Earlier this week Thing Two and I headed out to explore the local food options in Rapid City, South Dakota. Thing One stayed home with Brent because he wanted to practice his piano.

Our first stop was the farmers market where we bought some of our fruits and vegetables for the week.

I was happy to find a vendor selling whole free range chickens for $8 a chicken.

We also stopped at Breadroot Natural Foods Co-op.

They had a large selection of bulk items.

I saw some directions for sprouting your own seeds. I’ve been wanting to do this for a long time so I picked up some alfalfa seeds.

After the co-op we stopped at Safeway to pick up the last few things we needed but couldn’t find at the co-op or market.

We came home and laid out our bounty just like the old days when I lived in a house without wheels. (I just got a little homesick reading that old post. I can’t believe our family has been on the road for almost a year!)

Anyway the bounty included quinoa, oats, black beans, red beans, pinto beans, lentils, unsweetened coconut flakes, alfalfa seeds, raw honey, pears, peppers, cucumbers, apples, heirloom tomatoes, and a melon.

I was most excited about the green tomatoes! We made fried green tomatoes last night and I’m looking forward to eating the leftovers with scrambled eggs this morning.

Coming in at a close second were the organic beef hot dogs on sale for $3 a package at the co-op. I know I know, even organic-grass-fed-blessed-by-the-pope hot dogs aren’t really “healthy” but you know what? They taste good!

I got this mason jar lid strainer to make the sprouting easier. Since we are coming into winter and finding good produce isn’t always an option I thought I’d give sprouting a try.

Has anyone sprouted seeds before? Any advice?

Hugs and High Fives,
Jenn

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I have three thoughts this Thursday.

Life is Like Berries.

A Healthy Dessert.

30 Days of Paleo 

Thought One – Life is Like Berries.

Two weeks ago after a busy week in NYC followed by a fulltime family RV rally, we decided we needed a few days up in the mountains to unwind. Nearby there was a local farm with pick your own raspberries. Thing Two and I spent an afternoon picking and chatting. If you know me well you know I think in metaphors. It may be strange to some but I find symbolism in everything and have since I was a child. Finding connections in the world is how I cope with life. Not to go all spiritual on you but it is one of the ways God speaks His peace into my crazy mind.

Anyway as we were picking berries I kept thinking about how much life is like picking berries. At first glance the bushes are large and overwhelming. You look down at your empty basket and at the rows of bushes and wonder, “It’s going to take forever to fill this thing.”

Looking at the bushes as a whole, it’s hard to see the berries but once you squat down and start looking you’ll find berries. A few are stand up on the bushes proudly displaying their perfect ripeness. However, most of the berries are in a various other states. Some are half eaten. Some are still green. Some are dead on the ground. Some lovely ones have fallen and are waiting to be picked up. It seems the majority are beautiful plump berries hiding behind leaves. These berries take a little more time and a little more effort to find but they are so worth it.

As Thing One delighted in doing something “old fashioned”—He once said he’s “just an old fashioned boy in a futuristic family.”—I carried on, one berry at a time, reminding myself it’s not honest to eat your weight in berries before you pay for them. It wasn’t too long before I looked down and saw that our baskets were nearly full.

They didn’t get full by magic. They were filled one berry at a time.

Just like life.

Thought Two – A Healthy Dessert

We came home with three two pounds (Ahem) of fresh raspberries. My favorite way to eat them was in a half of cup of whole milk (cream would have been ideal) with a tsp of maple syrup.

Divine.

Whole milk (I never buy that low fat white water called “milk”.) with a bit of maple syrup has been on of my favorite treats for years. I often get surprised looks when I tell people as if maple syrup isn’t good for anything but pancakes. A cup of milk (I prefer raw) with a small spoon of maple has been one of my favorite treats for years.

Thought Three – 30 Days of Paleo

Milk and maple syrup are not paleo.

So what about this 30 days of paleo?

First of all I have no intentions of ever becoming Wilma Flintsone. I believe paleo is a healthy way to eat but I doubt I will give up cheese or maple syrup despite what some say it may be doing to my body.

My favorite food philosophy comes is the traditional food way of eating made popular by Weston A. Price.

Although that is my favorite way of eating, it doesn’t been I follow it all the time. The first four months of living in an RV were crazy. I started eating refined sugar for the first time in almost four years and I ate more Taco Bell than I’d like to admit. I have 10 extra pounds to prove it. But that’s okay because learning how to live in a 320 square foot space was all I could handle at the time.

A few months ago we finally settled into our new nomadic life and I starting making the effort to find farmers markets and good food again. Taco Bell lost it’s appeal. Mostly.

But I still struggled with sugar.

One of the things that always helps me is reading about nutrition. A few months ago I read Wheat Belly: Lose the Wheat, Lose the Weight, and Find Your Path Back to Healthbut since I already don’t eat a lot of grains, (I started experimenting with grain elimination three years ago.) It didn’t really hold my interest.

