“Eat like you love yourself, Move like you love yourself, Speak like you love yourself, Act like you love yourself!”
Happy Sunday! XO-Jennifer
Healthy Maryland CrabCakes
Sharing my old-family recipe for Maryland Crab-Cakes! One of my favorite meals for this Maryland-born girl! I can remember being a little girl and my mom and grandmother (I called her mom-mom) making crab-cakes in the kitchen. A great recipe I wanted to share along with a great family memory. Enjoy!
Ingredients:
-8 Saltines crackers, crushed
-1 Tbsp Mayo (may substitute greek yogurt)
-2 tsp Old bay
-2 tsp Parsley Flakes
-1/2 tsp Mustard
-1 Lb Lump Crab Meat (I use Phillips from Maryland)
Directions:
-Mix above ingredients excluding crab-meat in a bowl
–Fold mixed ingredients into crab meat
-Using hands mold ingredients into small crab-balls/patties (5-6)
-Heat non-stick skillet on medium heat (option: use non-stick coconut oil)
-Cook until golden brown (3-4 minutes on each side)
Sassy Activewear Must Haves!
Getting my workout in today with Kate Hudson’s active-wear line Fabletics. To say I am little obsessed with this active-wear line is an under statement. My current my obsession includes these Salar Capri pants which come in an array of fun colors and the Oula Tank with its perfect fit! Now head over to Fabletics and get your Sassy Active-wear must haves! Report back with pictures!! XO-Jennifer
Discovering Your True Self
“You have to leave the city of your comfort and go into the wilderness of your intuition. What you’ll discover will be wonderful. What you’ll discover is yourself.” ~Alan Alda
I love this inspirational quote. Taking time to listen to your intuition, following your heart, and allowing the universe to help guide you. There is nothing more powerful then that. Opening your heart, daring to follow your passion, that could-be the biggest leap of faith you ever take….and that is my wish for you! “Leap” out of your comfort zone, and listen to you intuition. XO-Jennifer
Time To Get Your Sweat On!
It’s workout Wednesday-time to get your sweat on! Now if you’re in AZ no-our dry heat days do not count… Get your butt to the gym and sweat!! If you were in my Pilates class today, we turned it into a “HOT” Pilates class and boy did we sweat!! XO-Jennifer
Parabens, Cancer and You…
Passing on The Pilates Torch Today!
” Good Leaders Develop Ideas. Great Leaders Develop People. The best Leaders Develop New Leaders.”
~ Booby Umar
Today begins a new chapter in the world of Jennifer Pilates as I pass on the torch of my Pilates knowledge through my mentor program. It’s so rewarding working with someone who yearns to further their passion, to develop into the best possible instructor/business person they can be. Today I spread my wings taking flight into new territory as I help another take flight into this great Pilates industry! Stay tuned for more exciting details!! XO-Jennifer
What Women Really Desire From A Man!
The old testament still stands true today, “happy wife, happy life.” Think about that in terms of your relationships, when was the last time your women was upset and you were happy guys? It never happens, when that special women in your life is happy so are you.
With that in mind, here are four straightforward tips from Shelly Bullard, a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, love coach, and spiritual teacher. Integrate these into your life, and you’ll inspire an incredible woman to glow by your side.
1. She wants a man to take the initiative.
To most women, the ideal date goes like this: A man figures out all the details and he makes it happen.
Seriously. Just get it done.
You may think that a woman always wants to be in control of what to do and where to go, but believe it or not, most women love it when her man decides.
The reason for this is we already have our plates full. Figuring out the details of a date is just another thing to add to our to-do lists. And we hate our to-do lists!
One of the most enjoyable things about a date is that a woman gets to feel taken care of by you. That’s the best part. Your initiative is a serious turn-on (I can’t emphasize this enough). Take care of all the details, and your woman will feel so taken care of by you.
2. She wants a man to be present with her.
Men, your presence goes a long way with a woman. What I mean by presence is your awareness, your connection to right now, and your uncompromised attention on her.
Now, I’m not saying that you need to pay attention to your woman all the time. That’s not possible, nor is it enjoyable for anyone involved.
What I am saying, however, is that a woman desires a certain amount of quality time with you on a regular basis. This is nonnegotiable if you want to keep your relationship fresh, alive, and free.
Women start pulling for more attention when they feel deprived of it. And, of course, this clingy behavior makes you back away. I get it — it doesn’t feel good. The antidote for this is spending quality time with a woman when you can.
We spend a lot of time with our partners, but much of it isn’t quality time. Sitting on the couch watching TV is not quality time. Turning off your phone, looking her in the eyes, asking her questions and genuinely listening to her answers is.
