Are you ready to gain strength, improve agility, mobility, balance and core strength? Then you NEED to join me for Balanced Strength! My new 4 week program with a bonus 5th week of express (under 20 minute) workouts is for you.
Each week you will have two upper body workouts, two lower body workouts, one of the lower body days are either Pilates or knee strengthening workouts, and one agility, mobility, balance & stretch workouts. Core work is added to upper body days. There are also five bonus workouts that are under 20 minutes. You can do them as a bonus week 5, or you can use them on days when you have less time.
This program is a follow along, video program with crib sheets and a calendar to guide you. I do the workouts with you and go over form and tips. You can also choose to just use the crib sheets and workout on your own. The crib sheets include how many sets and reps you do of each exercise, the equipment needed and how long the workout is for the video.
The calendar tells you what order to do the workouts in, how long they are and what muscles are being worked for the day.
Most workouts are roughly 30-40 minutes and all express workouts are under 20 minutes.
I hope you plan to join me for this balanced approach to getting stronger and improving your overall fitness ability. You can pre-order this program for $24.99 starting today before it releases on April 27th.
Let’s talk about being in a calorie deficit and how to think of it in simple terms. First off, in order to lose body fat, we need to be in a calorie deficit. If you want to lose body fat but keep and build muscle, we need to be in a calorie deficit but keep protein high. How can we think about this in very simple terms?
Here you go! Think of your daily calorie needs as a bank account. Your calories are the amount of money you have to spend each day. First, we need to know how much we have to spend. There are online calorie calculators you can use or use the simple formula, goal body weight X 12, as your starting point. I also offer customized calorie and macro plans if you are interested. Once you know your daily calorie needs, think of that as your daily allowance of money to spend. Now, let’s break down each meal as your daily expenditures. I personally like to break down each meal with the calorie goal and macro goals. As an example, if you have 1,800 calories to spend, divide that into how many meals you eat. If you ate three meals for the day, you would allocate 600 calories per meal. If you like to incorporate snacks into your day, consider that too and subtract that from your meal allowance.
Let’s work through the day. We will start with breakfast. If you have 1,800 calories for the day and allot 600 calories for breakfast or less if you want to subtract for snacks later on, you want to choose foods that will stay within your “budget” for that meal. You also want to be sure that you take into consideration how much protein you need in that meal to hit your protein goal for the day. If your goal is 130 grams of protein, you need 43 grams of protein in this meal, or a little less if you want to factor in a snack.
This breakfast has 40 grams of protein in it. I had matcha tea with one scoop of collagen powder, 1 egg plus 1/2 cup egg whites, 1/4 cup frozen spinach, lions mane mushroom, and 1 tbsp feta cheese mixed into my omelet. I added two chicken sausages and berries on the side. This cost me 470 calories. I subtract that from my daily allowance and plan out my next meals with what I have left. I use a food tracker to make this much quicker!
Next we are on to lunch. You have two meals left, so you want to decide how many calories you want to “spend” at lunch. You also need to decide how many grams of protein you need to stay on track for hitting your goal. Once you have planned your lunch, you will do the same for dinner.
With dinner, you should know how many calories or “money” you have left for the day. If you want to end the day with “money” left over, that will create a calorie deficit for you. If you get to the end of your eating day and have 250 calories left over, you have created a slight deficit that will help towards losing fat. If you did that every day for the week, you could lose 1/2 a pound. If you want to lose a full pound each week, you need to have 500 calories or “money” left over each day for the week.
Now, if you get to the end of the day and you “spent” more “money” than you had, or ate more calories than your body needs, you will be in a surplus, which leads to weight gain. Is this making sense?
Tracking your food is extremely helpful when your goal is fat loss. It is like having a checkbook for your bank account, so you can monitor how much you have and how much you are spending or saving each day.
Something important to keep in mind is that we don’t want to focus on weight loss but fat loss. Losing weight can be also losing muscle, which can happen if you don’t eat enough protein and overdo the cardio. If you want to lose fat and sculpt your body, you need to focus on strength training a few days per week with challenging weights, eat enough protein, and be in a slight calorie deficit. It is also important to consider where your calories come from. While a calorie is a calorie, the effect it has on your body matters. High processed meals will not provide the same nutrients as whole, unprocessed foods. Reach for foods that grow in nature and not in a factory.
