Name: Jenny Brown
Kids: Wyland (2) and Sawyer (8 months)
Occupation: Proud mom / blogger
Hometown: Largo, FL
H&H Interview with Jenny:
1. What are the top 3 items in your grocery cart?
My husband and I are currently eating no grains, dairy, legumes, sugar (real or fake) or alcohol so our cart is filled with fruits, veggies and lean meat. Right now we couldn’t live without almonds and raspberries. I could eat a whole pint of berries in one sitting. I am also always buying goat’s milk for my two-year old son (he’s sensitive to cow’s milk).
2. What are you reading (honestly)?
I’m currently reading Mile Markers: The 26.2 Most Important Reasons Why Women Run by Kristin Armstrong. It is a compilation of her blog entries written for “Runner’s World” magazine. They are great little bits of motivation since she too is a busy mom who loves running, like me.
3. What is your guilty pleasure when you get a break from the kids?
My husband and I like to take the boat out and go fishing. We don’t get to do that much when we take both the boys since they are so young. I also enjoy dinner and drinks with my great mom friends.
4. What would we be surprised to find in your purse?
Actually, I feel like my purse is a cliche for the stay at home mom. I’m not sure any particular item is shocking. Maybe the sheer volume would be a surprise. My husband is a chiropractor and definitely doesn’t approve of my heavy bag. But I need everything in there!
5. What is your favorite reality TV show?
I LOVE the Real Housewives of New York and Beverly Hills (but I will watch them all), Flipping Out and The Amazing Race. I would love to be on that show.
6. What is your cocktail of choice?
Right now I’m not drinking so my exciting beverage of choice is coconut soda water. When I do drink I love a good margarita or Chimay (a dark Belgian ale).
7. What is the funniest thing your kids have said or done lately?
Wyland, 2, has just really started talking a bunch and a lot of what he says, or how he says it, is super-cute. No matter how many times we correct him, he insists on calling his grandmother (my mom) Nano instead of Nana, which I think is adorable!
8. What is your favorite quotation?
“The cure for boredom is curiosity. There is no cure for curiosity.”
- Ellen Parr
9. What are the top songs on your iPod playlist right now?
I really enjoy running without my iPod since life with a two-year old and a baby can be loud and chaotic. But when I do get a chance to listen to my music (instead of kid’s music) I love anything by the Avett Brothers or Vampire Weekend.
10. Who is your favorite celebrity mom and why?
I really like Bethenney Frankel. She seems very hands on with her daughter, Bryn, while being a savvy businesswoman. She is sensible about diet and fitness. I understand that her personality isn’t for everyone, but I find her brutal honesty hysterical.
11. What is one thing most people don’t know about you?
I consider myself to be shy and get really nervous when I have to speak in public. My husband is outgoing and very involved in our community. I think the people who know us just assume that it comes naturally for both of us. Since I’ve had kids I’ve really made a concerted effort to overcome this by getting involved in various groups, events and committees in town.
12. What is your secret to staying Hot & Healthy?
I giggle every time I think of myself as a “hot” mom but I am definitely proud as well. I always told myself that when I had kids I wouldn’t be one of those women that let everything go. It’s like when you’re in an airplane and they give you the safety schpeel. They always say to put your oxygen mask on and then assist others. I also believe this is true with a family. You can’t truly take care your children if you don’t take care of yourself. I believe it sets a good example for my kids.
Goal setting is also very important for me. Shortly after I had Sawyer, I signed up for my first half marathon. I’d never really been a runner before, but having committed to this event made me get out and run. Now it is something I love doing. My two-year old knows when I put on my workout clothes, Mommy’s going running. Not only is it great for the body, but running gives me time to decompress, which is great for the mind!
I also think to be “Hot & Health” you need a support system. Mine begins with my husband. Not only is he always telling me I’m hot (with a slight eye roll from me). He keeps me on track. If it’s been a hard day, and I don’t feel like running, he will always remind me that I should go. And he brings the boys to most of my races to cheer me on, which is awesome. It always pumps me up!
*Thanks, Jenny!*
Written by Lea Barlow •
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Most of us don’t like to see vacation and working out in the same sentence. Vacation and sleeping? Yes. Vacation and drinking? Yes. Vacation and eating? Yes. Vacation and jump squats? Eh, no. But listen ladies, vacation shouldn’t give us workout amnesia. Here are the 5 simple exercises I do each morning when I am out of town. Doing these full-body moves before beginning your day will help alleviate any guilt you may have when ordering that extra cocktail or opting for the fries instead of the veggies. It is vacation after all!
Jumping Jacks to get your blood pumping: 3 sets of 20 jacks
Push-Ups for upper body: 3 sets of 20 reps
Jump Squats for lower body: 3 sets of 20 reps
In-place lunges for lower body: 3 sets of 10 lunges for each leg
Roll-up crunches for abdominals: 3 sets of 10 roll-ups
See, that’s not too hard. Try it the next time you take a trip. If you already have a routine please share in the comments below!
