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Hey there! My name is Jennifer Lopez (not THAT Jennifer Lopez 🙂 ), but please, call me Jen! I have been blogging here at Beauty and the Bench Press since 2017. By day, I work in the education world and I run this blog on nights and weekends.
This site came about after I started my Instagram account in 2016. It was focused primarily on weight loss. I posted all of the ups and downs of my weight loss journey and my meals on Instagram. I am a huge fan of meal prep and week after week, I shared what I was making for myself with my online community. I had so many requests to share the recipes I was making that it made sense to have a place to house them all!
I no longer focus primarily on weight loss as that has ceased to be my ultimate goal in life. Now, I focus more on overall health instead of just the numbers on the scale. In all honesty, I used to be consumed by thoughts of losing weight and it’s not a mental space I want to be in anymore. I did everything from counting macros, to keto, to intermittent fasting to trying Whole30. After all of these experiences, I’ve kept what works for my lifestyle and made a note of what didn’t. In fact, I still think counting macros can be a very beneficial tool to have in your toolbox and I currently still strive for real whole foods after my time with Whole30. Overall, I have found that for me, I don’t need (or want) to eat or live my life by the principles of just one type of diet. After all, variety is the spice of life, amirite?
Now, I strive to live a healthy, balanced life and that means here you will find mostly healthy, quick and easy delicious meals. Many of the recipes I make are paleo friendly or Whole30 compliant. Several of my recipes have even been featured on the Whole30 Recipes Instagram account and some on BuzzFeed! As I said, I do love variety so while you will find a lot of paleo and Whole30 recipes and resources, you will also find other recipes that I just love and want to share with you guys! In addition to recipes, I also share a lot here about how I strive to make fitness a part of my everyday life through apps I love, sharing my workout routine, how I got certified as a personal trainer and my love of all things Peloton!
As a previous makeup artist, I also have so much interest and passion about all things beauty related. I knew I wanted that to be a part of what I share here too since I have tried so many products and feel like I have a wealth of information to share on the topic. So, Beauty and the Bench Press was born. A place where I can share healthy recipes, my love of fitness and my passion for beauty products.
It is so surreal to me that I now share my life with over 50,000 people on social media. I am thankful every day that I decided to put myself out there because sharing this piece of my life with others has meant so much to me and I value the community we have created!
So thankful you're here!