Happy Friday!
I have a video blog for you today where I answer questions on the following topics…
– Managing stress and anxiety
– The right shoes for strength training, running and CrossFit
– Post workout carb/protein ratios (and my lack of following them)
– Bodywork and massage for athletes
– My workout schedule
– Losing a few pounds post-holidays by ramping up cardio
– Finding your ideal bodyweight
Thanks for your topic suggestions. I hope that you guys find this video blog helpful! I give a pretty long talk at the end about finding your ideal bodyweight and a balance between living and being miserable. Check out this post from my friend Erica that talks about just that very thing.
How do you find your ideal bodyweight and that “sweet spot” that feels like the balance for you?
I always love your vlogs! And I think you have the healthiest/most balanced perspective on the weight topic you discussed at the end. Totally agree that the reason you work out and eat healthy is to feel good to live your life, rather than having those be all your life focuses on.
thanks so much hayley, i really try to keep it real and balanced. i just love life, food, experiences too much to let it all be dictated by body weight, diet and exercise.
Loved this! I haven’t weighed myself in over a year and I now have no interest in knowing or caring about how much I weigh. In most cases, if you are working out and eating healthy (with appropriate portion sizes) fixating on a number is 100% pointless.
Random, but (from what I can see of it) I like your hoodie! Where is it from?
melanie- that is AWESOME!
hoodie is from the yoga studio.
Thank you so much for your vblogs. I LOVE the fact that you are all about 80/20 and living life. I’m the exact way. No obsessing or beating myself up. Life is about living & that’s why I work out and eat healthy to enjoy it. Thanks again for keeping it real. =)
thanks ashlee! i’m so happy to hear you enjoy them. i couldn’t stay sane if it weren’t for 80/20 and living your life!
This post was timely because it touched on some things that have been taking up my mental energy lately, like whether I should be more strict with my food intake or more focused on losing the 7lbs I gained over the holidays. It was SO helpful to read the perspective of someone sane and balanced. Thank you!
amanda – your comment really touched me. i’m so happy that this post resonated with you. xo
I think I am still in the process of finding my happy weight. I have gone up and down but have always kind of stayed around the same area. I hope to find my happy weight soon!
sara- it’s really hard. sending you lots of good energy in your search to find it. you’re amazing and doing great things. love yourself! xo
Thanks for all the tips and advice! You gave lots of good information! I just bought a lacrosse ball so I will be trying that this weekend to work on some sore spots! Also, love your perspective about 80/20. I totally agree. There are times that you just need to go out and have fun and EAT! It’s part of life and it should absolutely be fun!! Life is way too short and I have been reminded of this too many times over the past year.
holly – so glad that you enjoyed the post. interested to hear what you think of the lacrosse ball. i love it. thanks for the encouraging words and support!
Thank you so much Jen for posting another awesome video blog! You are such an inspiration and role model for me. Can’t wait to read your post all about Charlotte 🙂
erika – thank you so much and i’ll get some charlotte info up soon. in the meantime, feel free to email me for advice!
What a perfect point about the ideal body weight! It’s so true – if losing the last X pounds is stopping you from living life… then what is it worth? Love it, TY for this!
you’re so welcome and so happy so many others are on board.
I really love your views on eating, working out and just living life! It is all about balance 🙂
yes, yes, yes!
Really awesome video blog, Jen! I am definitely a fan of the 80/20 lifestyle, because eating steamed broccoli and skinless chicken breast all day every day is boring. 🙂
I’ve been paying a lot more attention to how I feel energy-wise as opposed to what the scale says, and I can honestly say that I feel better than ever.
I also love that you vary your workouts so much. It keeps me inspired and motivated to stay open-minded to all forms of exercise!
allison – thanks for the comment. i’m really happy to receive support in my viewpoints. it’s just not worth it to be miserable when you work so hard! i’m happy to hear that you are feeling good and not solely basing everything on the scale.
“If your struggling to stay at your current weight than it may not be your idea weight.” <— Absolutely profound. I've never been able to say it so succinctly before.
agree!
thanks erica. i LOVED your post and wishing you so much happiness. you can really just feel it radiating from your writing. xoxo.
Are there any yoga dvd’s you can recommend? I have two I like, but would like to buy a couple more.
Great video post. I always enjoy listening to them and hearing everything from a trainers perspective. As an RD, it is refreshing to know that there are knowledgeable trainers (YOU) that exist. It is hard to listen to the ones that try to make women go on 1200 or even 1400 calorie ‘diets’ that leave them miserable, lethargic, and wanting to quit (not to mention completely ruining their metabolism).
Clearly there is something to be said for listening to your body, eating cleanly & intuitively, and working hard. 🙂
amelia – thank you so much for the kind words. it means so much coming from you since you are an rd. i can never encourage my clients to lead an unreasonable lifestyle…it’s all about sustainability and feeling happy and good in their bodies.
It’s always common conversation to talk about the “last 5 pounds”, but so not worth giving up a fun night or even a glass of wine to unwind. Then I would just become upset!
Love this! I just had a very similar conversation w a friend (that you addressed at the end)….this is exactly what I was trying to explain to, but you articulated the message much better so I’ll be sharing this video!
Fabulous!
Love your response to the last question! Spot on. Also, I read somewhere recently that sometimes our bodies hold on to the last few pounds for a reason and that we should trust that. Thanks for another great video.
I admire so much about you, and this video just reiterates your balanced approach that I love so much! Keep up the good work, Jen!
I couldn’t agree more on your last point! Thanks for sharing 🙂