How to be More Confident

Hey babes! If there’s one thing everybody struggles with, even me, it’s being confident in your own skin. We all try so hard to look better, be fitter, and even when we reach our goals, we still lack the confidence to be happy with who we are.

I just want to make sure all of you know that you’re not alone and there are ways to help find your confidence so you can finally start feeling better about who you are because you’re amazing and you all should realize that.

There are a lot of things you can do every day to help yourself feel more confident. Some are really easy, while others may take some time. Either way, you should always strive to practice these things in your everyday lives so you can be more confident and love who you are!

1.    Wake Up and Write Down 3 Things You Love About Yourself

This is a ritual all people should have – no matter who they are. If you wake up every single day and jot down three things you love about yourself, you’re starting the day thinking positively of yourself already! Another thing you can do is, before bed every night, write a message on your bathroom mirror that makes you feel beautiful and confident. That way, when you look at it in the morning, you’ll feel amazing to start the day!

2.    Count Your Blessings

I know this might sound a little cheesy, but I think a lot of us – me included – forget about all the positive things we have in our lives. This can make us feel less confident because we think we don’t have anything to feel good about. Look around you. Realize everything you have that makes you happy and makes you feel good about yourself. There’s more there than you think! Everything that makes you who you are is unique and that alone makes it beautiful.

3.    Shut Down the Negative Thoughts

There are far too many of us who let our negative thoughts cloud the positive ones in our lives. I once read that the average person has 65,000 thoughts a day and about 85% of them are negative. No wonder too many of us aren’t thinking positively about ourselves! Now imagine if you shut down every negative thought you had and replaced it with something good about yourself. You would be living a much happier life and you’d learn just how much there is to love about yourself.

4.    Work On Bettering Yourself Daily

How many of you do something every day that improves who you are as a person? I think a lot of people go through their life and focus on work, school, and the stresses their facing and don’t have time to make themselves a better person. If you dedicate time every day to making yourself better, you’ll start feeling so much more confident about yourself. So go to the gym, volunteer at a shelter, or even read motivational books! The options of improving yourself are endless.

5.    Avoid Comparing Yourself to Others – (especially online or in magazines)

This is just human nature. We look at someone online who looks great and seems to have everything put together and our confidence plummets. The thing is, we can’t compare how great we are with how great we think someone else is! We don’t know anything about their lives and what it’s like behind the picture we see. Therefore, we can’t compare ourselves to them because, well, we aren’t them! Whenever you start feeling bad about yourself because of something you see online or in a magazine, shut it down and think about something you’re great at to boost yourself up again.

Lacking confidence is something many of us have to deal with every day. I know I struggle with it from time to time, but I also know how to build myself up when I don’t feel confident. Take it from someone who knows how you feel and try these ways to have more confidence!

Say Goodbye to All Your Bad Habits with This Technique

I hope all of you are doing fantastic today. The week is almost over but you still have 2 more days to push toward your goals and make them happen!

One thing I want to talk about today is how we all have bad habits. We do. Some of them are harmless while others can hold you back from achieving the things you really want to.

For example, sleeping in. It seems like it’s a perfectly fine thing to do when you don’t really have anything to do right away in the morning, but if you’re trying to get up early and head to the gym before work, sleeping in can ruin your energy every morning!

A lot of you have told me about certain habits of yours that you think are holding you back from hitting your goals and I just wanted to share something that helped me in the hopes that it will help you just as much and that’s the 21-day rule. 

What Is The 21-Day Rule?

I’m sure you guys may have seen me post about this before and that’s because it REALLY WORKS! It’s just the idea that it takes you 21 days to make or break a habit. If you do something consistently for 21 days you will have made a habit out of it.

That’s LESS THAN A MONTH! I think all of you are capable of doing this and so much more! Once you start doing something daily for 21 days, it will feel weird when you DON’T do it.

Making The 21-Day Rule A Bit Easier

This is honestly the hardest part of the whole thing and it’s really not even that bad. Think of a bad habit that you have and you want to break. Got it? Now, every single time you start doing this, you will stop yourself and find a NEW habit to pick up – one that is beneficial for you.

Instead of just trying to hold yourself back from doing the bad habit, starting the new one will actually keep your mind occupied AND it’s adding something valuable to your life. The technique of replacing an old habit with a new one at the same time makes this process a whole lot easier for you.

