Last weekend, my little girl had the stomach bug. All she wanted was to cuddle, read books, have me sing her back to sleep. All I wanted to do was comfort her and remind her that she would feel better soon.
Fast forward a few days, and I started wondering “ok, when are the rest of us gonna get this?”Cause we all know how that works, right??
And, while I fully recognize we may still get this virus, or any others, this winter, that isn’t stopping me from doing all the things I can to keep our immune systems as robust as possible. You all have read many of my blogs before about habits you can include in your daily life to best support your body’s natural immune defenses. So, I won’t sit here and remind you to get 7-8 hours of sleep and eat 5-7 brightly colorized fruits and veggies today (but please- keep aiming to do that). Instead, I’ll share all that I’ve learned over these past few years about specific supplements that support the immune system.
Mushroom extracts: It can’t be just me they gets inundated with these ads, right?? Well, it’s for good reason. I’m still learning about these powerful ingredients. Reishi, turkey tail, shiitake, maitake…all such good varieties for supporting the immune system!
Fruiting bodies: Make sure your mushroom supplements include this. Supplements that include this part of the mushroom can be up to 30-50% more effective
No sugar! No gummies!: I’ll spare you my whole explanation about this. But sugar is definitely not supportive for the immune system, so having a supplement with too much added sugar wouldn’t be helpful either
GMP certified and third party tested. Again, this goes for all supplements. So so so important!! (Rule of thumb- don’t buy your supplements where you buy your toiled paper).
Special thanks to Camille Johnson (info@bereaver.com) for her excellent article about wellness for this week’s blog. This time of year, it can feel overwhelming to focus on our wellness goals, but Camille shares some great tips below to make your wellness goals achievable, enjoyable and easy to integrate into your busy life! Thanks, Camille for all the great tips!
Embarking on your wellness and self-care journey requires more than desire; it demands a deliberate and strategic approach for lasting improvement. This guide, courtesy of Jessica’s Fitness, equips you with actionable strategies to effectively pursue your wellness goals. By adopting these strategies, you ensure a solid foundation for your journey towards personal well-being.
Clarify Your Personal Wellness Definitions
Start by explicitly defining what wellness and self-care mean specifically to you. This personal definition will guide your journey and help tailor your objectives to be more meaningful and achievable. Break these broad goals down into specific, actionable tasks such as scheduling daily mindfulness sessions or setting a weekly meal planning routine. This approach not only simplifies your goals but also integrates them seamlessly into your daily life, making them more manageable and less overwhelming.
Make Walking a Priority
Walk more often to optimize your mental and physical health. Seek out areas with a high Walk Score of 70 or above to easily achieve your daily step goals. This practice boosts both your cardiovascular fitness and mental well-being. Regular walking in pedestrian-friendly areas can enhance your overall health. Making walking a daily habit helps you maintain consistency in your physical activity routine.
Integrate Self-Care Into Your Routine
Embed self-care practices into your daily routine to make them feel less like chores and more like a natural part of your day. Whether it’s reading a book, taking a long bath, or practicing yoga, finding activities that relax and rejuvenate you can make self-care an anticipated part of your schedule. This integration helps to prevent burnout and ensures that self-care remains a priority, not an afterthought.
Explore Diverse Activities
Experiment with a range of activities to discover what genuinely brings you joy and relaxation. Whether it’s physical exercise, arts and crafts, or learning a new skill, diversifying your activities keeps your self-care regimen engaging and exciting. This variety ensures that your wellness plan remains fresh and appealing, increasing the likelihood that you will stick with it over the long term.
Recognize and Celebrate Achievements
Take time to recognize and celebrate each achievement, no matter how small. These celebrations act as milestones of progress and are essential for sustaining motivation. Whether you’ve stuck to your wellness plan for a week, or have successfully managed stress through learned techniques, acknowledging these victories provides encouragement and builds confidence in your ability to meet your goals.
Engage a Support Network
Share your self-care and wellness goals with friends and family who can offer support and motivation. Having a supportive community provides external accountability and encouragement, which can be incredibly valuable on days when your motivation wanes. This network also serves as a sounding board for sharing successes and challenges, making your journey a shared experience.
