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Jennifer Tries......FitLife Foods
September 15, 2017
If you’re reading this then you either live
out of state or you survived Hurricane Irma so Congratulations! I’m glad to see
your pretty face!
That was crazy huh? What a soap opera. Is Tampa
going to get a direct hit? What about storm surge? Evacuate, evacuate,
evacuate. It was a thriller that kept us on the edge of our seats all weekend.
To be honest, I prefer a good rom-com. Thanks for scaring the bajeezus out of
everyone Irma!
People are still out of their homes and still
out of power but all in all we faired relatively well. Being a claims adjuster
as my day job, I have been speaking with several people who are just so excited
to have their A/C back…who cares about the tree on their house. It's endearing.
A storm like this certainly makes you appreciate your loved ones a little more
and the luxury of technology.
Guess what time it is?! It’s time for another
Jennifer Tries! Buda-bum buda-bum!
This week I’m talking about my experience at
FitLife Foods. Have you heard of FitLife foods?
If not, let me give you the 411!
FitLife foods is a company that makes fresh, non-processed
foods you can conveniently purchase in store or have delivered to your home.
They package the food in microwavable containers so there is no cooking
involved on the customers end and each container is labelled with the calories
and macronutrient count. They make healthy eating easy peasy!
Over the past couple of years, I have seen
FitLife foods popping up sporadically in the Tampa area. I have been wanting to
try them out and now that I have recently started counting my macros I was
hoping it would save me some time preparing dinner.
One evening my husband and I stopped in a FitLife foods near
us. I had a general idea of what we would find but didn't really know what to
expect.
When we walked in we were greeted by an
associate. Luckily the store wasn’t busy so we had his full attention. I let
him know we were newbs right off the bat. He provided each of us with a menu
and gave us the run down.
FitLife foods makes all of their meals fresh.
They have small, medium and large meals. Each meal is labelled with the
ingredients, calories and macronutrients (Protein, Carbs, Fats.) So, for you
Macro trackers…….no measuring! It's done for you! Whoop Whoop! I was super
stoked about that! Time saver please!
I was also psyched they have gluten-free and
paleo meals. SCORE! Have no fear, they also offer meals for our vegetarian friends.
The meal I purchased was Kelly’s Roasted Sausage and Kale. I
forget what the hubs got. Some Mexican dish.
We purchased ours in store but FitLife foods
offers home delivery. You can have the meals delivered weekly so if you are
short on time it can be really beneficial to have these meals on hand.
When we got home we heated up our meals. Each
meal took about 3-4 minutes. THEY WERE DELICIOUS! How come food that I make
doesn't taste as good when I re-heat it? Ugh! I took my time devouring every
bite because I didn't want it to end. And I was full. I was worried I would
still be hungry after but I was just right.
I would recommend FitLife foods for sure! It is an awesome
substitute for fast food, a great time saver and cost friendly. My meal was
$9.45. I know it sounds a little pricey but it's defiantly cheaper than going
out to eat and I didn't have to cook it! Plus, you know you’re eating whole,
fresh foods that aren’t saturated in unhealthy fats and salt like when you
visit a typical restaurant. You can get
a discount too when you purchase several meals at once like if you were to have
meals delivered for the week or the month.
The next time you are looking for a quick meal check out your local
FitLife foods. They have several locations in the Tampa Bay area and beyond.
You can search all of their
locations on their website, eatfitlifefoods.com and look at their menu too.
locations on their website, eatfitlifefoods.com and look at their menu too.
Let me know what you think! If you like it, let’s grab a FitLife
meal together sometime.
P.S. I’m sorry to say this will be my last blog post for a while. Due
to Hurricane Irma I am working around the clock to help people get their homes
and lives back to normal. Twelve-hour
days, six days a week is not conducive to thoughtful, educational blog posts. But
don’t worry, once the dust has settled I’ll be back at.
In the mean time you can still follow the blogs IG to see what I'm up to!
In the mean time you can still follow the blogs IG to see what I'm up to!
Go be awesome my people!
Hurricane Snacks for the Food Intolerant
September 8, 2017
Hey you! What’s the happs? Your hair looks amazing today! Make sure you take a selfie and save that ‘ish because Irma is coming and she’s about to blow it all out of place.::sigh::……Irma. She is bringing all sorts of drama to this little peninsula.
Dear Hurricane Irma,
Please stay away.
Love, Jennifer
I mean seriously though! Summer was going along just fine then BAM! Harvey makes an appearance and now Irma decides she needs to join the party. What the what?! These storms show up all deceiving with their innocent old person names. You think they will be kind, maybe be a little cranky, but then turn around and give you one of the Werther’s they are carrying in their pocket. But no! They show up causing people to freak out about gas and get in to fist fights over water. It’s crazy town!
