5 Stretches to do every day

January 16, 2021January 16, 2021Leave a comment

Stretching is CRUCIAL to keep your body moving and active. Let’s be honest you don’t to move or exercise if you are achy and stiff. Here are my top 5 stretches to do EVERY DAY. While it important to incorporate different stretches, if I had to narrow it down – these 5 would be the winners!

Towel Stretch – Focus: Hamstrings
- Using a towel make a U shape and place your foot in the middle of towel. Lay on your back bring leg up and pull on either side of towel pulling toes towards your face.
  - Hold this for about 10 seconds, release for 10, then 20, release for 10, then 30 and release for 10. Repeat on other leg.
  - Bonus stretch – You can also you go to a glute figure 4 stretch here too!
Frog stretch – Focus: Hips
- Start on all fours then widen your legs so the floor is pressing them open. Sink back into your hips and fold head toward arms.
  - Hold this for 30 seconds, release for 10, then 45 seconds, release for 10, then 60 seconds and release for 10.
Glute Bridges
- Lay on your back and keep feet close to glutes. Drive hips up high squeezing your glutes the whole way especially at the top to of the move.
  - Do 8-10 reps and then hold for 5 seconds – repeat 3x
Super[Wo]mans
- Lay on you stomach extend arms over head, with thumbs up lift legs and upper body off floor. Squeeze back, glute and hamstrings to lift limbs as high as you can. Hold for a second then back down.
  - To get a little add a lat pulldown at the top of the stretch
Hip Flexor Stretch
- Keeping a 90 degree ankle push the leg on the ground forward by tucking the hips forward. Don’t lean forward creating a larger than 90 degree angle that can put pressure on low back. What you may do during yoga a yoga flow is different this stretch. Take 3 full breaths in through nose and out your mouth trying to empty lungs completely!

Why stretch?? Stretching helps with so many things and mainly flexibility. Stretching allows you maintain full range of motion. You to keep your muscles long and loose and ready to react for any load you put on your body. Stretching can also improve posture, pain, soreness and improve performance.

Want more? Shoot me an email and I’ll be happy to get you started!

Hi again!

July 31, 2020July 31, 2020Leave a comment

Hey everyone! It’s been a little while since I’ve updated this page but I have big plans to bring it back to life!

First let me reintroduce myself! My is Jessica Armstrong. I’m 33 years old with 2 kids, Apollo and Theo, who are 3 and 1 years old respectively. My husband, Anthony, and the boys live about 40 miles north of Dallas, Texas in McKinney. Anthony and I are both personal trainers and love to help others.

Everyone is busy and we certainly are in that same category. In addition to our personal training schedule we have others jobs. I work for Fox Sports Southwest as a producer covering the Dallas Mavericks and Anthony is a Real Estate Agent.

The reason behind MAKETIMEFORFIT is just as simple as it sounds. Make time for IT. We believe your health is your wealth. In this current state of Covid19, it’s certainly ringing true even louder than before!

Workouts don’t have to take 2 hours at a gym. Or be something you don’t like to do. You don’t like running, even dread it? Then don’t do it. Fitness is fun and should be enjoyable! Yes it can be uncomfortable at times pushing yourself to get stronger or faster but big picture, WE ALL NEED IT.

So thanks for following along. Hopefully we can be a resource for you in the fitness world and inspire you to make your health a priority and a part of your everyday life.

It’s summertime, remember to stretch!

May 8, 2018Leave a comment

With summer time around the corner, many people will begin a new workout regime or take their current one up a notch.

With the increased work load on your body it is important to stretch. Your body is only going to perform if you take care of it. And let’s face it, if running, lifting, moving hurts you aren’t going to do it.

Fitness isn’t a once in a while thing it’s a continue processed full of ebbs and flows. Take your victories in stride and your struggles with grace. Just stick with it.

Here are some hip stretches that will help keep your body healthy and ready to go, no matter what you throw at it!

HIP STRETCHES

You don’t know who’s watching

March 21, 2017August 2, 20201 Comment

Updated: August 2nd 2020

Working out is apart of my daily routine. I’ll go train clients at my boot camp (click here for info on that) and pre-covid I’d slide into the office at least Tuesday and Thursdays and work at my other job at Fox Sports Southwest. I’d always get up and workout in my garage those days. My life was set up where my workout is a part of the day. It’s built in. It does help I have equipment in my garage but honestly you don’t need much to get a good workout! Through two pregnancies my schedule and workouts didn’t change much. Of course the intensity changed but I was consistent.

One minute of exercise is more than zero.

I want my kids to see how much I value my health, physical fitness and mental fitness. They will grow up seeing my work ethic and my lifestyle. I want to live as long as I can to see them have kids and their kids have kids! So I take care of myself, eat well, sleep enough and have fun.

Here is a simple workout format you can use and incorporate ANY body weight exercise in.

