prenatal nutrition

The Beauty of Bacon…

~ jenthornfit ~ Leave a comment
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Bacon in the morning, bacon in the evening, bacon at supertime!!!

Food prep was going down today… one of my absolute favorites: Brussels sprouts and sweet potatoes roasted in bacon fat! Yep! I said BACON!!!
If there’s one health tip I could give all women out there, it would be to eat more fat, specifically the following:

  • Saturated Fats:  like those found in red meat, cream, butter, ghee, lard, tallow, eggs, coconut oil or palm oil (use organic from sustainable agriculture).
  • Medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs): which are saturated fats our body can digest very easily. MCTs, which are mostly found in coconut oil, behave differently when ingested and are passed directly to the liver to be used as an immediate form of energy. They are also present in butter and palm oil in smaller quantities. MCTs are used by athletes to improve and enhance performance and are great for fat loss.
  • Monounsaturated Fats: also known as “MUFA”, omega 9, and oleic acid are found in avocados, olives, beef and nuts (especially macadamias) and have been known to prevent heart disease.  Oils high in MUFA such as extra virgin olive oil, avocado oil and macadamia nut oil are best for cold use (MUFA are less stable than SFA), for finishing meals or after cooking.

 

Why? Because life is a marathon not a sprint and we need long-term, sustainable energy to help us endure! So many of my clients still think it’s all about calories in calories out, but not all calories are created equal; the body metabolizes calories from carbohydrates differently than fats. When you eat a diet high in carbohydrates but low in fat, your body gets it’s energy from sugar. This is called a glycolysis state, where blood glucose (sugar) provides most of the energy. This is in contrast to ketosis, a metabolic state in which most of the body’s energy comes from ketone bodies in the blood. Many of you may have seen or heard of the “Ketogenic Diet” or “Keto Diet” which believes that 5-10% calories should come from carbs (net carbs), 15-30% of calories should come from protein, and 65-75% of your calories should come from fat in order to benefit from ketone bodies produced by your liver.

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What are “ketones”?
Ketones are a beneficial product of fat metabolism in the body. When carbohydrate intake is restricted, it lowers blood sugar and insulin levels. As insulin levels fall and energy is needed, fatty acids flow from the fat cells into the bloodstream and are taken up by various cells and metabolized in a process called beta-oxidation.

The end result of beta-oxidation is a molecule called acetyl-coA, and as more fatty acids are released and metabolized, acetyl-coA levels in the cells rise.  This causes a sort of metabolic “feedback loop” which triggers liver cells to shunt excess acetyl-Coa into ketogenesis, or the making of ketone bodies.

Once created, the liver dumps the ketone bodies into the blood stream and they are taken up by skeletal and heart muscle cells at rates of availability.  In addition, the brain begins to use ketones as an alternate fuel when blood levels are high enough to cross the blood brain barrier.

So, what is the ideal fat intake on the ketogenic diet?
The amount of fat varies for all individuals and depends on your goal. In general, you won’t need to precisely count fat intake or calories on a ketogenic diet, because eating food naturally low in carbs will keep you sated for longer.

When you eat this way, your body is burning fat for energy rather than carbohydrates. So your body actually burns either its own body fat or fat that you’re consuming through your diet for its overall energy production. So, less carbs, moderate protein, and high fat is something we have started implementing in our home!

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We have also started incorporating a lot more cruciferous vegetables because I recently learned that as a breastfeeding mama I am at risk for adrenal fatigue – a condition where your body and adrenal glands can’t keep up with the tremendous amount of daily stress placed on them. Cruciferous vegetables (such as broccoli, cauliflower, and Brussels sprouts) are rich in nutrients, easy to digest, have healing properties, and help replenish your adrenal energy so your system can come back to full health!

So here’s to bacon, Brussels sprouts, and your health! What do you guys think? Have you tried eating this way??? Notice a difference? I would love to hear about your experience!

Breastfeeding, Weight Loss, Muscle Building, and Hormones… Oh My!

~ jenthornfit ~ Leave a comment
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Don’t judge the dirty mirrors, I’m a mom and cleaning mirrors just isn’t one of my priorities right now!

Y’all know I’m not big on posting selfies because working out to me is about taking care of your body, feeling strong, and having the energy to keep up with your people!

In case you are new to my blog, I suffered from severe eating disorders as a teen and tried to be “healthy” in the most unhealthiest of ways. I spent a long time only focused on looks and the number on a scale, and guess where that left me? Broken, empty, and completely unfulfilled. Because when you spend your life focused on not satisfying your hunger, it leaves you unsatisfied in every sense of the word.