Utilize these strategies diligently to enhance your wellness and self-care efforts. The foundation of success in personal growth lies in your consistent efforts and unwavering dedication. Keep your goals in clear focus, and rely on your support network for encouragement and accountability. Make it a habit to acknowledge and celebrate each accomplishment, no matter its size, as this will help you stay motivated.
Jessica’s Fitness offers both individual and group personal training and health coaching sessions for those who want to make healthy changes to their lifestyle. Get in touch today to talk about your needs!
This time of year, most of us are starting to think about ways to enhance our immune health. Working in healthcare and schools, and having two young kids, it’s definitely top of mind for me…
My fave tips for my clients this time of year are to focus on the basics:
✨exercise
✨stress reduction (I tend to favor gratitude journaling and daily meditation)
✨high quality sleep
✨quality nutrition
Do we notice a trend?? These are the basics for feeling amazing any time of year. These are ALWAYS the priority for me. But, I’d be remiss if I didn’t share what else I do to enhance my body’s natural immune defenses this time of year: ✨effective supplementation!!
I typically use an immune booster in my daily superfood shake, but I’m super excited about a new product that uses some key ingredients-
We’ve long known that vitamins C and D are powerfully supportive of our immune health, but NAC is another supportive molecule, as it is a precursor for glutathione (an important antioxidant for our immune systems). Which is why I’m pretty psyched that my favorite electrolyte drink now also has all three of these super important immune system supporters. What a convenient way to stay hydrated, help combat dry winter skin AND boost your immunity as we head into the winter months 👌👌
Guys, it’s been a busy weekend celebrating my son’s soon to be 8th birthday! But, I couldn’t let the weekend go by without celebrating a very important holiday. Cause, coffee is life, right?!?! So here’s a throwback to my post two years ago – read and don’t forget to comment for a coffee freebie!
It’s National Coffee Day!!!
I can’t keep up with all these made up holidays, but this is one I can get behind 😂😂
I LOVE coffee. I love the smell as my husband brews it first thing in the morning (he’s the best ❤️❤️), I love holding a warm mug in my hand on a cool morning, and I really do like the taste of good coffee.
But I get questions from clients a lot about whether or not coffee is good for them, good for their workouts or how much they should be drinking.
Like most things, the answers for this vary for individuals, but here are a few guidelines:
☕️Coffee can be a great source of energy in general, and before a workout. Coffee creates stress in the body, but for many of us, it’s the “good” kind of stress (when consumed in a reasonable amount). So having caffeine as a preworkout (in the form of coffee or another caffeinated beverage) can definitely give you that energy before your workout 🏋🏻♀️
☕️Is coffee good for you?? Maybe/likely/for some of us 🤷🏻♀️. Sorry for the lack of clarity on this one, but this is where individual characteristics come into play. Does coffee contain antioxidants? YES. Do those antioxidants ward off Alzheimer’s? MAYBE. Does coffee lead to anxiety? IN SOME PEOPLE, DEFINITELY
☕️Should I buy organic? Truthfully, I would 🤷🏻♀️. For one thing, many of us consume coffee regularly- so, if you’re ingesting something every day, you should likely pick the cleanest form of it. Also, coffee is notorious for containing mold, myotoxins and solvents. I just don’t want that in my body.