Make an effort to be present with your woman when you are able to do so. I promise you, her connection to you will flourish as a result.
3. She wants a man to praise her beauty.
Yes, women like to be told that they are beautiful. What’s wrong with that?!
Many of us can be judgmental about this fact, but the reason for this is deeper than one might expect. We aren’t talking about simple vanity here; praising a woman’s beauty is important because she wants to know that a man sees her.
He sees her light. He sees her radiance. He sees her uniqueness. He sees her heart.
Again, I want to be really clear: it is not your job to convince a woman that she’s beautiful. In fact, you can’t. A woman must have enough self-esteem to accept your compliments. If she doesn’t think she’s pretty, there’s no way she’ll believe that you do, either.
However, many women will be able to take in a man’s praise, and if she can, she’ll want to hear it often.
This is just part of being a woman — we should accept it as normal and encourage the beauty in us all! By doing so, the women of the world will brighten (literally, right before your eyes), and this means much more light for the world.
4. She wants a man to act like The Man.
When I say act like The Man, I’m not talking about an inflated ego, arrogance, or a machismo attitude. These qualities do not inspire anything except distance from a woman.
What I am talking about is this: Act with integrity in all that you do.
Integrity is defined as the state of being whole and solid, as well as the quality of being honest and moral. So what it means to act with integrity is pretty simple: Be a good man.
Know your impact on others and take that seriously! Be a man who cares about using his clarity and strength to make this world a better place.
Without integrity, it is nearly impossible for a woman to trust a man. And without her trust, your relationship is going to feel like hell. You know what I’m talking about; it is not fun to be on the other end of a distrustful woman. The way to avoid this is simple … be trustworthy.
Men, keep in mind that you have a lot to offer women and the world. So much good will come from you being the best man that you can be; women will benefit, and everyone else you come in contact with will, too.
Ladies, please leave a comment below praising the great qualities of great men you know! I look forward to hearing from you.
Post By: Shelly Bullard via MindBodyGreen
Shelly Bullard, MFT is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, love coach and spiritual teacher. Through her articles, courses and coaching, Shelly has guided hundreds of thousands of people to embrace their confidence, beauty, grace, strength and love from within.
She believes that when you learn how to truly love yourself, your relationships naturally become fulfilling from the inside-out, and you become the person you’re meant to be. She’s an mindbodygreen instructor and teaches a high-impact relationships course, “How To Become The Most Attractive Version Of Yourself & Be Magnetic In Your Relationships.”
Shelly was named the “Love Guru” as one of the 100 Women to Watch in Wellness by MindBodyGreen, and her work has been featured in Cosmopolitan, Yoga Life Magazine, The Omega Institute, The Good Men Project, Elephant Journal, and of course, MBG.
25 Rules for Moms of Daughters!
25 RULES FOR MOMS OF DAUGHTERS
1. Paint her nails. Then let her scratch it off and dirty them up. Teach her to care about her appearance, and then quickly remind her that living and having fun is most important.
2. Let her put on your makeup, even if it means bright-red-smudged lips and streaked-blue eyes. Let her experiment in her attempts to be like you…then let her be herself.
3. Let her be wild. She may want to stay home and read books on the couch, or she may want to hop on the back of a motorcycle-gasp. She may be a homebody or a traveler. She may fall in love with the wrong boy, or meet mr. right at age 5. Try to remember that you were her age once. Everyone makes mistakes, let her make her own.
4. Be present. Be there for her at her Kindergarten performances, her dance recitals, her soccer games…her everyday-little-moments. When she looks through the crowds of people, she will be looking for your smile and pride. Show it to her as often as possible.
5. Encourage her to try on your shoes and play dress-up. If she would rather wear her brother’s superman cape with high heals, allow it. If she wants to wear a tutu or dinosaur costume to the grocery store, why stop her? She needs to decide who she is and be confident in her decision.
6. Teach her to be independent. Show her by example that woman can be strong. Find and follow your own passions. Search for outlets of expression and enjoyment for yourself- not just your husband or children. Define yourself by your own attributes, not by what others expect you to be. Know who you are as a person, and help your daughter find out who she is.
7. Pick flowers with her. Put them in her hair. There is nothing more beautiful than a girl and a flower.
8. Let her get messy. Get messy with her, no matter how much it makes you cringe inside. Splash in the puddles, throw snowballs, make mud pies, finger paint the walls: just let it happen. The most wonderful of memories are often the messy ones.
9. Give her good role models- you being one of them. Introduce her to successful woman- friends, co-workers, doctors, astronauts, or authors. Read to her about influential woman- Eleanor Roosevelt, Rosa Parks, Marie Curie. Read her the words of inspirational woman- Jane Austen, Sylvia Plath, Emily Dickinson. She should know that anything is possible.
