My top 3 products to prevent stretch marks

I’ve heard numerous time during this pregnancy that stretch marks are inevitable during & after pregnancy… and truthfully I’m totally okay with them.

Honestly, I feel like after everything I have been through for this baby they would be like a badge of honor. My body is doing incredible things on the daily - I mean I’m literally growing a human?!? How cool!

So this blog is in no way bashing stretch marks. I’m simply providing tools and options to help prevent stretch marks and keep your skin hydrated and glowing before, during and after pregnancy!

Many belly oils and lotions contain toxic chemicals, and ingredients that can be harmful to you or baby. In the first trimester it is especially important to know what is in your products, as some “clean” products contain ingredients that can cause uterine contractions.

Here are the 3 non-toxic clean products I have been using this pregnancy.

Honest Co. Glow on Body Oil

My favorite belly oil I’ve tried! It’s clean non-toxic ingredients make me feel like I’m keeping baby safe, and it’s lux hydrating formula keeps my skin hydrated for hours!

Summer Friday’s

This lux balm feel amazing on my bump, and does not leave a greasy residue on my clothes. IYKYK

It is the most expensive balm/oil on my list, but I do feel the price is justified. Definitely worth trying!

Everyone Body Lotion

This is my favorite body lotion, and I literally buy it in bulk! I used this pre-pregnancy and I can’t get enough of it now. They even make one for babies, which we will be using for baby boy once he arrives. Super clean, no-toxic body lotion that won’t break the bank.

I’d love to know what your favorite products are to prevent stretch marks! Comment below and let me know.

• Transparency: this post contains affiliate links, if you do purchase through the link I will make a small commission from the sale.

• This blog post is in no way sponsored by or affiliated with any of the above companies.
  

Free Stretch Class in Naples!

Cariloha Naples and I are teaming up again!

By now you all know I am obsessed with their bamboo clothing and my new bamboo blanket. The husband and wife team behind this company is such a delight and I absolutely love collaborating with local small businesses. “We rise by lifting each other up.”

We are teaming up for a Valentine’s Day Sip & Stretch Class on Saturday February 13 at 10am!

I will be teaching a 30 minute stretch class in Mercato… (on the green outside Bravo and Narrative)

…after class we will celebrate Valentine’s Day by sipping champagne and shopping at Cariloha! Can you think of a better combination?? They will be offering a special discount to everyone who takes the class…time to stock up on my favorite joggers!

The event will be outside and all COVID protocols will be taken to ensure that this is a safe and socially distanced event. Masks are required inside the store, so please be sure to bring yours.

If you have any questions please reach out me to at jennifer@leanandgreenbody.com

Space is very limited… reserve your space today!!

How to (actually) reach your goals...

Did you know that most people throw in the towel on their New Year’s resolutions by January 13?!? Only 13 days into the New Year and they throw away their goals. Why is that?? Most of the time people set outrageous goals (which I love) without any strategy or steps to help them reach them. For instance, it’s like saying I want to lose 100 lbs by September without giving myself a step by step way in which I am going to get there. The goals become overwhelming and eventually the majority of people never reach them.

So…how can you actually reach your goals??

Whether it’s personal goals or business goals I feel like it is all pretty much the same; you need strategy and a plan on how you are going to get there. Goals are amazing - I absolutely love setting goals - but without a plan it’s like throwing out this bold statement without backing it up.

I’m a firm believer in setting SMART goals. I do this with all of my nutrition and wellness coaching clients and today I am going to fill you in on how you can do this too!

SMART goals

Specific

Measurable

Attainable

Realistic

Tangible

Make the goal specific - as specific as you possibly can. Get very clear on what you want to achieve.

Measurable…how will you know when you have reached your goals?

Your goal must be attainable. This is where so many people go wrong, they set outlandish goals that are not attainable. I’m a big dreamer and I love big goals, but make sure that they are attainable for you.

Realistic…just like attainable, make sure that your goal is realistic.

Your goal must be tangible.

Want to learn more and discover how you can put your wildest goals within reach??