My husband, he’s the best, he went to SAMs Club earlier in the week to get water. They were sold out of course. But, they did have cases of sparkling water and propel! So, he bought that. LMAO! We are so fancy for this hurricane. At least I won’t be bored with my water and I’ll be hydrated! Plus, with the propel….ELECTROLYTES! Those puppies are important, right?!
When a hurricane comes to town, if you have never been through one, it is always important to stock up on nonperishable food items. Ya know, just in case you are without electricity for a while you want foods that doesn't need any preparation. Well, when my husband was out and about trying to get water he asked what he could get me that would be nonperishable. To be honest, I drew a blank. What was I going to eat? The majority of pre-packaged foods I can’t consume due to intolerances. So, I set out to find items I could eat if in fact we lost power or were stranded for a few days. Which brings me to this week’s post. I wanted to make sure to share with you all because I know some of you have food intolerances as well and may find yourself in the same predicament or if you ever do in the future you’ll have some ideas!
So, when my husband asked me what he could get for me, I originally said I would just share my dog’s food because, like her mother, she eats grain free. I mean, I was kidding but if it were do or die at least I have an option right?! LOL
Then, I immediately started thinking what the stores near me carry. Trader Joe’s…for the win! I knew they would have snacks for me. After work, I booked it over to Trader Joe’s. Surprisingly, they were not packed. There were fewer people there than on a typical week day. Crazy.
They didn’t have water but they had snacks! I picked up dried mango, grain less granola, a trail mix and couple RX Bars.
Dried fruit, like the delicious mango I bought at Trader Joe’s is a great snack! I always try to find dried fruit that doesn't have any added sugar. Make sure you read your labels to check for added sugar and to see if the product contains wheat, cornstarch, modified food starch and really anything that could cause a reaction. You would be surprised at how many “healthy” options contain or are processed on shared equipment with these ingredients and others.
Trail mix is another great option. They are a great source of protein, carbohydrates and fats. These are all nutrients your body needs to be as efficient and effective as possible. Aim to get a trail mix with nuts if you can tolerate them. They will help you feel fuller longer. Again make sure you read your labels for those added ingredients.
OOOO My favorite…Grainless Granola! There are other companies that make it so If you don't have a Trader Joe’s check your local grocer or fresh retailer but Trader Joe’s seems to be the most inexpensive. Plus, its delicious! It’s going to be really hard for me to wait until Irma passes to dive in to this bag. It’s yummy dry or with some Almond milk......when there isn't a hurricane :)
If you find yourself in a situation where you are without power or you are on the move to evacuate its always good to have some convenient snacks that can be used as a meal replacement in a pinch. I picked up a box of Quest bars and some RX Bars. They are both Gluten Free, most RX Bars are Paleo friendly and they are great sources of protein.
Now, some foods I typically have on hand that will come in handy are apples and baby carrots. While they aren’t exactly non-perishable they will last atleast a week and won't need refrigeration. Besides, your body will love you for feeding it fresh food. It will make you feel a billion times better especially if you have been eating only packaged foods.
I would also suggest cooking up a bunch of chicken, some green veggies that will last a little bit and some carbohydrates like quinoa. Once cooked these foods should last a day or two without refrigeration. This will give you a couple good meals before you dive into your rations.
Some other tips, although i’m sure by now you’ve heard these to death, fill up your tub so you have potable water. Any empty containers you have fill those with water from your faucet as well. While I know it may not taste as refreshing as bottled water it's a good idea to have as a back up. It could truly be a life saver.
So...Happy Hurricane Everybody! Stay Safe, Evacuate if you need to and Don't eat all of your snacks before the storm hits!
Use what you have....A parking garage & a jump rope
September 1, 2017
Hello you wonderful human you! I sure hope you’re having an amazing day so far. Can I get a Whoop Whoop!!!! to the three day weekend?! Awwwww yeah! I need an extra day off fo’ sho! I just hope it doesn’t rain all weekend ‘cuz man has it been rainy. Darn you Hurricane Harvey! You’re states away and still wreaking havoc on the sunshine state. I use that term loosely.
Since it’s been so rainy it has made my mid day runs next to impossible. I can stand running through a little drizzle but not a torrential down pour. So, my usual trip to the nearby park has been near impossible this week. I sure have missed it. There is a little beach area there so I can breath in the salty air and it is filled with lush grass and trees. I even see some wild life from time to time. Makes for a very relaxing and calming break away from my desk. So what is a girl to do? Luckily my work has a parking garage and I have a jump rope!
