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:
Does Your Energy Bar Cause Cavities?
I'm one of those people who typically eats a PowerBar (or similar product) as I'm heading out the door for a run. They are pretty sticky and chewy, so I'll wash it down with some water and go. I never thought about the impact that could be having on my teeth, or the fact that it could cause me an unexpected trip to the dentist.
Posted 10/2/2009 2:09:07 PM By: : 63 comments 27,498 views
Your Social Network Could Be Making You Fat (Or Thin!)
We've always assumed that friends can be a powerful influence in our quest to be healthier. If your friends support your weight loss efforts, that can make the process much easier versus having to go-it alone. But new research is proving that the affect of social networks is more powerful than we might have expected.
Posted 9/29/2009 10:07:31 AM By: : 66 comments 13,988 views
Small Dietary Changes Could Save Billions in Health Care Costs
We all know that too much sodium is bad for your health. But did you know just how bad it is for our wallets? According to new research, if Americans could cut their sodium intake to the levels recommended by health experts, the country would save about $18 billion in annual health care costs.
Posted 9/25/2009 6:13:00 AM By: : 46 comments 15,640 views
The Pressure To Be Thin Is Starting Sooner
Growing up, I remember seeing girls at the local swimming club and wondering why I didn't look like them. I never had a big weight problem (just a stubborn belly that has carried through to my adulthood), but my mom was a constant dieter and there were others around me who worried about what they were eating and how much they weighed. That was at a time when "normal" did not mean you had to be stick-thin, and there wasn't the airbrushing and Photoshopping of magazine covers like you see today. Some of those feelings about my body have continued through my life, so I can't imagine what that pressure is like for young girls these days. New research comparing then and now provides some interesting insights.
Posted 9/18/2009 2:08:54 PM By: : 96 comments 27,779 views
Being Too Restrictive With Kids' Diets Could Backfire
I've written many blogs where I talk about trying to provide my kids with a diet that is as healthy as possible. Sometimes I get strange looks from family and friends when they see what my almost-3-year-old eats for lunch. I think my choices have made veggies and other healthy foods a normal part of her day. She doesn't question why she's having broccoli with her sandwich because she likes it. But I will be honest, for a while after I stopped nursing and she started eating like a "real" person, I got VERY stressed out about her diet.
Posted 9/15/2009 10:27:16 AM By: : 150 comments 28,235 views
Can You Get High from Running? New Research Says Yes!
I've blogged in the past about my love for running and how I try to make time for it, no matter how busy life gets. My husband is very supportive of my passion and is willing to watch the kids or do whatever I need in order for me to fit my run in for the day. He knows it means a lot to me, but also says my mood is often very different after a run than it was when I headed out the door. He jokes that running is my drug of choice, and now new research shows he might be right.
Posted 9/11/2009 6:10:20 PM By: : 136 comments 34,397 views
Take Me Out To the Ballgame...for Some Fruit?
Last weekend, my family decided to go to a baseball game. The game started at 1:00, and when I asked my husband what he wanted to do about lunch, he asked "Can't we just eat there?" Ugh. The idea of my daughter eating nachos or a hot dog for lunch was not very appealing. So I packed her a lunch that I knew she'd like, and she ate it on the way to the stadium. When we arrived, my husband asked what I wanted to eat. "Something that's not too terrible would be good," I replied. He ended up bringing me back a "veggie dog" which honestly, tasted more like rubber than anything else. But under the circumstances, it was probably the best he could come up with.
Posted 9/8/2009 2:41:10 PM By: : 91 comments 17,470 views
Should A Female Athlete Have To Take a Gender Test?
UPDATE: Semenya withdraws from race in South Africa. If you follow track and field, you might be familiar with the controversy surrounding African runner Caster Semenya. She won the Womens 800m run at the World Championships last month, and now questions are being raised about her gender. People are asking if she's really a woman, and the South African athletic federation has been asked to conduct a gender test.
Posted 9/4/2009 6:00:00 AM By: : 159 comments 22,504 views
Obesity Ages Your Brain by 16 Years
We all know that obesity can lead to health problems and negatively affect your quality of life. A lot of these effects are things you can see and feel, like lack of energy, trouble sleeping, diseases like diabetes or high blood pressure…. the list goes on and on. But new research is finding even more "hidden" incentive to lose the weight and work to keep it off for good.
Posted 9/1/2009 6:13:20 PM By: : 102 comments 23,990 views
Want To Avoid Knee Problems? Start Running!
It's something I've heard for years: "All of that running is going to kill your knees. You should find some other lower-impact exercises instead." Although it's a common perception that running will negatively affect your knee joints and likely leave you hobbling around in your later years, does research support that idea? Not necessarily.
Posted 8/28/2009 2:17:09 PM By: : 137 comments 53,572 views
Turn Up The Intensity By Turning Up The Volume
Can a good song or playlist on your iPod kick your workout into high gear? Does it matter how loud the music plays? I've always felt more motivated when I have fun music to listen to during my workout. Now new research shows it's not only what's playing, but the volume of the music that could affect the quality of your workout- specifically your strength training regime.
Posted 8/25/2009 6:00:00 PM By: : 132 comments 19,583 views
Introducing Kids To A Variety Of Foods Helps Later In Life
Whenever my extended family is around my house at mealtime, they are always joking about the foods I serve my daughter. While most 2-year olds are eating chicken fingers and French fries for lunch, a grilled cheese with black beans and edamame is more typical for her. I've tried to introduce her to a wide variety of foods (particularly vegetables) so that she learns to enjoy them. So far, it's been working.
Posted 8/21/2009 6:00:00 AM By: : 72 comments 20,071 views
Coach Jen's Memorable Moments
In honor of dailySpark's anniversary, I thought I'd take a look back at some of my favorite blogs over the past year. A few were favorites because they were personal to me, and a few others were highlights because of the reaction they received. I'm always surprised at which blogs strike a chord with members and get a lot of responses, because it's not always the ones I'd expect.
Posted 8/18/2009 10:00:00 AM By: : 26 comments 10,406 views
Dinner Companions Can Make Or Break Your Diet
Does the sex or the number of your dinner companions influence how much you eat? New research shows that depending on who they are eating with, females eat differently.
A new study in the journal Appetite observed college men and women eating in the school cafeteria. Men did not appear to be influenced by outside sources, including how many people they ate with or whether their companions were male or female. But according to the study, women were a different story. When a woman ate with a man, they ate less than they did when eating with another woman.
Posted 8/14/2009 6:02:02 PM By: : 95 comments 15,731 views
Are Diet Soft Drinks Really A Better Alternative?
When you decide it's time to make a change to your diet, one of the first things a lot of people do is switch out the regular soda for diet. It saves on calories and sugar, and can still give you the caffeine boost and beverage variety you're looking for. But some recent studies say that diet drinks might not be much better for your health.
A 2007 study from Boston University found that both sugar sodas and diet drinks boost the risk of metabolic syndrome- a collection of risk factors that increase your risk of health problems like heart disease, diabetes and stroke. Another study, published in the journal Circulation, found the risk of developing metabolic syndrome was 34 percent higher among those who drank one can of diet soda a day compared with those who drank none. Keep in mind that these studies show an association between diet soda and metabolic syndrome. They don't necessarily say that drinking diet soda will lead you to develop the condition.
Posted 8/11/2009 2:08:30 PM By: : 459 comments 87,450 views
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