Fit Mom Talk + 3 Healthy {Family Friendly} Recipes

As a new mom, a business owner and a busy family-oriented woman, I know that endless hours in the gym and eating nothing but chicken and veggies (BORING!) just isn’t going to work for real women and real fat-loss!

I created BeyondFit Mom to give women like you – and me – everything we need to reach our fat-loss, health, energy, nutrition and training goals.

Through BeyondFit Mom, thousands of moms and real-life, busy women just like you are out there 24/7 living the BeyondFit Mom lifestyle and sharing their experiences.

I love meeting and connecting with these women just like you: moms with new babies, women busy with young families, executives with stressful jobs and everything else life throws at us! Together we make a great support network, and together, we get results!

Today, I’d like you to meet one of our BeyondFit moms, Jamie. 

K: For those reading the blog who might not know you, or your background, can you give us a little background on yourself—how did you get into the fitness industry, where did you begin?

J: I am just a regular mom of two girls, ages 8 and 3, trying to make fitness and nutrition part of my family’s lives. I have done both working outside the home and being a stay-home mom. Both are challenging! Right now I stay home.

K: Tell us about your priorities? Family? Training? Both? Other? Etc. How has your focused changed over time?

J: My family is my top priority. I enjoy knowing they are well taken care of and happy. I don’t always have a set schedule because our life seems to be unpredictable most of the time, and I’m ok with that. However, there are a few things I must incorporate into the craziness of life. My husband works out of town, so it gets busy around our house. Exercising is a must for me. If I don’t get my exercise in, I end up feeling more tired and cranky, which my girls say is not awesome. It’s also an outlet for me personally to clear my mind and focus. Last year I found an awesome running group and I try to make it a priority to run with them weekly (although it gets tricky in the summer). The encouragement and support there has been so good for me! I want my kids to see how important it is for us to make time to take care of ourselves, and that it can be enjoyable. Along with that, another priority for me is feeding my family well. I want my kids to know what healthy food is, how to buy and prepare it, and know how to make those choices as they get older. We have fun in the kitchen and enjoy trying new recipes. They sometimes get picky on me, but I just keep trying. I enjoy cooking and am constantly looking for new foods and recipes to tinker with.

K: You have obviously made fitness a priority even in your busy schedule. Was there a moment of definition where you consciously decided to go for it or was it more of a passive thing? In other words, did you make a concerted effort or did you just get lucky?

J: I am absolutely not “lucky” when it comes to fitness! I have been running since I was 13 and have always eaten what I thought was a “healthy diet”. However, I have always battled that dreaded belly!! It wasn’t until around February of this year that I discovered that the type and amount of cardio and the foods I was eating haven’t exactly been my friend in fat loss! That’s when I discovered you ladies and other similar resources and made a conscious decision to change my eating and exercise habits for the better! I am now staying away from the refined sugars and starches and adding more protein and veggies in a way that has made it an attainable and sustainable change for me and my family. I am happy to say that since February I have noticed some real changes in my body composition! Last year I trained for my first half marathon, was running like crazy and didn’t come close to seeing these results. I still run because I love it, but I just go about it differently now. I incorporate lots of sprints (with my jogging stroller), and since I am not actively training for a race, I limit my longer runs to once a week. I also do more weight bearing exercises now.

K: As a busy mom yourself, how would you advise other busy moms who wants to leverage their time better? What’s the first step?

J: This one is hard for me! Time management is one of my hardest challenges. Something that has greatly helped me in the past few months was to evaluate my time exercising. I was spending a huge chunk on long runs without seeing the results I wanted. Becoming your own detective, as Kate teaches, really helped me see I was spending more time than I needed on an exercise that wasn’t producing what I wanted. Being more efficient in this area is a huge time saver!

K: What about moms who say they cannot achieve their goals because they don’t have time?

J: Realizing exercise doesn’t have to mean hours in a gym or outside the home can help you realize you can make your goal.

K: What is ONE THING these moms can start on today that will not overwhelm them?

J: Take it one step at a time! Don’t expect perfection, but start with progress. Makes things more attainable.

K: Take us through a typical day for you. How have you “created your life?”