☕️Is it ok to add stuff to my coffee?? I get this question a lot, and again, the answer varies. Some of my clients don’t feel well drinking black coffee, so they add a little unsweetened milk. Would I add sugar? Personally, I wouldn’t, as we know sugar is pretty toxic. Would I add a ton of cream or highly processed plant based milk? Probably not this either. Honestly, if you feel like you need to add alot to your coffee, I might suggest looking into some other clean sources of caffeine or energy supportive products- and I have lots of good ideas for that (adaptogens anyone?? 👌👌)
☕️What about coffee “desserts”? You know what I mean here, right?? Next time you wanna order a frap/mocha craziness- just take a peek at the calories and sugar content (and the price!). I just don’t think it’s worth it. BUT, you can probably concoct something amazing and delicious at home, like this:
𝐖𝐡𝐢𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐝 𝐂𝐨𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐞, but make it a vegan, protein-packed healthy snack🙌🏼 This delicious, creamy, fancy coffee drink that supports my goals instead of derailing them, & this whipped coffee creation is no exception! Like the whipped coffee recipe floating around the internet, but removed the sugar & added in Vanilla Plant-Based IsaPro for a little extra nourishment 💪🏼 𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 2 Tbsp instant coffee 2 Tbsp hot water 8 oz unsweetened almond milk 1 scoop Vanilla Plant-Based IsaPro (https://jessicatreadwell1.isagenix.com/en-us/shop/daily-nutrition/isapro-plant-based-protein?pid=2f866f872ddd41f4a823332d0603f30f)
Combine the instant coffee and hot water in a bowl, whip vigorously, using an electric stand or hand mixer if you have one. Whip for 5 minutes (seriously) or until your coffee becomes nice and fluffy! In a shaker cup add 8 oz of almond milk and 1 scoop of Vanilla IsaPro, shake until combined. Pour over ice and top with the fluffy whipped coffee. Enjoy!🤍
So, do I think you should continue to enjoy coffee if you appreciate it as much as me?? Absolutely!! Do I think it’s worth gradually reducing the number of coffee desserts you buy? Absolutely! Do I think you can also gradually reduce what you add to your coffee and gradually switch to organic, mold/mycotoxin tested? YEP!
Bottom line- keep enjoying what you love and reap the many potential health benefits. Choose one way to make your coffee healthier this month, if it’s not super healthy yet. And experiment with healthy brands and recipes.
If you’ve made it this far in this post, I’d love to reward one lucky reader with a free batch of my favorite clean coffee. Comment below with one takeaway and I’ll choose a winner tomorrow!!
Raise your hand if you grew up on Flinstones vitamins too?? 🙋🏻♀️🙋🏻♀️
Maybe had some Lucky Charms or Pop Tarts for breakfast growing up? 🙋🏻♀️🙋🏻♀️
Guys, you’re not alone! I was a child in the 90s, and back then, we didn’t know what we didn’t know. Vitamins were vitamins, right? As long as we were eating something for breakfast, we were well nourished and ready to learn, right?!? 🤷🏻♀️
Thankfully, we’ve come along way and so has the nutrition and supplement space. Now, you still have to sift through rows and rows of sugar laden or artificially sweetened vitamins, and we still need to REALLY look at nutrition labels when deciding what to feed our families, but we have knowledge – and options- now, and that’s a beautiful thing!!
One thing that I’ve learned more and more about is the difference between naturally sourced and synthetic vitamins. I won’t bore everyone here, but here’s a few cool points to know:
✨if your vitamins are listed in the nutrition or ingredient label with parenthesis around them, they are synthetically made!
✨synthetic vitamins offer only a portion of the whole food vitamin, so synthetic vitamin B is not the same as getting your vitamin B from a whole food.
✨whole food vitamins, on the other hand, allow for a slow release of nutrients, making them easier to digest
✨there are now whole food vitamins that offer diverse and bio active vitamins and minerals 🙌🏼🙌🏼
Supplementing with a good vitamin and filling in the nutritional gaps in our food supply is more important than it’s ever been. I’m excited to try these innovative new whole food vitamins and would love to offer you a discounted price on them as well!! Follow this link to read more about these cool Pura Plant vitamins and to try your own pack, risk free: https://jessicatreadwell1.isagenix.com/en-us/shop/daily-nutrition/pura-plant?pid=14362b1208ab4bbb98d7a92657b105bc
Here’s to a new season of focusing on our health, boosting immunity and finding joy in the everyday moments 🍁🍁 To your health, friends!
Guys, it’s been a busy summer!! My family is just coming back from and incredible week away at the beach, and as I was trying to think of what I could share with you all this week, I stumbled upon this post I wrote 10 summers ago. So much has changed in my life over these last 10 years (you know- house, kids, new jobs, new businesses…), but my dedication to working out on vacation has stuck around…and mostly because feeling good just feels good. And I know that I enjoy my vacations so much more when I stay consistent with movement in some way. So anyway…I bring you mypost from August, 2014 with the same reminder: movement is medicine and consistency is possible, even on vacation. Enjoy the post and, wherever you are and whatever you’re up to these last few weeks of summer: ENJOY!!
