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When and why did you start your blog, meals & moves, and what is it all about?
I started meals & moves in April of 2009. I originally started it to stay accountable for, well, my meals and my moves! I wanted to make sure I was eating healthy, exercising regularly, and not skipping out on a healthy lifestyle. Publishing daily blog posts really helped me keep up on my health and fitness efforts.
My blog has evolved over the past few years and now it’s all about my life—meals & moves included, of course—but also other aspects like my marriage, my dogs, traveling, and fun with family and friends. I also post lots of healthy recipes, restaurant reviews, and tips for everyday life.
What is your philosophy on health and fitness?
I am not an over-achiever when it comes to health and fitness. I honestly do just what I need to do in order to be fit and healthy. I don’t like to spend hours at the gym or plan every last bite to ensure everything is super healthy. Instead, I approach health and fitness with an easy going attitude. I make sure to do something active at least 5 days a week. I try to make 75% of my weekly meals healthy. I love to eat out, ice cream is my favorite food, and sleeping is my best friend. I make sure to balance my workouts and clean eating with relaxing and indulging!
Can you tell us more about Body for Life?
Body for LIFE is a 12-week diet and exercise program I did in 2008. You can read my story here. I had seen several people have great success with the program. I was overweight, out of shape, and unhappy. I needed a life overhaul! I paired up with my mom and completed the full 12 weeks by-the-book. We both had stellar results which can be seen physically, but what I really gained from the experience was a whole new outlook on life! ALL aspects of my health improved after Body for LIFE. I was happier mentally, my social and emotional health was improved, and I had a whole new outlook on life. Those 12 weeks really transformed me inside and out.
How have you maintained your weight loss and what advice could you pass along to others trying to do the same?
To be honest—I DIDN’T maintain my weight loss at first. I lost the weight and thought I was invincible. I let my less-than-stellar habits creep back in and found myself eating too much and not moving enough. I ended up gaining a bit, but I put things in check and got back to where I wanted to be—both mentally and physically.
Nowadays, I maintain my weight through regular exercise and eating clean 75% of the time. I make sure not to deprive myself at all because I know if I do, I will have a breaking point and go overboard. I am someone who does best following a program. I have tried following programs and I have tried the "make up as you go" approach, but I have found I just do better with a plan to follow.
What is your current nutrition and fitness regimen like?
In addition to Body for LIFE, I have done Insanity, Jamie Eason’s 12 Week Trainer, and now I am doing daily workouts at GPP Fitness. I don’t currently follow a meal plan, but I have been eating right long enough that I can do it without a plan. All it takes is practice and then it becomes second nature.
As far as my favorite moves go, I LOVE single leg dead lifts and kettlebell swings. My favorite way to get cardio in is with is the rowing machine. I absolutely hate running! (I will run now and then though, since I know variety is a good thing!)
How do you come up with all of your yummy recipes?
I usually will base my recipes off what I currently have on hand in my kitchen. I like to make a different dinner every week night. I also find a lot of inspiration when eating out at restaurants. I try to re-create meals I have seen on the menu. Taking a recipe and making it healthier is like a game to me!
Here are a few of my favorites:
Almond Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies
What about specifically for fueling up before a good workout?
I may get shamed for saying this, but I don’t really eat a “pre-workout snack”. I just eat every few hours and work out when it’s time to work out. Sometimes it’s in the morning, sometimes it’s after work. I just ma ke sure to never get too hungry and always eat enough to fuel my activity for that day. My workouts are never more than a half hour long, so it’s not like I need to eat something big beforehand. If it’s been a few hours since my last meal and my stomach is growling, I will grab a snack before I head to the gym.
Here are some of my favorite healthy snacks:
Rice cakes with herbed turkey and melted cheese
Plain Greek yogurt sprinkled with granola
A honeycrisp apple with a side of almond butter
A toasted English muffin with cream cheese and raspberry jam
A protein bar—my favorite is The Simply Bar
If you had one message or piece of advice you could share with other women out there struggling with diet and/or fitness, what would it be?
Take it one day at a time and set small goals instead of one big one. You didn’t get where you are today overnight, so don’t expect to be at your goal overnight. New habits take time to develop, waiting to see changes takes patience, and giving up will never get you closer to your goals.
What are your top five tips for women to start getting healthier today?
1. Keep a journal. WRITE IT DOWN. It is so much more “real” if you have to write your daily food intake and exercise down. I started doing this and was baffled at how my random handfuls were adding up and sabotaging my efforts. Writing down thoughts and feelings is also beneficial for mental and emotional health. Your journal doesn’t have to only be about your meals and moves!
2. Like I said above, set small goals. Little victories help keep us motivated! Take things one day at a time and don’t give up completely if you have one bad day—or even one bad meal! If you mess up at breakfast, brush yourself off and change your habits at lunch.
3. Never talk to yourself negatively. Before saying (or thinking!) negative things about yourself, ask yourself if you’d say those things to someone you love—like your child or your mother. If the answer is no, then you should DEFINITELY not be saying those things about yourself. Negative self-talk is toxic.
4. Drink water! Most people aren’t drinking enough water and often think they are hungry when, in fact, they just need a drink! Stay hydrated.
5. Don’t do it alone. Whether you find someone in person or online, you have to find like-minded people to help you stay motivated and accountable when it comes to your new healthy habits. Reading blogs and participating in message board forums is a great way to find people who are on your same path.
What does “healthy” mean to you?
I think that health is more than just working out and eating right. There are so many aspects to health. The six that come to mind: mental health, emotional health, social health, spiritual health, financial health, and physical health. Working out and eating right is only going to get you so far—it focuses on physical health. But to be truly healthy, it is important to work toward all six aspects, not just the physical side of things!
To get more great tips on how to work towards the healthiest you, and to read more about Janetha's weight loss story, visit her blog meals & moves!