Oh! Before I get into my little lunch break workout I did this week I wanted to share some great snacks with you all. Making good food choices can sometimes……ok a lot of the time….feel like a daunting task. You have to prepare a lot of what you are going to eat, weigh and measure everything, read your labels. Convenience seems almost out of the question. So when I find something that helps me meet my nutritional goals and is convenient I just have to share!
I went to Target the other night. Yes, during a down pour, without an umbrella. Right there you know walking around Target I looked fabulous and smelled awesome too (enter facetious voice here). I was walking around the store which typically gets even the most disciplined person in trouble at Target, and wandered down the snack aisle. It is true what they say. Don’t shop hungry. ::sigh:: I bought so many snacks. I don't even need all of these snacks…BUT I found their raw almond, cashew and cranberry mix in individualized bags! I was so excited!! That mix is my favorite. Now I can just track the nutrition info from the label and be on my way. Plus, it helps me add some extra healthy fats and carbs to my daily intake. YYYEEEESSSS!
Then I came across Lara Bites…which I have had previously but totally forgot about. OMG if you haven't tried them you must! They are all natural delicious little morsels of sweet goodness without all of the crap that candy has. These are a great little after dinner treat. I have to watch my self with these bad boys. I could eat myself sick.
So if you are looking for some convenient treats get to Target people! Target is where it’s at!
Ok. Now for the moment you have been waiting for……the parking garage jump rope work out! If you don't have a jump rope you can do Jumping jacks in its place.
1:00 min Jump Rope
Rest 10 sec
:30 sec jumping jacks
:30 sec Skaters
Rest 10 sec
Repeat 2 more X
1:00 min Jump rope
Rest 10 sec
:30 sec Squat Reach
:30 High Knees
Rest 10 sec
Repeat 2 more X
1:00 min Jump rope
Rest 10 sec
:30 Sec Butt Kicks
:30 Sec Squat Kicks
Rest 10 Sec
Repeat 2 more X
1:00 min Jump Rope
Rest 10 Sec
:30 Heisman
:30 Squat jumps
10 Sec Rest
Repeat 2 more X
If your like me and you complete this on your lunch break hit the showers bro! You’ll be a sweaty beast!
Enjoy!
Journaling is FUNdamental!
August 25, 2017
Well this week started out with a bang! Did you watch the eclipse? Honestly, I didn’t really care but then I got sucked into the hype and went outside during work to check it out. People were going crazy over this thing! It was pretty cool, but still! I didn’t think it was hysteria worthy. People were talking Zombies, Vampires……I mean…..let’s get real here. The last one I saw I was maybe 6 or 7 years old and I can remember making our own viewers at daycare and all going out to watch it. I don’t remember all the craze surrounding it though. I dunno. Those were the good days. No bills, no responsibilities. Calgon…take me away!
You wanna know what I’m obsessed with right now? Of course
you do! Well, I am 100% obsessed with the Mind Pump Podcast. I recently found
out about these guys through the Girls Gone WOD podcast, which is also amazing
and you should check them out. Since I’m
late to the Mind Pump game I have over 500 episodes to binge listen to. It’s
awesome! Lots of great health, fitness and business information in a fun,
non-boring way. You should go check them out on iTunes!
I am also obsessed with dried mango. No sugar added, plain
dried mango. It’s delish! I seriously can make myself sick off of it. I could
easily binge eat mango as I binge listen to Mind Pump. While dried fruit, sans
the sugar, is a great snack and source of carbohydrates nothing is beneficial
to you in excess. BUT IT’S SO GOOD! Luckily, over the past month I have started
tracking my food, again. This has helped me dial in my mango craze. I bought a
cute little spiral notebook and I write every meal or snack I have into that
notebook. I haven’t kept a food journal in a long time. Since my Weight Watchers
days really. I have logged my food in an app here and there but I haven’t been
consistent in a long time. Since beginning journaling this time around I
realized just how much my portions had started to go all over the place! I also
realized how much I missed it. Yes, you read that correctly, I missed food
journaling. It’s almost therapeutic to me in a way. It offers me a place to
take accountability for my nutrition and better understand how certain foods
make me feel. And it’s a great place for me to celebrate my nutritional
successes.
Journaling can feel overwhelming and time consuming at first.
When I journal I like to physically write everything down. For most people,
it’s easier and more convenient to log their food in an app. It’s really
whatever your preference is. For me, the app allowed what I ate to be out of
sight and out of mind.
No matter how you prefer to journal it’s just important to
journal. Why you ask? (If you didn’t ask just go with it ok……just pretend.
