The BEST type of citrus ;)

It was 4 years ago. I was in Melbourne visiting a girl friend and whilst on a shopping trip she told me we HAD to go into this certain shop, as every time she went in there she thought of me and I would love it.

The shop was Lululemon and she was right ;)

Whilst in the store the person I thought of was my gorgeous friend Susie (from Yoga Health and Healing). When I got home and she saw my new clothes she gasped "You've got Lulu!"
It seems she was only too familiar with Lululemon  ;)

I bought some very cool gear, which I am still wearing to this day, and in the bag along with the clothes was a flyer with some very cool words of advice and inspiration. 

I kept that piece of paper and still have it. The words resonated with me, stayed with me and perhaps, looking back, even guided me.

Lululemon manifesto

Fast forward to about a month ago (give or take??) that gorgeous friend of mine Susie, was asked to become a Lululemon Ambassador for the newly opened Karrinyup store!!!!!!! I was/am sooooo happy for her and soooo proud. I couldn't think of a better person to fill the role of ambassador for Lululemon Karrinyup. Susie has stunning yoga studio that she runs amazing yoga classes from check it out here. She also rocks the stage with me teaching BodyPump to a class of 70 on Thursdays - amongst other classes - and raises 4 beautiful children ranging from 15 - 1 (Bella turned today in fact!) She is full of positive thoughts and her caring know no boundaries.

She started out as my favourite instructor when I was 18 and now 14 years later is my best friend.

(alright, I'm crying now...)

Which makes this next bit EXTRA special.....

Halfway through class today Susie asked on behalf of Lululemon Karrinyup and the gorgeous Elizabeth and Letitia (who both work at Lululemon and had come to class), would I like to please become an ambassador for the Karrinyup store???!?!??!?!??!??!?!??!?!??!?!??!??!?!?!

HUGS!!! LOVE how the Lululemon logo GLOWS in photos ;)

OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

spot Susie's glowing Lulu logo ;)

Elizabeth and Letitia came top onto stage and presented me beautiful flowers and gave 'Lulu' hugs, and whilst shaking like a leaf and with a beaming smile I was.... speechless!!! I know! Hard to imagine huh? ;) But I was just so overwhelmed!!!! I mean seriously this is sooooooooooooooooo cool!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

L - R: Susie, me, Elizabeth and Letitia , nice and sweaty after BodyPump!

I also received a gorgeous card that I didn't read until later and I think that is when I was hit by it all and the tears came, happy tears :)

I am so very excited and proud to be associated with such an amazing brand (seriously guys, their stuff ROCKS!) that is totally in line with everything I believe Vivid to stand for and all I strive for in health, fitness and life in general. 

I was in the store last week and all the gals there are just so lovely, friendly and helpful! I look forward to visiting the store FREQUENTLY!

One VERY happy girl with a glowing Lulu logo ;)

So, there you have it, that''s the big news!!! I look forward to sharing my Lululemon Ambassador journey with you over the next 12 months - BRING IT ON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Jen

xx

Let the kids eat 'cake'

Kids can be very fussy when it comes to food. It's something us Mums struggle with at times - well I know I do! There is something quite heart breaking about your carefully and lovingly prepared food being thrown back at you (sometimes quite literally!) I am, however, determined to establish a healthy attitude towards and education of food with my girls.
I am very aware of how detrimental food obsessions can be at either end of the scale so am very careful with how I word things with my girls.
We use "sometimes food" instead of "bad food" and place much more emphasis on how good certain foods are for us.
We educate the girls to know that eating healthy food is what helps us to learn and concentrate better, gives us energy to play and of course helps us to grow big and strong!

It is paying off. My 5 year old already has a very good sense of a healthy diet and is very interested in what food is healthy. The 2 year old is in the horrible stage of refusing most thing I put in front of her but luckily has a few healthy staples I can count on. I despair most days at mealtimes with her but have to remind myself that Ella, my eldest, did the same at 2 and is great now, so there is hope ;)

We certainly still have treats but they are a sometimes food reserved for special occasions and they aren't generally found in our house. My theory of 'if it's not there you can't eat it' applies to the kids too ;)

Thing is lots of kids like sweet things... or is that just in my house? Well actually the 2 year old is perhaps more of a savoury tooth, but I digress...

I made a decision this year to try really hard not to buy pre packed and to make things myself. This way I am assured of 'real' ingredients, less preservatives, less sugar, less fat and less packaging!

