The last few weeks have been surreal and a whirlwind as I’ve absorbed the news of coronavirus and worked to figure out what the new normal looks like. All of that was such a distraction that I thought that I was fine as I worked diligently to refocus my efforts and energy and make sense of what was happening. And then on Monday the reality of the situation sunk in, and to be honest…I am not doing super great.
Here’s an accurate visual of where I’m at right now. I was talking to my mom about it yesterday and she gently reminded me that we’ve never been though something as uncertain as this in our lifetimes. She also shared how comforting she has found the serenity prayer during times of unease and uncertainty.
God, grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change,
the courage to change the things I can,
and the wisdom to know the difference.
Living one day at a time,
enjoying one moment at a time;
accepting hardship as a pathway to peace;
taking, as Jesus did,
this sinful world as it is,
not as I would have it;
trusting that You will make all things right
if I surrender to Your will;
so that I may be reasonably happy in this life
and supremely happy with You forever in the next.
Exhibit number one of things keeping me “reasonably happy.” (Okay, more than reasonably but sometimes his tantrums make me question that…kidding…sort of!) 😉
Exhibit number two of things helping me to “live one day at a time.”
Focusing on work (and in doing so also working out!) has been necessary not only to preserve my mental sanity but to support my family. I have been teaching a lot of livestream classes for the studios with whom I partner with, and filming classes on my own to offer on demand. I’ve been shocked at how much these semi-normal and routine things have helped me to destress and feel lighter.
ON DEMAND STRENGTH, HIIT AND YOGA CLASSES
I have been working so freaking hard to film on-demand strength, HIIT and yoga classes that you guys can stream at home. I have been hyper-focused on providing high-quality, studio-like classes and I hope that you guys love them.
Here is a link to stream my strength and HIIT workouts. If that link isn’t working yet, use this one…we are still waiting for some servers to update. To remember where to find these it’s www.fitness.peanutbutterrunner.com.
Note, you can “rent” individual workouts for 48-hours or opt to pay a flat fee to stream all of them for 30 days. There are three classes available now and I will be adding more regularly until there are 10 in the library. At that point, I’ll add one new class per week! ()
And here’s the link to stream my power yoga classes. If that link isn’t working yet, use this one…we are still waiting for some servers to update. To remember where to find these it’s www.yoga.peanutbutterrunner.com.
Same thing applies here… you can rent individual classes or pay a flat fee for unlimited streaming for 30-days. I will be adding new classes regularly!
If you’ve always wanted to workout with me or take my classes…the time is now! 🙂 I am so grateful for your support and love!
LIFE LATELY
Staying close to home but taking in the beauty of my neighborhood in spring. We have the most gorgeous flowers, flowering bushes and flowering trees. I took a few photos on a walk over the weekend because my grandmother misses seeing flowers like this now that she’s in Florida (she loves her palm tree and ocean view but misses birds and flowers!).
Benji is always excited to go on a walk, and walks are bringing me a whole lot of grounding. I adore how he leans up against things and smiles. This is a favorite pose of his.
Morning moods.
Benji and Finn hanging out under his outdoor play structure.
Finn spends half of his time in the backyard yelling, “Zoey, Benji…mere.” “Mere” being a shortened version of “come here.” Loves having them close.
And they always want to be close by. In this photo they were waiting for Finn to wake up from a nap.
Last photo is from my trip to Whole Foods last weekend to grocery shop. It was both comforting and anxiety inducing at the same time. They were limiting the number of people in the store and had someone monitoring the front door and letting one person in as one left. They were also sanitizing all of the carts by hand as you walked in. The aisles had tape marking six feet of distancing. They were limiting the quantities of things that you could buy. For checkout, you had to stand back in the aisle and wait for a register to open. They were sanitizing the register area between each customer.
These are crazy times. Hold on tight, friends. I pray that you all do the things you do to help yourself stay sane and grounded, and that you stay healthy and well.
Again, thank you for your support and kindness. Let me know if you have any special class requests and I’ll do my best to make them happen!
Love,
Jen
I would love to try taking some of your online classes! Just a heads up that neither link you shared is working. When I click it, I get a message that says “www.fitness.peanutbutterrunner.com’s server IP address could not be found.”