Two weeks ago I ordered It Starts with Food: Discover the Whole30 and Change Your Life in Unexpected Ways by Dallas and Melissa Hartwig. (Both are RKCs which I find cool.) I skipped right to the 30 day plan and started it with Brent. I’ve been making my way through the rest of the book. So far I’m enjoying it and will give a full review when I finish the 30 days.

For 30 days I’m not eating dairy, grains, legumes, some oils, and SUGAR. Aside from a few sips of of an experimental pumpkin maple smoothie I was making my kids I haven’t had a bite of sugar natural or refined for 13 days.

I feel amazing. My energy is level is back to consistent and my mood is up.

Now I just need to start sleeping 8 hours a night.

It feels good to be finding my old new self even if it means I’m going to skip out on the ice cream at the Ben and Jerry’s factory in Vermont.

Hugs and High Fives,
Jenn

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I’ve said this many times but I was spoiled in my hometown of Ventura ,California with multiple year round CSAs to choose from, raw milk from the local health food store, an Azure Standard drop off site, two Trader Joes within 4 miles of my house, and friends who could connect me to groups for the best price on grassfed beef.

Eating healthy on the road was a different story. We quickly left the year round growing climate of southern CA. Our RV kitchen is micro-sized compared to house kitchen. It was sometimes a challenge to find a grocery store much less one that stocked the products we really wanted. We had a few events that strained our budget.

But we kept on and decided we would just do our best to eat a real food diet and not beat ourselves up over the occasional fast food stop.

Seven months later, I can confidently say we have finally adjusted to finding real food on the road. It’s a combination of feeling more comfortable living in a small space, making an effort, and, I’m sure, the warmer weather.

We’ve not only adjusted but finding farmers markets has become an adventure we enjoy. Multiple times we’ve visited small towns like Port Royal, South Carolina, that we would have otherwise skipped had I not taken the time to seek out a farmers market on Local Harvest. More importantly, we’ve met great people we wouldn’t have met otherwise.

People like Michael from Mibek Farms. Their beef was fantastic!

Michael told us about his pastured raised beef farm and insisted we try our first raw oysters. Yum. I think.

Every time we come across grassfed local beef, I stock up with as much as I can fit in our little RV freezer. My boys love tacos and hamburgers but ground beef is one the things I have a really hard time buying unless it’s grassfed and blessed by the pope.

Our freezer after stocking up on beef from Tudor Hall Farm who was at a little farmers market we just happened upon in Sherpherdstown, West Virgina. (This beef will last us about 5 weeks.)

At Shepherdstown farmers market, we also met lovely Krissy from Blueberry Hill Vegetables, a certified organic farm. I found this cool article about their life as small local farmers.

We’ve bought seafood from roadside stands.

And at the urging of a particular 9 year old…

…we have gotten adveturous with some really local catch.

We’ve also been able to find Trader Joes in North Carolina and Virginia to stock up on some of our favorites.

And some places we are just out of luck…

“Natural and Organic Products”? Hmmmmm.

I’ve maintained brewing my water kefir and kombucha. Pretty soon I’m hoping to add in sprouting and someday I’m going to get brave enough to make sourdough. Or not.

That doesn’t mean we haven’t chosen to enjoy some local favorites like beignets in New Orleans or…

other less than healthy foods like fried green tomatoes. Oh my goodness who would have thought these were so good!

I had to try, shrimp and grits, a low country favorite.

While I was at it, why not some (You see that flawed logic there ) fried okra, green bean casserole, and macaroni and cheese. BTW, I can eat a lot but Brent and I did share this.

While I’m sharing some of my less than healthy choices I may as well let you know I’m still struggling with my sugar addiction. It deserves a post of its own. I’ll just say that choosing to eat sugar again was not good choice at all.

Hugs and High Fives,
Jenn

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We all know that soda isn’t good for us but giving it up can be hard.

Are there any healthy alternatives to soda?

You betcha! Water kefir, my favorite beverage, reminds me of cream soda with a slight tang. Personally, I prefer water kefir over kombucha. Both of these beverages are so enjoyable that I have continued to brew them while living in our RV where space is tight and everything we brought had to be “worth it”. Water kefir and kombucha made the cut.

I love my water kefir over ice. Beats a chemical laden soda any day!

Tibicos or Water Kefir Grains

What is water kefir?

Water kefir is simply fermented sugar water. Water kefir grains or, tibicos, are a symbiotic collection of bacteria and yeast that feast on sugar in water creating a fermented beverage full of probiotics.

What are the benefits of water kefir?

There are numerous health claims made for water kefir everything from clearer skin to fighting cancer but very little research to back those claims up. The biggest benefit I see is that it gives your gut a healthy dose of beneficial bacteria, enzymes, vitamins, minerals and, like I said, it’s a delicious alternative to soda. Since I started drinking kombucha and water kefir my soda cravings have virtually disappeared.

How do I make water kefir?

I learned to make water kefir from a friend a few years ago. It has always turned out so well that I stuck with her directions.

Water Kefir

4 Cups Filtered or Spring Water *
1/4 Cup of Turbinado Sugar
1/4 Cup of Kefir Grains
1/4 Tsp Organic Unsulphured Molasses (not necessary but the minerals help keep the grains healthy)

*Reverse osmosis or distilled water is not recommended. The water should contain some natural minerals.

