Hi everyone. I hope the return to the real world after the long weekend was kind to all of you. Not gonna lie, I groaned when the alarm went off at 5:30 a.m. but once my feet were on the floor I made it a happy and productive day.
One thing that starts my days on such a good note is seeing my clients. Due to the fact that personal training is only a part of my overall job picture, I am able to be selective with my clients and I’m actually on a waiting list for new clients right now. Most of my current clients have been with me for a really long time and we’ve developed close friendships. I am a little embarrassed to admit to admit that I know more about my clients and they know more about me than some of my close friends. It’s just the nature of seeing someone every single week, sometimes twice a week.
The journey to becoming fitter, stronger, more self-confident and empowered in your body is a pretty special thing to share with someone. Over Labor Day weekend one of my clients texted me a photo of her looking incredible on the beach with her 15 month old son along with a note saying, “this is thanks to you for all the help to get me back in shape.”
I’m so excited to share more career stuff with you guys in the future. Speaking of what I’ll be sharing in the future…I’m currently in the process of planning out an outline of a fall editorial calendar for the blog and I’d love to hear from you. I posted on Facebook today that I would love your feedback on what you want to see more/less of, questions, topic requests, etc. Anything goes, I’m in a major planning/reorganization/rethinking mode. Leave a comment here or on the Facebook post.
Wow, I thought I was just going to share recent eats but I guess I had a lot more than that to say! Here they are…
Plain 2% greek yogurt, honey, strawberries, peaches, bananas, granola, dried cranberries and almond butter.
Green smoothie, scrambled eggs and avocado, espresso.
Snack plate. I am recently OBSESSED with avocado wrapped with deli turkey or chicken. So good. Also, cheese and crackers and fruit.
Speaking of fruit…my fridge is packed with watermelon, pineapple, peaches, plums, strawberries and more. Soaking up summer.
Salad with all of my favorite toppings…chicken, strawberries, blue cheese, mandarin oranges, pecans, dried cranberries and balsamic. Doesn’t this look like something I’d make at home?
Fresh figs baked with goat cheese and balsamic.
Chicken salad on a croissant. This was a highlight eat for sure. The chicken salad was my favorite type with grapes and nuts and you can NEVER go wrong with a croissant. Also, baby pickles on the side! It doesn’t get any better.
Taco night. One shredded pork taco and one shrimp taco…both crazy delicious. Mexican chopped salad on the side with chipotle ranch.
I made this salad for our Labor Day cookout. Mixed greens, arugula, strawberries, avocado, almonds, feta, dried cranberries and tomatoes dressed with lemon infused olive oil and aged balsamic.
And our Labor Day cookout dinner. I made the salad and the feta potato salad (recipe coming soon because it’s the best potato salad ever…) along with burgers. I topped my burger with guacamole, ketchup and dijon mustard.
There you have it! Don’t forget to weigh in on what you want to see more/less of. Have a great short week.
what a yummy start to the day!
Jen that salad looks delish! Where did you get it ? P.S. I live in the Charlotte area and am always looking for a good salad place! I love seeing that you eat real food and the recaps of what you ate always give me ideas on things to throw together. I have an affinity for all thing mexican flavored so I’ve been drooling over your recent eats! I also appreciate your workout recaps – although I don’t do crossfit, seeing the workouts is always fun, and often gives me ideas of new things I could throw in a HIIT workout at the gym during lunch! Thanks for sharing 🙂
hey sam! the salad is actually from duckworths on montford. i was pretty surprised to find such a delicious salad there! i am ALL about real food. life isn’t worth living if you can’t enjoy it. you have to try the new cantina on park road if you love mexican. i’ve also heard really great things about that new place on east blvd where longboards used to be. thanks for reading and happy that i can provide a little workout inspiration!
I LOVE “day in the life” post, and also hearing about home renovations. Also, have you ever thought about doing a 10 minute yoga video…maybe you’ve done it and I missed it?? But, I love being able to do quick videos when I don’t have time to go to the gym. 10 minutes is perfect!
hey brandy – thanks for the feedback. i really need to get on the yoga video content. i know!
Your salads are always delicious looking – I use this blog a lot for tasty salad inspirations. I love seeing highlights from weekly eats, weekly rundowns of workouts, and quick snippets of what’s going on in life so I’m inspired to make healthy/balanced eating and workouts a part of my crazy-busy life too. I also really like the posts about career inspiration and direction, particularly coming from a female point of view. Really, I can’t think of much that I’d want to be different!
amanda – i’m so happy to hear that you enjoy the content and thanks for the specific feedback. i feel very passionately about being a voice for women pursuing their career ambitions so thanks for that.
