Here’s to a Terrific TUESDAY!

5/15/12

+ Develop Multiple Passions+

The more passions and desires one has, the more ways one has of being happy….Charlotte-Catherine

Passions lead you to happiness! So, not only should you discover your multiple passions, you should also expand yourself to new passions. This way you will create new & fun ways to happiness.  The KEY to expanding to new passions is CURIOUSITY. If you are curious, you will never be bored, have endless exciting opportunities & adventures!

+Cooking 101 and Exercise Equipment+

Cooking your own meals helps you to be in CONTROL of what you are eating, limiting your exposure to over-processed & preservatives in your foods!  Today’s challenge—go RAW for either a main or side dish! What does that mean…it is eating only foods that are raw and have no preservatives, no additives, colors/dyes, added salt, sugar and have NOT BEEN CHANGED from their NATURAL state—keep it SIMPLE…think Salads of all kinds—veggie & fruit! Fit Fact: Benefits you will notice after a couple of weeks adding RAW food into your diet include: weight loss, a BOOST in energy, INCREASED alertness, STRONGER immune system & SAVE $ on your energy bills! 

It’s MONDAY, let’s get HAPPY!

I’m Baaaaacccck! Yes, it’s been way too long since I blogged here so with my return today,

Announcing the “GET HAPPY” Challenge!

Time to get your “Happy” on & help everyone you know SMILE, LAUGH & be HAPPY!  I’m devoting a whole week-long challenge helping you getting both FIT & HAPPY which go hand-in-hand!

Every day this week, I will share with you ONE secret of Happy People and ONE get-fit Tip!

The challenge will be to incorporate these steps into your life and SHARE it with 1 friend a day—check in by leaving a comment below!

5/14/12

+ Forget the Past+

One of the keys to happiness is a bad memory….Rita Mae Brown

You won’t be happy if you carry around the burden of the past. Did you make mistakes? Did you have a bad experience? Whatever they are, you should LET THEM GO. It is best to put all your energy and focus on the present & staying POSITIVE!

+Meal Planning+

&

+Journal+

Open the fridge and grab the first thing you see and eat it?? Not always a good idea! If you have planned ahead and stocked your fridge with healthy options, then you will have success!  It is important to plan ahead, make the grocery list, chop up your vegetables, pack your lunch, count out 1 serving of nuts…these actions along with WRITING DOWN your meals on paper (also add TIME of day you will eat, based on your schedule—got a little league game, plan to bring snack& water with you!) will help you be more conscious of what you are eating, help you stay full all day with eating mini-meals and most importantly at the end of the week you can review your menus! One of the best uses of Journaling is actually being able to SEE what you may need to ADD/SUBTRACT to your diet, like more fruits/vegetables or protein or less carbs…or more importantly if you need to cut back on sweets or portion sizes to help you reach your health & fitness goals!

Happy Tuesday!! I had to share this simple trick on reducing your daily calories & carbs, BEHOLD….                         THE OPEN FACED SANDWICH

Today’s Lunch: Turkey Burger!

1 slice of WW Toast, topped with TJ Turkey Burger, 2 tbs Fage Yogurt, sliced plum tomato & 1/2 avocado with side of salsa!

Have you ever looked at the labels on the bread, buns or tortillas you are buying? YIKES! Just putting your lean meat on bread can add some serious calories to your meal!  I mean SERIOUSLY, it can add up to 300 calories if you are not careful. Here is my solution, just use HALF! Yep, it’s that easy and then you can have that glass of wine with dinner or indulge in a sweet treat at the holiday parties you attend this season!

So shop smart and give this a try, your waistline will say “THANK YOU VERY MUCH!”

The Holiday Season is Here, Yahoo! It has been a long while for me to post here—looking ahead I am committing to posting a new inspirational story, sharing resources or my own workouts here on my website weekly, if not more often!  To kick off my posts in December, I am posting my wish list for fitness gear and why I need/want them!  Winter is coming and now is the time to look at your home “Gym” and stock up on some essentials so that if you do not make it out of your house for that workout—no worries you are set!!

<—–Topping my list this year is this swanky-cool hoodies with built in earphones  from Old Navy!

It’s not too late to write up your own list of fitness must-haves to give out to your friends a
nd family!  We’ve all heard the jingles, commercials and songs that remind us that if we don’t tell people what we want, we may end up with some new socks and underwear this holiday season!!!