Truth be told, I gave up measuring the molasses and now just use a “fork dip” of molasses.

First, dissolve the sugar and molasses in the water in a glass container. (I rarely wait for the sugar to completely dissolve and it turns out fine. Also I use a quart size mason jar and don’t measure out the water.)

Next, add the grains. It’s not necessary to add any of the water kefir. Cover your grains with a cloth secured by a rubberband or a loose plastic lid. If you have a metal lid (like I do) cover it with a napkin, and LOOSELY close the lid. You want the grains to get some air. Let it sit 24-48 hours at room temperature before straining the kefir and repeating the process in a new batch.

I store my water kefir in the fridge in an empty bear bottle. Often I will leave it out on the counter overnight to build up carbonation before putting it in the fridge.

Once I fermented it in the closed beer bottle. Bad idea. When we opened it it sprayed out so hard that it hit the ceiling. I was lucky that the bottle was strong or it might have exploded in my hands. So make sure it can “breathe”.

Water Kefir on the Left & Kombucha on the Right

(photo by Janetha)

Or if I’m brewing more than one mason jar at a time I use large bottles with pressure wire lids. I have no idea what you actually call these sort bottles but you can buy them from Ikea.

Simple dimple.

However if you google around you may end up with a few questions.

Do I need to use a plastic strainer?

Most people will say you do. I didn’t have a plastic strainer and since I’m into minimalism, I didn’t want to go out and buy something else so I used a fine metal strainer I already owned. I should say I don’t let my grains sit in the metal strainer (but I don’t think they would be traumatized if I did). I simply strain the water kefir into a container and dump the grains into a bowl while I’m dissolving my sugar. I’ve been doing this for almost two year now and have never had a problem.

How long do water grains last?

My understanding is that if taken care of they will last indefinitely as they multiply.

How do you “take care” of water kefir grains?

I try to make sure I change the water (start a new batch) every 48 hours. However, sometimes I forget and they ferment too long running out of food. This can damage the grains. At one point, I noticed my grains weren’t multiplying so I strained them and washed them by stirring them (rather vigorously) around in filtered water. Then I put them a quart sized mason jar full of filtered water with 1/4 cup of turbinado sugar and 1/4 tsp of molasses. I let the kefir grains “rest” in the refrigerator for about a week before I rinsed them and started a new batch. Immediately, the grains started multiplying again and making delicious kefir. “Resting” your grains also works when you are going to be gone for an extended about of time. How long it takes your grains to run out of food mostly depends on heat. If it’s hot they will ferment faster and run out of food.

What do you do with extra grains?

Since healthy water kefir grains multiply you will be left with extra grains. I use those grains in smoothies, give them away, and sometimes eat a spoonful plain. I know the thought of it kinda grosses me out too but they don’t really have any taste.

How do I know if my water kefir grains are “working”?

You will see bubbles rising up from the grains and the kefir will have a slightly fermented taste. Try the sugar water mixture before adding the grains by pouring a little into a separate cup (you don’t want any contamination) and then try it again after 24-48 hours and you should taste the difference. It also changes color.

Do you rinse your grains each time?

No, I’m lazy so I rinse them about every other batch.

Nectarine Water Kefir

Can you flavor water kefir?

Yes. After the initial fermentation I sometimes remove the grains and add dried fruit. I’ll let it sit on the counter for an extra night or two. I’ve also heard you can use vanilla extract or lemon but I haven’t tried it.

Where do I buy water kefir grains?

Personally, I have never bought water kefir grains. I got mine from a friend. So my suggestion would be to start on Facebook and ask if any of your friends make water kefir. You never know what your friends might have brewing behind closed doors. I got my first kombucha scoby from someone I had no idea was into health when I posted on Facebook I was looking for one. If that doesn’t work you could always look on Craigslist. Lastly, I’ve seen them for sale on the internet but since I have never bought them online I can’t vouch for any of the website. If anyone has purchased them online feel free to share your source.

Hugs and High Fives,
Jenn

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The post Water Kefir – How to Make the HEALTHY Soda Alternative appeared first on Girl Heroes.

I finally found time to make a new recipe. A tabouli recipe. If you want to call it a recipe. Tabouli is sort of a like a caprese salad. There are pretty standard ingredients with a few variations among recipes.

Although, by necessity, mine makes a slight divergence.

When I was at Robert is Here, I bought some parsley with the intention of making tabouli. However, when we settled down in the everglades I realized I didn’t have any bulgur a traditional ingredient in tabouli.

When you are in the Everglades you just don’t run out to the store unless it’s the campground store to buy mosquito spray or Spam. Both will kill you if used enough.

Anyway I decided to improvise with what I had on hand, quinoa.

Quinoa Tabouli

1 Bunch of Parsley
3 Tomatoes
1 Clove of Garlic (pressed)
1 Lemon (the juice squeezed)
2 Tbs Olive Oil
1 Cup of Quinoa (measured uncooked)
Sea Salt and Pepper to Taste

Cook the quinoa. I always cook mine using a ratio of 1:1. I bring the water to the boil stir in the quinoa and some salt. I let it continue to boil for a minute or two before I off the heat, cover it, and leave it. No clue if this is the “proper” way to cook quinoa but it always works for me.

