Lazy me! But big announcement :)

So I have totally and completely slacked with my blog...  but I have a great excuse!  

We are expecting :)  

Baby Ostergren will be making his or her arrival in July!!

I wish that I were one of the lucky ones that has a breezy pregnancy and feels amazing...  but I'm not!  I've had morning (which really means all-day!) sickness and I am completely exhausted 24/7!  I'm hoping that this goes away sometime soon and I start to feel like a normal person again!!  But for now, it's lots of sprite & very light meals, and LOTS of sleep :)

We are super excited- and very surprised- and I can't wait to find out if we are being blessed with a boy or a girl!  I have my first ultrasound on the 9th but I'm pretty sure it will be too early to tell the gender!

I'm keeping up with my workouts (although they aren't quite at the intensity that they were a few months ago!) and hoping to get back to a mostly-paleo diet sometime soon!  I'll keep you guys updated :)

Diets Diets Diets...

I really don't like the word 'DIET' - to me, it just sounds like something horrible!  People often ask me about the best diet for weight loss, the best diet for muscle building, the best diet for blah blah blah...  honestly, most of those fad diets WILL work.  Temporarily. Very temporarily.  And then, you are probably going to be worse off then when you started in the first place!  I know that my clients don't like to hear this so I doubt if you will either, but slow & steady is the way to go.  A healthy, balanced nutrition plan (or 'diet' if you must call it that!) combined with exercise is the best way to achieve your goals.  Your results will happen, and they will not be short-term (unless you decide to go back to your bad habits, then they will not last!)

There are many healthy ways to go about it, but find a way that works with you & your lifestyle.  It needs to be something that you can make into a lifestyle, not a 2 week starvation diet!

I generally (I say 'generally' because yes, I eat cake sometimes!  And that is just fine!!) follow a plan that is something like this (Remember, this is just what works for me.  You need to find something that works for you, but it needs to include healthy eating & exercise!):

Exercise: hard core!  Heavy weights 3x per week at least.  Cardio about every time I work out.  I usually take 1-2 days to rest each week.

Nutrition: Semi-Paleo.  I go through spurts where I am hard-core-Whole30-Paleo-no-cheating Jen.  And other spurts where I focus on 'mostly paleo' nutrition.  Meaning: I focus on lean proteins, veggies, fruits, nuts, and more fruits :)  But I will allow a few cheats.  My cheats don't usually involve dairy, that is one thing that I've learned that my stomach doesn't love!  But, if it's a birthday I will eat a piece of cake!  And on Thanksgiving, I'll be eating some stuffing :-)
Another thing that I am very consistent with is supplements.  I'm super picky about which ones I take, and I've tried LOTS of different brands!  

My main point is to avoid the fad diets!  Look for a long-term solution, not a quick fix!

Approaching 3,000 views!

WOW!  I am so excited that people are reading my blog!  Now I just need to make sure that I am on here more to update it :) 

So here is an update on my crazy life!

Things have been busy- and not necessarily all in a fantastic way!  It's the holiday season, so there are bound to be challenges that come up!  (Like my hubby's work truck breaking down...  like "ca-put it's done for and needs to be replaced" kind of breaking down...  nice timing!) It's been an overall challenging 2012 for us, but I keep telling myself that we are putting God in control and that He has a plan! (& that He won't give me more than I can handle- I repeat that one quite often!!) 

On the postitive side, Pat has stayed busy with work & my clients are the best clients in the world :) :)  I am seeing such amazing results with them, and their hard work & nutrition changes are making a huge difference!  Not only appearance-wise, but also in their overall energy and lifestyle!  I love hearing that they can fit into a smaller size, but I LOVE LOVE LOVE when they tell me that they are off of some med's and able to play ball with their kids or grandkid's!!  I want them to be happy & healthy & to enjoy their life!