View from our cabin this summer. I could def get used to this!
As I sit here sipping my coffee and soaking in the sun, I’m realizing that we’re in the second week of August already. Yikes! But summer’s not over yet, and many of us still have family vacations or long, lazy weekends to enjoy before reality sets in again. And we should enjoy every second! That being said, I’ve been doling out a lot of fitness advice to traveling clients lately, so I thought I’d share some here on the blog. In my last post, I talked about how to have as healthy a vacation as possible. To add to that, here are some ideas for quick and easy vacation workouts (also known to those who know me as “no excuse” workouts):
Come prepared for your vacation with portable fitness gear. Resistance bands, a jump rope, maybe a yoga mat. One of my favorite activities when on vacation is jumping rope. Start your day with 200 jumps, maybe add 50 the next morning. It won’t take long, but you’ll get your heart rate up for a few minutes. And every minute counts.
As I’ve mentioned before, enjoy the scenery around you with local hikes, bike rides, swims… What’s better than getting some exercise, sunshine and good photo ops all in one? Aim for one activity each day. You won’t regret it.
If you’re in a hotel room without a gym, do a quick circuit of lunges, squats, push ups and crunches for 10 minutes. Do this every other day, adding a few reps each time. Or play this card game with friends: assign one type of resistance move to each suite of cards (i.e. hearts are jumping jacks…makes sense, right?). Each time someone draws from the pile, do that number of the assigned resistance/cardio move. I recommend incorporating some cardio, some lunges, some push ups or tricep dips and some ab moves. The “game” actually goes by pretty fast, and you’ll definitely feel like you’ve worked out.
Walk everywhere you can. To dinner, to the beach, to the gift shop up the road. If you’re in a really remote area, plan a morning walk around the neighborhood or a family walk after dinner. What a great way to start the day or unwind and talk about everyone’s day.
I’m currently on a wonderful family vacation, and I promise I’ve taken my own advice. It’s amazing how a little bit of exercise each day puts me in a more relaxed mood, and has left me feeling energized and truly happy. The beautiful view and great company doesn’t hurt either 🙂 Sending along happy thoughts to all of you for an enjoyable rest of summer!! ~Jess
The beach, the sun, family- there’s nothing that makes me happier ☀️☀️☀️
Hey friends!! Please welcome my friend Lior to this week’s blog! Lior is a functional herbalist who I’ve had the pleasure of learning fromover the past year. I invite you to read this blog and share one tip you’re gonna try this summer!
From my kitchen window, I look at my garden. It is summer, and the garden is filled with an abundance of vegetables and herbs. Bees are zooming between the tulsi and lavender; birds are chipping on the trees, and butterflies hover over the Mexican sunflower.
Staying connected with the season is not just about the physical changes but also about tuning in to nature’s energy or vibe. It’s about stopping, observing, and feeling the rhythm of the natural world.
What are the energetics?
Ancient cultures all over the world observed the ebb and flow of the seasons. They paid attention to details and looked for patterns. The Western tradition, descended from the alchemists and herbalists of Europe, identified six foundational states called the energetic.
The six energetics were used to describe the patterns in plants, people, health conditions, and the seasons.
The energetic/vibe of summer
Summer is associated with the fire element. While in some places, the heat of summer is dry, like in Africa, in others, it is hot and humid, like in India. But all over the world, summer is a time to relax and have fun.
The Taste of Summer
Drinking cold lemonade can give you a clue to how sour food and herbs can counter the relaxing effect of heat on the body. The sour taste is astringent, meaning it tightens tissue and reduces fluid leakage. Some cooling foods and drinks you might want to consider in the summer are berries, citrus, kombucha, and vinegar.
Food tips:
What to do in the summer?
Like the sunflower, people chase the sun. Not literally, but because sunlight is essential for many bodily functions, from regulating appetite and sleep to balancing our mood, people celebrated the sun and nature, especially in the summer.
