A Journey With Jenna

It’s March already! This year is just flying by! Here’s this week’s recap of Amy’s podcast, “4 Things with Amy Brown.” Go listen to the full episode if you haven’t already, and be sure to subscribe to the podcast!

1. Husband & love. Amy’s husband, Ben, was a guest again this week, and he came on to discuss how important our words are when we tell someone we love them. He actually didn’t tell Amy he loved her until they got engaged! It was even after she said yes! He just feels that overusing “I love you” makes it less special, and it’s something that should be said to that one person you marry. Amy and Ben knew each other since they were kids, but they didn’t start dating until they were in their 20s, and then they didn’t date very long before they got married. Amy shared a funny story about how Ben actually wanted to date her older sister originally! You have to hear the whole thing!
2. Don’t weigh yourself. Celebrity trainer Erin Oprea came on to talk about how weighing yourself can actually cause you more harm than good. She explained that looking at the scale and not seeing the results you want can actually make you more likely to give up. She said that your weight fluctuates each day with your sodium intake or certain things you’ve eaten, so have a ballpark figure of what you typically should weigh, but don’t focus on it. And remember that if you’re working out with weights, the scale is likely to go up, but that’s not a bad thing! The most important thing is how you feel and how your clothes fit. Find balance. If your clothes feel tight, clean up your diet and move more. But don’t deprive yourself if you want a treat now and then.
3. Eyebrows are important. Amy has shared with us about her eyebrows and her experience with microblading before, and this time she had makeup artist Meegan Pearson on. Meegan is the one who fixed Amy’s brows and microbladed them to perfection. Meegan said that we should be careful about trends and keep with a minimal and natural look for our brows — do whatever looks best on your face. It’s much better to add to them than to overdo them. I actually had my makeup done at Sephora a few years ago and the makeup artist did such a bad job, mainly because of how thick and dark she made my brows! I hated it! I took a picture and everyone I showed agreed it looked awful. Needless to say, I’ve always just done my own makeup after that experience.
4. Weighted blankets. I’m glad Amy discussed this topic because I’ve been interested in hearing more about weighted blankets. She ordered this one from Amazon and loves hers! They help with anxiety and give you a grounded feeling by calming down your body. You should get one that’s 5-10% of your body weight for it to be most effective. And they can help with other disorders, too — not just anxiety. Teachers have even been using them in their classrooms to calm kids. If you have a weighted blanket or have used one, let me know in the comments!

Here are the 4 things I’m loving most this week.

• Lemon garlic broccoli. I’m addicted to making this broccoli. It’s so good and so easy. Cut up a head of broccoli into florets, then toss it with some olive oil (about a tablespoon or a little more if it’s a big head), salt, pepper and one clove of minced garlic. Roast it in the oven at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. When it comes out, toss it with lemon juice (about half a lemon is what I use) and Parmesan cheese. I promise you’ll love it!

• Vegan cheese. Now, let me just say, I absolutely love cheese! But I found this Violife vegan Parmesan cheese at Whole Foods and it’s amazing! I actually used it on the broccoli in the photo above. I tend to eat more dairy than I probably should since I try to get a lot of protein from Greek yogurt and cheeses, and it can sometimes cause congestion for me, so cutting it out some is a good thing. This cheese tastes just like regular Parmesan, if not better! And it grates right up, or you can crumble it or slice it. They have other varieties, too, but so far I’ve only tried the Parmesan because the day I bought it, it was literally the only one left on the shelf. I’ll definitely have to try the other Violife vegan cheeses and report back!

• “Living” by Dierks Bentley. I am obsessed with this song! Dierks Bentley has always been my favorite, but I have to say, this is probably my favorite song of his. It’s from his most recent album, The Mountain. The words are just so meaningful. It really reminds you how some days we just go along with our lives like we’re programmed to complete each day, and other days we experience all the little things and appreciate how great life is and how blessed we are. This song made me really emotional the first time I heard it. And the video is beautiful! It has some amazing scenery in it.

• Love on the Menu. I’m a sucker for Hallmark movies, and this one was no exception. It premiered last Saturday, but it comes on the Hallmark Channel again this Saturday at 6 p.m. Eastern. It’s about a woman who works for a frozen food company, and she tries to convince a restaurant chef to turn his recipes into a frozen food line in order to save the restaurant. Of course, there may be some romance along the way, too! Hallmark has been premiering a new movie every Saturday night, so I’m excited about this week’s, too!

I hope everyone has a great weekend! See you back here next Friday for more fun things!

It’s finally Friday! Does anyone else feel like the shorter weeks always seem longer for some reason? So strange! Let’s get started with my recap of Amy’s podcast, “4 Things with Amy Brown.” Be sure to check out the full episode!

