At-Home Workouts for the New Year

Happy New Year, babes!

Now's the time when everyone starts making goals they want to accomplish for the new year.  What are yours?  I'm sure you can guess what two of the top resolutions made for 2018 are...that's right: eat better and workout.  Both are necessary to improve your overall health, and both are things that I'm passionate about.  So if these are on your list, I hope I can help motivate and inspire you on your journey! 

While going to a gym sounds good, let's be real - it's not practical for everyone.  Especially not 4-5 days a week and especially not for busy moms.  The trick to being consistent with your workouts is easy: do it in your own home!  You don't have to have a bunch of fancy equipment to get a good, fat-burning, muscle-toning workout.  I'm about to show you two workouts that require only 1-2 varying weights, a workout mat (or good rug), and 20 min.  

I teamed up with Love Winnie James to share some easy, at-home workouts that anyone can do. The babes behind this brand are the sweetest, and they just launched their new activewear line, which is AMAZING.  Seriously, you're gonna want to check these new items out, y'all.  And while you're at it, grab a few other pieces of their everyday pieces, too.  You'll thank me. [wink, wink]

Ok, now back to the workouts.  I have two lined up for you: a Beginner + an Advanced.  Both take just 20 minutes and use very minimal equipment, but the Advanced involves a few more complicated moves.  Feel free to try both out and see what you can do!  And if you can only do the Beginner, that's fine!  Hey, maybe you can make it your goal to be able to complete the Advanced within a few weeks!  #goalsongoals

BEGINNER HIIT WORKOUT

BUTT KICKS (warm-up; 2 min)

THRUSTERS (1 min)

PLANKS WITH RENEGADE ROWS (1 min)

ALTERNATING JUMP LUNGES (1 min)

LYING TOE TOUCHES (1 min)

[Complete each move back to back without stopping.  Then take a 20-30 second break and repeat the circuit again.  Repeat for a total of 4 rounds - or more, if you're feeling froggy!]

ADVANCED HIIT WORKOUT

ALTERNATING DIAGONAL TOE TOUCHES (warm-up; 2 min)

BURPEES WITH SIDE HOP (1 min)

SQUATS TO UPRIGHT ROWS (1 min)

RUSSIAN TWISTS (1 min)

ISOMETRIC LEG EXTENSIONS WITH TRICEP EXTENSION (1 min; alternate the extended leg every circuit)

[Complete each move back to back without stopping.  Then take a 20-30 second break and repeat the circuit again.  Repeat for a total of 4 rounds.

I hope you guys enjoy these workouts!  I have lots of other plans up my sleeve this year to help keep y'all motivated to KEEP PUSHING.  So stay tuned!

XOXO,

While I Whiten

It's that time again, y'all.

After too many almond milk lattes to count (seriously, I have a problem), it's time to brighten these teeth up again! 

Cue Smile Brilliant - my tried and true at-home whitening system.  If you've read my previous post, Smile with Confidence, then you know about my first go-round with this system - and that I loved the results!  So I'm at it again...and this time, I got B to get in on the fun, too.  Haha!

One of the things I love most about Smile Brilliant is that I can literally do it ANYWHERE while doing ANYTHING.  Ok, maybe I don't want to wear them while singing in the choir at church, but you get the point.  The clear trays make it so easy to just load them with gel, pop them in, and go on 'bout my business.  Total #momwin, I'm telling ya!

Here are a few examples of getting things done while I whiten:

Blogging (at my little make-shift office space in our master bedroom)...

...getting my glam on (AKA: actually getting to wash/straighten my hair, which you moms know is as rare as getting to go to the bathroom without an audience - HA!)...

...and working on these baby muscles of mine.

I've also worn them while cooking/baking for the fam, on the phone, while winding down for the night with B, and at the grocery store (not even kidding).  It's seriously SO convenient, you guys!

I'm sure you're wondering how my teeth did this round?  I am amazed at how much it brightened them up!  This was after wearing the trays for about an hour a day for 10 days total (with maybe a day or two missed in there for random reasons).  I mean, hello, pearly whites! 

If you want to try it out for yourself, you're in luck!  For the next week, you can also enter my giveaway for a chance to win a T-3 Sensitive Kit (a $139 value).  All you have to do is click here to enter and you will be notified if you won once the giveaway ends (a week from today)!  [This is open to US, UK, Canadian, and Australian residents - yay!]

If you don't want to wait that long, feel free to use my code JAYME15 for 15% your entire kit.  Also, you can check out some of the FAQ's on the Smile Brilliant to help answer any you may have.  You can also comment below or message me - I'm always here for you guys! 

