Jess Jones has been writing and inspiring readers with her blog, Journey with Jess Jones, since early 2011. You’ll find a combination of her major passions of travel, photography, inspiration and health/fitness. Jess has just returned from travelling extensively in South and Central America, learning Spanish and making her way through the Journey List! She is off on yet another unannounced adventure this month! Jess invites you to join her on this wild adventure one laugh, story, and photo at a time! Check out her Facebook Page! Follow her on Twitter!

Tell us three things about yourself

• I am extremely passionate; passionate in my work, my relationships and the things I love…

• I absolutely love travelling the world! This passion has allowed me to travel 6 continents, experience dozens of cultures, meet hundreds of amazing people and to rack up innumerable experiences that have definitely made this journey one worth living! (I just returned from nearly 2 years in South/Central America!)

• I believe that EVERYTHING happens for a reason, yet each of us has the power to change the direction of our journey.

What’s been the biggest health challenge you’ve overcome and what did you learn from this experience?

Keeping fit and healthy while traveling long term was definitely a bit of a challenge. For the first time in my life I didn’t have a gym at my fingertips, clean eating wasn’t always an option and veggies weren’t even always accessible!! Thankfully, I do have a fair few tools in the toolbox (so to speak) to allow me to make the best possible choices, use my environment, and hey, enjoy another culture and their way of living. I have a new series coming out on my blog about keeping fit and healthy while travelling… so stay tuned!! I actually understand what it’s like, I lived through it for the last 2 years (and many a worldly holidays prior!)

What’s your top tip for getting your day off to a great start?

A big glass of water as soon as I get up, a protein packed brekky, a long mac and an attitude of gratitude acknowledging the people, experiences and opportunities I am oh so grateful for. I have also been revisiting an old favourite, hot water with lemon while cooking brekky.

Your brekky usually consist of…

2-3 eggs, spinach cooked in coconut oil and avocado is usually my staple, but I’m happy with any variation of eggs and greens!

Which foods do you eat to nourish your body and give you vitality?

I am a protein and greens girl through and through. I prefer to choose quality, local, produce and grass-fed animal proteins. I sip on strong organic coffee, herbal tea and lots of water! When travelling, I love trying the local cuisine! It is vital to understand a culture and while the cuisine may not live up to my standards of ‘healthy’, I have come to learn that most things are ok in moderation. Also, I have recently just jumped back on the green smoothie train and am really noticing the difference in my energy levels and just how easy it is!

Why is fitness an important part of your life?

As a child I was always active and constantly playing sports, started weight training at 13 years of age and was conscious (in all the wrong ways) of my diet but I was certainly not the most lean on the playing field. To be honest, this bothered me from quite a young age. I do believe that my passion for health and fitness grew out of a love for sport and a number of insecurities I personally harbored. I knew from a very young age that I would create a profession and lifestyle out of physical activity and helping others achieve similar goals.

Nowadays, fitness is still a part of my business because I thoroughly enjoy helping others help themselves to create a healthy lifestyle. Personally, I train because it makes me feel good physically and mentally, keeps me energized and motivated and allows me to replace those old insecurities with a sense of confidence.

What is your current exercise routine?

Having travelled for the last two years, my training routine (well, lack of a routine for a start) has changed drastically since my previously crazy structured weeks full of weight training and teaching my beloved yoga and cycle classes. I stayed very active whilst away by taking advantage of natural adventures wherever I was. For example, if there was a mountain or volcano, I was climbing it. At sea, I swam, kayaked, and did yoga on the beach.

Since my return, I have been enjoying getting back to a few full-body weight training or circuit sessions a week, personal yoga practice and even a couple weekly run or sprint sessions. I am really enjoying the spontaneity, but plan to nail down a more structured regime in preparation for the release of my first yoga video!

What business or career challenge have you overcome and what one piece of advice would you like to pass on to others?

I am very fortunate to have begun a career that I love and am passionate about and actually allowed me to relocate from the US to the great land down under, straight out of university! I literally use to spring out of bed excited for the day ahead and found the perfect balance (at the time) of my own business and my 9-5 commitment, within the fitness industry. However, as the time continued to tick on, I developed both personally and professionally and I found myself no longer challenged nor inspired. I felt trapped by the rigid schedule and mundane day to day of the 9-5, particularly with an overwhelming desire to fulfill my dream of traveling Latin America (without an end date.)

And so I listened to that gut feeling, that life changing message from my heart. Over the course of a few short months, I started my blog www.journeywithjessjones.com to share my journey and continue to inspire others.  I quit my job, rented out my apartment, sold/donated half of my belongings, packed a single bag and changed the direction of my journey forever.

My advice to you, is to listen to YOUR gut feeling, go out on a limb, and for your sake, BEGIN YOUR JOURNEY NOW!

Describe what motivated you to choose your current business or career path?

Journey with Jess Jones is an amazing opportunity for me to share my passion for travel, inspiration and health/fitness, through a combined love of photography and writing to share my journey, yes on my travels and also through life, to show YOU the world through my eyes, to inspire YOU to get out there and follow your passion, to inspire YOU to embark on your JOURNEY! I honestly believe, it’s never too late to begin! Because YOUR life itself is a journey, not a destination!

Your favourite book or movie of all time is? And why?

This is a big call, but I have to say Terry Hawkins’ There Are Two Times in Life, NOW and TOO LATE. Terry’s words resonated with me a number of years back at a conference, enough for me to pick up her book once and refer back to it several times since. I have used a basic, yet life changing technique that she outlines in her book, to help a good friend overcome anorexia/bulimia, to help a number of trainers grow their business, and to improve the self-confidence of clients and myself. You are likely to laugh, cry and learn a thing or two that can easily be applied all within a few pages!

And lastly, do you have a recipe you’d like to share with us?

This is a SUPER easy, but VERY tasty salad to either serve as a side or, to make it a complete meal, I like to add chicken and homemade guacamole on the top!

Yummy Yellow Veggie Salad

1-2 Large Broccoli chopped small

1 medium ripe beet finely chopped

1 Green Bell Pepper (capsicum)

2 medium Red Bell Pepper  (capsicum)

2 medium cucumber

2 medium Tomatoes

2 Medium Carrots finely chopped

1 Large Red Onion finely chopped

1-2 fresh lime (optional)

3-4 garlic cloves minced

4-6 oz extra virgin Olive Oil (or to taste)

5-6 Tbsp. Tumeric powder (or until all veggies are slightly coated yellow)

Salt and black pepper to taste

**1 whole rotisserie chicken or 3 grilled chicken breasts chopped small

Chop and mix all veggies (and chicken) in a large mixing bowl. Drizzle with lime juice, olive oil and perhaps a splash of fresh water. Stir through the minced garlic, tumeric powder, salt and pepper. Add additional to taste. The dressing should cover everything in the salad while maintaining crisp fresh veg. Note: more tumeric likely needed.