FAITH:
We have been visiting High Street Baptist Church for the past few weeks & we are really enjoying it!  When you go somewhere that makes you want to be involved & gets people excited to serve and do His will, then it's a positive thing!  We are still praying about it, and trusting that God is guiding us where we need to be!  Trust is a major part of faith- and lately it's a huge part of our lives!  We are leaving it in God's hands as to where we get involved or what happens, but please pray for us!  I am excited/scared/worried all at the same time, and relying on FAITH & TRUST :)

FAMILY:
Family life is going well!  Here are a few pic's of the last few weeks- enjoy!

Elisabeth & I ran the Bass Pro 5k race last week- she ran almost the whole way, and I am SOOOO proud of her!  Overall time was 35:50, a big improvement from the 42 minutes last Thanksgiving!

Pat & Elisabeth, perfecting their handshake!  This was a fun evening of bowling :)

My handsome nephew spent the day with me last week & got to come to the gym!  He will be my little helper on days that I get to babysit :)

My daughter cheering at a middle school basketball game :)  Go Reed!!

Cheer competition last weekend! 

Holding her baby cousin before they performed!

OH YEAH!!  Champions!  'Jungle Cats' :)

My girl :)  Love her!!

FITNESS:

Like I mentioned above, my classes & personal training sessions are really going fantastic!  God has blessed me with some awesome clients!  They are working hard, trying to implement my nutrition suggestions, and getting some really good results!  

Send me a message at trainingbyjen@hotmail.com and we will chat :)

~Jen

Day 6 of Thankfulness :)

Today I am thankful that I have the right to vote! No excuses- your vote counts!!

Day 5 of thankfulness!

I'm thankful for my parents- through it all, they have always been there for me! And they are awesome grandparents for Elisabeth!! Love you guys! :-)


Oops I forgot to post this yesterday! So I'm catching up today!

Day 2 of Thankfulness

Let me start by saying that we should ALWAYS be thankful!  I'm just choosing to go along with the Facebook theme & voice it throughout this month!  So for my second day, I'm thankful for my hubby!  He surprised me with Starbucks coffee when I got home this morning (major points for a Friday morning!  woohoo!!) but he is always someone to be thankful for!  God placed us in each others lives at just the right time, and I'm excited to see how our journey goes!  We have been together for 4 years now, and it's felt perfect from day #1!  It hasn't always been perfect, but through the up's and down's and challenges of life we are going to face it together :)

Thankfulness Day 1! And October follow-up!

October was a whirlwind of business!  Here are a few updates!

October 30 Day Nutrition Challenge:
It went pretty well!  I lost 7 pounds, 1" in my waist, 0.75" in my hips, 1" in my thighs, and 1" in my arms...  and while all of that was awesome (!) the main improvement has been with my energy level & overall feeling of wellness!  I feel good, and not dragging or lacking energy all of the time like I had been!  I do think that eating right makes a huge difference in your body!  I think that I have found a good combination for my body to function & perform better!  My lifts are heavier, and my strength is improving!  Overall, the challenge was a success- I am back on track!

FAITH:
Last week we went to my brother & sister-in-law's church to see my nephew's baby dedication!  It was awesome!!  I got a little teary eyed when the pastor spoke about how awesome God is - Graysen is a good example of that!  He was healed completely of his heart issue :)  When things get tough- when they seem out of control, just remember that HE is in control!  Things don't always happen in a way that we want or understand, but they always work out perfectly in the end!

Happy little guy!

FAMILY:

Here are a few pic's of the family from the past week!

Nerd day!

Sleepy little giraffe!

Pumpkin carving contest at my mom's!

Me, Elisabeth & Teresa!  Rutledge Wilson Farm :)

My little zombie- Trick or Treat!!

Rutledge Wilson Farm 2012 - The fam (minus Pat!)

Checking out the pumpkin patch

She found one!

Me & my brother & Graysen!

FITNESS:

Like I mentioned before, fitness & nutrition are going pretty good!  I survived the 30 day challenge & got some good results!  I did have some candy last night :)  (for those that think I never eat anything bad- I had a mini-Snicker's bar & it was yummy!)

