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Friday, August 31, 2018
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Friday Faves
Hi friends! Happy Friday! The weekend is heeeeere again. I’m looking forward to spending time with the fam, catching up with friends for brunch, filming more Fit Guide exercise videos, and just chilling. Not having to wake up for school drop-offs always feels like a treat.
I’m enjoying this weird place between summer and fall. I can drink a pumpkin spice latte
(decaf with almond milk)
and swim in the same day. No complaining over here. 
I’d love to hear what you’re up to this weekend!
It’s time for the weekly Friday Faves party. This is where I share some of my fave finds from the week, and I love hearing about what you’re enjoying, too. Please share a fave or two in the comments if you’d like to join in the fun!
(Random fave: dinner plans with a friend fell through and since I had a sitter already, I decided to go to Commoner and Co. and sit at the bar, read a book, eat, and drink wine. It felt like one of the most relaxing and luxurious things I’ve done in a long time. PS the goat cheese tart on top of strawberry jam may be my favorite food ever.)
Good eats + recipes:
– Birch Bender Paleo pancake mix. This is a semi-old find, but I don’t think I’ve given it a proper shout-out on the blog. I got the enormous bag at Costco and have been mixing it with egg whites instead of water to bump up the protein content. With almond butter, syrup, and berries, it’s one of my fave sweet breakfasts.
Signs you’re getting older: I get the craziest thrill walking around Costco. The girls looooove the samples and I get so excited to see many of our favorite brands on the shelves. (You can get a 24-pack of LaCroix for $7. I KNOW.) We still get a lot of our faves from Thrive Market, but have been stocking up in bulk avocado oil, snacks for school (gummies, Clif Z bars, Mamma Chia pouches), Whisps, black bean burgers, eggs, frozen organic fruit, Nuttzo, and LaCroix at Costco.
– Trying this cauliflower rice ASAP.
– Mochi. The girls tried this mochi the other day and loved it, so I picked up a pack. I decided to give it a whirl and immediately wondered why the heck I’ve waited so long to try mochi. I’m not a huge ice cream fan – if I’m having dessert, I want some type of dough to be involved, like cake, cookies, or brownies – but was so surprised by the flavor. I love the rice “shell” and the ice cream itself is really mild and perfectly sweet. I also like that this brand uses hormone-free milk and zero artificial colors or flavors.
– I’m going to try this chicken recipe next week!
Read, watch, listen:
– I’m so excited to share the news that I’ve been asked to contribute to the WebMD food and fitness blog. You can find my posts here, along with posts from other professionals in the health and wellness space. I was so honored when they asked me to collaborate and my first two posts are live if you’d like to check them out! Signs you should quit your workout and 5 effective exercises you can do anywhere.
– A good reminder to love more.
– Smart and funny tips for life.
– Something that made me laugh.
(Source)
Crowdsourcing:
– Livi bear needs glasses. We found out this week and I’m taking her to the eye doc this morning. I’d love to hear any tips or advice you have about picking out glasses for kiddos! I feel like there must be some secrets or tips out there, especially since I got glasses as a kid (I was 4) and things have obviously changed so much since then. I’m going to join her and update my glasses since they’re super old and one side has a giant scratch on them. (P stole/borrowed them one morning and rubbed one side against the fireplace. It was time for an updated pair, anyway.)
Fashion + beauty:
– This resurfacing peel! It’s SO hyped up, but I was skeptical about trying it because my skin is super sensitive. Whenever I get a facial, I tell the esthetician that my skin is sensitive and they always say, “Ok, we’ll use the most gentle peel on you!” Then I have to kindly ask to them to please remove it when it feels like my face has caught fire. There’s only been one peel that’s worked well for me and its the Eminence sweet potato peel, which is kind of hard to find. (I would not recommend getting it from Amazon because professional products are sometimes diluted or tampered with; you don’t know who you’re buying it from. You’d likely have to find an esthetician to order it for you.)
I was completely prepared for my skin to burn and… nada. It felt great! The best part: when I woke up, my skin looked really tight and bright. Usually when I wake up, I have blanket creases on my face and look a little beat-up. This is a gamechanger. I’m hoping it will help the WTF lines in between my eyebrows.
If you decide to order the peel or anything else at Beautycounter, you’ll get a two free gifts (travel bottles of the #1 brightening face oil + the hydrating lotion) for orders over $150! Please let me know if you need help with products. (My very faves are the dew skin, face oil, charcoal mask, lip glosses or lipsticks, and the cleansing balm.)
