USA

Jennifer, her son Dawson and husband Chris

We have yet another princess from the USA on the blog, my dear friend Jennifer. We met when we both worked for the Office of Admission at Webster University. Our friendship really took off when we went on a trip to Seattle to visit our friend Liz. The trip was amazing (so amazing it's mentioned many times in this post!) and we even climbed a mountain, Mount Si, together. Jennifer studies Health and Wellness and we are constantly exchanging ideas, recipes, website suggestions etc. Very happy to have her as a guest!   

Please finish the sentence: “A healthy person in my opinion is….” Someone who knows how to lead a lifestyle where nutrition and fitness is made priority, but is still able to enjoy life without so many restrictions and diseases. 

Any guilty pleasures (food wise) you have? And do you have a healthy variety/spin on that? I love anything buffalo chicken! There is a local pizza place that has an amazing buffalo chicken pizza and we recreated it at home using gluten-free pizza dough. Anything you can make at home is at least a little better than restaurant calorie wise. We also just discovered buffalo chickpeas! It’s great on a salad or wrap, you still get that spicy buffalo (hot sauce) flavor but no meat!

Any natural food products that you use for beauty purposes externally? Coconut oil - I use it instead of lotion and face wash. 

Drinking plenty of water is considered healthy, but not always easy to remember to do. Any advice on how to get enough water throughout the day? I have a “Bubba” brand cup with a lid/straw. It keeps drinks cold for a long time. I put ice in before I leave in the morning and typically still have ice by early afternoon. Drinking with a straw also seems to make me drink more. I have to have my water super cold or I cannot drink it. Just having it around even at home helps too. Just always have a cup full around.

Any easily accessible workout tips you can share for when someone is traveling? There are SO many exercises that can be done with body weight alone! Push-ups, plank, burpees, core exercises, squats, lunges, etc. All require no equipment and can be done in a hotel room. There are great ideas on Pinterest or other websites for “hotel fitness” that are great to also do while watching TV during commercials. 

What is the biggest challenge in today’s society to staying fit and how can we change that? I believe that nutrition is a huge issue here in the US. People just do not have enough knowledge on proper nutrition, there is so much conflicting information, and American food just tastes “good” (maybe because of the ridiculous amount of fat and sodium?!). That partnered with the lifestyle people lead (busy schedules, sitting at a desk all day, commuting, and too much television/internet) is just a terrible combination. People feel terrible from their terrible diets, which does not allow energy for exercise. If you change your diet and start to see how much more energy you have, then you will more than likely have the motivation and extra energy to workout. It’s a package deal. 

Have you ever been on a trip and discovered a new healthy food/spice that you now have incorporated into your everyday diet? If so where did you go and what kind of food/spice? I had asparagus for the first time on what turned out to be the most amazing girl’s vacation with Emma and our friend Liz when we went to Seattle. It’s nothing that is unique to the area, I just had never tried it. Now, I love it! I make sure to buy it several times a month for a quick side-dish that goes great with salmon.

If money and time was no object, where would you go for an active vacation in your home country? I’d go back to Colorado, Alaska, or the Northwest (Oregon/Washington area): I love the mountains. I love hiking and enjoying nature alongside beautiful landscape while being active and walking/climbing!

Jennifer, I love your passion for Health and Wellness and I know you will make a difference in the lives of those who come in contact with you. And we will most definitely have to go on another adventure together as our Seattle trip was out of this world!