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:
It's Time to Step Away from the Peanut Butter
If you’ve read any of my blogs over the past few months, you know that I recently had my third child. I was always jealous of the women who said they loved being pregnant and felt so great, because I never did. Food was not my friend (lots of random foods made my stomach turn) so I’d eat enough to stay healthy but not a lot more. I never felt like indulging in a hot fudge sundae or most of those other foods a lot of pregnant women crave.
Flash forward to now, and it’s a totally different story.
Posted 12/13/2011 2:00:00 PM By: : 90 comments 24,374 views
Do We Want Kids Starting the Day with a Bowl of Sugar?
We’ve all heard how “breakfast is the most important meal of the day” and that it’s critical to give your kids a healthy meal before they head to school each day. You’d think that cereal would be a good choice: pair it with some milk, a piece of fruit, and they’ve got a well-rounded meal, right? Well, not necessarily, especially if you’re not paying close attention to the label on the cereal box. A new report shows that most cereals marketed to children do not meet voluntary federal nutrition guidelines. Many have too much sugar, others have too much salt, not enough whole grains, etc. Buyer beware…..
Posted 12/9/2011 2:00:00 PM By: : 28 comments 16,370 views
Living a Life of Simplicity
I’ve never been someone who likes a lot of “stuff”. If you look in my closet, you’ll see most of the same clothes and shoes year after year. If I have things I don’t need or don’t use, I try to give them away. I don’t keep two of something just in case I might need it someday. But I still have a lot of work to do. If you look around my house, you’ll see that it’s not as simple and clutter-free as it could be. This is something I plan to focus on over the next year.
Posted 12/6/2011 10:00:00 AM By: : 73 comments 31,521 views
Is the Freshman 15 Just a Myth?
You’ve probably heard of the dreaded “Freshman 15”, the weight many college students typically gain when making the transition to life on their own. It’s easy to see how weight gain is possible for some students: dining halls with lots of unhealthy food choices, increased alcohol consumption, more time spent studying and less time spent exercising. Even with these changes, I always thought that 15 pounds sounded like a lot. Of course there are some who gain more, some who gain less and some who don’t gain any at all. But a new study says that the Freshman 15 is really a myth, with the typical weight gain being much less.
The study, published in the journal Social Science Quarterly, found that freshman gain an average of 2.5 to 3.5 pounds in the first year of college. It found that noncollege people of the same age also gained, although it was about a half-pound less. As you could expect, heavy drinkers gained more and those who had a job gained less. There were no significant differences between income levels or those who lived on or off campus. In general, a small amount of weight gain seems common at this point in life.
Even though the Freshman 15 might be a myth, it can still be a struggle to make healthy food choices and exercise regularly when making this transition into adulthood. SparkPeople’s College Living Lifestyle Center is full of helpful information to get you (or your loved ones) on the right track. Establishing healthy habits early on makes it easier to continue them long-term.
Did you gain weight when you went to college (or just at this point in your life)? If so, why? If you have loved ones who are headed to college (or you are in college yourself), how are you helping to establish healthy habits and avoid unnecessary weight gain?
Posted 12/2/2011 2:00:00 PM By: : 49 comments 18,409 views
Body Acceptance at Any Size
I’ll admit that I’ve always been somewhat critical of my body. The older I get, the more I try to embrace my flaws instead of always fighting them or being unhappy that I don’t look like a model on the cover of a magazine. I look different than I did in my 20’s, before having three kids, and before sleepless nights with newborns have left me looking more tired than anything else. As long as I’m healthy and fit, that’s what matters most. But I’m not going to lie and say I don’t have those days like anyone else where my imperfections start to bug me and I wish I could change things about my body.
Posted 11/29/2011 2:00:00 PM By: : 67 comments 22,284 views
Do You Have a Plan of Attack for the Holidays?
For many of us, this time of year is full of temptations and distractions to get off track from your diet and exercise program. You could easily choose to do some Christmas shopping instead of heading to the gym for a workout. Or you might feel like the decadent buffet at all of those holiday parties is calling your name louder than usual. The holidays can make it extra difficult to continue those healthy habits you’ve been working all year to establish. How do you avoid the traps and stay strong? The first thing you need is a plan of attack. I’ve got mine- do you have yours?
Posted 11/22/2011 2:00:00 PM By: : 50 comments 20,589 views
The Journey Back to a Fitter Me: One Month In and Beyond
It’s been almost a month now since I started back to exercising (and blogging about it) after having my third child. As you’d expect (and I’m sure you can relate to if you’ve ever struggled to maintain a fitness routine), I’ve had good days and bad days. Some workouts have gone very smoothly and given me the confidence to feel like I can get back to the fitness level I once had. Other workouts have been a little more difficult- either because I’m tired, I get interrupted or for whatever reason they just don’t work out like I’d planned. I’m trying to learn to “go with the flow” a little better (which is TOUGH for a personality like mine) and look at the bigger picture, that I’m living a physically active life, even if I’m not ready to run my next marathon tomorrow. That will come in time.
