Looking back on 2018 + my goals for 2019
Hiiiii friends! I can’t believe we’re already closing out 2018. What are you doing to celebrate? I’m looking forward to eating Indian food at my mom’s house, watching the cousins play together, and playing the Netflix New year’s countdown at 9pm. #parentlife
I feel like 2018 was a good year for our family despite some transition and obstacles. We had a HUGE move across the country (which started out as temporary but we’re staying in Tucson. I finally wrote a post that explains everything about life and will have it up in the next couple of weeks), the girls started new schools, I started teaching at a local studio, and we’ve found our Tucson groove and tribe. It’s pretty incredible to set down roots a little and know they won’t be uprooted for a while now.
Professionally, I started the podcast which was a huge undertaking (it will be back January 9!), hit Director with Beautycounter, and relaunched the Fit Guides. Most of the time, I really felt like I was flying by the seat of my pants. I’m SO EXCITED to have more of a set schedule as we head into the New Year and the opportunity to create more content. I feel like I haven’t been able to create in so long since I’ve just been in survival mode. I have so many ideas for this space and for you guys, so I’m really looking forward to the opportunity to execute them all.
In our personal life, we had so.much.fun. I enjoy the girls more and more every single day – there are so many points throughout the day when I look at their little faces and really know how fortunate I am to have them – and we’ve had a blast going to Disneyland, San Diego, Disney World, the beach, Jacksonville, Atlanta, and Phoenix. Between the two of them they’re taking ballet, hip hop, gymnastics, tumbling, and swim, and it’s incredible to see them grow and learn, and be the cutest little sisters. Livi’s reading has really taken off since school started and watching them read together is probably one of my favorite things in the world.
Fitness-wise, I’ve changed things up a bit! We bought a Peloton bike and I’m IN LOVE WITH IT, and I also started taking classes at a more CrossFit-esque gym with an incredible community (TELOS). My weekly schedule is usually a mix of Orangetheory, Peloton, TELOS, strength training on my own, teaching barre, and yoga or barre3 if I can fit it in that week. I stick to a solid 5 days of workouts and am so thankful for the Peloton on the days I can’t get a workout in while the kiddos are at school. (They either play in the playroom or watch a show while I ride the bike.)
Health-wise, 2018 is the year I went back to tracking macros. I’m still enjoying it, especially since it encourages me to eat way more food and way more carbs. I was unintentionally under-eating and skipping meals, so it feels great to have some structure and encouragement to hit all of my nutrient goals for the day. I also got my hormone levels tested with Candace Burch and have made some adjustments in my supplement routine. I’ve noticed a huge increase in energy, my mood feels more stabile, and my anxiety levels are way way down. All good things. 
Some of my favorite moments from 2018:
Liv’s birthday trip to Orlando
Some of my goals for 2019:
Professional:
– I’ll continue to hit the same income numbers and work to develop Beautycounter into its own full income. I feel like in the blog world, we aren’t very transparent about the business aspect of it all. There’s a lot that goes on behind the scenes, and if you guys are down, I’d like to share more of that. I used to love when Pinch of Yum did income statements because it inspired me to continue to work hard. When I first started to make an income from the blog, about 99% of it was from ad revenue. Now earnings are a mix of ad revenue, sponsored posts/brand partnerships, product sales, Beautycounter, affiliate income and freelance work. I like that the change in structure has encouraged me to diversify a bit, so that if something drops off (like if I don’t have any sponsored posts that month) something else fills in the gaps (like Beautycounter or Fit Guide sales).
– Create a Home Workout Warrior video series to share in the spring. This is something I’m going to be cranking out in the next couple of weeks! So pumped about this.
– Barre Bootcamp Round 2! The first barre bootcamp was a huge success and it was so much fun to see so many of you complete the plan, change up your workout routine, and see incredible results. I’ve been putting ideas for Round 2 together for a while now, it’s time to get the ball rolling.
– A prenatal workout series. I had big plans to film prenatal workouts while I was pregnant with P, and ended up only filming like 2 because I felt so uncomfortable. (It all made sense when she was born at 10 lbs 13 oz.) My good friend Katie is pregnant and she said she’s down to film some prenatal workouts for you guys, so I can’t wait to write the workouts and put everything together. (In the videos, I’ll likely perform 1st trimester versions of the exercises and she’ll do 2nd and 3rd trimester modifications.)
– Continue to build the podcast. The podcast is still a little baby in the grand scheme of my brand, but it’s something that I’ve really enjoyed this year! I mean, I get to wear pajamas and talk to interesting people, so I’m obviously a big fan.
– Continue to work with Beautycounter because I love the products and mission so much. It’s a small piece of my weekly work load, but I’m excited to continue to share these amazing products with those I love. (PS I need to do another giveaway because my stash here is getting intense.)
Personal:
– Continue to work on my patience and grace. I feel like this is always a work in progress, but anything I can do to make myself feel more calm and centered in the chaos is worth it to me. I’m going to dedicate more time to meditation – I’ve only been able to sneak in 5 minutes here and there lately – alone time (this is when I recharge! Even if it’s just 15-minute shower, without children drawing on the shower door with their fingers and commenting on my body lol, I feel like a new person), and letting things go that don’t matter. I’m kind of a freak about keeping the house clean and a couple of times recently I went to bed with dishes in the sink because I was so tired. It’s prioritizing the things that are worth it.
– Read more. Reading is one of my very favorite things and I feel like I made more time for it in 2018. I’m going to be reading something at all times, even if I only have 5 minutes each day to devote to it. My brain also feels like it works better when I’m reading something. 
(Thank you for all of the book suggestions in my last post! The Kindle is loaded.)
– Devote time to a hobby once a week. I’ll unearth my ukulele when it gets here from Georgia and take more flamenco classes, even though I’m riding the struggle bus with putting the arm work and footwork together.
– TRAVEL. I finally feel like we hit a sweet spot for traveling with the girls and I’m looking forward to some upcoming trips. We have a Disney cruise booked for early summer and the girls and I are taking a special trip to Orlando later this month. I’m already looking at Hawaii travel packages now that we’re back on this side of the world.
Health:
– I don’t have any huge health or fitness goals for the year besides my annual goal for consistency. I try to consistently work out, eat well, sleep (as much as possible!), hydrate, and take care of my mental health. Sometimes things fall off the radar or are off weeks and it’s NBD. I know I get back into it when I can.
– Try to eliminate toxins from our life where it makes sense and try to be more green wherever possible. We already pay attention to the ingredients in our food and personal/health products (yay Beautycounter), but I’ve transitioned our storage containers to glass and we recently got an Avocado mattress. (The company sent it to me but this post isn’t sponsored at all. I’ll write about it more in Friday Faves but we really like it so far.) I’m trying to use cloth more than paper towels and avoid food packaging when we can. (Recently I brought my own food containers to the prepared foods section at Whole Foods and they were totally cool about it.) I’d love any ideas you have for this! (Some ideas: these reusable straws and this on-the-go cutlery.)
Are you setting goals or resolutions for the New Year? I’d love to hear them! I’ll share some of my fave goal-setting tips this week, too.
Happy New Year’s Eve! Thanks for stopping by the blog and hope you have a wonderful night.
xoxo
Gina
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