While the quinoa is doing its thing, I chop the parsley (fine), the tomatoes (course), squeezed the lemon, and pressed the garlic. By the time, I’m done with all this, the quinoa is ready to be tossed in a bowl with everything else. Simple dimple!

Hugs and High Fives,
Jenn

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As you may have read, eating on the road has been a bigger adjustment than I had anticipated.  The longer we are on the road the easier it becomes or perhaps it’s just that we’ve been in Florida where there is a year round growing season. Either way, I thought I’d share some of the more unique places we’ve stopped.

Before we headed out of Tennessee we stocked up at Trader Joe’s. (I know Trader Joe’s isn’t unique but I sure do miss it.) It wouldn’t be accurate to say we don’t buy any processed food at the grocery. I do my best to cook most of our food from whole food ingredients but sometimes this momma is tired and cranky so I figure a quick curry dinner that uses a pre-made sauce is better than a stop for fast food. These are my favorite convenience foods and Trader Joe’s staples.

Meow Cow says, “What’s for me?”

I had no idea that Trader Joe’s had started carrying coconut oil!!! Either I missed it in California or it is a newer item.

I found the Market at Washington and High through Eat Wild.

We stocked up on local grassfed ground beef.  This sign at the top of the meat case is a picture of the butchers that says, “Tennesseans process this meat.”

I love visiting small local grocers.

I also love trying local chocolate now that I’m eating sugar again. (BTW it’s going really well. Maybe I can get around to writing some more about it later.)

We were so busy traveling for a few weeks that we didn’t have time for any more local stops until Port Charlotte where Brent and I had a date at a Farmer’s market in Punta Gorda and then recently at the Alliance of the Green Market in Fort Myers.

We heard about the Green Market through my friend Rhiannon. I met Rhiannon on the phone when I bought a Bodybugg a few years ago. She was my “Bodybugg Coach” and we ended up keeping in touch. How cool is that!!! We met at Bennett’s Fresh Roast, a local coffee shop, with our families before we went to the Green Market.

I have to admit I was tempted to get one of these “maple bacon doughnuts” but decided against it. We had a long day ahead of us and I didn’t want to feel sick.

Back to the Green Market. We left with a good amount of fresh fruit and vegetables.

Including starfruit!!!

Salmon patties, starfruit, and salad with sprouts. Love alliteration!

Then the other day, we stumbled on this gem, Robert is Here, a fruit stand in Florida City.

It was a blessing. We hadn’t planned well (imagine that) and needed some things before heading into the Everglades for a few days. We had already passed all the conventional grocery stores so seeing Robert’s fruit stand in the middle of the swamp was like finding an oasis in the desert.

Robert had a fantastic selection of fruits and vegetables.

And alligator jerky. I passed.

Robert still runs the stand over 50 years later! The story goes he set up a stand to sell cucumbers when he was 6 years old but since no one knew he was there he didn’t sell anything all that Saturday. So his dad put out a sign that read “Robert is Here”. That was in 1959! Cool, right!

I was so happy to meet Robert and support “stand”. Everything we bought was delicious. We even stopped again on our way back out of the Everglades.

Well, I know we haven’t shopped at as many local markets as I would have liked but we’re trying.  It’s been a challenge and an adventure. One I’m grateful to take on!

Hugs and High Fives,
Jenn

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Hi guys! I hope you are doing well. I still haven’t found the time to edit my last workout video so I thought I’d talk about my current workout and eating habits. Because that’s exciting, right.

In my last post, I mentioned that living on the road in and of itself is challenge enough and I don’t need to add any more challenges to my life. I’m learning a entirely new way of life. I can’t go to the same grocery stores week to week. I gave away a number of appliances I used to use. Unlike California, the weather is unpredictable making it tough to workout. The RV is small so cooking meals and working out inside is challenging but certainly not impossible. Before we set out, I thought I would have lots of free time but the reality is I have very little. We do school in the morning and then explore in the afternoon. Sometimes we explore all day and then do school in the evening. We’ve also driven almost 8000 miles since we left in late October and, due to motion sickness, I can’t do much reading or writing during that time. Not to mention eating on driving days proves difficult with fast food always being a temptation. We’ve managed to eat very little fast food but I don’t care if I ever eat another turkey sandwich again. All this to say that I’ve had a number of things to adapt to and it took me a little longer than I expected.

I hope I don’t’ sound like I’m complaining. These are all “challenges” I’m more than happy to take on because I’m living one of my dreams. Yes, living on the road is a challenge but it’s also amazing. Amazing in the truest sense. But there are some facts to consider as I continue to learn and adapt to this new way of life.

Love me some sunshine!

Facts

Fact – I’m a sugar addict.

Fact – Sugar does nothing good for me. Not only is it related to a host of health problems it contributes to depression, a struggle of mine.

Fact – We are seeing hundreds of new places and trying the food is part of the experience. I don’t want to miss out. (Ahem…beignets in New Orleans.)