I'm going to start a 'Thankful List' for each day before Thanksgiving- I'm never good at posting on here daily, so I'll either post it on here or on my Facebook page so make sure you're following my page!  www.facebook.com/trainingbyjen :)

November 1, 2012 - I am thankful for a loving God!  Because without Him, none of the rest of it would matter!  He makes everything else awesome, and definitely helps out my family and guides us in times of STRESS :)  All of the rest of the things that I am thankful for pale in comparison!

26 Days of paleo, plus a few pics :)

Well, I've made it 26 days!   (October Nutrition Challenge - woohoo!  It's almost done!)  I've stuck to the plan about 98% of the time, and I'm feeling pretty good!  My workouts are definitely improving- today I beat my record for dead hang pull-up's (which is still too low to post my results & keep my chin up, but at least it's improving!) 

Here we go with the latest update in my crazy life :)



FAITH:
We've been visiting a new church the past few weeks, and it's good to see a different point of view and perspective from some amazing peep's!  The lessons have been applicable and the people are pretty amazing!  I'm just waiting to see what the 'Big Guy' has planned for our family :)  I have faith that God will lead us exactly where He wants us to go!

FAMILY:
We are getting ready to have a great family-filled weekend!  My sister, her new puppy, and her friend Jill are coming up to visit for the weekend!  Lot's of family get-together's will be occuring, including the baby dedication of Graysen this Sunday!  Here are a few pic's of the last week or so-

Spirit Week at Reed Academy!  This is after the dance :)

My little nerd :)  Today was another dress-up day for the middle school!  We also went and had a 'coffee breakfast' at her school bright & early!

This was from October 11th, at Bri & Drew's wedding - I LOVE this candid shot!!

Woohoo~!  It's complete!  This is a dresser that we sanded down & re-stained, and added new hardware.  It is like a brand new dresser now!  Re-furb'g furniture may be a new hobby of mine!

Yep, all A's!  We are super proud of my kiddo!

Obviously taken BEFORE the Cardinal's blew the series (note: we were still smiling!)

Pat built this frame - how amazing is he?!  The painting is from my sister, from Papua New Guinea!

FITNESS:
Like I mentioned at the beginning of this post, it's going pretty darn good!  I would love to say that I dropped oodle's of pounds & I am super cut with a 6 pack, but...  that hasn't quite happened yet! :)  However, I'm lifting much heavier and running is (I should say "was", until I hurt my foot- GRRR!) much better & easier!  My pull-up's are finally improving.  The dead-hang, not kipping or flailing legs versions :)  Although those are probably not-so-awkward-looking these days, too! 

Nutrition really ties into getting good results.  I know that we read it & see all of the funny pin's on pinterest, but it's really true.  They are both pieces of the health puzzle.  If you want to have definition and lose weight, you have to eat clean AND workout.  If you ask any one of the people in fitness magazines what their routine is to get those lean lines & cut ab's, it will include clean eating.  Start with small changes- you do not have to do paleo!  I like paleo because it's easy & cut-and-dry, and I will do it.  But do eat cleaner.  Cut out the processed foods.  If you eat clean 80% of the time, you will see changes.  For myself, it's probably not going to happen 100% :)  But if you choose to do it 100%, go for it!  Your results will be awesome!




Have a wonderful Friday! I'm off to ice down my foot again & then get this house cleaned up!
xoxo, Jen :)

Day 19 out of 30 - October Nutrition Challenge!

 

I thought that this quote was appropriate for my week!  Today I am 19 days into a 30 day nutrition challenge, along with some other friends.  I'm seeing some results and feeling much better than I was a few weeks ago!  I already feel like I've made an accomplishment :)  The decision to "try" was not an easy one to come to though.  I've done paleo and Whole30 challenges before and I know that they work.  BUT I also know that it's challenging at first... detoxing your body of the bad stuff (ie- preservatives in food, sugar, etc.) is SOOOOOO good for your health, but it's also challenging both mentally & physically!  You (by 'you', I mean 'I') crave the stuff that you are depriving your body of (sugar & caffeine are my weaknesses!) and those first few weeks are not fun! 

