SparkPeople Community Director and Fitness Coach
Jen Mueller left her first career in corporate finance to earn a master's degree in health education. She is a busy mom of four and holds a number of fitness certifications (including ACE's Health Coach, Personal Trainer, Medical Exercise Specialist and Behavior Change Specialist). She is passionate about helping people reach their health and fitness goals. In her spare time, Jen loves running, kickboxing and spending time with her family. Jen enjoys blogging about raising healthy children and how small behavior changes can impact health and quality of life.
Read More of 's Blogs:
Early Snacking Helps Avoid Later Weight Issues
My oldest child has always been a great eater. She’s very active and has a big appetite. She’s willing to try new foods (within reason) and is always asking when the next meal or snack is being served. She’s a healthy eater (although she does have a sweet tooth like her mama), and is happy to snack on carrots or tomatoes if she’s hungry and dinner isn’t ready yet.
I give my kids reasonable portions and encourage them to ask for more if they want it, because I hate to waste food and don’t want to force them to continue eating if they aren’t hungry just to clean their plates. I’m hopeful that the way I’m teaching my kids to eat will help them avoid weight problems later in life. I want them to develop a healthy relationship with food and not have to worry about “diets”. We are big snackers in my house, so I was happy to see results of a new study regarding snacking and weight gain in young girls.
Posted 2/17/2012 6:00:00 AM By: : 20 comments 24,630 views
Feeling a Little Down? This Drink Might Help!
One of the biggest changes I’ve made to my diet over the years was to increase the amount of water I drink. When I started working for SparkPeople over 7 years ago, I probably drank about 2 glasses of liquid a day (outside of exercise). I’d have a glass of orange juice for breakfast and a glass of milk for dinner, and that’s about it. Being surrounded by people who drank water throughout the day made me more conscious of how much I was having and the fact that I probably needed to be drinking a little more.
As soon as I started drinking more, I noticed a difference in my energy level and my mood. I felt better overall. I’m not saying that everyone needs to start chugging the H2O, but in my case, I think I was probably dehydrated most of the time. New research shows that not drinking enough could be affecting your mood and cognitive abilities.
Posted 2/14/2012 10:00:00 AM By: : 27 comments 17,268 views
Life Lessons from Those Who Have Lived It
When I was in college, I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life. I chose to major in business only after ruling out a bunch of other things. After graduation I went to work in corporate America, and quickly discovered that it just wasn’t for me. Some people told me I was crazy for quitting, because I’d never have the financial stability that I had in this job. They were right, but quitting and starting down a new career path in health education is a decision I’ve never regretted. To me, it was more important to be happy and less important to be financially well-off.
Every day I struggle with how to make my life as happy and fulfilling as possible. There are never enough hours in the day to do all of the things I want to do: work, have hobbies of my own, spend quality time with my spouse and each of my children, and the list goes on and on… So I just try to prioritize and make the most of the time I have, because I never want to look back on my life with regret.
Posted 2/10/2012 2:00:00 PM By: : 36 comments 19,792 views
Is it Possible to Become a Morning Person?
"Night owl" is not a term anyone has ever used to describe me. Even in my younger years, before kids made me more tired than I ever thought possible, I didn’t stay up late. I can comfortably last until around 10 p.m., and then it’s time for bed. But getting up early doesn’t bother me. I like to get a lot of things done early in the day, including exercise. So most days around 5:30 a.m., you’ll find me on the treadmill or in front of the T.V. doing an exercise video.
I know people who say that although they’ve tried hard to become a morning person, it never happens. My mother-in-law, for instance, does her treadmill run around 8:30 every night- just as I’m winding down for the day. What works for one person doesn’t always work for another. But sleep experts say that with time and effort, it is possible to reset your biological clock and become that morning person you’ve always hoped to be.
Posted 2/7/2012 6:00:00 AM By: : 82 comments 40,714 views
Do Rising Food Costs Change Your Buying Decisions?
I am a creature of habit. If you took a look in my grocery cart each week, you’d see many of the same foods- bread, produce, milk, cheese, etc. I stick with the same foods and the same brands for a few reasons. One is that I’m slightly lazy, and don’t like to take the time to comparison shop for the best deals. My goal is to get through the store as quickly as possible (especially when my kids are with me), so once I find a brand I like, I stick with it. Another reason is that once I find something my kids like (our sandwich bread, for instance), I don’t usually deviate from it for fear that I’ll hear: “This is different. I don’t want to eat it.”
Posted 2/3/2012 2:00:00 PM By: : 108 comments 23,482 views
When Exercise Hurts More Than Helps
For the past 9 years, I’ve called myself a runner. It started because I moved to a new town with no access to the workout facilities I’d had before, so running became an easy substitute- no equipment needed. Running quickly became an important part of my life, both physically and mentally. There was a period of time when I wouldn’t bother with a run that was any shorter than 6 miles because I didn’t consider it to be much of a workout. Because of kids and other life circumstances, those days are long gone…..
In the fall of 2010 I experienced my first serious running injury, Achilles tendonitis. I made the problem worse by continuing to push through pain instead of listening to my body and resting. I ended up in 6 weeks of physical therapy and had to stop running for a few months. When the PT told me I couldn’t run, I panicked. Running was such an important part of my life, and who would I be without it? How would I relieve stress? How would I get a good workout?