For example, every single time you reach for a bag of chips, grab a piece of fruit instead. Now, eat the piece of fruit and drink a whole glass of water. Doing this every single time you want a bag of chips for 21 days will make you get into the habit of eating fruit and drinking water for a snack instead of filling your body with something harmful and bad for you.

See how much better that can be for you?!

Just Give It 21 Days!

I know that sounds like a piece of cake, but it will be hard at first. All you have to remember is that it’s 21 days. Only 21 days and you can be FREE of that old, bad habit that is weighing you down and you can pick up a new habit that is really healthy and good for you!

I know that all of you are capable of achieving any goal you want to! Getting rid of your bad habits with this 21-Day rule is only going to help you get there faster. I believe in you and after 21 days, you’ll believe in yourself, too!

Stop Worrying About What Other People Think of You

Don't waste energy or time caring about what other people think about you. This took me a long time to learn, so I want to remind you all why it's so important. 

If you waste energy being so concerned with what everyone else thinks, you'll never be good enough, fit enough, smart enough, and the list goes on.

Remember, what's beautiful to some is ugly to others. That's why it is so important to decide what YOU want and spend your energy getting there and feeling good about it. The only opinion that matters is your opinion of yourself. 

Spend your energy working on your goals to get where you want to be. When you feel good, you look good! You radiate positively and it's contagious. 

The more time you spend working on yourself (and the less time spent on worrying about the opinions of others) the quicker you'll get to where you want to be and the better you'll feel when you see your progress. 

I believe that everyone has the power to look and feel the way they want and it's in your control to make it happen. You can do it!

Motivation Can Unlock Your Inner Strengths – Here’s How

Hi everyone! I hope you all had a great weekend! There’s something that I want to talk about today that you may have never thought of before. I want to touch on the topic of motivation and how it can help you unlock your inner strengths.

A lot of us lack motivation in our lives and this doesn’t just affect our ability to get in the gym and make a change in our bodies, it also affects other aspects of our lives, too. We all have certain inner strengths that get buried in doubt when we lack motivation. This is how motivation can unlock your inner strengths not only in your fitness life, but in your work and personal lives, too.

You’ll Be More Positive

Positivity can go a LONG way when it comes to every part of your life. If you’re more positive about situations, you’ll have more success in them. When you can get motivation in your life, it’ll help you see that positive side of things.

When you have a positive outlook on life, not only can you see the good side of even the worse situations, but you can actually turn those bad situations into good ones just with your attitude. Having motivation will help train your mind to think in a positive and uplifting way.

You’ll Believe In Yourself

Motivation doesn’t just stop at helping you get up off the couch. If you find motivation often, you’ll start to notice just how much you believe in yourself. This isn’t only beneficial in the fitness world, it can have drastic changes on the rest of your life as well.

When you believe that you are capable of great things, you will start to put yourself out there and push for greatness. When you know that you can do something, you will succeed in doing it and motivation is a huge part in making you start to believe in who you are.

 

You’ll Make More Sound Decisions

Basically with this one, by keeping motivation in your life, it’ll help you learn to trust yourself. When you trust who you are and the decisions you make, it makes it so much easier to actually make those choices and stick with them.

When you have frequent motivation to do the things you love and the things you have to do in order to get to the person you want to be, you’ll find that you’ll trust yourself more and more as you continue in your journey. When you trust yourself, it’s so much easier to understand what you have to do to reach your goals.

We all know how powerful motivation can be to get us in the gym, but I don’t think many know just how important it is in shaping our entire lives. If you’re lacking motivation, go out there and find what motivates you and cling to it. Whether it’s a certain fitness account, goal body picture, or even the condition of your health, hold on to that motivation and you’ll change your whole life.

Add These Exercises to Your Routine for Some Extra Fun and Benefits

Hi everyone! I hope you all had a fantastic weeked! I wanted to talk about something that I think we can all relate to. Many of you tell me you really want to lose weight and get in shape…but you’re bored with the same routine and you’re just not having fun.

This is completely understandable and a lot of people feel the same way as you. Not every workout is going to be super exciting. In fact, you may even cut your workouts short or skip them altogether because you just want to go do something fun instead.