Fact – It’s important to me to support sustainable and healthful farming practices, i.e., grass fed meats, organic vegetables, local farms, ect.

Fact – I don’t want to go back to Ventura in a year or two (we are already considering doing year two) having gained a lot of weight. Some is fine but not a lot. I don’t have “skinny girl genes”. I don’t like the word skinny but you know what I mean. I have to be mindful of my food and exercise or I’ll end up overweight. I don’t want that.

Fact – I feel slightly self-conscious filming my videos. As you can see I’m NOT fat but I’m not as lean as I was. People can be really harsh and it makes me nervous especially on YouTube although I haven’t had anyone say anything mean yet.

Fact – This is a biggie. I have my RCK re-certification coming up in a few months. This means I have to re-pass all the certification requirements including the snatch test. The snatch test is 100 snatches in 5 minutes with the 12k (26.5 lb) kettlebell if I weigh less than 124 pounds. Otherwise, I have to use the 16K (35 lb) kettlebell. Since giving away my scale I have no idea what I weigh. I know it’s more than 124 but not sure by how much. (I don’t *think* it’s a lot) Which means I either have to lean out a bit or train to use the 16K but I have an injured shoulder right now. I don’t think it would be wise to use that much weight on my shoulder especially doing the explosive ballistic movements like the snatch.

Fact – I like feeling strong. It lifts my spirits and makes me appreciate my body on a deeper level despite its “imperfections”. Bottom line is being strong is good for me emotionally and physically and I’m not as strong as I was before we left.

My Solution

So considering all the “facts” of my life I have come up with a livable solution.

Food – We eat the majority of our meals at home so those meals will continue to be nourishing foods. I haven’t and don’t plan to buy any processed foods. I’ve been making an effort to get more local foods along the way and plan to keep doing. But I won’t think any less of myself for shopping at Walmart and buying non-organics. In many of the smaller towns this is the only option. We are not planning our trip around food, we are planning it around adventure, education, and experience. This means that sometimes Walmart is our only option and when we are out in about I want to experience the food including beignets in New Orleans.

Which leads me too…

Cafe Du Monde New Orleans

I’m not cutting out sugar completely. I started off the New Year planning to go back to the “no refined sugar” life style I lived for almost four years but realized that I would be too sad to miss out on beignets in New Orleans and Jeni’s Spledid Ice Cream in Nashville. I’m not going to eat or cook with refined sugar at home but when we get to Key West in a few weeks I’m going to eat a slice of Key Lime Pie.

For the last four years living in my sticks and bricks house, I’d estimate 80-90% of my food has been nourishing and the other 10-20% would nachos or other junk foods. (Let’s be honest, our bodies respond to most starches like they are sugar so it was more of a mental strategy than physical.) Allowing real sugar certainly makes it more challenging and the cravings afterwards are unbelievable. But I accept that is how my body will respond and I’ve been preparing myself mentally before I order that scoop of ice cream. I know if I eat it I will want more (and more and more) but just knowing and expecting this makes it easier to ride out the cravings however uncomfortable they are.  It also helps me to be selective about what I eat and ask myself, “Is this going to be worth the cravings that will follow?” It’s not easy but, for now, it’s worth it and doable.

My favorite workout partner

Fitness – We’ve finally got to warm sunny weather (Florida) and my sprits have lifted. I think I may have a touch of Seasonal Affective Disorder. Working out should be easier now. Although time is still an issue but it’s not an excuse. Brent and I started the Enter The Kettlebell program again. It consists of clean and press ladders 3 days a week using heavy, medium, and light days and two days of “kettlebell practice”. It’ simple, methodical, and effective plan for increasing strength. It also doesn’t take much time and can be done inside the RV if necessary. I followed it to prepare for my RKC almost two years ago. I’m modifying the plan slightly by using double kettlebells and the other two days I’m going to practice TRX or full body metabolic kettlebell workouts to film for my state workout series.

Enter the Kettlebell - Light Day

I’m still a little torn regarding my upcoming RKC recertification. I’m leaning towards leaning out rather than risk greater injury to my already injured shoulder. I’m trying to do turkish get ups to strengthen my tweaked shoulder but I really don’t see myself using a kettlebell heavier than the 12k for ballistic exercises soon enough to be able to pass. Which leaves me with the questions to buy a scale or not? I haven’t minded not having one and now that I’m adapting to this new way of life I think my body will naturally get to where it needs to be. I think. It would be terrible to show up for my re-certification and not pass because I was, unknowingly, a few pounds heavier.

So that’s that. Where I’ve been and where I’m at now. It feels good to have a flexible livable plan. I’ve already have 5 weeks of workouts planned, written out, and ready to check off. I found a nearby farmer’s market and a farm that sells grassed meats that we will go to later this week. It’s an adventure for sure and thanks for coming along!

Hugs and High Fives,
Jenn

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Check out our family’s adventures at New School Nomads as we take a year long RV road trip through the United States!