Exercise 1 & 2 10 reps of both then-8 reps of both-6-4-2 (run, jump rope, high knees)2-4-6-8-10

Example exercises:

Squats & Pushups – run .25 miles

Lunges & Tricep Dips – 100 jump ropes

Superman pulls & Straight leg situps – 100 High knee

If you have dumbbells you can add different moves and modify as you wish! It doesn’t have to be complicated!

Why are you not seeing results?

September 9, 2015Leave a comment

Often we get caught up with in the instant gratification. You can post a picture online seconds after you take it or you can Google the answer you any question you may have.But somethings can’t be sped up or shortcuts just won’t cut it. Your health is one of those things. Good things take time, and great things take consistency.

Some reasons you may not be reaching or maintaining your fitness and lifestyle goals.

Fail to plan then plan to fail
It takes a little bit of effort but a little planning goes a long way. When hunger strikes, the last thing you want to do is make food. You want something easy and quick. Try making salads in a bag or jar so you have a go to snack or meal easy and ready! Planning ahead will help you stay on track and not worry about making a poor decision! Plan your meals out for the week on a Sunday and you can prevent yourself from making hasty choices when hungry!
Share your fitness goals!
Eating healthy is so much easier as a team than as a individual. Share your goals with your friends and family and work together!
Eat Protein
Try to incorporate protein into every meal, especially if you have increased your workout routine. Protein helps rebuild your muscles so feed them properly to get the results you want!
Avoid alcohol
Sometime this is the hardest thing to do! Going out with friends or after a hard day at work you just want a nice cocktail or glass of wine. Be smart and limit your intake to only one drink.
Exercising more to eat more
No matter what way you slice it you can NOT out exercise a bad diet. Your body needs certain foods for nourishment and you just can’t justify eating an entire pizza and 3 rounds of drinks because you ran 2 miles, sorry it just doesn’t work like that!
Cutting out sweets entirely
Don’t deprive yourself completely or you are setting yourself up to fail. Keep yourself in check with moderate portions and you can enjoy a treat once in a while.
Eating healthy and living active is a life style!If you keep yourself in check each day you will want sweets and unhealthy foods less and less, your body will stop craving it! Don’t set up a “cheat day” or “cheat meal” just keep consistently eating vegetables, protein and complex carbs and it will be easier to stick to your plan and reach your goals.

Good luck on your journey to healthy living!

Self Love is the Best Love

July 8, 2015July 2, 2015Leave a comment

Here’s a little hump day break that I hope will encourage you to take a few minutes and reflect how great you are. We are so critical of everything and the most critical about ourselves! Constantly comparing, critiquing our minds and bodies to “fit in.” Before the days of social media you could just enjoy yourself and not be constant bombarded by pictures and posts about this and that. Sometimes I need to remind myself, that if you can’t love yourself, it’s impossible to love anyone else and fully live your life. You aren’t conceited or cocky because you love yourself, you are treated yourself the way you deserve to be treated; with love and respect.

Here is are 30 Ways to Practice Self-Love from lifehack.org

So do yourself a favor, take a deep breath, give yourself a little hug and start practicing the following:

Start each day by telling yourself something really positive. How well you handled a situation, how lovely you look today. Anything that will make you smile.
Fill your body with food and drink that nourishes it and makes it thrive.
Move that gorgeous body of yours every single day and learn to love the skin you’re in. You can’t hate your way into loving yourself.
Don’t believe everything you think. There is an inner critic inside of us trying to keep us small and safe. The downside is this also stops us from living a full life.
Surround yourself with people who love and encourage you. Let them remind you just how amazing you are.
Stop the comparisons. There is no one on this planet like you, so you cannot fairly compare yourself to someone else. The only person you should compare yourself to is you.
End all toxic relationships. Seriously. Anyone who makes you feel anything less than amazing doesn’t deserve to be a part of your life.
Celebrate your wins no matter how big or small. Pat yourself on the back and be proud of what you have achieved.
Step outside of your comfort zone and try something new. It’s incredible the feeling we get when we realize we have achieved something we didn’t know or think we could do before.
Embrace and love the things that make you different. This is what makes you special.
Realize that beauty cannot be defined. It is what you see it as. Don’t let any of those Photoshopped magazines make you feel like your body isn’t perfect. Even those models don’t look like that in real life.
Take time out to calm your mind every day. Breathe in and out, clear your mind of your thoughts and just be.
Follow your passion. You know that thing that gets you so excited but scares you at the same time. The thing you really want to do but have convinced yourself it won’t work. You should go do that!
Be patient but persistent. Self-love is ever evolving. It’s something that needs to be practiced daily but can take a lifetime to master. So be kind and support yourself through the hard times.
Be mindful of what you think, feel and want. Live your life in ways that truly reflect this.
Treat others with love and respect. It makes us feel better about ourselves when we treat others the way we hope to be treated. That doesn’t mean everybody will always repay the favor, but that’s their problem not yours.
Find something to be grateful for every day. It’s inevitable that you are going to have your down days. This is fine and very human of you. It’s especially important on these days to find at least one thing you are grateful for as it helps to shift your mind and energy around what’s going on.
Reach out to family, friends, healers, whomever you need to help you through the tough times. You are not expected to go through them alone.
Learn to say no. Saying no sometimes doesn’t make you a bad person, it makes you a smart person.
Forgive yourself. You know that thing you did one time (or maybe a few times) that made you feel bad, embarrassed, ashamed? It’s time to let that go. You can’t change the things you have done in the past but you can control your future. Look at it as a learning experience and believe in your ability to change.
Write it down. Head swimming with so many thoughts it’s giving you a headache? Write them all down on a piece of paper, no matter how crazy, mean, sad, or terrifying they are. Keep it in a journal, tear it up, burn it, whatever you need to do to let it go.
Turn off and inwards. Grab a cup of your favorite tea, coffee, wine, whatever your choice of drink, and sit down for a few minutes on your own. No TV or distractions, just you. Think about the wonderful things that are happening in your life right now, what your big dreams are and how you can make them happen.
Give up the need for approval from others. “You can be the ripest, juiciest peach in the world, and there’s still going to be somebody who hates peaches.” – Dita Von Teese
Be realistic. There is no person on this earth that is happy every single moment of every single day. You know why? Because we are all human. We make mistakes, we feel emotions (good and bad) and this is OK. Allow yourself to be human.
Get creative and express yourself in whatever way you like. Painting, writing, sculpting, building, music, whatever takes your fancy, and make sure you leave your inner critic at the door. There are no right ways to be creative.
Let go of past trauma and wounds. This can be a really tough one and it may be one of those times you need to turn to others for support. The truth is though, when we let go of things that have happened to us it’s almost like a weight is lifted off our shoulders. We don’t have to carry that around with us anymore. We deserve better.
Find your happy place. Where’s the one place you feel totally at ease, calm, happy, positive, high on life? Go to that place when you are going through hard times, or imagine yourself being there. Think about how it feels, what it smells like, what it looks like.
The next time you are feeling happy and on top of the world make a list of your best qualities and accomplishments. It may sound a little corny, but it can be a wonderful reminder when you are having a day that’s less than amazing.
Get in touch with your inner dialogue. If it’s anything less than loving, encouraging and supportive, it’s time to make a change. You deserve to be spoken to in the same way you would speak to your best friend, sister, brother, daughter, or son.
Have fun! Get out there and do the things that light your fire. Enjoy them, enjoy being you and enjoy your incredible life.

Full the full article click here

If you want to start, continue or revamp your fitness journey email maketimeforfit@gmail.com for your personalized workout program!

Good Habits are Contagious

April 7, 2015Leave a comment

Great news–good habits are contagious and once you have gotten into a healthy routine with regular exercise and healthy eating, it can have a positive effect on your friends, family and co-workers.

HOWEVER – bad habits are JUST as contagious!

You must surround yourself with like minded people in order to succeed. It’s so easy to get tempted and to have people that aren’t trying to live a lifestyle like you are – it makes it difficult to stay on track!

Find a support group, a workout class, siblings, whoever – as long as they will help keep you accountable!

Egg sandwich

February 22, 2015Leave a comment

I love the results I’m seeing from carb cycling – (if you want to know more about that email maketimeforfit@gmail.com). One of my favorite breakfast meals* is this egg sandwich – and it’s super easy to make.

I have an egg poacher (it was 4 dollars from Bed, Bath and Beyond here) and make two eggs with a quick stir and a little water – microwave for :45-1:00 and then put a little ham, cheese and couple slices of avocado the middle. Viola – super easy, and just as quick as a bowl of cereal!

What are some of your favorite low carb breakfasts?

*I work out in the morning so I usually have a 1/4 c of oatmeal with this for enough energy to get through my workout.

What’s for dinner? Whole Wheat Sweet Potato Ravioli

February 11, 2015Leave a comment

This past Sunday, my husband and I were home and wanted make something fun for dinner! I found this recipe HERE. It was relatively easy and I’m glad I got to use my ravioli maker kitchen aid attachment we got at the wedding! But you can definitely make this without a ravioli maker – just roll out the dough and make the raviolis buy hand!

This is a very hands-on recipe and was fun to see what goes into making ravioli. The recipe is kid friendly and a great way to teach them at a young age about what to put in your body and how to make it!

If you make this or have any other versions of it make sure you tag #maketimeforfit!

Teach kids the importance of exercise!

January 15, 2015Leave a comment

Did you know that children spend more than 7.5 hours a day in front of a screen – TV/Video/Computer.

The majority of kids are not active and not getting enough physical activity. Take your kids on a walk, work out with them, teach them HOW and WHY it is important to exercise daily! Plus teach them the impact food (good and bad) has on moods, headaches and overall well-being. They will follow whatever example you set – so be an example of what you want them to be.

Teaching your kids healthy habits such as daily exercise will help them stay healthy and help keep you accountable! Don’t forget they are always watching!