I hope this helps you see the process of losing body fat in a simple and clear way. It is actually pretty simple but also hard. It might mean changing habits and saying no to comforting, nutrient poor foods (ahem…cookies, chips, etc). It might also mean restricting how much you typically eat, which can be hard at first. However, the benefits are huge! Your health matters and maintaining a healthy body weight is important to your well being. If you need help, let me know!
Do you love a good cinnamon roll? They especially delicious when they are warm and gooey! Try these protein packed cinnamon rolls instead of the store bought, highly processed ones.
Ingredients:
2 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup vanilla protein powder (I used French vanilla by Legion. I have a discount code too! It’s juliej)
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup coconut sugar
3/4 cup dairy free milk
3 tbsp butter
2 1/4 tsp yeast
1 egg
Filling ingredients:
1 tbsp softened butter
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
Mix all dry ingredients together in a bowl. Warm milk and butter over low heat on the stove. Don’t allow it to boil. Once the butter is melted, add the egg and whisk. Remove from stove and add yeast. Add the wet mixture to the bowl of dry ingredients and mix well.
Lightly flour the counter and knead the dough. Let the dough rest for 5-10 minutes. Once the dough has rested, roll it out flat. Add 1 tbsp softened butter on top and the sprinkle cinnamon and brown sugar on top. Roll into a log shape and cut into neat rolls. Place in a pan (I used a stone pan), cover with a towel and let rise for 1 hour.
Heat oven to 350 and cook rolls for 25 minutes or until golden brown.
Do you love frosting on top? Try adding this protein frosting!
6 ounces cream cheese
2/3 cup vanilla protein powder
1/4 cup dairy free milk
Whisk Ingredients together until you reach the desired consistency. Add on top of warm rolls!
These rolls are about 200 calories, 20 grams of protein, 25 grams of carbs and 10 grams of fat depending on the ingredients you use.
Here is a tasty recipe for a quick treat! You can keep these little snacks in the fridge when you need something small or as a dessert.
Ingredients:
1 cup rolled oats
1.5 cups pitted dates
1 scoop chocolate protein powder (I used Dutch Chocolate by Legion)
1/4 cup raw honey
1 cup almond or peanut butter
Handful of chocolate chips
Directions:
Puree dates in a food processor. Place all other ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Add dates. Once everything is combined, place on wax paper and place in fridge for 30 minutes. Then roll into balls and store in a glass container. Keep refrigerated.
Tip: if you have loose rolled oats or pieces of dates that didn’t stick, keep them in a small jar in the fridge. You can use them as toppings for oatmeal or yogurt! You can also add nuts, dried fruit, or anything else that sounds good! You can also try different flavored protein powders to mix up the flavor!
Are you excited to start a new month? I have some exciting news this month! I will be launching a new program at the end of the month! Stay tuned to my website for more details coming soon!
As we start a new month, take time to evaluate your goals and if you are taking steps daily to achieve them. We don’t reach our goals without doing the work, so are you putting in the work? Are your goals important to you? If they are, you will find a way to achieve them. Yes, it may be hard at times. It might seem overwhelming or take longer than you want, but if you are consistent, you CAN do it! How can I help you?
Don’t forget to check out my free workouts on YouTube too! I have added a few new ones recently. I have Low Impact Cardio and a few 20 Minute Workouts. There will be a few more added soon!
My new program is Balanced Strength. It is a 5 week program focusing on strength training, agility, mobility, balance and core work. There is also a little pilates and knee strengthening included too! The final week is a bonus Express Week! All the workouts in week 5 are 20 minutes or less! I hope you plan on joining me! The program will be released at the end of April for $25.00. That is ONLY $5.00 per week. I think that is a pretty amazing deal! That is less than a Starbucks drink!
Is there anything more delicious than a banana nut muffin? Yes! A Maple banana nut muffin!! If you like muffins but want a healthier version, give this a try!
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups self-rising flour
1 scoop Maple Donut protein powder (I used Clean Simple Eats)
1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
1/2 cup pure maple syrup
1/4 cup avocado oil
1 banana cut into chunks
1/4 cup chopped pecans
Directions:
Mix flour and protein powder together. Add milk, maple syrup, & avocado oil. Mix well. Add banana and pecans. Mix gently. Pour into muffin cups. I used silicon cups. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until lightly browned.