Here are my Top 5 Fitness Picks for the fitness-savvy workout girl:

• Hoodie with Headphones  I cannot tell you how many times I wake up,  get dressed and reach for my ipod to only find my headphones are MISSING! This piece of clothing not only keeps you warm for those “warm-ups”, it is a great GRAB ‘n EXERCISE now essential for any fitness lover!!! <3
• Medicine Ball (3-8 pounds)  I’m sure that many already have their hand weights, kettlebells, therabands and mats at home, but medicine balls are an easy way to AMP UP your workouts! I love to do wood choppers with a medicine ball, off set push ups with the ball under my hands or at my feet, and my all time favorite is PLANKING with my toes balanced on a med ball—the ultimate balance challenge!!
• Bob Harper or Jillian Michaels Workout DVD’s   These two fitness guru’s made famous on the show The Biggest Loser have put out there a number of action-packed, challenging workouts! I am a fan of Jillian’s 6week 6 pack and have read great reviews on many of Bob Harper’s workouts so I’m looking to expand my workout DVD library this holiday season!
• New Gym Bag–Your Choice!  Each person has their own preference on how they like to tote their stuff, so look at your gear and find a bag that is functional and stylish! I have had my eye on this FAB tote from Oakley for some time, with all the hours I put in at the gym it is about time for me to upgrade to a sturdy,  roomy and trendy tote!
• Heart Rate Monitor or Body Bugg  I own a Polar heart rate monitor and love it to pieces! The model I have uses a chest strap and logs in my activities/workouts for up to 3 weeks!  It is especially helpful for monitoring your heart rate in those high cardio sessions and the best part it tells you how many calories burned at the end of every workout!  On my wish list is one step up,  I want a “body bugg” , this monitors all of the above and even tracks your sleep patterns!  Two models I am looking at right now are Body Media & Fit Bit. 
• 

We are life-long learners and the older I get, I realize the less that I really know! I will always be a student and I learn many wonderful things being a teacher. How ironic that the fortune in my fortune cookie tonight said “To TEACH is to LEARN TWICE.”

One of the 2 fitness workshops this weekend was about teaching older populations, but as it turns out many of the fundamentals we learned can be applied to classes of all ages! The awful truth is we are all getting older and as we have more birthdays, our bodies are changing. My role as a fitness instrutor is to lead participants safely through exercises in a group setting.  In planning out workouts, we have to apply some “Fuzzy Logic” as we all come in different shapes, sizes, restrictions and abilities! So basically know the facts and be smart about pushing on the boundaries while knowing your own body’s needs.

Functional fitness is basically examining your daily activities, whatever that may be for you in your occupation and creating dynamic movements that repeat/mimic and strengthen the muscles in your body you use for those actvities.  Again as we celebrate more birthdays, gravity has it’s toll on our bodies and we begin to lose balance, reaction time and are more prone to falls that can result in broken bones.  So, why not PRACTICE falling, feeling your body move through that action and safely know how to fall and get up off the ground? Genius, right? There are already some great fitness moves out there that you are familiar with like lawn mower, sprinkler, bow and arrow to name a few. 

I’m getting started today to observe people in their day-to-day activities and putting my thinking cap on to come up with some new exercises that will give my students the upper hand when it comes to leading a fully functional life, all the days of their lives!  And folks don’t forget to LAUGH a little, SMILE a lot and tell a friend or special some one that you LOVE them! Get those Feel-Good Endorphins going!!

HAPPY SEPTEMBER!

FALL is the perfect time for a FRESH NEW START!

I remember the first time I heard the word Beachbody, I just thought it was some company that got fitness-minded people to sell expensive supplements. I never heard anything more or really researched it until another friend actually walked up and said hey, you need to try this Shakeology drink–it’s going to give you tons of energy! It was extra thick and creamy–nothing like the protein shakes I was currently drinking and it was DELICIOUS! I love shakes, but have self-proclaimed myself as a “Bar Girl”, meaning I tend to eat more bars pre/post workout because of the convenience and shakes to me were high-maintenantce.  So months went by and my friend had a Shakeology party and invited friends to participate in a 30-day shake challenge. Of course, I jumped right in and took the challenge to see what all the hoop-a-la was about these shakes. There are only 2 flavors so I ordered both Greenberry & Chocolate and heck, why not get myself a new workout DVD too? So, I ordered Chalene Johnson’s Turbo Jam Live 2DVD set and to my surprise when I ordered on their Home Direct program (save a few $) I even got 2 extra “Shakeology” workouts! Armed with my shakes and workouts, I was ready to take on the challenge!!