 

Once you get past that part, you start to feel... good.  You have more energy, you are nice again (your family likes you again, haha!!), and you don't crave the bad stuff!  Instead of, for example, craving Swedish Fish, you grab a handful of almonds and it is awesome! 

 

By day 20 or so, it's easy-peasy.  The cravings are gone, you are feeling great, and seeing noticeable results.  But food choices (chicken, eggs, sweet potatoes, and salads, HAHA!) get boring so you have to search the internet for ways to spice up your diet!  By the end of the challenge, I know that I will be feeling even better. 

 

I think that this way of eating is something that is good for everyone to focus on.  I will be focusing on clean eating even after the challenge is done, simply because I know the health benefits.  If you want to get good results in the gym, you HAVE to eat clean.  Cut out the junk food, and strive to eat for your health!

 

 

 

 

Are you facing a lot of challenges?  Remember that God is there for you!  Philippians 4:13 is a great reminder- He gives you strength & with His help, you can do anything!

 

 

 

LOVE this <3

 

 

It's Friday!! Nutrition, wedding, and FAITH!

It's Day #12 of the October Nutrition Challenge!  I'm happy to say that I made it through a wedding last night without breaking my 'rules' for the month!  The only cheat is that I got on the scale- happy to say that I'm down 4 pounds in 12 days- but the main thing is the muscle tone!  It's very improved!!  Clean eating is a good thing!  I'm feeling good, energy levels are up, and I can tell that I'm past the tough part of the challenge (detoxing from sugar- HAHA!)



Last night we attended the wedding of one of my good friends- it was such a special night!  They had a beautiful wedding, & I am so happy that I was able to be a part of their special day!  

Congrats to Mr. & Mrs. Green (& Connor! & Addyson!!!)

Me, Elisabeth & Bri at the end of the night!

Me & Pat

Me & Elisabeth

Here comes the bride!!!  With her dad & son :)

There goes Brae!  She was running, but the cutest flower girl ever :)  This picture makes me smile!!

Pat & Elisabeth dancing :)

The wedding definitely had me thinking about FAITH!  When I met Briana, we were both in rotten places in our personal lives.  Despite all of that, we have both moved forward in life & are truly happy now!  We used to say that we would be 80 year old bitter women hanging out together...  now that has changed!  We will still be great friends, but now we will get old together with Drew & Pat, watching our grandkids running around!  

I know that my faith in God has got me to the place where I am now.  Thankfully, He is a forgiving God & He loves us unconditionally!  We all make mistakes- being young certainly is not an excuse, but for those of us that had rough times when we were younger, it's never too late to turn your life around!  Pray about it, and make changes!  If you need to change the people that you spend time with, then do it.  Find happiness & don't give up until you do <3

Yummy Paleo Chocolate Chip cookies!

I've tried several different chocolate chip cookie recipes, & quite honestly didn't like most of them!  BUT, today I found a new recipe & it is DELICIOUS!  As in, I-shouldn't-have-made-a-whole-pan-because-I-may-eat-them-all delicious :)  The recipe that I based it on is from the Delighted Momma blog (www.delightedmomma.com) 

I tweaked it just a little bit, and here is what I did:

Paleo Chocolate Chip Cookies-

Ingredients:1 C of coconut flour
1/2 C of coconut oil
1/2 C of raw honey
4 eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla 
1/8 tsp salt
3/4 C Dark Chocolate (break into little chunks, or you could get the chips!)



Directions:

• Melt the honey and coconut oil in microwave until it's a liquid
• Mix together: coconut oil/honey mix, eggs, vanilla & salt.
• Stir in the coconut flour & chocolate chunks
• Roll into a ball & place on cookie sheet
• Bake for 12-15 minutes at 375 Degrees!

*Note- They pretty much stayed in a round shape, so you might want to flatten them a little bit before you bake them.  I think these would be good with nuts/craisins/etc- any additional stuff would be fine as long as it's paleo approved :)  In her original recipe she included coconut, but I'm not a big coconut fan so I left it out!