Love your little videos of stretches, yoga moves (maybe that’s more of an IG thing?), etc., and enjoy reading about your workouts. Would love more of that kind of content, and even sample workouts in a graphic form–nothing fancy, even just the text like you’ve usually had.
Also–maybe this perception is off, but you seem to eat more (obviously, generally clean eats, but still!) than many of the bloggers I follow, which is awesome, because your lifestyle feels more like what I would want for myself–being able to both enjoy lots of food and lots of exercise. I’m not a crossfitter, but I like to push myself with high intensity stuff or to up my weights when I’m strength training, but I also love yoga. So all that to say, I’ve appreciated your blog and the window into some of how you manage your lifestyle! Thanks 🙂
I love when you write about a Day in the Life post. I love seeing how you manage eating well, working out, working and living life. I love your positivity too. Thank you for your posts, they encourage me! Have a great week!
thanks for the feedback jenn! 🙂
I shared my thoughts on facebook, but at the hops of pushing my selfish agenda 😉 … I’d love a post of postnatal fitness! Specifically the best exercises for max results in short workout times, bonus if they can be done at home. I’m really ready to feel fit again after baby #2!
pre and post natal fitness is a passion of mine so i will definitely keep this in mind. especially the home suggestion…that’s helpful!
For something I’d like to see… Critiquing articles, studies, and exploring (reputable) sources/writers on the internet, and your thoughts on them would be interesting. Some folks I follow do a Weekly Reads post that point to interesting studies, et cetera — and include their thoughts on them (some just post the link with words like, “This is good!” and the article itself often isn’t even worth the read). If you tend to read interesting things through the week, it would be nice to follow that.
I’m not interested in reading sponsored posts (especially ones of products that you normally wouldn’t use), or just general vacationing photos, mundane daily stuff.
I like your blog for the professional side of it: your workouts, your articles and interesting finds, your recipes. It seems to be moving that way and, given what you do as your career, I think it is a really smart move. However, I do realize this is a blog about you and your life’s ongoings… I’m just offering feedback.
hey lisa! thanks so much for the thorough and specific feedback.
regarding the articles, i’m happy to share interesting articles when i come across them but i will say that research and debate are not really my passions but i’m happy to state my viewpoint on certain issues/topics. the biggest thing for me is just that i think there is no one size fits all for anything health and fitness related so i hesitate to say that this is “good” and this is “bad.” does that make sense at all? but if’s something is just good info i am comfortable sharing.
the sponsored posts are necessary from a time v. money standpoint but i do try to space them out and will continue to be mindful (even more so) about making sure that they align with the values/content on my blog.
my long-term goal is to move towards more workouts, recipes, yoga tutorials, etc. and away from too much personal and “day in the life” stuff. that will still be sprinkled in for personality but not a main content area.
thank you for reading and for taking the time to offer feedback! it means a lot.
Thanks! It does totally make sense. Just wanted to clarify that in the way of articles, I didn’t mean research/debate on health matters (I agree that not “one size fits all”), but there I would venture you read more than just health articles, too. In any case, your goals sound good. Good luck!
I swear that chicken salad is the BEST when on a croissant, but then again anything is delicious on that buttery bread. Not ready for my 4:15 AM wake up call on Friday…And I 100% agree, some of my clients know so much about me, but I enjoy those relationships that we have created. They’re very special that you can open up with someone like that and hence why they stay with us for long periods of time!
i know that you have some really great clients too and i’m happy you’ve been able to find more of those in texas. that wake up call is never easy but it’s worth it.
pretty food! What kind of camera do you have?
photos in this post are a mix of iPhone and nikon d3100 with a 50 mm lens.
To second a comment above, postnatal fitness would be amazing! I’d also love more posts on routines and recipes!
pre and post natal fitness is a passion of mine so as i increase my knowledge in these areas, i will share it with all of you for sure. YES to more recipes! coming at ya!
I love your workout and menu posts. It’s nice to get an idea of what you eat in a day to determine how to create a similar meal plan for building muscle! Thanks! ☺️
awesome, that’s where i’m leaning from a content perspective so great to hear you enjoy.
I love to see workouts, home renovation, your current thoughts on how life is going, and day-in-the-life stuff. Honestly, you’re one of my favorite blogs to read so I can’t say I’d change much.
I love to hear that you’re back to running and enjoying it. I’ve been an injured runner for over 2 years and you give me hope that maybe one day I’ll be able to race a half marathon again.
hey joy! thanks for the feedback. i know not everyone loves the personal home/life stuff so it’s nice to hear that some do enjoy those posts! i really appreciate your kind and encouraging words!
hoping you make it back on the road. i know how hard the hiatus is…mine was almost 4 years!