For all of you who feel this way, I’m here to help! If you’re lacking entertainment in your workouts and you want to step them up to the next level and benefit from them more, your answers are here. These are a few workouts for you and some different tips on making your workout regimen entertaining!

Zumba

If you don’t know what Zumba is, it’s a video or class based workout that has you following an instructor and dancing to a bunch of really fun songs. The best part about this workout is that you burn calories and tone your body all at the same time without even realizing it’s even a workout!

Yoga

For all of you that don’t like the intensity of exercise, try doing yoga instead! Not only is this a really great way to tone your entire body, but you’ll also feel calm and increase your flexibility. The best part about this is that you’ll go away with a really good workout and you’ll feel really relaxed afterwards.

Ultimate Frisbee

For those of you rolling your eyes or even laughing at this one, just remember that playing this can burn you the same as just running on a treadmill or down the street. You’ll burn tons of calories and tone more than just your legs, too.

Dance Class

If none of you have ever taken a hip-hop dance class but you hate exercising, you may want to reconsider. Even if you’re an awful dancer, going to this dance class can help you burn some serious calories all while you’re dancing and hanging out with friends!

Hiking

If you’re the outdoorsy type, you can be guaranteed that this workout will benefit you more than forcing yourself to do a bunch of boring lifts. Not only will this help your cardio, but adding a weighted backpack with even just a picnic lunch and some water will help add some muscle to your legs and core. AND you get to enjoy an amazing view as your reward.

Tips for Making it Fun

Get a Workout Buddy

This is one of the best ways to make working out fun and give you a reason to get up and go every day. How can your workout be boring when you have your best friend right there with you? You can joke about how much it sucks and push each other to do better. You’ll walk away thinking you’ve just hung out with a friend instead of worked your butt off.

Go Somewhere New

Maybe you don’t hate the exercise part, maybe you just hate where you exercise. If you find that you really hate working out in a gym, then try a different form of exercising and take it to the park or the beach! Changing your surroundings can make a huge difference on how much you have fun during your workout.

Change up Your Routine

If you don’t like working out, maybe you’re just too bored with the same old routine. You should always switch up your workouts so you’re never doing the exact same sequence of exercises in a row. Not only will that keep you entertained, but it’s also more beneficial for your body!

Working out is something that a lot of us have to learn to love. But following these tips and trying these workouts you’ll be able to make exercising much more fun. All you have to do is try different things until you find the one that works best for you. Then you’ll be able to accomplish any goals you have!

Watch Out for These Fad Diets that DON'T Work

Hello loves! Today I want to touch on the topic of fad diets. If you’re not sure what a fad diet is, it’s basically a way of changing what you’re eating to get fast results. Juice cleanses, the military diet, and the master cleanse are just a few examples.

I get asked all the time what I eat to stay in shape and the truth is, it’s a mixture of different healthy foods. Some people might say that I am doing this diet or that diet, and I don’t usually refer to what I eat as a “diet” and I’ll tell you why.

I think that the word “diet” makes people think that it’s restricting your food intake or only eating certain foods for a short period of time in order to achieve some kind of results. The reality of my life is that it’s a LIFESTYLE CHOICE. I lead a healthy lifestyle and that means I eat healthy foods and workout to stay in shape. 

That’s why I truly believe that these fad diets DON’T work and you should avoid doing them at all costs.

Juice Cleanses

I am all for downing a delicious juiced drink. They’re packed with nutrients and stuff that your body needs in order to function. But I am not all for ONLY drinking juiced fruits and veggies as the only thing you consume in a day – or even as long as a week, which some people do.

Sure, this makes you lose weight, but it does so by basically starving your body of proteins and fats – two things you need in order to function properly. The bottom line is that this diet is short lived because as soon as you finally eat protein and fats again, your body will absorb it like a sponge since it was deprived of it before and you’ll hold onto it more – meaning you’ll gain the weight right back. Don’t do this fad diet.

Grapefruit Diet

I love fruit! Not as much as dark chocolate, but it’s still amazing and really good for you. This fad diet has become popular because grapefruits are known to have a certain enzyme that burns fat. So, whenever someone only eats grapefruits for a few days they think they’re burning all kinds of fats.