Be it in the garden or on a camping trip, summer is when you spend time outdoors, stock up on vitamin D, and enjoy the abundance of vitality and growth. Like a butterfly, I am attracted to the garden’s colors, forms, and sounds. My heart is filled with joy and reverence for the creative forces of nature.
Summer is a good time to build an altar in the garden using sticks, stones, and dried plants. You might want to plant a special plant next to your altar, like tulsi, burn incense, and offer prayers of gratitude to the forces of nature that sustain us.
This is the time to follow your passion, manifest your inner fire, and follow your dreams. The organ associated with the energy of summer is the heart and the circulatory system. It calls upon you to leave the comfortable safety of your home and step into an adventure. Explore new possibilities and create from the heart.
Don’t be afraid of being messy playing with finger colors or making a lot of noise while drumming. Summer is for letting your soul soar.
Being in tune with nature means stopping and noticing the changes in light, temperature, moisture and tune in the ecosystem around you. As you slow down, you will observe how different seasons resonate differently with your body.
I have a love/hate relationship with social media- probably like many of you. But, one thing I do love is the support and ideas we can all get from (positive) groups on there. I love the motivation and support of all my Peleton FB communities, so I do like to spend a little time each day reading through peoples’ posts.
One thing I’ve noticed lately is people posting this question: “How do I get the motivation to workout? I used to love doing X, Y, Z, and now I just can’t get myself to do anything”
So, here’s the thing. Motivation comes and goes and no one has it all the time. But, many people do work out consistently. Are they motivated every day?
Def not
Is it easy every workout?
Ha!
So how do they do it? More importantly, how can we get ourselves to initiate, re-engage in or stay consistent with a workout program when the motivation just isn’t there???
I have a few ideas:
1. Don’t put too much pressure on yourself. Seriously though. Just stop comparing who you are now with who you may have been at, say, 20 years old when you didn’t have a family, stressful job, time constraints, etc…Instead, just commit to doing ten minutes of a cardio workout and 10 minutes of any strength workout (choose what’s fun for you) and then move on with your day. Schedule it in your day, like you would a doctors appointment or work meeting. Over time, it will become easier to get that 10 minutes started and you will naturally want to increase the duration of your workouts- trust me!
2. Pair something you enjoy with the 10 minute workouts or “sandwich” it between two things you enjoy. Having something to look forward to while working out or right after will help your brain to associate exercise with something positive. I’m a sucker for a little Netflix/Hulu show or a podcast I’ve been dying to listen to- and I save said episode to watch/listen to ONLY during my workout.
3. Get yourself an accountability partner or group. I regularly run nutrition, wellness and healthy habit groups and my clients who participate have SO much more success than those trying to go at it alone. Twenty years in this industry and I can’t stress the importance of accountability and support enough.
If you’ve read this far, I hope you come away from this article knowing that: 1. You’re doing amazing and there’s nothing “wrong” with you for not being motivated and 2. You can feel amazing/energized and healthy again!! Start small, stay consistent, make it fun and get yourself a partner (or reach out to join one of my groups anytime!)
Would love to hear your tips for staying consistent with healthy habits too!!