Posted 1/31/2012 10:00:00 AM By: : 83 comments 29,524 views
Physical Activity Boosts Kid’s Brain Power
It’s amazing how competitive school has become since I was young. I always felt a certain amount of pressure to work hard and get good grades, but with the rising costs of a college education, most families need a certain amount of financial help (i.e. scholarships) to make it possible. Kids feel more pressure than ever to maintain a high G.P.A., and new research shows that exercise might help. Can physical activity really boost brain power?
Posted 1/27/2012 10:00:00 AM By: : 25 comments 26,887 views
Do You Embrace or Fight the Aging Process?
It’s hard for me to believe that I’ll be married 10 years this summer. It doesn’t really bother me to get older- I think age is just a number- but time just goes so quickly. There are days when I think “Wasn’t I just in high school a few years ago?”, and then I remember that it’s been more than a few years and my oldest will start Kindergarten this fall.
When I look in the mirror, I’m like most other women who are critical of what they see. My body is healthy and strong, but let’s be honest: I’ll never look exactly like I did before having three kids, no matter how hard I try. I’ve got circles under my eyes from sleepless nights with babies and brown spots on my face from being careless about wearing sunscreen. Although I don’t love these things, I do my best to accept that regardless, I can still be fit and happy.
Posted 1/24/2012 6:00:00 AM By: : 121 comments 35,233 views
An Easy Way to Decrease Teen Soda Consumption
When it comes to nutritional facts and figures, everyone responds differently. Some people like to know exact calorie counts and nutrient details when making food choices. Others prefer visual comparisons (for example, a serving of bread is about the size of an index card.) Researchers have found an interesting way to discourage teenage soda consumption- and it’s not by telling teens how many calories are in a serving or that one soda accounts for 11 percent of their daily recommended calories. So what is the strategy that seems to be working?
Posted 1/20/2012 6:00:00 AM By: : 17 comments 14,019 views
How to Squeeze Workouts into Your Hectic Schedule
Often I hear people complain that they just don’t have time to exercise. It’s no surprise, with all of the demands on our time these days—work, family, friends, etc. Being busy is a standard way of life for most of us. But honestly, I’ve never met someone who’s really too busy to exercise. You might not have a daily hour of uninterrupted time for working out, but you probably have more time than you think. It all comes down to priorities and a little creativity.
Posted 1/17/2012 10:00:00 AM By: : 43 comments 26,672 views
The Secret to Turning Off Your Fat Genes
A lot of factors help determine a person’s body shape and size, and there’s no doubt that genetics plays a part in it. You might notice that you tend to gain weight easily like your mother or gain first in certain areas like your father. A number of studies have identified the "fat gene" which can increase your risk of becoming overweight or obese by an average of 12 percent. Surprisingly, a large number of people are estimated to carry this gene- 65 percent of those of European or African descent. But does that mean you’re destined to struggle with your weight throughout your life? Not necessarily. In fact, there might be some simple ways to outsmart your genes and avoid weight gain.
Posted 1/13/2012 10:00:00 AM By: : 31 comments 30,829 views
Does Your Appetite Change With the Seasons?
Even though summertime is the season for backyard barbeques and treats at the local creamy whip (my favorite!), I find that I’m not as hungry when the temperature rises. Maybe it’s just that I don’t like that heavy, full feeling when it’s hot and sticky outside. Maybe it’s that I’m busy chasing the kids around the yard and don’t have as much time to think about food. Or maybe it’s that my brain is hardwired to increase my appetite when the weather turns colder. Research shows that when the days get shorter and darker, our appetites tend to increase.
Posted 1/6/2012 6:00:00 AM By: : 27 comments 52,182 views
How Will You Make This the Year of Lasting Change?
If you are someone who has struggled with weight issues for a while, you know how frustrating it can be. You start the year with lots of motivation and great intentions to change your habits and become a healthier person. Things go great at first, but as the weeks and months go by, you find yourself slipping back into old habits. The diet and exercise "thing" becomes a drag, and eventually you decide it’s not worth it and you’d rather indulge in the hot fudge sundae than get all sweaty on the treadmill at the gym.
Ask yourself this question: What is going to make this year different? Whether your goal is to lose 100 pounds and be on the cover of a magazine, or you want to become more fit so that you can keep up with your kids at the park, how are you going to make that happen? When do you say that enough is enough and you’re tired of living a life that’s not your ideal?
Posted 1/3/2012 2:00:00 PM By: : 41 comments 22,510 views
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Jen's Favorite Blogs of the Year
As 2011 comes to a close (geez- time sure flies!), I've been thinking about the blogs I've written over the past year. Some are topics that I've been asked to write about (hot topics in the news, etc.), others are stories I've come across through my own research, and then some are just things that I observe and think about in everyday life. I thought I'd share a few of the favorites that stick out in my mind:
Posted 12/30/2011 10:00:00 AM By: : 5 comments 10,549 views
Outdoor Running: Good For the Body, Even Better For the Mind
As the days get shorter, it gets dark earlier and cold temperatures become the norm, my opportunities for exercising outside start to dwindle. I get out as much as I can and I’m fine with bundling up if I have to, but I’m not crazy about running in the dark in an area with limited sidewalks. Often I end up heading to my basement for a run on the treadmill, but it really never gives me the same amount of satisfaction. Now a study shows that the physical benefits might be the same, but the mental benefits between an outdoor and indoor run might be different.
Posted 12/23/2011 10:00:00 AM By: : 89 comments 33,450 views
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