– Labor Day Sales! There are so many amazing sales this weekend. Here are some of the best ones:
J. Crew 40% off with code BIGSALE (loooove this sweater-blazer in pink, this peplum button-up top and these leopard flats)
J. Crew Factory 50% off everything!
Shopbop up to 70% off
anthropologie extra 40% off sale and home
kate spade 30% off sale with code ONEOFAKIND
Express 40% off everything
So tell me, friends: any plans for the long weekend? Are you taking a trip or staying local? I’m still trying to decide if we’ll head to Phoenix and shop it up for the day.
Happy FriYAY,
Gina
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Thursday, August 30, 2018
Make (F)it a Habit
Keep your progress going
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Wednesday, August 29, 2018
012: Q&A Episode
Hi friends! Today we have a Q&A episode on Healthy In Real Life! I’ve received quite a few requests for this type of podcast and had so much fun compiling your questions from Instagram. Thank you so much to those of you who sent them in!
Here’s what I talk about in today’s episode:
– My first thought when I found out Tom was in the military
– P’s nicknames
– The “Health at Every Size” Movement
– Do I count calories
– What I do when I don’t feel motivated at the gym
– My best weight loss tips if I had to pick 3
Thank you so much for all of your incredible support with the podcast. It’s been a wild ride getting everything figured out and put together, and it means so much to me that you’re here along with me for the journey. I have some exciting episodes coming up in the next few weeks, so stay tuned for those!
Happy Wednesday!
Gina
My episode with Emily Field is here!
You can listen and subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, Stitcher, and Google Play.
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Tuesday, August 28, 2018
How fitness and metabolism change in your 30s vs. your 20s
This is something that I’ve occasionally been pondering: how fitness and metabolism change as we age. I feel like it’s so common to hear friends say that they used to be able to eat anything, but now they have to watch their food intake. Or, they feel like they have to work harder at the gym than they ever have to maintain their strength and muscle definition. At the same time, I know so many women that I think are more fit in their 30s than their 20s. I also know some super fit and lean 40 and 50-year olds. What’s their secret? Why does this happen?
So, of course, I put on my detective hat and got down to researching.
How do hormones change in our 30s?
Our basal metabolic rate decreases by one to two percent per decade, according to the American Council on Exercise. To offset this, we can either move more (to burn more calories), eat less (decrease calories slightly to account for lower BMR), or strength train and focus on lean muscle building (more muscle burns more calories at rest than fat). We all know my favorite option is #3.
DHEA (dehydroepiandrosterone) is a hormone produced by our body’s adrenal glands. It peaks in our 20s and decreases in our 30s. This can lead to a slower recovery time and increase in body fat. Low DHEA can negatively affect our energy, mood, and sex drive.
Your body starts to produce less HGH (human growth hormone) in our 30s, which can also (surprise) impact our metabolism. SO many reasons to strength train!
How do fitness levels change as we age?
Fitness levels don’t have to necessarily change dramatically as we age. (I think it’s a slow shift to decrease in intensity and impact as we age, but that could be more out of preference than necessity.) The biggest impact will be caused by the decrease in muscle mass. We can lose strength, and with less muscle on our frame, our metabolism decreases. We can also be impacted by changes in balance and energy levels; things that used to feel good may not feel the same way.
For myself, I’ve noticed that I don’t crave high impact exercise as often as I used to. I used to feel like I needed to run, sprint, and jump almost every day. Now, I still incorporate these things into my routine, but it’s on a less frequent basis. I’d rather go to Orangetheory once or twice a week instead of every day. Also, worth mentioning, I don’t think it’s a good idea, in general, to do OTF every day. Your heart is a muscle and needs rest and recovery to become stronger/more efficient. If you’re working it to its max every day, it doesn’t have enough time to recover, and you could also be affected by injury from repeated movement with muscle imbalances/compensation, burnout, and diminishing returns.
I feel like there’s a huge benefit to getting older with our workouts/fitness: we have a stronger mind-body connection. I think that as we learn more about our body and our fitness levels, it becomes easier to really focus and tune into muscle groups when we’re training them and emphasize proper form. When I was in my early 20s, I just wanted to get in a killer workout. Now you’ll find me breathing, squeezing my glutes, and pulling my core in for so many of my exercises. Older = wiser.
How can we continue to be more fit even when it feels like the odds are against us:
– Focus on proprioceptive exercises. Proprioception is our body’s ability to recognize where it is in space. By training this skill, we can help to prevent falls as we age and also challenge deep stabilizing muscles. Find ways to add a balance challenge into your routine! Stand on one leg for your biceps curls, try single-leg step-ups with a knee up at the top, hop from one foot to another and hold, practice yoga! There are 4 exercises you can try in this post.
– Work on alignment, posture, and training weak muscles. Generally, our anterior muscles are stronger than our posterior muscles. We’re hunched over computer screens (oops), texting on our phones with our heads down), driving, sitting. Our chest muscles can be insanely tight (need to stretch these!) while our back muscles are weak (strength train these). Our hip flexors are super tight (stretch these) while our glutes are weak (strength train there). Focus on sitting and standing with great posture. Katy Bowman can teach us all how.