First, I weighed in at 131 pounds and took my measurements: waist 29.8″, hips 38.5″, chest 36.8″. The challenge was simple: substitute your Shakeology for one meal during the day, eat smart and healthy and workout at least 45minutes each day and email a summary of everything I ate for all meals with this info to my “coach” daily.  Knowing that someone would be reading what I ate, I found myself not cheating or “snacking” as I usually do. My goal for the challenge was not actually to lose weight, but to reduce inches on my hips/thighs. This entire challenge has opened my eyes to a new support system for helping others reach their fitness goals and in the process strengthen relationships with and family near and far away. As an added bonus, I have come to enjoy making my shakes and <gulp> am now more of a “shake” girl from this experience since I have created a new healthy habit and discovered how just changing a few ingredients creates a new sensational drink!

I only have a 5 days left on the challenge and I’m going hard core with my ab/leg workouts and hoping to finish strong! Stay tuned, as this challenge comes to a close, I will share with you my results and gearing up to dare you to take on your very own 30-day Fitness Challenge!

Woo Hoo! Who is ready for the weekend? 

I AM! I AM! (me:  jumping up and down)

Weekends are just 48 precious hours and so I treasure them like rhinestones!  Each hour is special because it is time for me to recharge and re-set for the next week.  On top of taking the time to prepare and cook healthy meals, I try to relax, get a little more rest and believe it or not EXERCISE MORE!

Yes, it’s true!  This particular weekend I am lucky to teach classes FRI, SAT & SUN!  Tonight’s class was ZUMBA and I burned over 600 calories, while dancing and having so much fun!  Saturday is Body Blast which is a strength-based class and Sunday is Zumba/Zumba Toning.

I have been a fitness instructor for more than 3 years and considered myself  “healthy” because I was so active.  All my life, my weight has had a yo-yo/ up & down pattern.  Having had 2 kids, my weight ballooned to over 170 pounds after my son was born in 2002 and I fought hard with weight watchers and exercising to get it back down to what I thought my “ideal” weight was at 150lbs.  For the last few years I have maintained my 150lbs through exercise and used my activity to give myself  “permission” to eat more.  That all changed for me in 2011 when I decided that I wanted to see how fit I could get and build muscle, lose body fat.  I started a low-carb diet and 2 weeks later joined the Bikini Challenge with the Tone It Up girls Karena & Katrina.  By following the challenge and watching what I was eating, I was able to drop down to 131 lbs and feel GREAT! I have my best body ever and I’m so thankful to be fit and active, what a blessing it is to be able to move my body and push it to do so much more!

It comes down to this simple principle…. don’t underestimate yourself and what you can achieve!  So I raise my glass and say “CHEERS!” to my favorite trainers who helped me get where I am today and look forward to Sharing/Sweating/Inspiring others to do the same! Click here to sign up for a free newsletter from Tone It Up to receive the support you need to step up your health and fitness goals! http://www.toneitup.com

K & K also have an AWESOME  Nutrition Plan that will help jump start your nutrition intake and melt away pounds!  Have a wonderful weekend and GO FOR IT!

This single thought pushed me to make my 2nd posting here on my website!

I just watched a video of the infamous Biggest Loser trainer Bob Harper being put through a workout by HIS TRAINER!  Crazy-right? Who would have “thunked” that Bob himself would need a trainer to coach him? Well, we all find our motivation and inspiration to push ourselves to be the best we can from many sources.  It can hit you without warning, an article you read in a magazine, a picture of a delicious dish–made healthy, a jogger running down your street or like me watching a celebrity being put through a simple challenge.  When it strikes, don’t let go of it! And with that thought, I’m hitting play on this video and jumping in with both feet to do this challenge right along side Bob this afternoon!  Here’s the link so you can too!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=10dE6M_8yhw

Hello and Welcome to my Web Page!!

I’m super-excited to finally launch my own website and share my adventures in fitness with you.  Ever since I can remember, I was involved in some form of fitness from an early age (gymnastics, little league).  From Jr. High onward, I played basketball, volleyball and softball and my senior year I participated in cross-country running.  It is this life-long love of moving and staying fit that led me to where I am today.

I am an ACE-certified group fitness instructor and also certified in Zumba, Zumba Gold, Zumba Toning and ZumbAtomic! Check out my Zumba profile page here:

http://www.zumba.com/en-US/profiles/42100/jennifer-voss

I am looking forward to meeting other like-minded fitness individuals, share my group fitness teaching schedule & special events, and of course inspire and help others reach their fitness goals–at all levels!  So with this first post, I must ask you–what is your favorite workout right now?! Is it walking your dog every morning, a kickboxing or other high-cardio class at your gym, pilates or yoga classes, or taking a hike with your family…let me know, I’m all ears!