XOXO,

My Daily Food Log

I was going to call this "What I Ate Wednesday", but today's my birthday (oot oot!), so you KNOW there will be some indulging happening.  [wink wink]

Sooo I thought it'd be better to share a more "normal" day of eating with you all.  That is, meals that are made with prepped foods and eaten at my usual times.  

I typically eat 4-5 times a day, depending on if I'm working or not.  I wake up at 4:30am on work days, and eat breakfast by 5:30.  So I usually have to have something to tide my over till my lunch break - or things are gonna get UGLY. 

Now, let me preface this by saying a few things: 

1. I do not always track my food intake.  I definitely do when I'm trying to actively build lean muscle ("bulking"), because I want to make sure that I'm keeping my macros high enough to promote those muscle (read BOOTY) gains.  Currently, I am at more of a "maintenance" intake level, but I'm slowly increasing it to get back to muscle-building mode.  I've also found tracking beneficial during stressful times, when I feel those binge tendencies or negative feelings towards food creeping back up.  Keeping a food log keeps me from grabbing food to deal with emotional issues, and it also ensures that I'm eating enough, which has been an issue for me, too.  
2. This is what works for me.  I'm not a doctor, nutritionist, or registered dietician.  I'm not telling you that you have to track your macros, or that you have to eat exactly what I eat.  Do what works for YOUR body, babes!  My goal with this post is to show you how I plan out my day and make my meals fit the current macros I have set for myself.  
3. I still listen to my body.  You'll notice I exceeded my "goal" for this particular day, and this happens maybe a few times a week.  Some days when I train a lot harder (read: leg + booty days), I am STARVING.  So I usually eat a few more carbs and/or have a little more nut butter or avocado.  I don't beat myself up over this, because I'm not mindlessly eating junk food - I'm giving my body the fuel it needs to be able to train properly and keep me strong and healthy.  

[Side note: You'll notice that I almost always measure my food in grams.  This is what I've found to be the most accurate method.  For instance, a serving of Publix rolled oats is 39g.  If I measure out "half a cup" and actually measure them, it might actually be more like 50g.  This may not seem like a lot, but those little differences can add up over the day, which add up over the week, which...oh, you get the point.  Haha.  If you're serious about tracking your food intake, buy yourself a cheap - but reliable - food scale that measures in grams.]

Ok, now that we've gotten THAT out of the way, let's get to the fun part...the FOOD!

• BREAKFAST: My usual bowl of "proats" with berries and PB + a "matcha-collagen latte"

• MID-MORNING SNACK: Plain rice cakes (I'm always in a hurry to scarf something down) + an iced almond milk latte (no sweetener) from the Starbucks downstairs at the hospital) + my Natural Calm magnesium powder (which I always put in my Healthy Human Life water bottle)

• LUNCH: A hodge podge of goods - baked sweet potato fries, low-sodium/all natural deli turkey, veggies, hummus, + some GF pretzels (because I always need a good CRUNCH factor)

• AFTERNOON SNACK: Rice cakes + PB Fit (I'm obsessed with this stuff!).  I didn't workout this day, but if I did, I would've added a simple protein shake (water + Pretty Fit protein) and adjusted my protein from some of the other meals (such as cut out the protein added to my morning oats or reduce the amount of shrimp I have at dinner).

• DINNER: sautéed shrimp + bell peppers, quinoa + rice (mixed), lots of lettuce (for my greens!), salsa, avocado (for healthy fats), + a glass of kombucha (I love drinking this at night to give me calm vibes AND keep my gut health on point)

That's it, you guys!  That doesn't look so complicated, right?  

It's all about PLANNING AHEAD.  (Cause, yes, in case you didn't read my last post, I'm a planner.) I like to roughly plan out what I'm having the night before and then adjust it during the day if I need to (like I mentioned with the afternoon snack).  If I need a few more carbs, add 25-50g of brown rice.  Need more protein?  Add in some extra chicken or another 1/2 scoop of protein into my oats.  Low on fats?  Well, you know what I'm gonna say about that...WHIP OUT THAT NUT BUTTER, BABY!  Just remember to measure things out so that you don't go overboard - which I am TOTALLY likely to do.  (Oops...haha!)

Have questions?  Feel free to email me or leave a comment below.  I love hearing from you guys! Also, if you'd like more help learning about macros (or having yours calculated to help meet your own fitness goals), I offer that as a service, too (under "Train With Me")!  

Blessings,