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I’m so excited to introduce you to a new Girl Hero! Meet Elisa! Elisa has been married to her husband for over 6 years and is a certified personal trainer and HKC kettlebell instructor. She was recently diagnosed with MS after being misdiagnosed with Guillain Barre. It’s been a rollercoaster but through it all she remains hopeful and active. Seriously, read a few posts on her blog, Cake Walk, and you’ll see what an inspiration she really is! Elisa loves to read- mostly fiction, but also lots of health and fitness books and going on long walks with her husband where they talk about life and solve all of their problems.  She also enjoys blogging, cooking and her new hobby for 2012 is going to be yoga!

What led you to become a personal trainer?

I went to school to be an elementary school teacher, but realized that I was really horrible at classroom management. I taught kids in South Korea for about 6 months and then switched to teaching adults. After a quick decision to leave Korea and move to Portland, Oregon, I needed a new career. I loved teaching and I have always loved exercise. I ran cross-country in college and even coached it for a year afterwards. Personal training sounded like the perfect thing for me, and after finishing a 6 month hands on program (National Personal Training Institute), I started training!

How did you discover kettlebells?

At NPTI, I was exposed to lots of different fitness tools. At one point we visited a Crossfit gym and my instructor handed me a 25 pound kettlebell and told me to swing it over my head. That was the only cue! I did, but it was way scary and I felt out of control. A few weeks later I came across Girl Heroes and you were talking about signing up for the RKC. You looked so strong and as if you had a ton of fun doing your kettlebell workouts. I started doing research and bought a couple of kettlebells. I kept reading your blog and realized that I should really find an RKC kettlebell instructor. Lance Coffel– was the man I found. I started with his kettlebell workshop and was so impressed with his teaching style and careful attention to even the smallest detail. I started going to his classes once a week and a few weeks later signed up for the HKC and the RKC.

What were your workouts like before kettlebells?

I ran cross-country in college, so I’ve always continued with that. the summer before I started using kettlebells, I ran a trail marathon and several trail half marathons. I also did strength training circuits 2-3 times a week.

What is it that you like so much about kettlebells?

I’ve always loved running because I could do it anywhere with minimal equipment. The same is true about using kettlebells. You can take them anywhere and do an entire workout with just one weight. They are intense and efficient. Also, I love the attention to form and detail that they require. There’s always something to work on. At the HKC, we spent the entire day perfecting the swing, goblet squat, and Turkish get-up, and there’s still more to learn.

You were diagnosed with Guillain Barre a week before your HKC certification. What was that like? What symptoms were you having?

One Thursday afternoon, my right foot went completely numb. The next day my left foot joined the right and soon I was numb all the way up to my belly button. I went to my kettlebell workout on Saturday and was so frustrated that I couldn’t do a bottoms up press with even a 5 pound kettlebell. On Monday, I limped into work at the gym and fell over as I tried to demonstrate a lunge. My client told me I should go to the ER, but instead, I went to another kettlebell class. My chiropractor who often joined the class, was there and did a quick exam. He mentioned MS and told me to get myself to the ER. In the background, I was planning my trip with Lance for the HKC in Seattle on Saturday. At the hospital, I had an MRI, which they told me was clear and thus confirmed their suspicions of Guillain Barre Syndrome. They told me to come back to the hospital immediately if anything got worse and got me an appointment with a neurologist for two days later. Two days later, I could barely walk, so the neurologist just admitted me to the hospital for immediate treatment with Immunoglobulin therapy. At this point, I started to realize that the HKC was not happening. I was in the hospital for the next 6 days and things just got worse. I could only walk holding onto something for about 10 seconds before I had to sit back down. By the time I left the hospital, I could no longer walk at all. My muscles were so weak and I couldn’t feel them at all. It was super sad, but I knew that I would get better and eventually go for the HKC and the RKC!

Then late last year you found out you were misdiagnosed and actually have multiple sclerosis. That’s intense. You filmed a youtube video where you actually say you are looking forward to the possibilities and opportunities having MS will provide you.  That’s an amazing outlook! Can you expand on that? How do you remain so positive?

I always knew in the back of my head, that something was not quite right with the original diagnosis and so finding out that it was actually MS felt like finding a missing puzzle piece that you didn’t remember you were missing. When you have always been super healthy, finding out you have a chronic disease, and that you’re not actually in control of your body, is almost too shocking to deal with. At the beginning, when the chiropractor mentioned that it sounded like MS, I remember feeling like MS would be a death sentence and I went home and cried my eyes out. During the time in the hospital and my super long recovery, I’ve dealt with a lot of emotions and have already realized that my health is not in my control. So finding out that I have MS was huge but somehow not that big of a deal to me. When I thought I had Guillain Barre Syndrome, I tried to get involved in helping people who had just been diagnosed, but that just never worked out. The MS community is much bigger and super active, so there will be lots of opportunities for me to get involved. All of my jobs have been somehow related to helping people (caregiving, teaching, personal training) and having MS gives me the “cred” to help people even more. Don’t be fooled though, I’m not happy about having MS. I just don’t have time to be super sad right now. There are sure to be times where I just curl up in a ball, cry, and feel sorry for myself. That’s not unique to MS, that’s just human, we all do it!