I have tried a few home made muesli bars that Ella has turned her nose up at but today I am sharing with you my latest victory!! This little baby is PACKED FULL of goodness but the secret to getting the kids to eat it is.... chocolate! Or more specifically Raw Cacao powder. If you aren't aware of the benefits of this super food you can read more here.

Essentially it delivers a chocolate taste with lots of added benefits!

Other SUPER ingredients in this recipe are :
Goji berries
Chia seeds
Dates
Linseeds
Pepitas
Sunflower seeds

Ella wouldn't usually eat any of these so I am wrapped that this slice has worked!

The slight "bargain" with this slice was that in order to make it more appealing I topped it with a thin layer of icing made from Cacao, icing sugar and water. But hey, if the kids are eating all the other things in it at the same time I'd say it was s good deal struck ;)
I don't know what the calorie/nutritional numbers are and I don't recommend eating loads of this if you are trying to lose weight but it certainly ticks the boxes as far as being a nutritious snack!


I cook a batch at the weekend and the slice and individually wrap ready for lunch boxes during the week.

Hope your family and friends enjoy this one too!

Jen xx

straight out of the oven

wrapped and ready!

Yummy scrummy, delicious & nutritious choc muesli slice

2 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup of desiccated coconut
2  tbsp of Raw Cacao powder
1 tbsp linseeds
1 tbsp sunflower seeds
1 tbsp peptias
1/2 cup goji berries
1 tbsp chia seeds
1/3 cup chia bran
1 cup of dates chopped
1 cup of apple sauce
1/3 cup of honey

Mix all dry ingredients in a large bowl.
Add apple sauce and honey.
Mix to combine.
Press firmly into a lined slice tin.
Cook in moderate oven for approx 15 mins - keep an eye on it and cook longer if you desire more crunch ;)

Once cool, top with icing made from 1 cup of icing sugar and 1 tbsp of cacao mixed with a little water.

Not all instructors are the same

Stating the obvious? Well yes maybe. So what am I getting at? Let me explain.

I was a participant in group fitness classes for many years before becoming an instructor myself. I know what a difference a good instructor makes to your workout experience.
Again, stating the obvious?

The thing is, what makes up a good instructor to one person may be different to another.

In the same way that different types of exercise work for different people, different personalties and teaching styles work for different people also.

I suppose the way I instruct is the way I like to train: hard, loud and with a bit of humour...did I say hard and loud? ;) Oh and I sing....ummm... quite a lot...

I know this works for a certain audience as they keep coming back ;)
In fact, I had a participant say to me that the first time she came to one of my classes she saw me walk in and thought "oh great, how this little, quiet thing going to rev me up?" but by half way through track 2 she was revved up alright and as the class progresses (and I got louder LOL!) she loved it even more! :)

I use a very strong, urging voice to try and push my participants past where they thought they could go and into a new realm, into fatigue and into a place that will get them the results they came for. I like to challenge my crew, open up doors for them they didn't realise were shut and help them feel the exhilaration that comes from a great workout. The singing? Well it takes our mind off the pain, encourages a bit of grooving and exercise is meant to be fun too right? Even if you you are laughing AT me - it's all good ;)

However, I am very well aware that this does not work for everyone. You know what? That is totally cool, because as the title says, not all instructors are the same :) You will be able to find another instructor who's style is more what you are after.

I wanted to write this post because I think some people are missing out.
They try a class once, think they don't like it and don't go back.
If you don't like a class because it's hard don't worry, it WILL get easier as you get to know what you are doing better. Like anything, practice makes perfect. If you haven't done any exercise for a while, yep, it's going to hurt. Good news is it will also work! ;)

What I want to point out is that it may have less to do with the actual class and more to do with the instructor taking it. Try the same class with a different instructor and see what you think. You could find a new found love for a program that didn't really rate that highly for you before. Bonus!

Us instructors are strange creatures (we are well aware of this too!). We get pleasure from hearing your groans at the end of a good workout, it means we've done our job and sometimes it's the only feedback we get LOL!

The other silent feedback is whether or not people keep coming back. I'm glad I have become great friends with some of my regular participants, I love seeing their familiar faces - even when they are frowning in pain at me ;)

I would love to see all of you there! So come and join in the singing and say hi at the end of class sometime! OR enjoy going to a different class if that works for you, if you are moving and happy, I'm happy too!

Jen
xx