It’s been a busy start to summer over here. Almost so busy that I haven’t told you guys about the incredible Health and Wellness coaching conference I had the pleasure to attend a few weeks ago. Leaving the kids and hubby to fly to California was not easy but I left feeling well informed, hopeful for the future of wellness coaching and SO inspired to continue sharing what I know to work for optimizing our health spans and lifespans 🙏
Here’s the hopeful news: ✨health and wellness coaches are beginning to be more and more recognized as valuable members of the healthcare team (as they should!). Recently, VA organizations have even incorporated health coaching into their programs with success (in the form of prevented suicides, as one example) noted in just this short time frame. ✨health and wellness coaching is being recognized in various medical journals (finally!) ✨health coaching programs are being rolled out in colleges, primary schools and retirement communities. Our reach is expansive and it’s a beautiful thing 🌻🌻🌻
The work we have ahead of us: ✅Due to (IMO, anyway) lack of understanding about the education and value of health coaches, we are not yet an integrated referral source in healthcare networks. I carry deep hope that, someday soon, more physicians, specialists, therapists and social workers will see the value of our work and refer patients our way. That’s the major one, folks. So, my call to action for anyone reading this: 🌻If you have a friend who is a certified health and wellness coach, share their contact information, their websites and their content with anyone you know who can benefit. 🌻If you are a physician, know that your work is of immeasurable value! However, it might benefit your patients for you to acknowledge that your time with them is often limited. At the same time, humans are complex beings who need and deserve an ongoing, supportive and holistic relationship with a provider. Might there be a world in which we can work together to make this world a healthier place?? 🌻As a health care consumer, advocate for what you deserve!! Right now, there are some modes of reimbursement available for health coaching. Keep asking your physicians and insurance companies and advocate for getting access to a certified health coach, especially if you are living with a chronic health condition, feel dismissed in any way by your health care team or would benefit from customized, client centered care as you aim to meet your wellness goals.
Thanks for hanging out with me on this soapbox, friends! I love working with my clients and I see a world we we all achieve better health outcomes through client centered, individualized, holistic care. Let’s do this, friends ☀️☀️☀️
Anyone who knows me as a client or friend knows I’m a lover of strength training. It’s gotten me out of the old school (and sometimes destructive) mentality of “how many calories can I burn on this cardio equipment?” that took up wayyyy to much space in my brain in my college days and early twenties. It’s also been the vehicle I’ve used for myself and for my clients to maintain a healthy body composition, better regulate hormones and provide numerous neuromuscular benefits. I love helping men and women get stronger, more confident and healthier through resistance training, but there is quite a bit of science behind the method.
Let’s start with this: men and women are not the same.
Can they both achieve amazing benefits from strength training? That’s a resounding YES.
Should they always go about it the same way? That’s a PROBABLY NOT
Let’s talk about some of the key differences ⬇️⬇️
For one, women and men have different proportions of each type of muscle fiber. While men have a greater proportion of Type 2 muscle fibers, women have more Type 1. Type 1 fibers are the “slow twitch” kind, lending to better endurance (versus an easier time with explosive type movements).
Next, women tend to have more fat than men, and they are better at using fat for energy during exercise. This is one of the reasons we are more resistant to fatigue. Women also are more sensitive to insulin and are better able to take up glucose.
Then there’s the whole thing about our menstrual cycles. In my experience, this is the easiest thing for clients to not notice or downplay, often feeling guilty for or not understanding why they may be experiencing lower energy or motivation to workout at times. Here’s how exercise can be impacted during each phase of our cycle and some ideas for how to workout (strength, cardio and flexibility) in each phase ⬇️
Menstrual Days: Days 1-5 (typically- all of this is “typically”). Strength training may feel difficult, but can typically be done at a moderate intensity. Ideas: strength circuit with moderate weights and more repetition.
Follicular Days: Days 1-13. Estrogen is at its peak, leading to improved mood, strength and energy. Ideas: HIIT workouts, heavier strength training.
Ovulation: Day 14. Symptoms can vary from person to person and month to month. Ideas: Take a rest day or try light cardio, walking or some yoga.
Luteal Phase: Days 15-28. This is the fun time, am I right, ladies? Ugh. Hormonal changes can cause increased body temperature, mood changes and an increase in metabolic rate. Ideas: lighter, longer duration cardio, long walks, moderate strength training.
I’m writing this article with such respect for all my female clients and the crazy things we have to go through on a regular basis. I’m also writing with the utmost respect for times when a client tells me that they just don’t think they can get through a workout some days. I’m also hoping this helps some of us better understand why the same workout can feel so amazing one day and sooo impossible another day. Let’s all remember to give ourselves grace during these times and permission to opt for the long walk or yoga workout when we need it.
Movement is medicine and it will always help us feel better! Just remember, the type of movement may need to change week to week. Kudos to you for showing up to each and every workout- no matter the duration, type or intensity!
I hope this info was helpful! Contact me anytime for other wellness and training topics you’d like to see addressed.
Jessica's Fitness 