So why am I posting this? Because I can TELL you about why I workout – to feel strong and have the energy to keep up with my kids- but sometimes seeing is believing… and see that little bicep muscle popping up? Well I’ve been working extra hard on it and wanted to address the claims that “you can’t build muscle while breastfeeding,” “it is difficult to lose weight while breastfeeding,” and “you shouldn’t workout while breastfeeding.”

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#pumplife …. can you relate???

I have been breastfeeding or pumping for the last 4 years. No joke. During that time I have noticed two things: one, working out has helped me keep my sanity.  On days when I struggle to get anything “done”, moving my body, even for 15 minutes, has made all the difference between tears and smiles (for everyone). And two, yes, it is more difficult to build muscle and lose weight while breastfeeding, but again, you should make every effort to move your body! Why? Because according to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, being active during pregnancy and while breastfeeding can:

  • Help reduce backaches, constipation, bloating, and swelling
  • Help prevent or treat gestational diabetes (a type of diabetes that starts during pregnancy)
  • Increase energy
  • Improve mood
  • Improve posture
  • Promote muscle tone, strength, and endurance
  • Help you sleep better                                                                                                                        

And my personal favorite, help you feel strong.  So that when the challenges of motherhood arise (which they will sweetheart), you know you can overcome “hard things” and have the mental and emotional strength to push through late nights and early mornings, and so you can better navigate the emotional ups and downs that are a natural part of motherhood. Something extraordinary happens to our bodies, not just physically, when we challenge them in a physical way; there is a point where your heart and your mind are in it and push you to overcome. We need this skill every single day as mothers.  Physical challenges strengthen our tenacity, endurance, and dedication in a way that nothing else can.

So, on to our topic of the day….

Why is it hard to lose weight while breastfeeding?
Short answer… darn hormones. Breastfeeding mothers experience a drop in estrogen & testosterone (both fat burning hormones) and an increase in prolactin (lactating or the “milk making” hormone). Prolactin is linked to fat storage, and because we are perfectly and wonderfully made, prolactin is our bodies’ natural “safeguard” to protect baby’s milk supply, and helps nursing mamas from mobilizing fat stores – so there’s always an energy reserve in case of famine. And let’s not forget lack of sleep, crazy hormones, stress, and exhaustion we all have working against us as new moms – and all factors known to lead to weight gain or at least making it more difficult to lose weight, post baby.

Now let’s talk about gaining muscle while breastfeeding…..
Building muscle while breastfeeding can be just as difficult as losing weight while breastfeeding, and for the same reasons: darn hormones! That same decrease in estrogen and testosterone we talked about earlier also limits your ability and the speed in which you can build muscle (which is why I was so excited when this little baby bicep made an appearance). And because muscle is more “active” tissue, when you have less of it, your body burns calories less effectively. But don’t lose hope! While hormones may not be in your favor as far as weight loss and strength building are concerned, I have several tips and their benefits that hopefully encourage you to keep moving!

First, if you don’t use it, you lose it! Although it may be more difficult to build muscle during pregnancy and while breastfeeding, if you stop working your muscles altogether, you undoubtedly will lose the strength you previously had. If you continue to move and strengthen your body while breastfeeding, you will find it far easier to “lose the baby weight” without having to resort to strict dieting techniques which could put your milk supply in jeopardy.

Which leads me to my next point… My mother always said “nursing women don’t need to diet.” That’s true (in a sense), but that does not mean we should have a field day on junk food, every day. Rather than focus on “restrictive eating” I encourage my clients to focus on filling their bodies with as many “nutrients” as possible daily!

Moms are no stranger to sacrifice and putting their needs behind those of their children and families. And getting nutrients to your breastfed baby is no different. Your baby will get the “first” of your fruits – as in the best of what you eat will go towards making breastmilk, and you, your body will get the “leftovers.” This is why good, quality nutrition is of utmost importance while you are pregnant and breastfeeding. If you are not getting the nourishment you need, yes your milk supply could suffer, but your body could suffer even more. And maybe you won’t feel the repercussions of that immediately but 5, 10, 20 years down the road you will. For example, studies have shown that women often lose 3 to 5 percent of their bone mass during breastfeeding, although they recover it rapidly after weaning. This bone loss may be caused by the growing baby’s increased need for calcium, which is drawn from the mother’s bones. The amount of calcium the mother needs depends on the amount of breast milk produced and how long breastfeeding continues. Women also may lose bone mass during breastfeeding because they’re producing less estrogen, which is the hormone that protects bones. The good news is that, like bone lost during pregnancy, bone lost during breastfeeding is usually recovered within 6 months after breastfeeding ends. And even better news is that just like muscles, bones respond to exercise by becoming stronger. Regular exercise, especially weight-bearing exercise that causes you to work against gravity, helps build and maintain strong bones. Examples of weight-bearing exercise include walking, climbing stairs, dancing, and weight training, or any other exercise using your own body weight as resistance (pilates, barre, and yoga).

