Periodically featuring amazing women on a quest for health and fitness is my favorite part of Fitness & the City. I have met some amazing gals through blogging, and Jessica is one of them. She is an excellent writer, is absolutely hilarious, and just so happens to be a health and fitness enthusiast as well. All of which can be found on her blog: Wonder Whats Next. So allow me to introduce her to you, Fit Gal Jessica.
Tell us about yourself and your fitness lifestyle.
I’m a 20-something post-grad trying to figure out how to be a “grown up” and everything that comes along with that. I grew up being very active. I was part of the “go play outside” generation, so I did! I also played sports and cheered in high school. I ate whatever I wanted whenever I wanted. Pizza at midnight? You bet. After going to college I was no longer obligated to stay in shape and I let that fall by the wayside. However, I continued eating whatever I wanted whenever I wanted! One day it just clicked with me that my weight and my health had gotten completely out of hand and it was time to take control of it. I slowly began working toward living a healthier lifestyle and I haven’t looked back.
What are your fitness goals and how are you working towards them?
Originally, my goal was to lose about 20 pounds. Well, I did that and then some and now I’m working to maintain that by setting new goals. I want to lean out and someday I want abs! I’m a sucker for cardio, but I’ve recently began to incorporate more weight training. Because of that I haven’t seen the number on the scale go down very much, but I have noticed areas of my body looking more toned and my clothes fitting a little looser. 🙂
Do you “eat clean”?
I eat as clean as I can. I’m a girl on a budget, so sometimes that’s tough. I try to keep the processed stuff out of my diet and always read my labels. If I’m not sure what it’s my food it, I won’t eat it or I’ll put in the research to find out what it is. I incorporate as many fruits and vegetables and lean proteins as I can! I’m also a distributor for a health and fitness supplement company, so I have a lot of shakes and things of that nature to keep me on track when life gets busy.
In what ways do you stay active?
I love group fitness! Turbo Kick, R.I.P.P.E.D., Body Pump, I love it all! There’s something about having a room full of people that silently motivates me and always pushes me to do better. I always find myself competing with the person next to me. One of my goals is to run a half marathon, so I’m trying to incorporate more running to help me reach that goal.
What inspires you to live this lifestyle?
My family! There have been a lot of health related changes over recent years and that was a wake-up call for me. This is the only body I’m ever going to have and I need to take care of it so I can be around for my family now and the family of my own I will (hopefully!) have someday. Aside from my family as a whole, my mom is a huge inspiration for me. We have taken this journey together for the most part and we are always motivating each other to do better. I’m also doing this for myself. By losing weight and getting stronger I gained so much confidence. I don’t ever want to lose that, so every day I get out there and bust my butt and try to be better than I was the day before.
Thank you Jessica for your inspiration!
Be sure to head over to her blog: wonderwhatsnextblog.blogspot.com
Lots of love to you all, Jenna
Thanks for featuring me! 🙂