Posted 11/15/2011 10:00:00 AM By: : 16 comments 12,611 views
Want Kids to Eat More Fruit? Just Move the Bowl.
When I was in high school, there was an area of the cafeteria called the “Ho Ho Room”. It was full of candy, cookies, ice cream and any other treat you might want for lunch. I’m not sure if the Ho Ho Room still exists, but it was always a popular destination for those looking for something sweet to go with their meal. When I was that age, the idea of eating fruit as the sweet part of the meal never even occurred to me. But maybe it would have if the fruit were in a different part of the cafeteria. A new study showed that moving the fruit bowl to a different spot increased fruit consumption by over 100%.
Posted 11/11/2011 10:00:00 AM By: : 23 comments 16,812 views
The Journey Back to a Fitter Me: What’s the Recipe for Success?
Recently, I started this series after having my third child and struggling to return to the land of the physically active. The first few weeks back, I focused on getting into a consistent routine and finding activities that I enjoy. Since my free time is limited more now than ever, it’s important that I like what I’m doing. But just as importantly, I need to make the most of the time I have available. I had a lot of motivation the first few weeks, but now I’ve hit a few roadblocks. Just three weeks in, how do I find the drive to stay on the right track?
Posted 11/8/2011 2:00:00 PM By: : 15 comments 12,514 views
The Journey Back to a Fitter Me: Finding Activities I Enjoy
Last week I started a new series about my Journey Back to a Fitter Me. I’m trying to get back on track after having my third child, and I’m hoping that anyone who’s struggling to start and maintain a regular fitness routine will join me. I was overwhelmed by the number of people who said they were ready to begin again right along with me. Some said that lack of motivation had derailed their fitness efforts, while others had injuries or life circumstances that got in the way. Regardless of the reasons, we’re all in this together. I’m focusing on things one step at a time, and thought a weekly discussion of those steps as well as a recap of my progress will help me- and might help you too.
Posted 11/1/2011 10:00:00 AM By: : 22 comments 15,332 views
The Journey Back to a Fitter Me: Will You Join Me?
The funny thing about improving your fitness level is that it doesn't easily get better, but it does easily get worse. It can take months, sometimes longer, to see real progress. Feeling like you're lifting heavier weights at the gym or lasting longer on the elliptical without gasping for air doesn't usually come without effort. But take a few weeks or a month off, and you can feel like you're starting again from ground zero. That's something I'm personally struggling with right now. How do you find the motivation to start over? Does the thought of a challenge fuel your motivation, or discourage you from beginning?
Posted 10/25/2011 10:00:00 AM By: : 139 comments 41,103 views
Just 15 Minutes of Daily Exercise Boosts Lifespan
We all know that when it comes to exercise, some is better than none. But exactly how much do you really need to reap the health benefits of an active lifestyle? The answer might actually be less than you'd expect, according to new research.
Posted 9/1/2011 10:00:00 AM By: : 15 comments 14,775 views
Dealing with Workout Interruptions
The idea for this blog came to me while walking on the treadmill one morning. Usually I squeeze in a workout before my kids get up, but on this particular morning, I'd decided to sleep in a little instead. So after the kids got up and we started the day, I asked if they wanted to come downstairs with me and play while I walked. My workouts these days are only 30 minutes long (that's about all I can handle with another baby due any day), so I figured they could keep themselves occupied for that long. I didn't think about how the playing, activity, and questions about what I was doing could interrupt the quality of my workout.
Posted 8/30/2011 2:00:00 PM By: : 53 comments 30,396 views
Are You a Food Waster?
I'll admit that I'm not a fan of grocery shopping. One of my biggest pet peeves is going back to the store multiple times a week for more milk, fruit, or because I forgot an ingredient for tonight's dinner recipe. So I make a list once a week before I go, planning out the week's meals, and I even organize it by row so that I can get through the store as quickly as possible.
Posted 8/25/2011 6:00:00 PM By: : 63 comments 23,058 views
Taste Preferences Develop Earlier Than You Might Expect
My 4 and 2-year old are very curious about the baby growing in my belly. My daughter often asks if the baby likes peanut butter or cheese, two foods that are staples in my diet these days. I try to explain to her that the baby doesn't exactly taste what I'm tasting, but that's a hard concept for a 4-year old to grasp. Now I'm learning that maybe the baby does taste more than I would have thought. New research shows that what a woman eats during pregnancy could shape baby's taste preferences later in life.
Posted 8/23/2011 2:00:00 PM By: : 28 comments 31,418 views
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