1. Benefits of placebo. Amy’s family doctor came on the podcast to discuss the placebo effect — thinking something is going to help you — and how it actually can help you. A lot times, he’ll tell a patient that he has confidence that a certain treatment will work for them, and that, in turn, gives the patient more confidence. The placebo effect isn’t going to stop a life-threatening situation like a heart attack or cancer, but it is real and can help — we just don’t fully understand how it works. The bottom line is to be positive because your mindset can affect your health.
2. Dogs for warriors. Amy and her friend, Meri, run The Shop Forward, which has cute apparel and items that give back to charities. A while back, when the line first came out, sales of the retro #pimpinjoy items supported K9s for Warriors, which gives service dogs to veterans. (I have both the tee and the sweatshirt.) The line now supports St. Jude Children’s Research center. But enough proceeds went to K9s for Warriors so that a few puppies were sponsored, and they were named after everyone on the Bobby Bones show. Amy had an exciting update — the puppy named Bobby has just begun training and will soon be able to help a veteran in need!
3. IV health & wellness. Adam Bobo, CRNA and owner of Arete, an IV health & wellness service in Nashville, talked about IV “vitamin bags” and their benefits. He said that sleep and hydration are the two best things we can do for our health. Amy asked him about glutathione, which is a popular antioxidant in the IV bags. It’s naturally found in our bodies, but production decreases in our 30s. It aids in the prevention of cancer and detoxes the skin. B12 is another common vitamin in the IVs, and it helps our bodies produce more energy, promotes more effective sleep, and builds immunity. I take B12 already, but definitely want to check into glutathione. I prefer to take my vitamins and supplements by mouth, but Adam did say that we only absorb about 20%-60% orally, as opposed to fully absorbing through the bloodstream with an IV.
4. Boss babe. Amy talked about something that the Instagram account, Bossbabe.inc, posted the other day. It basically said that if you think about a yellow car enough, you’ll spot a yellow car. If you focus on a goal enough, you’ll reach that goal. The point is, you become what you constantly think about. This is a good reminder to think positively!

This week, my four things are sort of a recap of my trip last weekend. I love my 4 things tote, which comes in really handy for travel and works perfectly for your “personal item” on the plane. So, I wanted to go through the 4 things on my bag since they were all a part of my weekend.

• Faith. My faith is an important part of my daily life. I try to make time, typically each night before I go to bed, to pray and read a devotional. I like to thank God for the blessings I have and ask for the things I want and need. This trip came at a perfect time, as I was feeling really burned out at work and needed to get away, so I knew that God had worked it out at just the right time because He knew it’s what I needed.

• Family. I’m so very thankful for the family I have, and especially thankful that we enjoy traveling together. My mom took this trip with me, and we absolutely love getting to experience adventures like this. These are memories we will never forget!

• Good food. Anytime I travel, I enjoy trying out some of the foods I don’t have at home. I never eat at chain restaurants if I can avoid it, and I actually enjoy going into different grocery stores to see what other places have. My first meal of this trip was lunch at a new-ish restaurant in downtown Winston-Salem, North Carolina, called Canteen Market & Bistro. I ordered the Buddha Bowl, which consisted of chickpeas and lots of roasted veggies — some of which were pickled and a little spicy — over a bed of basmati rice. It was so good! The cool thing about this place is that they have grab & go options, a deli, a bar, and a market with grocery items. It’s nice to be able to either eat in, grab something already made, or get things to cook your own meal.

• Mountain views. The mountains are my happy place. When I was younger, we took family trips to the mountains and I would get so bored. But it’s funny how your likes and dislikes change as you get older. Now there’s no place I’d rather be! I love getting outdoors and going on a hike, and I try to go to different places. On this trip, we hit Grayson Highlands State Park, which was just over the state line in Virginia. The Appalachian Trail actually runs right through this park, and it’s known for its wild ponies. They will sometimes come right up to you! I was dying to see the ponies, but it was really foggy and drizzling rain the day we were there, and there wasn’t a pony in sight. Every time we passed someone, we’d ask if they saw any ponies or they’d ask us, but no one had any luck. We did see bear tracks on our way back to the car, though, and they were fresh! That’s the first time I’ve ever come across any on a hike and I was definitely glad we weren’t too far from the car at that point!

I really couldn’t have asked for a better weekend, and am already ready for another adventure! Thanks for checking out my 4 things from this week. Have a great weekend, and see you back here soon!

Happy Friday, friends! This week’s post will be a little shorter because I’m taking today off work for a much-needed long weekend with a little adventure, so I’ll only be recapping Amy’s podcast, “4 Things with Amy Brown.” Make sure you listen to the full episode if you haven’t already!

• Husband. Amy had her husband on and he talked about how he deals with her when she gets hormonal. It was interesting to hear his perspective, especially coming from a guy who’s usually more private. It’s a fun listen!
• Good sleep hygiene. Amy talked about the importance of sleep and some habits we should follow for good sleep. We should all aim for 7-9 hours of sleep. We should keep a consistent schedule of when we go to bed and wake up. Don’t drink caffeine or alcohol too close to bedtime. Turn off electronic devices, keep your bedroom cool, dark and quiet, and use your bed for sleep and not other work-related activities. Try to workout at least three hours before going to sleep, and don’t eat dinner too close to bedtime.
• Are you a casserole or a spoon? There are two kinds of people in life. Let’s say there’s a potluck coming up. Spoons are the type of people who sign up for things like drinks, cups, napkins, plates, or spoons. Casserole people make a homemade dish and go above and beyond expectations, while spoon people just show up. We should strive to be casserole people, even though it’s okay to be a spoon person during certain seasons of life when you just need a break!
• Microblading. Amy grew up having sparse eyebrows and used to pencil them in, then as part of the crazy 90’s fad, like the rest of us, she plucked away the brows she had. She tried tattooing them on years ago, and then had them microbladed, but it wasn’t a great experience. They turned out way too thick and she ended up having to get them lasered off! That was about a year ago, and they’re more normal now after going to someone else, but the moral of the story is that not everything works for everybody, and research before you get anything like this done.

See you back here next week for another recap, plus my four favorites from the week. Enjoy the long weekend and President’s Day!