So, let’s review shall we? We need nutrients to help support the hundreds of systems and processes vital to keeping us alive. Good nutrition can support a healthy and robust supply of breast milk that, in turn, supports similar life-sustaining systems in our babies we nurse (hey, just keeping another human alive, no big thing).  And then we need nutrients to support all the activity associated with performing our responsibilities as wives, mothers, employees, employers, and still have something leftover between all-night nursing marathons, to rebuild bones, heal our bodies after labor and delivery, and exercise! Whew! So, focus on nutrients, as many as you can get your hands on! And, if you have no idea where to start, that’s where I come in.

Incorporating exercise into your daily routine can be one of the best things you can do for yourself mentally, physically, and emotionally post-baby. But it must be paired with smart nutrition to protect your bones, functioning systems, cells, and your ability to produce breast milk. Like anything worthwhile, this takes effort, a willingness to learn, and dedication. If you are unsure even where to start and the words “nutrition” or “exercise” have you running for the hills, let’s chat. Sign up below for a free 20-minute phone consultation with me where we can discuss your current challenges and how to overcome them! Let’s do this together mamas!

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My breast feeding journey has certainly been filled with high highs and low lows but it has forced me to take a very close look at the way I speak to, look at, and the way in which I take care of my body.  It’s no longer “just me.” The choices we make as mothers now directly impact another human(s), so let’s make good ones!

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My number one tip when returning to exercise post-pregnancy…

~ jenthornfit ~ Leave a comment
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My amazing mommies and littles at my Mommy & Me Barre class

We interrupt this programming to bring you the cutest pic of babies and beautiful mommies you have ever seen!!! Love these amazing women from my Mommy & Me Barre class who encourage, inspire, and support each other week in and week out!

Even if you can’t get to a Mommy & Me Barre class, there are a few things you should keep in mind when returning to exercise post-pregnancy:

Consult your physician: get the green light from your OB BEFORE returning to exercise, and please, please, please wait at least 6 weeks (minimum) before returning to an exercise “regime.” Ladies, I don’t care how great you feel, your body just underwent major trauma! There is no way you can SAFELY return to exercise days after birth because the muscles of your abdomen, including your transverse abdominus, your rectus abdominus, and pelvic floor – cannot SAFELY support your skeletal structure after birth! Because of the explosion of hormones your body released to allow the bones, joints, and ligaments to soften, widen, and expand (to birth a baby), everything is still soft and pliable… aka more susceptible to injury and slower healing post-delivery. Picture trying to balance a 10 pound dumbbell on a piece of overcooked spaghetti… you feel me???

So do yourselves a favor (and me, please) just take a moment to focus on what’s really important; focus on healing, nurturing, and nourishing your body; focus on connecting with and getting to know your baby – you learn them and they learn you; give yourself permission to love on, and let others love on you; spend your time cuddling, learning what your baby likes and dislikes, how they like to be soothed. And don’t even get me started on learning the art of breastfeeding (that’s another post entirely)!

Moms are superhuman… seriously, y’all amaze me! We can pretty much do ANYTHING! But what I want you to ask yourself is “Why?” and “Should I?”. To whom are your choices truly benefitting… You? Your ego? Your baby? Your family? Your health? Like honestly, let’s stop for a moment and remind ourselves that being “healthy” does not mean fitting into our pre-pregnancy lulu lemon yoga pants or having six pack abs (despite what most other “fitness” accounts say/show you)! Being a “healthy mom” starts from the inside; it starts from your heart, your soul and your mind!

And PS, these are the things I talk about with my clients I coach one-on-one in my monthly support groups for new moms! My next group starts Monday 10/31 and is open to new moms (don’t have to be a first time mom), with babies 3-12 months old. Email me at 📧 jenthornfit@gmail.com if you want to learn more!