Reach out to me to schedule a 1:1 wellness call!

Photo By Jontel Chere Photography

Intentions over Resolutions

According to the New York Post many people forgo their New Year’s resolutions by January 12th!?! That’s insane.

So this year instead of setting New Year’s resolutions that will ultimately fall off our to-do list I would encourage you all to set intentions for the New Year.

This is what I have chosen to do this year…and I am loving it!

Resolutions put so much pressure on the individual. All of the sudden on January 1 everything has to change and everyone has to become “perfect”. Its unrealistic…and clearly these resolutions do not stick.

So instead of setting unrealistic resolutions this year, I am setting intentions for how I want to be this year. I am being mindful about how I want to see my year. What behaviors, actions, or traits would I like to expand upon? Where would I like to see growth?

I find that so many people go overboard with resolutions and goals in January - and then ultimately forget them or fall off the wagon…and think it’s over. It’s not! You can start over again anytime you wish.

One of my favorite quotes is:

“each day is a new day, what we do today is what matters most.” - Buddha

Each day we get to decide who we want to be in every moment.

So I would encourage you to put pen to paper and journal about some intentions for your year. What would you like to see?

One of my intentions for the New Year is to be happy every day - maybe not all day everyday - but every day I am going to be happy and find the positive.

This of course comes off a crazy year that has shown me how precious each day really is.

If you would like to share some of your intentions below, I’d love to read them!!

Moving into the New Year

With the New Year quickly approaching…like how is it already here?!?…I have been thinking a ton about resolutions, intentions for the New Year and my goals for 2021.

Next week I’ll chat all things resolutions, intentions, and goals but today I wanted to expand upon my blog post from last week and discuss more about what we want to leave behind.

Sure 2020 sucked for a lot of people… in a ton of different ways.

Instead of focusing on how negative and awful the year was and bringing that negative energy and low vibe living into 2021 let’s take a deep breathe, shake it off, and move forward with love & light.

Somethings will never be the same after 2020, however instead of focusing on the negativity and the sadness I’d like to encourage you to dig deep and find some faith.

Faith in yourself to rise up, despite the setbacks and the hardships, and take ownership for your life again.

Yes COVID-19 is still here - and that is something we are unfortunately bringing into 2021 - however we can still find small ways to take ownership for our lives again…even if you are unable to leave the house.

Start small by setting up a morning routine or creating healthy habits that you can do each and every day to lift your vibrational energy.

Going for a walk, painting, reading or any form of self care can help to lift your energetic vibration…find something that works for you.

If we continue to focus on the negative, there will be more negative around us - that’s a true fact. The same is true if we focus on the positive, there will be more positivity around us.

There was enough negative in 2020, I’m choosing to acknowledge all of it but leave the negativity behind. I am choosing to move into the New Year with love and light. The more positivity I see, and the more positive energy I bring into this world, the more positivity I will receive back. Energy is all an exchange.

What would you like to receive?

Reflecting back on 2020...

As we approach the end of 2020 (finally!) I can’t help but reflect back on this year.

The good, the bad, and the seriously ugly. This sure has been a year for the books.

Over the last several months I’ve noticed many of us getting stuck in talking about how awful and challenging this year has been…I’ve been guilty of this too at times.

I talk so much about flipping the script and how important it is to try and see things from another perspective; I’ve had to remind myself to do this at times this year and I’m here to gently remind you to do the same.

In a previous post I talked about how challenging this year has been for me personally, and how I would never had survived this year if it weren’t for the love and support of my husband. All of which is true, however when I stay in that mindset of trauma, loss, and challenges it only makes this year seem harder and overwhelming sad. When I am able to step outside the sadness and the challenges, and see the joy and amazing things that I was able to accomplish (no matter how small they may be) then life all the sudden seems beautiful once again. Does this make sense?

For instance, professionally this year has been incredible for me. Despite having 2020 roll in and cancel all my incredible events, I pivoted in a way that I had only dreamed of prior. I won Top 40 Under 40 for Southwest Florida (2nd time in two years!!), I was featured in 4+magazines, my business has grown and remained in the black all year, and I have expanded into a place where I am actually having fun in my business again. It’s amazing!

