we quickly forgot about Chinese food. We logged in, picked our pizzas, paid, and waited. 

And waited.

And waited.

About an hour after the order was submitted (roughly 2AM), I get a call from my mom. There was a guy on their front porch (IN NEW YORK) with our pizzas. 200 miles away. 

I couldn’t stop laughing. 

My dad was PISSED.

I hadn’t changed the account information for my ‘pizza profile’ in over a year, so they still had my parents home address in the system!!!

AHAHAHA.

End of the story: My friend and I had those frozen dinners. And my parents had pizza the next night.

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Now, onto regularly scheduled posting:

Yet more things I have found on the internet to share. Perhaps they will inspire you. Perhaps it’s just some additional reading. Here we go:

FOOD

1. Cheesy Spinach ‘n Chobani Enchilada Bake. I am totally making this in the near future. Only, it won’t be with Chobani because they don’t sell the stuff here. Oikos to the rescue!

2. Creamy Almond Butter Fudge. Ummm, say whaaaaaaa? I am drooling. Need to jump on this one stat.

3. Wait, wait, wait. Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Overload Bars?! Yeah, I need to make those too. Even though I am pretty proud of my streak of not eating chocolate. Wonder how long that will last..

4. Perfectly Easy Pancakes. I’m actually already pretty familiar with this recipe. It just reminded me that I really need an immersion blender.

5. I once tried beef in the crock pot and royally failed. However, since this recipe uses beer WITH beef in the crock pot, I think I might try again.

6. Another enchilada recipe to add to the long list of other waiting to be made. I seriously need to start making them. I’m afraid I’ll love them way too much though. This just reminded me of the first and FAVORITE Mexican Restaurant my parents and I would go to when I was little: El Conejo in Irvina, CA. I just googled it and saw that it closed a few years ago. Sad.

7. Now this is a genius idea. I think I need to make these for when we go on long walks with the dog. Or really, when I want to sit a veg (because we know the latter of the two is more likely). Trail Mix Peanut Butter Cookies. Oh my Lawd it incorporates the best of almost every world (except the tequila world. but JUST YOU WAIT for what I have to say about THAT later!)

8. At my parents house, my mom would make Hollandaise sauce from scratch. Confession: Tyler and I now make it from a packet. Oof. I recently came across this recipe that makes it appear to be much easier than I remember back home.

(I have about 5029735209375 other recipes flagged on my computer. Ahhhh, to take the time to share them all..)

HEALTH

1. I just flagged this post because it really struck a chord. Finding your happy weight. I still haven’t found mine. There are too many issues that I’ve had with eating and dieting and fitness and body image and negativity for me to have completely weeding through all that to find my happy weight. Tina explains that it’s a feeling rather than a number. Yeah, still trying to get over that too.

2. Oh, and this post, too. I secretly love knowing that there are other people out there having the same struggles as me. (Not happy that we are all struggling, but you know what I mean). It’s about food. My best and worst enemy. Especially when it comes to wearing pants that have a button and a zipper and less than 90% spandex.

3. How to Eat Healthy on a Budget. Guys, it’s possible. I did it in Boston when I was making approx. 4 cents an hour at my previous job.

4. Ahh, I loved this post. Janetha had a comment on one of her previous posts that she addressed. And her response was phenom. The comment was in regards to her projecting a healthy lifestyle, yet still getting sick. She addressed the sick part, then the response evolved into things she does that fall outside of the ‘healthy living’ circle. It’s only normal, right? You have one life so live it. Out of all the healthy living blogs I subscribe to, I identify with her the most. If you don’t already read her blog, you should!

5. Remember Fraggle Rock?! This video montage shows that were actually pretty depressing. (I’m afraid to admit I actually laughed while watching this.)

6. 5 Superfoods to eat in April. Have you been eating any on the list? (If you have, and have a cool recipe, send ’em this-a-way!)

7. Dara Torres says that exercise helps her sleep. I totally agree. I LOVE when I do a late night workout, come home, shower, and fall into bed. Then, it’s lights out for Jen for the WHOLE night. Lately, I’ve been doing my workouts in the afternoon (due to digestion issues) and I’m really bummed I don’t get that workout high right before beddy-by time.