These muffins are delicious and are a much healthier option than regular muffins. Store in the refrigerator since there are no preservatives. Enjoy!
What does it mean to choose healthy foods? Sometimes what we think is the healthy choice is actually not😬. We might see pre-packaged food that has healthy language written all over it and assume it is a good choice, but in reality it is marketing to deceive us.
I am going to keep this as simple as possible. While it might seem hard to choose healthy foods, it’s actually quite simple. It’s just not easy to stick to.
First, avoid highly processed and pre-packaged foods. The best choice are foods with very few ingredients and that come from nature and not a factory. Granola bars might sound healthy, but the reality is that they are highly processed, full of sugars, additives, seed oils, and artificial flavors. We want foods that grow in the ground or on a tree or bush. A potato grows on the ground but a potato chip is made in a factory.
Another thing to consider is choosing foods with nutrients, minerals & vitamins, and macronutrients. Vitamins from fruits and veggies are much better than “green powders”. Macronutrients are best from lean protein sources, complex carbs and healthy fats, rather than protein bars, processed breads and saturated fats. My go-to tip is to ask myself where the food came from. Is it something I can find in nature or did it come from a factory?
Now, I realize that sometimes we need convenience and easy meals. I get it. We are all busy and need help. When you decide to choose processed foods, look at the ingredient list. What is in your food?
Some easy choices are frozen veggies (no extra ingredients), frozen fruit, Greek yogurt, packaged turkey burgers, ect…
It’s not easy to change habits, choose the healthier option, and be intentional about what you buy and eat. Your health is worth it! It gets easier the longer you do it, and you will feel your best when your body is well nourished.
When you think of “exercise”, what comes to your mind? Do you think of an aerobic class? Maybe going for a jog? Or do you think of lifting weights? None of those are wrong, but it’s so much more than that!
Exercise is a broad term we often use to describe some type of workout, but there are actually a few key components we need to incorporate to create a well-rounded exercise plan. Exercise should not be random movements that only serve to make you sweat and burn calories. It should be purposeful!
Here are the key components of exercise:
1. Strength training! You should be lifting weights at least 3-4 times per week. It is important to keep muscle mass as well age and hopefully keep adding more.
2. Stability. We want to incorporate balance training and exercises that challenge our stability. As we age, we start to lose our stability unless we actively work on improving it.
3. Aerobic efficiency. We need to improve the capacity of our cardiovascular system and its ability to bring in and transport oxygen through the body.
4. Aerobic capacity. We want to improve how well our body uses oxygen as efficiently as it can.
These key components should be included in your weekly workouts as much as possible to improve your overall health. It doesn’t have to be complicated either.
Choose basic strength exercises to build more muscle. Try standing on one leg at a time while you cook or talk on the phone or walk along a curb to challenge your balance. You can also try standing on a balance trainer while doing light strength training. Go for a walk and work to increase your speed. Try throwing in sprints for short distances. If you love biking or swimming, try increasing your speed or distance. Throw in a Tabata workout (high or low impact) or HIIT training 1-2 times per week.
Deciding what workouts to do each day can be overwhelming and challenging. If you are not following a program with the workouts scheduled for you, it can be hard to know where to start. What should you do on each day? I am going to share my favorite workout split and how I create my workouts.
The first thing you need to determine is how many days per week you plan on working out. That will determine how you set your workout split. I like to do 5 days of strength training, 1 day of dedicated mobility & stretching, and an active rest day. I do stretch & work on mobility in each workout, but I set aside a day to do a longer session of it once a week. I also add core work in 4-5 days per week and walk daily.
First, I make a workout split schedule (the muscle groups I will work each day). Then I decide what exercises I will include in each workout. I will do that set of workouts for 4-6 weeks before switching up exercises or adding new things in. It gives me the chance to really focus on the selected exercises and challenge myself weekly by increasing weights or reps.
This is my favorite workout split. I know what I’m working on each day during the week and I look forward to it.
Next I create my list of exercises for each day. I typically choose 6-8 exercises to focus on. I love pairing my exercises in supersets (2 exercises back to back), and repeating each round 3-4 times with a 60-90 second rest between sets.