J: My days are rarely the same, so I’ll give you my today: Woke up, got my oldest daughter ready and off to school. Came home for some snuggle time with my youngest, followed by dishes and laundry and a few weight exercises while she wanted to dress up and watch a show. Then we went to our nearby park so I could do my sprint workout and let her have some playtime. Came home for lunch and her nap time, which gave me time to work on this interview! Then time for school pick-up, snacks, homework, working on a wedding cake baking project with a friend, some vacuuming and laundry folding and an easy dinner prep. I am lucky my older daughter helps play with her sister outside so I can do these things. She’s a great help! After dinner comes some more down time with my girls before putting them to bed. Then I realize it’s 9 pm and I still need a shower! I’m usually exhausted by this point and want to go to sleep! I have made going to bed earlier another practice of mine.

K: How do you personally channel your energy and get focused on your goals? In other words, how do you manage “everyday stuff” getting in the way? Any hard & fast rules?

J: My life is always about the “everyday stuff”. I sometimes forget what my goals even are! I have to make myself focus or the laundry will never get done and my grocery list will never get made. (Which is what happened today when my daughter realized there was nothing “cool” packed in her lunchbox. Just keeping it real, ladies.) I have to either make time in the evening to think through my next day or if I can barely keep my eyes open at that point from wrangling these two girls, I wake up and try to sort through my day. I have resorted to making a chore chart lately…totally sounds lame, but household chores are not my favorite. That way I can still try to keep my house in some sort of order and keep working on my personal goals.

K: Personally, what is most important to your wellbeing?

J: Good sleep (which is hard to come by with my 3 year old who still doesn’t sleep through the night!), eating well, exercising, and trying to stay connected and mindful of my beliefs.

K: How do you maintain a positive outlook, or do you? Are there times of doubt, insecurity, fear, etc? How do you deal with them?

J: For me, sometimes there is a lot of doubt in my life. There are always opportunities for moms and women to feel insecurities. I have to constantly remind myself what is important and why I am doing certain things. Plus, I have some great friends and family who are there to remind me!

K: What one piece of advice would you give to moms who want to take their fitness to the next level?

J: Be consistent! 🙂

Jamie’s Fat Loss & Family Friendly Recipes

CARROT FRIES

Ingredients:

• Carrots
• Oil (I use olive or coconut oil usually)
• Sea Salt

Directions: 

• Preheat oven to about 375.
• Peel carrots, then cut them into fry sizes. The more uniform, the better so they can cook evenly (though mine rarely are!).
• In a bowl, sprinkle sea salt all over and coat with oil. Toss to coat, then arrange on a pan. I like to use my baking stone.
• Cook until they start to lightly brown on one side, then flip them. Most of the time my edges start to crisp up, but my youngest daughter loves them that way! Cook till they are crispy enough for you!

We eat them as a side, snack or tossed in a salad!

PUMPKIN MUFFINS

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 C Almond Flour
• 3/4 C Canned Pumpkin
• 3 Large Eggs
• 1 t Baking Powder
• 1 t Baking Soda
• 1/2 t Ground Cinnamon
• 1 1/2 t Pumpkin Pie Spice
• 1/8 t Sea Salt
• 1/8 C Sugar Free Honey Substitute
• 2 t Homemade Sunflower Seed Butter (because it’s what I had on hand)
• Sugar Free Honey Substitute to drizzle on top

Directions: 

• Preheat oven to 350.
• Coat muffin tins with coconut oil.
• Mix ingredients and pour into tins. Mine made 12 regular sized muffins and about 6 mini muffins.
• Bake for about 25 minutes or until they look done in your oven. Mine is old and cooks fast.
• When I took them out of the oven, I poked a few holes with a toothpick on tops and slightly drizzled with more raw honey. (These are not super sweet, so adjust honey to your tastes!)

SUNFLOWER SEED BUTTER

Ingredients:

• About 2 C Sunflower Seeds ( I used roasted, unsalted)
• Melted Coconut Oil
• Sea Salt
• Raw Honey and Cinnamon if you want to make it fancy 🙂

Directions: 

• Put seeds in food processor and process until they start to get to a nut butter consistency.
• Add melted oil until it reaches the consistency you like (about 2-3 T).
• Then throw in the honey and cinnamon if you like!

ENJOY!

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