(If possible) I would love a 45 min vinyasa flow class of yours on you tube. I also love your playlists posts and more info on how you structure your daily calorie intake vs calories burned, etc- so more of those if possible! 🙂 Love your blog and appreciate all the time and effort you put into it!
cameron – i would LOVE to make that happen…just need to figure out the logistics of it! thanks for reading! 🙂
Everything about this post is so beautiful! I’m in the process of getting my personal training certification now so I can only hope to one day have this same job love 🙂 You’re an inspiration. I need to recreate that strawberry salad it looks incredible!
congrats on pursuing your PT cert and i sincerely hope that you find the same happiness in the field!
I love this blog so much. 🙂
The “recent eats” are an inspiration to my weekly menu – please keep those up! I really love the yoga posts and videos as well!
As far as new content, I would love to see a post or series of posts on balanced, effective weight/fat loss (nutrition + workouts). I know this isn’t a weight loss blog, but a balanced perspective from a fitness professional would be a great read. 🙂
thank you so much for reading and commenting christin!
i appreciate the feedback and suggestions!
I love the idea of turkey wrapped avocado. And I think I need to go home right now and bake figs with goat cheese!
Thanks for being a constant source of food and fitness inspiration! I try to do yoga regularly but am still trying to find the right studio and teacher. I especially enjoy your posts where you share yoga related content and readings. Also, as a newbie to working out with a trainer, it would be helpful if you could give readers some tips on how to balance diet and exercise as well as how to stay motivated through the initial “weight gain” that might accompany a new exercise routine.
thanks for the kind words and the feedback!
stick with it. it took me YEARS to find the right fit for yoga. i hope one day it works for you.
I love the recipes- workouts- self exploration….I just want more of what you are doing/posting, to continue-
thank you dana! xo
i read almost everyday so i guess that means i already like what you post ; )
i would love more charlotte simply because i’m thinking of moving to the area in the future however i know that’s sort of selfish on my part : )
I like the personal and professional balance you have. i actually like when you post how you are feeling even if its a down day. I think when blogs are all happy happy happy they can seem a bit fake you know ? Also….as you say you have a healthy living blog and so to me….dealing with the downs of life and work is all part of a healthy life. Its sorta like if you post what you eat but leave out the big fat cupcake you ate that’s not “real” or “healthy” so not showing the ups and downs of life and work feels the same. I hope that makes sense. I guess that’s a long way to say i enjoy the personal aspect of your blog. i love videos that show how to do certain poses (yoga or crossfit in particular). I think another reader commented she wanted to see a little bit of info on weight loss and i agree. I understand this isn’t a weight loss blog; however, you eat/exercise to maintain your weight (i assume) so for those of us who need to lose I guess im not sure how to take what you do and apply it to my situation. Also…you mention and my nutritionist mentions “listening to your body”, identifying if you are really hungry or not, etc and honestly i just dont think i know what that means ! im not sure how to listen to my body in those ways ? Finally….some posts on injury prevention, rehab, etc might be nice. Thanks for all the effort you put in…I cant imagine how much work it is !
I would love to see you post more quick workouts. I’ve done several of yours before and loved them all!
Also- maybe something about how you learned to match flavors in the kitchen for dinners/lunches on the fly. That’s something I’m trying to personally get better at.
Always love reading your blog! I tell everyone I know to check it out, haha.
Jen – I’m always motivated by your choice in songs during class.
Would love to know what’s currently playing on your personal workout playlist!
Those baked figs look delicious and seem easy to make! How long do you bake them for? Would be a great party appetizer!!
One thing I have never tried is figs! I need to just do it because I think I would love how you made them. I also love turkey wrapped avocado, but I love avocado anything!
I like the mix of food, workout schedule, workout videos, personal, Sully,etc. Keep it all up!
LOVE!! All the recent eats that you blogged about are so colorful! I love all the images. Of course, I love when you write recipes, but also write about snacks that you have. Since I work from home, I’m constantly snacking instead of eating 3 solid meals, so any healthy/creative snacks are definitely appreciated.
All of that food looks so delicious…esp the Mexican. I really love your blog and think it’s well rounded. Sorry I don’t have any suggestions.
Hey Jen! I really enjoy your yoga posts…I practice often so maybe some good pointers on how to do more advanced poses like headstands, scorpion, etc. (A lot of times teachers leave out crucial cues and then when you hear it again the pose suddenly clicks!) I also really love your posts on the spirituality of yoga…Many of the yoga classes I take are great physically but are lacking the mentally and “feel good” reminders of why we practice yoga. Love the blog, thanks!
I would love to see more food related stuff. You inspire me to eat healthy when i see what you’ve been eating 🙂
Hi there. I miss your music playlist sharing posts! Love the recent posts