10. Show her affection. Daughters will mimic the compassion of their mother. “I love yous” and Eskimo kisses go a long way.
11. Hold her hand. Whether she is 3 years-old in the parking lot or sixteen years old in the mall, hold on to her always- this will teach her to be confident in herself and proud of her family.
12. Believe in her. It is the moments that she does not believe in herself that she will need you to believe enough for both of you. Whether it is a spelling test in the first grade, a big game or recital, a first date, or the first day of college…remind her of the independent and capable woman you have taught her to be.
13. Tell her how beautiful she is. Whether it is her first day of Kindergarten, immediately after a soccer game where she is grass-stained and sweaty, or her wedding day. She needs your reminders. She needs your pride. She needs your reassurance. She is only human.
14. Love her father. Teach her to love a good man, like him. One who lets her be herself…she is after all wonderful.
15. Make forts with boxes and blankets. Help her to find magic in the ordinary, to imagine, to create and to believe in fairy tales. Someday she will make her 5 by 5 dorm-room her home with magic touches and inspiration. And she will fall in love with a boy and believe him to be Prince Charming.
16. Read to her. Read her Dr. Seuss and Eric Carle. But also remember the power of Sylvia Plath and Robert Frost. Show her the beauty of words on a page and let her see you enjoy them. Words can be simply written and simply spoken, yet can harvest so much meaning. Help her to find their meaning.
17. Teach her how to love- with passion and kisses. Love her passionately. Love her father passionately and her siblings passionately. Express your love. Show her how to love with no restraint. Let her get her heart broken and try again. Let her cry, and gush, giggle and scream. She will love like you love or hate like you hate. So, choose love for both you and her.
18. Encourage her to dance and sing. Dance and sing with her- even if it sounds or looks horrible. Let her wiggle to nursery rhymes. Let her dance on her daddy’s feet and spin in your arms. Then later, let her blast noise and headbang in her bedroom with her door shut if she wants. Or karaoke to Tom Petty in the living room if she would rather. Introduce her to the classics- like The Beatles- and listen to her latest favorite- like Taylor Swift. Share the magic of music together, it will bring you closer- or at least create a soundtrack to your life together.
19. Share secrets together. Communicate. Talk. Talk about anything. Let her tell you about boys, friends, school. Listen. Ask questions. Share dreams, hopes, concerns. She is not only your daughter, you are not only her mother. Be her friend too.
20. Teach her manners. Because sometimes you have to be her mother, not just her friend. The world is a happier place when made up of polite words and smiles.
21. Teach her when to stand-up and when to walk away. Whether she has classmates who tease her because of her glasses, or a boyfriend who tells her she is too fat – let her know she does not have to listen. Make sure she knows how to demand respect – she is worthy of it. It does not mean she has to fight back with fists or words, because sometimes you say more with silence. Also make sure she knows which battles are worth fighting. Remind her that some people can be mean and nasty because of jealousy, or other personal reasons. Help her to understand when to shut her mouth and walk-away. Teach her to be the better person.
22. Let her choose who she loves. Even when you see through the charming boy she thinks he is, let her love him without your disapproving words; she will anyway. When he breaks her heart, be there for her with words of support rather than I told-you-so. Let her mess up again and again until she finds the one. And when she finds the one, tell her.
23. Mother her. Being a mother – to her – is undoubtedly one of your greatest accomplishments. Share with her the joys of motherhood, so one day she will want to be a mother too. Remind her over and over again with words and kisses that no one will ever love her like you love her. No one can replace or replicate a mother’s love for their children.
24. Comfort her. Because sometimes you just need your mommy. When she is sick, rub her back, make her soup and cover her in blankets – no matter how old she is. Someday, if she is giving birth to her own child, push her hair out of her face, encourage her, and tell her how beautiful she is. These are the moments she will remember you for. And someday when her husband rubs her back in attempt to comfort her…she may just whisper, “I need my mommy.”
25. Be home. When she is sick with a cold or broken heart, she will come to you; welcome her. When she is engaged or pregnant, she will run to you to share her news; embrace her. When she is lost or confused, she will search for you; find her. When she needs advice on boys, schools, friends or an outfit; tell her. She is your daughter and will always need a safe harbor – where she can turn a key to see comforting eyes and a familiar smile; be home.
Workout Motivation!
“Never Skip A Monday Workout!”
Consistency is the key to success for our health, happiness, and our relationships in life.
XO-Jennifer
JENNIFER PILATES UNCENSORED 