FITNESS

1. Here’s a sweet poster that might address things you didn’t know: 40 Facts About Fitness

2. A challenge for women to go shirtless (not in the skanky way. In the ‘be-secure-about-your-body’ way.) Oh and ladies, while you’re shirtless, you’ll be participating in group fitness classes. Tie ’em down if you knowwhatimean.

3. An article that addresses the best way to change up your workouts. It wasn’t what I thought! (But totally makes sense)

4. Don’t forget to stretch! Athena explains some great upper body stretches.

You Turn: Have anything to share from the internet that stuck out to you this week? Link up in the comment section!

Fx4

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Thought I’d talk a little bit today about my Food, Fitness and Fashion favorites as of late. 

FOOD

–Protein, obviously. I think I need to scale it back a bit because I have been experiencing some digestive issues, but that’s a whole other discussion.

-Fruit. I can’t get enough berries in my everyday eats. Strawberries, blackberries, blueberries and grapefruits have been my favorites. Especially when I can get a ton of the berries from Costco on the cheap. And- these suckers:

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Specifically the Sundia brand not only because they have consistent quality, but because they also come with a collapsable spork!

-Red Peppers. Raw. So sweet, and they go with everything.

Fashion

Haha, well that’s kind of a joke. I haven’t bought new clothes in ages because I don’t really wear clothes. Let me rephrase: I don’t really wear real clothes. I tend to stick with workout clothes and bangaround jammies. I guess I can still tell you things I’ve been eyeing lately.

-Colored jeans.

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Dude, I have been searching high and low for pairs of colored jeans that not only FIT right, but also FIT my budget. The ones I have come across so far that are within my budget are so ill-fitting it’s ridiculous. I am not the only almost-6-foot lady with hips and a butt. C’mon retailers!

-Big watches.

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Yeah, I managed to snag one from Target when I was home in January!

–Essie nail polish. 

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Of course, this brand comes with a slightly higher price tag than most others, but it is completely worth it! The polish doesn’t bubble or stay tacky for long and it perfectly coats each nail. And they have tons of colors. And I need more….

–Moroccanoil. 

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Just a TINY drop combed through hair after washing, and it gives you silky, smooth, rich-smelling hair. I have gone through TONS of different products over the years, and this is BY FAR the best I’ve come across that helps manage my frizzy nasty head of hair.

FITNESS

Let’s be serious, I could post 203597203957203957209 things regarding fitness that I love. I mean, it’s pretty much my life. But, for the sake of you actually reading this post, I will limit my recent favorites to just a few.

–TRX.

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It can be incorporated in just about EVERY type of workout. I use it to change up my regular strength moves, AND I get some cardio in when introducing plyometrics, the bands, and my own body weight. It’s pretty fantastic. And if you haven’t heard of DOMS, you will know it after doing TRX.

–Gliding Discs.

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Similar to how I use my TRX bands, I use these discs to change up my regular strength moves. I could do lunges till the cows come home, but use a disc- and I will reach fatigue much faster (because I have to use more muscle strength to slide the disc to its destination and back to its starting position. Sure, you can use paper plates, but these are sturdy. I even threw them in my suitcase for my last trip home because they took up no space!

–Best Body Bootcamp.

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Yup, I’ve been linking to this for ages now- because I really love it. Tina outlines every workout- giving modifications and substitutions. Round 5 sign up starts soon, so take a look! It’s only $25 for 8 weeks of workouts- and there are cash prizes and a great online community and support system throughout the process.

-Running Shoes. I have been really going back and forth as to which running shoes will be my next purchase. I have heard some great things about Mizuno (and it’s coming from distance runners! If they like the shoe for 20+ miles, I’m betting I’ll like them for my 4 mile runs.)

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I’ve narrowed it down to the Wave Rider 16s (on the left) and the Elixir 8s (on the right). Help!- not just for the color choice, but for the comfort/durability/etc. of each shoe.

 

That’s all for now!

Tell me: What are your recent favorites in fashion, fitness or food??

A fitness post, if you will

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Let’s center this post around FITNESS. Because I love it. And I don’t think I talk about it enough.

 

Why do I love fitness so much? Because it makes me feel good and look good and keeps me healthy! 5 years ago, my workout routine was cardio, cardio, cardio. Granted, I was on a collegiate volleyball team (and coincidentally 35 lbs heavier), I never paid much attention to the importance of strength conditioning. Um hello…why not?! Booze and boys, that’s why

AFTERBURN people. Mmmm, delicious afterburn.