April’s Testimonial Story: Healthy living, one change at a time

~ jenthornfit ~ Leave a comment

april-preuss-pregnancyHi Guys!  I am so excited to share with you April’s transformation story.  I love this story because it is not the typical tale of someone trying to “lose weight” it is the story of an expecting mama looking to prepare her body for a healthy pregnancy and do the best for herself and the growing life inside of her!  Just thinking about this girl gives me goosebumps as she is such an incredible woman with a beautiful heart for the Lord, for others, and for life!

April and her husband Cam work with my husband in the National Park.  When I first met her, I had heard that she and Cam were runners and trained vigorously throughout the year training for both half and full marathons.  So naturally, being a non-runner (my personal best is maybe 7 miles…and that’s being generous to myself) I immediately was intimidated by her; I thought she was fierce and beyond any “help” my coaching services could provide.  Almost two years ago we somehow started a conversation about nutrition (maybe she remembers the exact details better than my old mom brain will) but I was just waiting for her to teach me something about nutrition as I just assumed as an extreme runner/athlete she would have it all figured out.  Turns out, she was looking for something to help keep her energized and sustain her through her long training runs and that actually benefitted her body rather than just spiked her blood sugar.  So we got her started on Shakeology and within a few weeks she recognized a noticeable difference, here’s what she had to say about it in her own words:

“I’ve been running half marathons since 2012, and I was struggling to fuel my body properly for my long runs.  If I didn’t fuel just right, I would get nauseous or I would completely run out of energy.  A little over a year ago I started Shakeology.  I knew my diet needed to improve, and I was curious how it would affect my running.  Within the first week I noticed that I had more energy whether I was running that day or not.  It was also easier to wake up in the morning.  I started to have a shake about an hour before my long run, and with the first run I noticed the difference.  I hit my stride earlier, and my energy lasted the entire run.  My husband was skeptical at first and wasn’t interested in trying the “shakes”.  However, about a month after I started, he tried a chocolate shake and has been hooked ever since.  When we travel overnight for races we always pack our blender!  It’s the perfect way to fuel up for a race, and we wouldn’t consider anything else now. Even when we’re not training for a race, we often replace lunch with a shake.  We notice that we have more energy and feel better overall throughout the day.” 

A little less than a year ago, April reached out to me again to talk about nutrition, but this time it wasn’t just for her, it was for the budding life she was now growing inside of her! April was very honest with me about the fact that in college she struggled with her weight and body image, and said it took her a really long time to lose the extra weight she put on. She was concerned because once she started putting on weight during her pregnancy, all of those “insecure feelings” from college came flooding right back:

“I tell you the first pound I put on brought back all of those feelings. Even though I knew that this time around the weight gain was for a good reason, it was healthy, I still struggled with it.”

April was also very honest about the fact that based on what everyone had “told” her about pregnancy “the aches, pains, weight gain, exhaustion,” etc., left her feeling dispirited about being pregnant. But she had resolved herself NOT to feel this way and she was going to do everything she could to create the healthiest environment for her body to grow this little baby, and hopefully feel great!

Because April was an avid runner, she, like many of us, told herself that she could pretty much eat whatever she wanted:

“Because I was logging a lot of miles I didn’t think I had to focus on the intensity of my workouts or eat healthy…but logging a lot of miles doesn’t make you a healthy and active person.   I was eating poorly and I wasn’t investing good quality time into workouts I was doing.  I didn’t have anyone holding me accountable so I didn’t feel like I needed to do those “things”.”

Those “things” included eating for nourishment, training for strength and with a purpose, and learning what a healthy balanced diet looks like.  So, I introduced April to the 21 Day Fix.  Now don’t freak out, I wasn’t prescribing a “diet” to a pregnant woman; the 21 Day Fix allows you to calculate your calorie intake to achieve different goals.  April’s goal was to learn exactly what a healthy balanced diet looked like, gain a healthy amount of weight according to her body as determined  between herself and her OB, and to create the optimum environment for her bodily systems to function and grow/support life.  We got April off and running (not literally) on the accessible, no-nonsense approach towards portion eating and 30 minute workouts of the 21 Day Fix and here is her personal testimonial about that experience:

“I wasn’t that excited about being pregnant and the whole process.  While I did experience some pregnancy discomfort, I found, I was able to overcome those things through a sound fitness & eating program.  Before Jen introduced me to the 21 Day Fix, I thought eating plans were bland, left you feeling hungry all the time, and I thought all I would be able to eat were raw vegetables.  Thankfully the 21 Day Fix wasn’t like that at all!  The eating plan on the 21 Day Fix left me feeling full and boosted my energy, which I really did need some days (I was growing a human being).  About a week in, both my husband and I noticed our cravings for high fat, processed, and other unhealthy foods had greatly diminished and we both recognized a noticeable difference in our energy levels.  We also noticed how bad we felt on the days we were not fueling our bodies with proper nutrition and nourishing food. The attention to form and detail in the 21 Day Fix workouts was also unlike anything I had ever done before. And there’s nothing more motivating to push through a few seconds of an exercise than knowing that you have to push out a baby in a few weeks.  But I must admit that the biggest change I noticed was a more positive body image.  About one week into the three-week workout program, all of the mental strength I was gaining from the strength training really kicked-in; I started feeling different about my body without even realizing it.  One morning I just woke up and didn’t have those insecure feelings anymore – I felt stronger than I ever had before and I felt good about my body, even though I was putting weight on for pregnancy.  Knowing that the choices I was making daily, even though some days those choices weren’t easy, because I felt tired or uncomfortable or “large”, but knowing they were the benefit of myself and my baby really helped me build mental strength.  It was so empowering to know that what I was doing for my body was helping me overcome some of the pregnancy symptoms that I would be experiencing otherwise, and that those symptoms weren’t getting the best of me.”

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April, her husband Cam and new baby Grace in the shadow of the Tetons

After completing the 21 Day Fix April feel so in love with the Beachbody at home fitness and nutrition programs that she decided to join my team of coaches to pay it forward and help others lead healthier more vibrant lives.  I asked April about what changed for her and what was different this time around when it came to committing and seeing a wellness program through from start to finish and she said it was because of her “WHY.”

“I want to encourage others to find your reason, find your WHY to take care of your body and to strengthen it – mentally, spiritually, emotionally, and physically.  For me it was pregnancy.  But it doesn’t have to be pregnancy, it doesn’t have to be having children.  Personally speaking, it’s knowing that I’m setting a healthy foundation for my daughter by taking action.  She’s going to adopt eating and exercise habits from me, whether I make good choices or bad choices.  I also want her to value her body and what it’s capable of.  So often our bodies are capable of so much more than we give them credit for and I want her to grow up appreciating that.   I also don’t want her to struggle with her body image like I did, and I know that starts with her mother, and setting a good example for her.  So find your why and make sure it has a lot of meaning to you; it should be something that you are willing to fight for.  And then form a plan to get to where you want to be and, even more importantly, surround yourself with a community of people who will encourage and support you.  This is so important and often the part we leave out.  Honestly, that is what has made the difference for me in the past 9 months – having a community of support that has encouraged me to stay committed to my workouts, to eat healthier, and to keep going – even on days when I didn’t necessarily feel like it.   I feel healthier than ever because I’ve had a great coach and community to support me and I’m fueling my body properly.  And now I’m really excited to see what my running will look like when I’m able to return to it in a few months.  So thank you Jen and thank you to everyone else who has supported me during this journey!”

 

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April at her first 5K post pregnancy (3 months post partum) with sweet baby Grace
(I’m not loving the Steelers shirt but I guess we can still be friends…Broncos all the way baby!!!)

In May, April gave birth to a beautiful, healthy baby girl, Grace, who is now four months old.  April is back to running, and has completed several other Beachody at home workout programs since the arrival of Grace and has also decided to pay it forward and became a health and fitness coach herself so she could inspire and serve others in health!  If you are a new mom, expecting mom, or a runner, I encourage you to connect with April as she has a heart of gold and is a wealth of information – your life will be forever blessed by having her in it!  Connect with April on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/aprilpreussalivefitness/?fref=ts or by visiting her blog at:  https://alivefitnessblog.wordpress.com/ .

April and I will be joining forces later this month and hosting an online virtual bootcamp that starts Monday, September 26, Prep for the Holidays: Body & Home Edition.  It’s a one month accountability group where we select a workout program and nutrition plan to meet your individual needs and goals, and then we coach and support you through 30 days of health and wellness.  This virtual bootcamp is unique in that in addition to our health and fitness support, we will be providing practical and simple at home cleaning and organization tips to simplify and prepare you and your home for the holidays. Just think, 30 days of working out, eating clean, support & coaching by two wellness coaches, and a clean and organized home…all before the holiday season begins – sounds like a dream come true!

Registration is currently open for our Prep for the Holidays: Body & Home Edition Virtual Bootcamp.  To apply simply complete the form below.  We can’t wait to get you started on your own personal transformation story!

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