How has MS affected your life and training?

Well, originally, I lost my job. Since recovering, my husband and I have moved from Portland, Oregon to Boston. I’ve been working since the end of August and have not missed any days of work so far. Double vision and vertigo are some of the symptoms that I have to deal with often, so my husband drives me to work whenever those issues are a problem. My clients think that I come to work at 6am a little tipsy!

Finding out that I have MS has actually helped my workouts. Whenever I work out, my symptoms get much worse- i.e. hands and feet are numb, no muscle coordination, super exhaustion, etc.- and I have to stop the workout early. After doing some MS research, I realized that heat makes the symptoms worse, so if I can keep myself cool enough, I can workout much longer.

You ended up passing the HKC in November! Congratulations!  What was it like?

Passing the HKC was amazing for me. It’s still just the basic kettlebell cert., but I had been through so much to get there. All my kettlebell people on the West Coast were super excited, but on the East Coast, it was just another day!

I know you planned to train for the RKC. Is that still a goal?

The RKC is still a huge goal for me. Honestly, I could probably attempt to pass it now. I can do 100 snatches in five minutes, although I don’t know if I can handle working out for three days straight. But it is expensive and after a big move across the country and a lot of medical bills, we are trying to refill our savings account.

Passing the RKC is a goal of 2012, but I’m not going to let myself get frustrated if the MS gets in my way. I’ll get there eventually.

What are your thoughts on food? In other words, what does an average day of food look like for you? Has your recent diagnosis affected the way you eat?

Right now, I’m frustrated about food. I’ve cut out sugar and processed foods for the last 6 years of my life and I still got sick. There are so many people telling me to try this supplement or eat this and not that, I feel overwhelmed by information. I keep reminding myself to go back to what I’ve always believed about food. If it makes your body feel good, gives you more energy, and doesn’t make you gain weight, then eat it up. Everyone is different and what makes me feel good might make you feel terrible. For the last 6 years, I’ve eaten lots of meat and vegetables. Sugar and even fruit give me an instant headache. Grains make my stomach hurt.

A couple of months ago, I started intermittent fasting and absolutely love it. I stop eating at 8pm and don’t start eating again until 12 or 1 pm the next day. My feet and hands have not been numb since I started and it’s helped me to realize that feeling a little hungry is not an emergency.

What do you like best about being a personal trainer?

As a trainer, I get to meet so many interesting people from all walks of life. I love it when they come back from a vacation and tell me how they impressed their family by hiking up a mountain or walking around all day without having to stop and rest. Their stories inspire me.

 If you were going to write a memoir about your life what would you call it?

Driving the Rollercoaster

Thank you so much Elisa for sharing part of your story!

Don’t forget to check out Elisa’s blog, Cake Walk, and be inspired!

Hugs and High Fives,
Jenn

If you enjoyed this post you can follow one of three ways! 1. Subscribe to the RSS Feed 2. “like” Girl Heroes on Facebook, or 3. Sign up to have posts emailed to your inbox. Simple dimple!

Check out our family’s adventures at New School Nomads as we take a year long RV road trip through the United States!

The post Girl Hero Elisa appeared first on Girl Heroes.

Happy 2012!

I love the New Year. It’s a chance to begin a new adventure and to evaluate our choices of the past year.  What worked? What didn’t? Are we headed where we want to go? There is something fun about hanging a new calendar and seeing all the empty pages just waiting to be filled in.

More than anything this year, I really want to just focus on trying to live a simple life, be in the moment with my family and continue to love harder.

I do have one”smartie” fitness goal I’d like to accomplish by the end of this year. I would like to be able to press two 35lb kettlebells for 5 reps this year. As of now, I can press 2 26lb kettlebells. I pretty sure I could still press two 30 lb bells but due to lack of space the next weight up we brought was 35 lbs. So that’s my fitness goal for the year. I also should start thinking about my RKC recertification due this year. I’ll have to repass all the requirements.

And…

Like many Americans, I put on a little weight over the holidays. How much I don’t know exactly because I don’t have a scale. I did step on my parent’s scale and it looks like about 5 or 6 pounds but since I don’t have a starting weight on that scale it’s just a guestimate.

Five or 6 pounds are really not a big deal. I’m still at a healthy weight, love my body, and all that feel-good-love-yourself-mushy-mush still rings true.

But….

I’m not going to let that 5 pounds sit there because I love myself and my family. If I let this 5 pounds sit here what is going to keep me from doing that next year and the year after? I’d rather lose 5 pounds this year than 50 pounds 10 years from now and possibly try to correct a host of preventable issues that could arise from being overweight.

To start off of the New Year I’m doing a 5 for 5 challenge.

Girl Heroes 5 for 5 Challenge

1. Do 5 short but intense workouts a week. – I’m thinking 3 kettlebell workouts, a light suspension training workout, and a very short sprint workout. All workouts will be 20 minutes or less.

2. Reduce calories by 500 a day. – This puts me on average in the 1600-2000 range depending on my activity level. I’m going to start tracking calories again for a few weeks. It’s been so long since I’ve tracked that I don’t think I’m being honest with myself about portion sizes. It also helps curb the snacking because “I’m bored” or “want to procrastinate” habits I tend to have.