Written by Lea Barlow •
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Name: Ivy Larson
Kids: Blake Larson, 10 years old
Occupation: Author, “Clean Cuisine” Cooking Instructor & Recipe Developer, Fitness Instructor & Publisher of CleanCuisineandMore.com (The Clean Cuisine book will be published by Penguin in Jan 2013.)
Hometown: North Palm Beach, FL
H&H Interview with Ivy:
1. What advice do you have for families looking to start eating clean?
So many people have an “all or nothing” mentality and I think that sort of thinking really sets the stage for failure. Instead of striving for “perfection” I think moms should strive to boost nutrition whenever and wherever possible. Instead of focusing on “counting food” (in the form of calories, carbs, fat grams, etc.) it is best to focus on making food count nutritionally—-load up on nutrient-dense foods at the grocery, especially fruits and vegetables. If it is too overwhelming to revamp your family’s eating habits all at once then start by making a commitment to serve one fruit and one veggie with every meal. Then move on to revamping just dinner and do that for 1 month. Commit to making a “Clean Cuisine” dinner for one month and the 2nd month revamp breakfast. But most importantly ditch the “all or nothing” mentality!
2. What are your top 3 go-to Clean Cuisine recipes?
For Family Meals: Healthy Slow Cooker Bolognese Sauce with Veggies Galore
For Chocolate Cravings: Dairy-Free Chocolaty Healthy Cupcakes with Vegan Frosting
For Quick, Easy & Nutritious Kid-Friendly Snack: Garbanzo Bean Bread Triangles
3. What is your guilty pleasure when you get a little coveted ‘me’ time?
Getting a massage or pedicure. I really think it is very important to take time for yourself, relax and recharge. I make it a point to get a massage or pedicure once a week (alternating weeks) and it really does wonders for my mood—and energy levels!
4. What would we be surprised to find in your purse?
Green Vibrance individual greens drinks packets, Costco brand Kirkland green tea & a Lara Bar (favorite flavor is Carrot Cake)
5. What is your favorite reality TV show?
When it comes to TV the joke with my friends is that I live in outer space…I never watch TV, except for in the mornings I have the Today Show on while making coffee and breakfast or the Food Network on while making dinner. I have never liked TV (I do like movies though! Just last night watched Eyes Wide Shut with my husband—strange movie, but good!)
6. What is your favorite cocktail of choice? You can still drink when you eat clean, right?!
Ha ha, YES! You do not need to be a teetotaler to “eat clean”. Although I don’t really drink cocktails I do have a glass of wine on a nightly basis. People are always SO surprised that wine doesn’t make you gain weight but there is solid research that it doesn’t. Here’s a link to an article I wrote a while back with references: Does Wine Make you Fat? (note: wine does increase risk of breast cancer, so I wouldn’t recommend it on nightly basis if you have a strong family history of breast cancer)
But, on the occasion when I do make cocktails my absolute favorite is my watermelon concoction which is so easy to make—just put 3 cups of chopped super cold seedless watermelon cubes in a blender and process until smooth. Add vodka to taste. Pour mixture into a pitcher and add 1 cup chopped fresh mint. Put pitcher in freezer for 20 minutes. Drink ice cold.
7. What is the funniest thing your son has said or done lately?
Hmmm….the funniest thing Blake said a while back was that “Daddy is very smart at doing operations on people, but mommy is super smart at cooking.”
8. What is your favorite quotation?
“Life is not about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.”—Anonymous
9. How do you instill the importance of an active lifestyle with your family?
Lead by example. There really is no other way. You can’t preach healthy living…you just have to do it. You can mention at the dinner table why vegetables are healthy and you can talk to your kids while you are jogging with them how running will make them strong and healthy—but you can’t preach about these things unless you are DOING them. My son is now 10 years old, he is incredibly athletic and healthy (he’s been on antibiotics just once in his life)—at this age he now totally “gets” that the whole healthy living thing has made a difference. I don’t need to preach to him!
10. Who is your favorite celebrity mom and why?
I don’t have a favorite and to be honest I don’t know a whole lot about them…but it seems like Kelly Ripa, Gwyneth Paltrow, Heide Klum and Gabrielle Reese are all very loving and devoted moms who seem to approach fitness and nutrition in a healthy positive manner.
11. What is one thing most people don’t know about you?
Hmmm….I think most people probably know just about everything! I’m pretty open!
12. What is your secret to staying Hot & Healthy?
I definitely don’t think of myself as “hot” but I do think I look good for my age (35 years old). I have several habits that I think have helped me keep youthful-looking skin and keep excess pounds off:
Eating lots of fruits and vegetables (fruits and vegetables have phytonutrients that help protect the plant, but they also help protect YOU, the plant-eater and many phytonutrients act like antioxidants that combat the free-radicals that accelerate aging)
Strength Training. Ever since I was in high school I have done some form of strength/ resistance training exercise—you just can’t stay tight and toned as you age (especially after having a baby!) if you don’t strength train.
SLEEP!!! I get a solid 8 hours every night. I make sleep a priority because I know nothing is more rejuvenating than a sound sleep.
Drinking a “Greens” Drink once a day for flood of nutrients and anti-aging antioxidants. Here are two of my favorites.
*Thanks, Ivy!*
Written by Lea Barlow •
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