Mini Stuffed Peppers

Last Saturday while Elisabeth & I were at the park, Pat was working at the Botanical Center.  I have mentioned it before, but he's part of the Master Gardener program.  So he volunteers at stuff, and has some great knowledge on plants & gardening!  Well, on Saturday he was given a HUGE bag full of these mini peppers.  (I can't remember what the name was, but they look a lot like little bell peppers)  Tonight is their monthly meeting and it's his turn to bring food, so I decided to make stuffed peppers!  They can all try a dish out of the garden that they each volunteer in :)

 

Start with the little peppers.  Cut the tops off & de-seed, rinse.

 

 

For the stuffing, I used:

 

1 pound ground beef, cooked & drained

1 cup rice

1 small can of tomato sauce

 

Approx 1 T each of:

Italian Seasoning

Garlic powder

Onion powder

Worchestershire sauce 

 

Mix it all together!

 

You can use whatever seasonings you have on hand- fresh would probably have tasted better, but I don't feel like going to the store right now :)

 

 

 

 

Stuff each of the peppers nice & full!

 

 

Bake at 350* for 20 minutes!

 

 

I'll let you know how the group liked it!

 

PS- TOTALLY NOT A PALEO RECIPE!!!  If you left out the rice & added more beef & maybe some veggies, you would be on track!

Monday, October 8th 2012 ... aka: DAY 8 of Nutrition Challenge!

Well kids, we've made it up to 8 days in the October Nutrition Challenge!  Congrats to everyone that is keeping up so far (& if you've 'fallen off the wagon', pick yourself up & get back on it!)  Today I need to get some food prep & grocery shopping done, along with work, a basketball game that Elisabeth is cheering at, and work again tonight!  Busy day!!

FAITH:
We visited another local church yesterday, and the message and lesson that were taught hit pretty close to home (doesn't it always?!  Especially when you really listen!)  In the small group we talked about living through tough times...  in one form or another, I think that we are all facing some tough times.  Financial, family issues, marriage issues, work or lack therof, etc...  There is a lot of 'negative' going on in our world!  It made me think of the post that I made last week about visiting the estate sale...  anyhoo, this class referenced I Peter 1.  It's a good read because it shows you that all of these challenges and tough times are not the big picture!  Heaven is our home, not this world.  All of the worldy stuff that we worry about won't matter in the end!

1 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ,

To God’s elect, exiles scattered throughout the provinces of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia, ² who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to be obedient to Jesus Christ and sprinkled with his blood:

Grace and peace be yours in abundance.

 ³ Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, ⁴ and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, ⁵ who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. ⁶ In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. ⁷ These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. ⁸ Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, ⁹ for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
¹⁰ Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care, ¹¹ trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of the Messiah and the glories that would follow. ¹² It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you, when they spoke of the things that have now been told you by those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Even angels long to look into these things.



FAMILY:

 

Me & the hubby!

 

 

Me & Elisabeth- freezing at the park on Saturday!

 

 

This was a new addition at the park #NathanielGreenePark

 

 

 

 

 

 

We had a good weekend!  Nice & relaxing :)  Friday it was just Pat & I, so we watched a movie & relaxed at the house.  Saturday I slept in (yay!) and we spent the afternoon at the park.  We went to an art event Saturday evening and to dinner.  Sunday it was church, picked up Ryan, lunch with friends, and the afternoon at my parents!  Perfect weekend :)

FITNESS:


We began a new bootcamp session this morning!  I'm always excited about the new sessions- and I'm always excited to see my clients making progress!  I'll be doing fit testing today & tomorrow, and getting everything into the computer :)

Nutrition Challenge-
I think that it's going pretty well for everyone!  I know that a few people have made some non-paleo food choices,   *bad, bad!!* but you just need to start again!  Today is a new day, a new week, and you can do this is you set your mind to it!  The key is to be prepared :)

Personally, my fitness is going pretty well!  I've been really heavy on lifting and not much on cardio, so I need to increase my cardio some.  But my nutrition is good, supplements are good, and exercise is good! 


Have a great Monday friends!  And make sure that you leave comments if you're from the link-up so I know that you have visited!

Jen :)