The issue with this fad diet is that it’s super low calorie – yet again. Sure, it means you’ll drop some weight, but you’re not doing it in a healthy way and you’ll more than likely gain it all back right away anyways!

The Five-Bite Diet

Can you all please promise me that you’ll never listen to this kind of nonsense diet? This poor excuse for a diet is the idea that you will only eat 5 bites of your food and then be done with it until your next meal.

This is terrible and it’s telling people that they shouldn’t eat – which is SO WRONG! You need food in order to function and I need all of you to eat FULL, well-balanced meals to get in shape instead of harming your body by depriving it of everything it needs by only taking 5 bites.

The Cabbage Soup Diet

Have any of you ever had cabbage soup before? It seems really bland and not very tasteful to me, but for some reason people eat this soup day in and day out for a week at a time. Yes, it’s low calorie, but it also doesn’t contain valuable nutrients.

Your body needs more than cabbage and in order to function and be healthy and that is why this fad diet doesn’t work. It also doesn’t work because it’s just like the juice diet, it’ll make you lose weight – but only in the short term.

The Lemonade Diet

Lemonade is delicious! I’ll be the first person to tell you that, but it is not something that you should ONLY consume in a whole day – especially not for multiple days at a time. This diet is the idea that by drinking lemonade you’re detoxing your body because lemons are powerful detoxifiers. While this is true, you’re starving your body of everything it needs to be healthy and fully functioning. That’s why this fad diet doesn’t work.

What do all of these diets have in common? That’s right! They’re all “quick fixes” that don’t actually fix anything at all. If any of you babes want to lose weight, you have to do it the right way with a healthy BALANCED diet and a great exercise program. But before you even do that, just know that you’re perfect the way you are <3

Stay Fit on the Go With These Easy to Master Full Body Workouts

Hi there all! This is a question I get ALL the time, “Jen, how do I workout when I’m traveling?” It’s been asked so many times that I think it’s really important to answer it in this blog instead of just individually.

I also love this topic because it I can relate to it so much. I travel quite a bit and that means I have to sacrifice my gym time because there just isn’t a gym readily available all the time. So, I’ve come up with some really effective workouts that are really easy to master no matter where you are.

Bench Dips

This is one of the easiest workouts to do because you can do it on just about any chair-like surface – even a bed works! All you have to do is face away from the chair/bench/bed or whatever it is you’re using, put your hands on the seat surface, and lower yourself down and push yourself back up to activate and work those triceps!

Jump Squats

I can’t tell you enough how great jump squats are for engaging not only your glutes, but your whole legs. The explosive power used in jump squats helps to grow your booty, tone your thighs, and chisel those calves! Start off this workout with your feet shoulder width apart (wider if this is uncomfortably too close for you), angle your feet outward just slightly, lower yourself into a squatting position, and jump straight up as high as you can. When you come back down go right into your next jump squat.

Planks

This is another really effective workout that you can literally do anywhere! This exercise is mostly known for working your abs, but it also gives your shoulders, quads, and back a workout, too. There are a few different ways you can do planks and all of them are perfect for staying fit on the go. All you need to do is get on the floor (preferably a soft area), put your feet out behind you and lean on your elbows with your body straight. Hold this for as long as you can and then rest for 30 seconds before doing it again. Do this 3 times and you’ll start to feel the burn! Another way to do this that is a little bit easier for those of you just starting your fitness journey is to move up to your hands instead of your elbows.

Burpees

If you know what a burpee is, then you probably hate it! The reason most people don’t like this workout that’s great for staying fit on the go is because it’s so HARD – which also means it works. All you do is lay flat on the ground on your stomach with your toes against the ground and your hands pushing on the ground just at the side of your stomach. Next, push up with your hands and snap your legs under you so you’re in a squat position and jump straight up into the air. It’s basically like combining a pushup with a jump squat but when you come back down from the jump, you get pack into your push-up stance and start all over.

Push-Ups

This is another fantastic workout that really gets your whole body involved and it’s perfect for staying fit on the go because you can do it just about anywhere, your hotel room, a park, or even in the airport! Get down on the ground laying on your stomach, keep your body in a straight line, and push up off the ground from your sides. When you come back down make sure your elbows get to 90 degrees or less in order to gain the most benefits! If some of you aren’t able to do a full push-up but still want to get a good workout in, just put your knees on the ground and do the same thing. It’s a little bit easier but gets the job done!