Onto a fitness survey I have starred in my Google Reader on several occasions, but just now getting around to completing for myself. (I c+p’d the questions from Christina’s blog)

1. Run/workout in the heat and humidity or freezing cold temps and snow?

HEAT. I love the sweat. Love, love, love it. I remember playing club soccer in California and practice would be from 12-2 in the summer and we would DIE. And afterwards, I was in glorious heaven. I am a California girl and love me some warm weather. I HATE cold. Super hate it. Snow? MMmmnope, not going outside. Funny now since I live in friggin’ Canada.

2. Washboard abs or flat abs?

I’d like to say a mixture of both. I don’t want to look scary manly, nor do I want model-flat abs. So long as there is no muffin top.

3. Dr. Oz or The Doctors?

Neither. But I have managed to catch a few snippets of Ozzie boy and he sure does talk about farts and poop a lot. So, if I had to choose, I’d pick him.

4. Cardio or strength?

BOTH. (See above) Some days though, I can’t manage to do cardio- so I make do with a super intense strength session- and vice versa. I think I have a healthy balance in my weekly workouts.

5. Cravings: Protein or carbs?

Always carbs. Have you seen my ass? It’s loaded with the after effects of carbs. In California, my mom and I would always hit up Safeway after I got outta school (you know, where they guarantee fresh bread at 4pm every day?) And she would buy two loaves- one for dinner- and the other for me to ‘rat’ out the innards. I loved bread centers. Of course, I am more mindful now…

6. Jillian Michaels or Bob Harper?

Jillian! She is hard AND hilarious, which I love. I have a couple of her videos and I love how she loves to kill her demo girls then talk about how she’s a hard ass. I have learned lots of new moves from her because she’s like, everywhere in the fitness world.

7. Frozen Yogurt or Ice Cream?

Difficult. Depends on where I am. Soft serve in NY, Froyo in Boston, and hard ice cream here. Soft serve is ALWAYS a twist with rainbow sprinkles

 

Froyo is chocolate with any and every chocolate topping, Hard is cookies ‘n cream. The end.

8. To train: Upper body or Lower body?

I feel immediate results with upper body, but I love DOMS in my lower body.

9. Protein powder or food with protein?

I just declared my love for protein powder, but if I had to choose, I’d rather find foods with protein. But you’ll still find me with a shake here and there.

10. Lunges or squats?

SQUATS

 

Source

 

11. Sweet or salty?

Sweet! Wait for my post on August foodie penpals this Friday. My pen pal hit the nail. ONTHEHEAD with that one.

12. Workout attire: cute or comfy?

Both. But I’d rather be comfortable.

 

See? Not cute.

13. Body Pump or Heavy lifting?

Never done Body Pump….so….heavy lifting?

14. Yoga or Pilates?

Gross, neither. But a lot of exercises I do incorporate Pilates-type moves.

15. Nike or Adidas?

Don’t currently purchase either. But I do rock a couple pairs of Nike shorts that have those built in undies. And I haven’t cut them out.

 

16. Running on the treadmill or outdoors?

I like the treadmill because if you cut the run short, you’re still in the same place. But, intervals go by WAY faster on the road. More stuff to look at.

17. Whole Foods or Trader Joe’s?

I have neither here! So sad. But I used to hit up TJ’s every Thursday on the way home from teaching a strength class. My usual purchases: seaweed snax, sunflower butter, whole wheat english muffins, hummus, sweet potato chips, pumpkin waffle mix, maple syrup, beans, coconut water. Crap, now I’m craving all that stuff.

18. Summer or Winter Olympics?

Summer. No joke, I watched all televised broadcasts this year. Obsessed. Winter olympics make me cold. And I don’t like skiing.

19. Exercise classes or Exercise videos?

Classes for the win, Alex. Oh man, I miss the 20495720937 I used to take/teach in Boston. My bootcamp here is just not the same. And I haven’t found a single indoor class that I like yet.

20. Steamed veggies or roasted veggies?

Both. I roast them more often than not. But a veggie is a veggie is a veggie, so I’ll eat it however way it’s cooked.

weird carrot

Wanna take the survey? Or just answer one of the questions? Comment below! I’d love to hear what you’ve got!

Other reading:

10 minute full-body workout– FitSugar

16 ways to get more out of the gym– Greatist