Thanks!) Journaling creates awareness of what you’re eating. Once you start
journaling you may realize you dine out more than you thought, you don’t eat
enough vegetables, you are consuming more sodium than you were aware of. Maybe
you aren’t consuming enough nutrients or you’re consuming to much of a
nutrient. That’s what happened to me. I
was consuming way too much protein. LOVE PROTEIN…NOM NOM NOM. So, my body was
just hanging on to the excess and I wasn’t leaning out. No matter how little
food I ate or how much I worked out it wouldn’t budge. Since tracking again
I’ve been able to even out the kinks and I’m seeing results.
The great thing about food journaling is if you write it
down it happened, you ate that. So, if you don’t want to write it down don’t
eat it! If you can keep that mantra in the back of your mind you will see your
food journal and your nutrition improve steadily.
Now, journaling isn’t just for food. You can use journaling
in other areas as well. It’s also a great idea to journal your workouts. It
will help you keep track of your working days and your rest days. You can track
the amount of weight you lifted so you can continue to improve. You can also
track your cardio. A fitness journal, like a food journal, can help you see
your imbalances. Are you doing too much cardio? Too little cardio? Can you
increase the weight you are lifting? What areas are you weak in? Once you are
aware of your imbalances you can adjust your fitness routine to correct them. You
may also realize you need to take more time for restorative exercises such as
yoga or meditation.
Although tracking your food and exercise is a beneficial
practice, journaling to reflect has an enormous benefit as well. I’m not saying
you need to turn this into a nightly, Dear diary session, but taking time to
journal about what’s going on with YOU can have several benefits.
Journaling can:
·
Help you clarify your thoughts and feeling
·
Reduce Stress
·
Evokes Mindfulness – which is great when you’re
working on healthy eating and exercise!
working on healthy eating and exercise!
·
Increase creativity
·
Promote healing
Sometimes, if I’m feeling particularly sad, angry, anxious,
whatever I will just write or type. I’ll pull up a blank word doc and just put
my fingers to the keyboard. I‘ll put all of my feelings out on paper and then
re- read them. I don’t usually save it because just the act of putting it out
there helps me mentally and relieves a weight I have been carrying around.
Re-reading it helps me see areas where I may be over reacting, under reacting
or what I need to just let go of. The ones I do save I go back and read from
time to time. They often make me laugh! Why did I let something like that upset
me?! LOL.
If you’re feeling stuck in your nutrition, exercise or in
your day to day, give journaling a try. You may be surprised at the results.
Jennifer Tries....The Salt Room
August 18, 2017
Feelin’ HOT HOT HOT….dun…nuh. Feelin’ HOT HOT HOT! People on fire, filled with desire feelin’ HOT HOT HOT! That’s how is goes right? I dunno. Sounds good.
So, school has official started here in the Sunshine State which means fall is fast approaching. If you have ever spent anytime in Florida in the fall then you know it’s the same as summer but the days are shorter. ::sigh:: Needless to say the heat is still HOT HOT HOT! LOL I certainly can't say that I hate it but a little break in the heat wave wouldn't be the end of the world.
Yah know, I really don't know what happened to this summer! It’s like I blinked and it was gone. Such a bummer. I barely visited the beach! What the what!? I mean, it’s not like I live that far from the beach but I never really made it out there. UGH! Luckily, there’s a new place in town that offers all the benefits of going to the beach minus the heat and the need to wear sunscreen.
What is this magical place you ask? Well, The Salt Room of course!
Have you ever heard of The Salt Room, or any salt room? I first heard about salt rooms on the radio. An afternoon show host I listen to from time to time was discussing how he takes his father regularly to help with his breathing. When I heard one opened up near me I just had to try it! My mom suffers from COPD/Emphysema so anything that can offer her some relief I am down for.
So, this past weekend I grabbed my sister and my niece and we took a trip over to The Salt Room.
When we walked in it had a very spa like feel. The walls were a calming blue and several salt lamps were intermingled with the products they had for sale.
I checked us in at the front desk and we were given a brief questionnaire to complete.
Within that questionnaire there was a list of benefits of Salt therapy.
These benefits include relief of symptoms and conditions related to:
- Allergies
- Asthma
- Colds
- COPD
- Emphysema
- Cystic Fibrosis
- Breathlessness
- Tonsillitus
- Ear Infections
- Chronic Bronchitis
Just to name a few.
Salt Therapy also:
- Reduces Bronchial inflammation
- Enhances sport performance/physical endurance
- Clears pollens, toxins and pollutants form the lungs
- Reduces snoring
- Improves sleep patterns in adults and children
- Relieves stress and tension
And the list goes on.