Tips for Staying Fit on the Go

Here are just a few additional tips that can help you burn more calories and stay more fit when you’re on vacation, traveling for work, or even to use in your everyday lives.

Take the Stairs

Elevators are great for going up and down floors quickly, but they’re also not nearly as beneficial as taking the stairs. Taking the stairs is just a no-brainer if you want to stay fit on the go because it’s literally a manmade workout that you won’t even notice you’re getting. It makes a big difference if you start using the stairs every day instead of the elevator.

Stand Instead of Sit

If you have a job that makes you sit down a lot, just stand up and do your work instead. It burns more calories and is much better for your back and core. You can also stand and do calf raises if you really want to take your fitness on the go up a notch.

Always Carry a Water Bottle

You should always make sure you’re carrying around a water bottle with you everywhere. Staying hydrated is one of the most important part of staying fit on the go and you’ll always have access to it.

Utilize Your Environment

I’m sure you all have noticed by now that I don’t always use the gym to get a workout in. Sometimes I’m in a park or out on the balcony. You should always look around you and start utilizing your environment as workout equipment no matter where you are!

I understand more than anyone that you can’t always be in the comfort of your own at times. You may have to travel and you still have to be fit no matter where you are. These easy to master workouts are perfect for those of you who want to stay fit on the go!

Let me know which of these workouts are your favorite and why!

This is What You Need if You Want to Stay Motivated

Motivation Monday is here and I think we could all use a little pick me up after the weekend, don’t you think? Mondays are so hard because we just spent the weekend doing whatever we wanted to do and now we have to get back to the daily grind!

It’s really easy to lose your motivation – I know how it feels. One minute you have all the drive in the world and the next it’s like you can’t even remember what you wanted to do in the first place. Or maybe you’re about to do something productive but then suddenly decide that your bed is more important than, well, anything else. Staying motivated is one of the hardest things to do, but if you have this one thing, you’ll learn how to stay motivated.

Weekly Goals

How can you stay motivated to keep going to the gym if you don’t know why you’re doing it? This is a problem that a lot of us face daily. Staying motivated to do anything, really, can be hard if you don’t have one little thing…a goal.

Goals are pretty much the driving force that makes us drag our butts out of bed in the morning, head out into the (sometimes) bitter cold, and face another grueling workout. Why do we do it? Because we have a goal. We want to look a certain way, be a certain weight, or maybe just be a healthier person.

No matter what you’re motivated to do, you’re motivated because of an end goal. Without having a specific goal you will lose your motivation very quickly and you’ll be disappointed in yourself when you realize that you can’t just get up and do it.

Setting Your Goals

The first step to getting motivated is setting up your goal. What is it that you really want to achieve? Do you want to get a bigger butt, lose some weight, sculpt your abs? You have to have an end goal. Got it? Great!! Now take that goal and write it down – ALL OVER!

One thing to remember about setting your goals, though, is that you want to make sure they’re realistic. Start with smaller, more attainable goals, before skipping right to getting a body like Rihanna’s. Set a goal that is realistic FOR YOU.

Sticking to Your Goals

If you have a picture of your goal body, tape it up or save it where you’ll see it every day. Write your goal down on sticky notes and leave them all over your room so you can’t help but be reminded every single day.

These little reminders of your goal will help motivate you in the morning and push you through every single workout you have. When you’re not motivated, it’s usually because you’ve lost sight of your goals. Just remind yourself of what you want to accomplish and you’ll feel that motivation to keep pushing forward like I know you can!

Reaching Your Goals

What happens when you’ve reached your goal body, weight, or health status? Most people might throw up their hands and think, “Well, I’m done,” and lose all motivation to do anything else.

Once you’ve reached your goal (CONGRATULATIONS by the way!!), your next step is to make a new one. Never stop making goals, accomplishing them, and being better than you were yesterday. When you do stop making these goals, you’ll lose your motivation.

Sometimes staying motivated can be the hardest thing we all have to face, but if you have a goal in mind and are reminded of that goal daily, you WILL be motivated and you CAN accomplish them!

Tell me what goals you have and how you’re planning to stay motivated to accomplish them in the comments below!