Thanks for letting me know. They’re working on my end but my developer said they could take up to 72 hours for DNS servers to update. In the meantime, you can use these links! https://vimeo.com/ondemand/jeneddinsfitness and https://vimeo.com/ondemand/jeneddinsyoga.
Thanks so much!
That picture with the hills and valleys is such an accurate description of how I’m feeling these days! That verse that your mom shared is very comforting… thanks for sharing! The picture of Benji by the door- could he be any cuter?! Looking forward to taking some of your classes 🙂
Hi! I did your grounding power yoga class last night and it was SO GOOD. Thank you!! I like a pretty quick active flow and it was perfect. It’s been a rough couple weeks for my family (my dad’s partner of 10 years had to be put into a nursing home with advanced Alzheimer’s , my dad got a cancer diagnosis, my 12.5 year old dog had to be put down, not to mention Covid-19) and during one of the child’s poses in that class you said something like “in this pose, right now, you are safe” and I almost started crying because I didn’t realize how horribly unsafe I feel ALL the time right now. I needed to hear that there are some safe moments amidst all this stuff going on. I’m super excited to see that we can pay a flat rate and get access to all the classes! Your video was very well done. I felt just like I was in a class with you. Looking forward to seeing the additional classes you add!
Hi Kimberly,
Thank you so much for your comment, feedback and for sharing so open and honestly. My heart broke to read your message. I am grateful that I could bring you any small amount of grounding and peace during such a difficult and uncertain time of life. I am sending you so much love…that is all really tough stuff. It often seems that it all happens at the same time. Please let me know if there is anything that I can do for you.
Love,
Jen
Oh, Jen, THANK YOU! I talked to my mom, and she was like, “What’s wrong with you – everything is fine!” I’m working from home, my kids are rockstars, and I’m so SO grateful to have my job. But everything feels scary and heavy and when I feel as disconnected as I do now, I’m convinced everyone hates me:( I’m SO in my own head right now.
I’m also aware that if I had to go through coronavirus with a toddler, I MIGHT go insane. My first son was SO DIFFICULT at age 2. He is a wonderful 14 year old now, but he was a horrendous 2-year old. So if you ever feel like you are going crazy with Finn, just cut yourself some slack. My son and I actually laugh now about all the times he bit me and had massive tantrums. Now, he is so sweet and reasonable.
I’m excited to do your workouts!! xoxo
I so relate with what you share in your first paragraph. <3
All things considered, I am really lucky with Finn but toddlers are just super intense. I love it but it's mentally exhausting. I am certain we will laugh over some of these stories one day too! 🙂
Thank you so much for sharing your workout classes online. I’ve always wanted to take a class with you, so I’m excited to try one! I’m wondering if you’d be able to guide a prenatal yoga flow. I’m sure pregnant ladies would benefit a ton from yoga during this crazy time!
You are so welcome and I will add a prenatal flow to the class list. No problem!
Thanks for the workouts and for giving another link. I thought my computer was on the fritz at first. I hope to be able to try them soon to get some stress out and feel more normal. Seriously, thanks for doing this. As a nurse practitioner who is working on the front lines in this, it has been pretty rough at times. We are not as bad off as some places are, but considering we are in a hot spot, we are at the tipping point where my worst nightmare of being overwhelmed can happen.
I am lucky I have a partner that is able to work from home and help with childcare. He gets to deal with the toddler more. Plus never feel bad if you ever get driven crazy or get sick of your kid at times. As much as I love my kid, I acknowledge that toddlers are little monsters and can be a challenge. My sister, who has older children, said her kids were awful at the toddler stage, then wonderful, awful as they entered their teens, then are wonderful now.
You are very welcome. Thank you for your service, I cannot imagine the stress that you are under.
I’m grateful to moms who acknowledge that the toddler phase is hard! I love it and we have a ton of fun but it’s mentally and physically exhausting…all the time!
What is the brand of the outside playhouse / slide? Looking for get one for our daughter of the same age. Thank you ???
Hi – it’s this one: https://www.step2.com/p/naturally-playful-woodland-climber-ii.
Thank you so much for letting us know about the online classes. I’m an instructor as well and both of my gyms are closed. Not teaching has really tested my sanity as has being quarantined with two teenagers. I appreciate your honesty so much. Last week I was great but this week I’ve not been doing so well. I’m not much of a crier but this week the tears just seem to be right there.