So as we all reflect back on 2020, I’d ask that you allow all of the feeling in…but do your best to flip the script and find some inspiration and amazement from this year.

After reflecting back on this year, consider what you would like to leave behind in 2020?

For me personally, I am leaving old patterns and behaviors that no longer serve me. I have stepped into my own, I have found what truly makes me happy, and you can bet that I am bringing this with me into the New Year!

Journal Prompt:

Find a comfortable seat, close your eyes, and think back on this year. Allow all the emotions and months to rush through your being, feel it all. Then open your eyes, and write down the first things that come to mind….what would you like to leave behind in 2020?

Photo By: Jontel Chere

Holiday Journaling Prompt

Hi Friends! Can you believe we are only 16 days away from Christmas?? The holidays are in full swing in my book. This time of year can be one of the most stressful, overwhelming and lonely times of year for many of us…in a “normal” year…but it’s 2020 and these feeling are x100 for so many.

I am a big advocate for daily journaling…daily as in every single day…not just when your life is upside down. Daily journaling helps us to get all those thoughts out of our heads. We can put them to paper and decide, “hey, that’s a great idea Jen” or “hmm…yeah, I’m going to put that negative energy aside”. Journaling allows us to be unbiased and write/communicate without ANY judgement…that’s kind of amazing!

For many of my clients I recommend journaling as a way to begin communicating with themselves, be truthful and honest with their feelings in a completely judgement free zone. Often times many of us hold back on communicating our true feelings for fear of rejection, ridicule or fear of not being understood. At our core we all want to be seen, heard, valued and understood. This all starts with us, within us.

I have been journaling on and off for years, and have dozens of journals piled up in my office as we speak. However, it wasn’t until this year that I really stuck with a daily journaling practice - remember it takes a minimum of 21 days to start a new habit!

Now that I have I can not imagine going back. I’m someone who constantly has a million things going on in my head (and on my desk). I am working on projects well into 2021 and early 2022 (yes…insane but so exciting!!)…and journaling helps me to clear my thoughts professionally, personally, and on a deeply emotional and spiritual level some days. I am able to get everything “off my chest” and onto paper. The act of writing it down helps me to immediately feel better, more organized, and more rational in my thoughts. Sometimes my journaling looks more like a to-do list, some days it’s just my gratitude list, but regardless of what I journal I always feel better.

Back to the holidays…

Stress and depression tend to be at an all time high this time of year, ironic since this is supposed to be the happiest time of the year. To help my fellow readers, clients, and followers out I thought I would give you a holiday journaling prompt to help guide you through this time of year.

Start by writing down 3 things you are grateful for (don’t overthink it…just the first 3 things without judgement).

Then write down what your ideal holiday season would look like. (dream BIG)

Then take a moment to reflect on this list, and see what you can possibly accomplish this year (COVID-19 and all). Did you want a family dinner on Christmas…okay, FaceTime or Zoom call with your family. I know people who all make the same recipe then video chat and share the meal together.

You do not have to be alone this holiday season.

What else can you accomplish from your ideal holiday season? You want to open presents with your family and friends, okay great! You want to bake cookies with your Mom, awesome! You want to send Christmas cards, do it! There are so many ways in which we can all be together this holiday season…without actually being together IRL.

Write it all down…dream big…allow yourself to smile and fantasize about the holidays. Allow that holiday magic to fill the air.

If we continue to focus on the good - the magic - it will drown out the sadness and the inevitable changes of 2020.

Just know that you are not alone, and you can always return to your journal - as often as you’d like - to dream, ponder, and consider the possibilities.

This post came about because one of you recently reached out and requested tips for journaling and journaling prompts, so I began last month with my Attitude of Gratitude journaling post (if you haven’t checked it out yet definitely do so!) and thought it was a great idea! If you have any questions about journaling or would like more journaling prompt comment below and let me know!