Example:
Back & Biceps: warm up 4-5 minutes first
Round 1:
Back Rows-10-12 reps
Back Fly- 10-12 reps
Rest 60-90 seconds (repeat 3-4 times)
Round 2:
Bicep Curls- 8-10 reps
Hammer Curls- 8-10 reps
Rest 60-90 seconds (repeat 3-4 times)
Round 3:
Wide Row- 10-12 reps
Preacher Curls- 6-8 reps per arm
Rest 60-90 seconds (repeat 3-4 times)
Core: 20 reps, 2-3 times
Weighted dead bug
Reverse Crunch Heel Tap
Stretch!
Get the idea? Create the workout split you like and then fill in the exercises you want to do with the rep range and how many sets you plan to do. The exercises do not need to be complicated, in fact, simple is better. You don’t have to lift for a long time (I am usually done in 35-40 minutes), and you don’t need a lot of equipment. If you don’t know what exercises to include, consider paying a good trainer to create a workout routine for you. If you are unsure of how to do each exercise with proper form, get a personal trainer until you feel confident.
Your workouts should be challenging but not so hard that you are in a puddle on the floor at the end. You want to work hard but also work smart! Using good form and basic exercises will help you stay injury free while building muscle.
If you have only 3 days per week to workout, you can split your workouts into Push, Pull, Legs. Push exercises are muscles that push weight away from your body. Pull exercises pull weight towards your body, and legs is well, leg day.
Day 1: Push Workout
Shoulders, Triceps, Chest
Day 2: Pull Workout
Back & Biceps
Day 3: legs
Lower Body Workout
If you have 4 days per week to workout, you can use the same workout split I do but eliminate the second lower body day.
I hope this gives you ideas for creating your own workout split and how you can set up your workouts. Seek help from qualified trainers if you need to, and be committed to your workouts!
Are you ready for a Balanced Life when it comes to fitness & nutrition? Then I have got a plan for you! I have been working on a new guide with my favorite tips for living a more balanced life in fitness & nutrition.
As I entered the perimenopause season of life in my early 40’s, I quickly realized that I needed to change things to align with my changing body. While my perimenopause symptoms are pretty minor, mostly night sweats and mood swings, I wanted to start paying closer attention to what my body needs and help it thrive. That included changing up a few foods I ate (ahem… too much sugar), and change up my workouts a bit.
I’ve been into strength training for over 20 years, but I wasn’t lifting heavy enough and did WAY too much high impact cardio, so I changed it up. I started lifting heavier and traded my high impact workouts for walking, elliptical and lower impact options. I have never felt better! I still throw in the occasional squat jump or lunge jumps, but I opt for exercises that are much easier on my joints now.
I also cleaned up my diet even more during this time. I chose more fruits and veggies and less processed foods. I cut way back on added sugars and focused on less inflammatory foods. The biggest change was increasing my protein intake. That alone has made a huge difference!
In the guide, I give you information on macro & micro nutrients, determining your calorie needs, building your meals, food ideas, and few recipes, food lists and a 6 week strength program. I am by no means an expert. These are just things that have helped me and are my recommendations for making changes.
The Balanced Life Guide is meant to give you ideas for creating your own balanced life. It is NOT a meal plan or diet method. It is not a one size fits all approach or a promise that you will have the exact body or health you want. It is a guide to help you create the life you want. It will take work. In order to see changes, you have to make changes. It’s worth it though!
You can download and print the guide once you purchase it or keep it on your computer. It is over 50 pages of information to help you get started, and full of tips that have helped me.
The workout plan is a written plan (no videos) that you can follow for a complete week of workouts. You repeat the plan for 6 weeks, doing the same workouts each week. Each week your goal is to progress in your workouts by improving your form, increasing your weights or reps and challenging yourself. The movements are all basic and get the job done! You can make them more challenging by increasing your reps or weights and slowing the tempo down. By the end of 6 weeks, you should be feeling stronger and more confident in your workouts. This is my favorite way to train. I love focusing on the same sets each week for 6-8 weeks and working on progressively overloading my muscles. When the 6 weeks is up, I switch up exercises and start a new workout plan. It has worked well for me for over 10 years.
*If you prefer a guided workout program, you can use any of my follow along video workout programs too.
The Balanced Life guide is $24.99. Will you be joining me?! Click the link to purchase!
juliejonesfitness.com 