Before our session began we were given a tour of the facility.
The Salt Room offers two salt rooms for adults. Each room seats about 6-8 guests.
They even have a smaller salt room filled with cute seats and activities for children!
I thought the children’s room was a great idea. What parent doesn’t want to find natural alternatives to help their children?! Can I bring my dog?
Outside of their salt therapy services they also offer massage, facials and they have an organic hair salon. So this place is a one stop shop for your health and beauty needs!
Once we completed the tour we were directed to a small wall of lockers.
We placed our belongings in the lockers and were provided a key to hold onto during our session.
There is a short list of Salt Room etiquette and leaving your cell phone in the locker is one of them. As you can see, I obviously broke that rule…..Sorry Salt Room! But I ok’d it with my sister and niece before taking it in with me. We were the only guests at that time so it was all good.
We were given paper booties to wear over our shoes. This is to keep the salt nice and clean and prevent us from tracking any out after our session.
Once we were bootied up, we were escorted into the salt room.
The floor of the room was covered in pebble sized salt rocks. The walls were covered in hand thrown salt as well. Once in the room we sat in antigravity chairs which reclined and we were given a fleece blanket.
The blanket would keep us cozy and prevent our clothes from being covered in salt as it circulated through the air.
Unfortunately, this didn’t help my sister and I too much because we were smart and wore black shorts LOL. So make the mental note not to wear dark clothing to The Salt Room.
The lights were dimmed and we were left to relax and breath for 45 minutes.
We used the breathing technique that was shown to us. (I would try to explain it but that would be hard in text so just go check this place out ok? Then we can all share the secret awesome breathing technique.) I could really feel it in my sinuses.
As we sat and chit chatted during our session I could taste the salt on my lips.
We were told one 45-minute session is like spending 3 days at the beach and we could expose our legs and arms if we wanted as the salt was good for our skin.
As the session progressed we could each feel our airways open up. It was a good thing they have a few boxes of tissues in the room for just such an occasion.
Once our session was over we tossed our booties in the trash and gathered our belongings.
My sister seemed to be coated in the most salt. She’s going to have gorgeous legs!
We had a nice relaxing time at The Salt Room. It was nice to spend time together and do something positive for our health at the same time.
I look forward to bringing my mom to The Salt Room. I think it will be very beneficial for her.
If you haven’t been I highly suggest giving it a try. If you are looking to relax or just want to go for the benefits it’s a win win. They offer your first session for $25 which makes it affordable to try. They also offer several packages if you decide to make it part of your healthy lifestyle.
You can also call them to book your salt therapy session at: (813)501-8578
Use What You Have....The Bench Workout
August 11, 2017
Well hey there fancy pants! Glad you could make it! Hey I have some good news, I passed my NASM certified personal training exam. I’m official now! A lot of great things are on the horizon I can feel it! And I hope you all will join me on this journey. So what’s been going on with you? Anything awesome?! I hope so. I mean, at least one good thing…it’s Friday. Go out there and party like its 1999 baby!
Speaking of 1999, remember that? Remember when everyone was freaking out and thought the entire planet was going to shut down as soon as the calendar rolled over to the year 2000? The lights didn't even flicker! LOL.
Ahhh…..those were funny times. The 90’s were funny times. Can we talk about hammer pants, flat tops and flannel shirts? I mean….seriously.
Ahhh…..those were funny times. The 90’s were funny times. Can we talk about hammer pants, flat tops and flannel shirts? I mean….seriously.
Enough chitter chatter, let's get down to business. Lets workout! I think it’s always great to have a convenient, simple workout in your back pocket if you can’t get to the gym, a class or can’t conquer your normal workout routine.
This week we’re using a bench! Just a regular old park bench. The great thing is that they are available in most parks so it should be easy to find one. A lot of neighborhoods even have them lining the sidewalks now!
Let’s get to it!
For this workout I jogged a mile along a trail at a park near my work then stopped at a bench to perform the following exercises.
Step ups: 12 reps each leg
Push ups: 10 reps
Leg raises: 12 reps each leg
Squats: 12 reps
Lunges: 10 reps each leg
Dips: 12 reps
Abs: 12 reps
I ran through this circuit 3 times before jogging back.
It took me about 25 minutes!
Enjoy! Let me know how you like it!
GIVEAWAY!!!!!
Leave a comment with your best bench-ism, bench pun, or bench joke and you'll be entered to win a good bag full of some of my favorite snacks!
GIVEAWAY!!!!!
Leave a comment with your best bench-ism, bench pun, or bench joke and you'll be entered to win a good bag full of some of my favorite snacks!
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