3. For 5 weeks total.

(I really wanted to come up with 2 more things to do so 5 things would be on my list but that would go against my commitment to keeping things simple and I couldn’t make 5 work with sleeping. Five hours of sleep would not be enough for me!)

This should more or less add up to about a 5 pound weight loss over 5 weeks. (Interesting how it’s going to take 5 weeks to take off what I put on over the course of 5 days. Oh well. No biggie.) I won’t know exactly how much I lose because I no longer have a scale but the point is to resume to old habits that don’t necessarily come easy for me. If you’ve been reading my blog for any length of time you know that I naturally gravitate towards more sedentary activities like reading, daydreaming, and sitting at the computer. I need a jumpstart for the new year.

After 5 weeks I’ll continue with 3-5 workouts a week and I will more than likely stop counting the calories but the next 5 weeks should be enough to get me motivated and and make old habits new again.

Oh and there is one more thing.

Sugar.

I’ve thought long and hard about my relationship with the white powder the last few months.  I’m decided that today I would go back to what I know works for me: allowing myself homemade sweets made with unrefined sugars. This is the most livable solution for me. In my ideal world, I’d give up all sugar completely for good but that’s just not going to happen. The choice to eat unrefined homemade treats I can happily live with. I have a lot more to say about sugar but right now I’m going to bed because getting more sleep is a priority this year.

Hope you had a Happy New Year and a wonderful Christmas!

Hugs and High Fives,
Jenn

Check out our family’s adventures at New School Nomads as we take a year long road trip through the United States!

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The post 5 for 5 Challenge: Kickstarting the New Year appeared first on Girl Heroes.

There have been many adjustments the last few months since we moved into an RV. The obvious being a small living space and the constant moving. What surprises me is those have been the easiest changes. I love having less stuff and less to clean. (I can’t even tell you how freeing it feels.) I love waking up in different places throughout the week. Brent and I don’t do much planning and I love not knowing where we are going to be week from week. That is just how we roll and we are loving it.

However, our free-spirited approach to our new lifestyle is affecting other areas of our life. Not necessarily in the best way.

I’ve always been a “loose” routine person. I’ve never been one to go to the gym every day at the same time and when I made meal plans they were always “rough drafts”.  However, my life before looks OCD compared to my life now.

While living in an RV is living up to my expectations in many ways, (Really, sometimes I afraid I’m going to wake up and it’s all going to be a dream.) there is one way, in particular, it is not. Before we left I imagined stopping at roadside markets and looking on Eat Wild and Local Harvest for places to buy food. In reality, it’s not always convenient. We may or, more likely, may not be in a town the day of their farmer’s market and, to be honest, I’d rather spend my time exploring funky towns instead searching for food.

I was spoiled in California. S-P-O-I-L-E-D. There were numerous CSAs, (I belonged to this one) food co–ops, a nearby farmer’s market almost every day of the week, two Trader Joes within 2 miles from my house, a local health food store, and a Whole Foods (that I have never even been in but still) not far away. I had a freezer full of grassfed-yada-yada-yada beef and could buy fish right off a boat. While the price at the pump in California feels like getting hit in the stomach with a brick, fresh local affordable produce was always available. California is a foodie’s dream.

We’ve been on the road living in an RV for two months and now I realize that it’s not as easy to eat healthy all over the country. Not impossible but certainly not as easy. In the big cities, it’s easier to find healthy food. I drove by the Whole Foods Mecca Flagship store in Austin and almost confused it for an airport terminal. Later in a smaller town, I found myself next to tears (Boohoo.) while I stood in the bread aisle for nearly 15 minutes searching for something suitable. A few days later, we were in a really small beautiful town where there was only one modest grocery. The produce aisle was a sad little section of fruit and vegetables. No wonder people are buying processed and boxed food. The pictures on the packaging looked really appealing compared to the wilted lettuce and bruised apples.

(This lot was from one of the better grocery stores and it takes up my entire counter.)

Add the lack of availability with a super small kitchen, fewer appliances, very little routine, lots hours in the car, and so many wonderful distractions like National Parks, friends, and mountain biking, it’s a wonder we are not living off of microwave dinners

But the thing we are adaptable creatures. Our ability to adapt is rather astounding. Every day I find myself forgetting I even live in an RV on the road. I don’t need a huge fancy 10,000 horse power “blender”, (I never had one but a girl can dream.), a CSA, and I’m certain I can cook up a decent meal even with droopy broccoli if I make the effort. I may not always be able to have my organic-grass-fed-blessed-by-the-Pope-beef but I can still do my best to make a plan.  Even if it’s just a rough draft.

Hugs and High Fives,
Jenn

Check out our family’s adventures at New School Nomads as we plan to take a year long road trip through the United States!

If you enjoyed this post you can follow one of three ways! 1. Subscribe to the RSS Feed 2. “like” on Facebook, or 3. Sign up to have posts emailed to your inbox. Simple dimple!

The post “Rough Drafts” appeared first on Girl Heroes.