I was talking to a friend the other day about health, wellness, body love, and pregnancy. You can check out her wellness programs here: Gretchen Gegg. We were discussing how difficult it can be to find the “balance” within health and how much mental work goes into reaching that place. I feel like we are constantly consuming what “health” should look like, especially with social media. Although social media is amazing in so many ways, it can also be crippling when it comes to self love and overall well being.

Although I am no expert, I do feel like I have finally reached a place of “balance” and perspective when it comes to health and wellness. I wanted to share some things we talked about that have helped us reach that place!

You can also check out my thoughts on food/nutrition here: Balanced Eating & No Diet Lifestyle .

1.Daily Affirmations

When I was a fitness instructor one big rule of thumb was “fake it till you make it”, which simply meant no matter what you were personally going through, your job was to show up. I applied that same mentality to teaching and think it can be such a powerful tool.

Completely loving ourselves isn’t an easy task. I’m sure many of us could list multiple things we want to change, yet struggle to list what we appreciate or like. Creating daily affirmations and repeating those to yourself day in and day out will train your brain to believe what you are saying. Eventually you will begin to feel those words, and then live by them. Like with anything else, it takes consistency and time, but is so worth it.

2. Flexibility

I feel like our society has told us we either have to be all in or it’s a wash. Whether it’s a workout program, nutrition plan, or personal development goal we only see the follow through of people going through it. We rarely see the moments of failure which gives us an unrealistic lens to what life like. Being flexible with the goals you set and habits you create (or want to create) will help you keep the bigger picture in mind. Not every day is going to be a perfect day and that is OKAY.

3.Big Picture

Keeping the big picture in mind will continuously give you perspective on your overall health. As humans, we are going to naturally fluctuate with the way we physically look. That is simply part of life with the different seasons we experience. Looking a certain way will come and go, but feeling a certain way can stay the same. When you focus on fueling your mind and body with what it needs you will in turn feel your best.

What are some things that have helped you create or maintain balance? I would love to know!

As always, sending light and love.

Blessings,

Jac

I have shared a couple meal planning/food budgeting posts that you can check out here: Meal Planning Tips & Reducing Groceries. A suggestion I have made is using one type of meat multiple ways throughout the week to get the most out of your purchase. This is especially helpful if you buy in bulk or larger quantities. We have recently been planning our meat around sales and have gotten some really good deals! You can always use what you need for that week and then freeze and date the remainder. We like to trim and clean up any larger meats so it is one less thing to do once we actually need to use it!

A couple weeks ago we purchased a pork butt and used half for barbeque and the other half for carnitas. I thought I would share some ideas when using one type of meat because there is truly so much variety you can plan for your family to enjoy. I will also be posting ideas for beef and chick, so stay tuned for that!

FIVE PORK MEALS

MEAL ONE: NACHOS

This can be tailored to exactly what your family likes, which is so nice! We used a sheet pan and layered chips, mashed black beans, cilantro lime rice, pork, and cheese. We added toppings like lettuce, red onion, and sour cream! You could also add a veggie in for a side and make the meal on a smaller sheet pan! It was one of our favorite dinners we have had!

MEAL TWO: ENCHILADAS

We used the carnitas to make enchiladas, and wow were they good! The inside was just pork, rice, seasoning, and the sauce was sour cream based. This was a hit with all family members and tasted great leftover, which is always a bonus! You can serve with any sides your family enjoys, or eat as is!

MEAL THREE: BBQ PIZZA

This is truly one of our favorite pizzas to make, and is very filling! We use BBQ sauce as the base, Mexican cheese, pork, red onion, and jalapenos. Even our toddler loves this pizza! You can serve with a salad or any side veggie you want!

MEAL FOUR: SALAD

We love doing huge salads once a week or so! We will usually just make a mixed plate for our son (meat, veggie, carb) with what we are using on the salad and he has never complained. We love making Carnitas with pork so salads are always an easy go to! Some of our favorite toppings are Spanish rice, corn, black beans, onion, cheese, and salsa!

MEAL FIVE: BBQ PLATE

This is such an easy go to because it can truly be whatever sides your family enjoys. You could also do sandwiches if that is the preference!

What are some of your favorite meals to make with pork? Stay tuned for more ideas!

As always, sending light and love.

Blessings,

Jac

I have shared some posts with my second pregnancy covering different topics. You can check those out here: 1st Trimester Essentials, Pregnancy & Exercise, 2nd Pregnancy Wishlist, Top Nursery Items, Prenatal Appointments: 1st Half, Body Love During Pregnancy, and 10 Thoughts Before Baby 2.

Today I wanted to give a second trimester recap and my experience with this pregnancy since I am officially in my third! I will say the second trimester has been amazing for both pregnancies, which I am so grateful for. For me personally, it is a period where I feel like myself again, my energy is back, I don’t have food aversions, and I am not to the point of complete discomfort. I have had a great 3 months and feel so thankful for another wonderful experience!

Overall I have had a pretty relaxed trimester. I have been able to workout 5-6 times a week which I am so thankful for, and hope to continue to move my body consistently the remainder of pregnancy. Around week 15 my belly popped which was SO much sooner than the first time around (around 22 weeks). I felt movement around 16 weeks, which is always the best feeling and so neat to see how it changes from little flutters to full on jabs and kicks! We had our anatomy scan at week 20 where we found out we were having another little boy, and were absolutely thrilled! I told my husband with my first pregnancy I felt like I was made to be a boy mom, so I am beyond excited to raise another!

One new symptom I experienced was my hands falling asleep at night, just from lack of blood flow. There were quite a few nights it would wake me from my sleep. My husband felt movement around 21 weeks and since then little brother has been non stop! He is way more active than big brother was and definitely likes to wake his Momma up! I had my glucose test at 24 weeks and my TDAP shot which caused some nausea and fatigue for a few days but nothing major. Other than that I still go to the bathroom 2389043809523805 times a day (especially at night when brother is extremely low) and avoid any sudden coughs or sneezes…

I am now going every 2 weeks instead of every 4, which is exciting! We will have one more big sonogram before brother is here, and I am so grateful my husband has been able to go with me to those! We are getting so excited to meet brother and love on him!

As always sending light and love.

Blessings,

Jac

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