– STRENGTH TRAIN. (I’m yelling because it’s important.) From reading all of the info above, we can conclude one thing: strength training can save us all! This is an easy way to combat so many of the effects of aging. Pick up those weights and challenge your strength. (Need a beginning strength routine? Check out this one!)
– Do the things we enjoy and that feel good; truly listen to our bodies. Emphasize consistency. If we do the things we enjoy, we’ll be so much more likely to stick with it. There’s a good chance that our preferences will change over time. Lead with your heart and don’t be afraid to change your routine if this means you’ll stick with it.
What have you noticed about your routine over time? What’s one of your fitness goals for the next 10 years?
My main goal is to continue to make movement a part of my life. Even if I don’t get in an official workout, I try to move as much as I can during the day and hit my 10k steps.
xo
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Monday, August 27, 2018
The Beginner’s Guide to Handstands: Journey to the Upside-Down
I bet you’ve always wanted to do a handstand.
It’s okay, you can admit it.
It demonstrates balance and control over your body, something we happen to put great importance upon here at Nerd Fitness. It’s also one HELL of a party trick, something you can work on without a single piece of equipment, builds functional strength and muscular endurance, and it’s a skill you can work on in just a few minutes every single day.
How do I know this? Because I’m typing this while in a handstand RIGHT NOW. Okay, I can’t do that. But Jim, Master of the NF Fitness Universe, and our lead trainer for our 1-on-1 coaching program) can:
I love working with gymnastic rings, because they have such a great tutorial level. Handstands are exactly the same way: it’s a great skill to work on as a beginner, but also is infinitely challenging depending on your skill level.
Plus, in addition to Jim, Luke Skywalker does them. It’s time to stop looking at other people doing cool things and start today saying “hey, I can do that too!”
Why handstands are awesome
Team Nerd Fitness member Jim Bathurst has been training and working on handstands for years.
From humble beginnings, he taught himself a standard handstand and eventually worked his way up to one-handed tricks like the photo above.
Fun fact: I can’t say the word inverted without thinking of Top Gun’s line “because we were inverted,” but that’s only because I used to watch that movie with my brother every day from ages 3 to 5.
I’ve fallen in love with handstands for a few reasons:
Like other bodyweight training, there’s no excuse. If you have room to stand up, you have room to practice handstands.
It recruits DOZENS of muscles in your body. From arm strength to wrist mobility to core strength to shoulder mobility and muscular endurance, handstands do it all. When you are trying to balance, it makes your body work as one complete unit.
It scares you – yes, that’s a positive. We grow outside our comfort zone and for many people, just the thought of a handstand is enough to make their palms sweaty, knees weak, arms are heavy. Vomi… nevermind. The point is that the handstand is just as much of a mental challenge as it is a physical one.
How scared do you think this guy gets on a regular basis?
The biggest challenge with handstands isn’t what you think
Sure, we need to build strength to support ourselves upside-down, but even that hurdle is overblown.
A proper handstand actually starts to feel easy. That’s because once you’re balanced and aligned, it becomes uber efficient. Just as you don’t exert yourself much if you stand straight with good posture, a good efficient handstand is the same way… it will soon start to feel effortless.
Actually, the biggest hurdle to overcome – especially at the beginning – is the mental fear. The voice/feeling in the back of your head that says “you could get hurt doing this!” SCARY!
And I won’t sugar-coat things, you can hurt yourself working these skills… but it’s no different than if you walked into the gym first day, slapped 315 lbs on the bench press and gave it a go. Or went out and tried to run 13 miles without training. The exercise itself isn’t dangerous. Only if you approach it too fast.
If you wouldn’t load up a bar to 500 lbs your first day, why do so many people just kick and fling themselves up into a handstand, failing repeatedly, hoping one day they’ll “get” it? There’s a smarter way!
How do we overcome this fear and keep ourselves safe? Just like learning any other fitness skill: slow, easy, successful steps! These small victories accumulate over time to bring us to our goals safely while having a lot of fun.
Are you ready to learn?
Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. Read on for ways to safely progress to handstand mastery!
The Safe Way To Start: Wrist and Shoulder Handstand Warm-up
For any handstand exercise, there is going to be a significant amount of stress on the hands and wrists… you’re not Cap! So, it’s important you stretch and warm things up.
Here is a video from our NF Handstands course going over some of our favorite wrist stretches to prepare to get upside-down. Go through each stretch about 10 times.
The shoulders are another stressed area in the handstand. There are several ways we can prepare them for work, but a few rounds of jumping jacks or even just arm circles will get the blood moving and the area ready.
Beginning Handstand Progression: Start Small and Level Up As You Get Stronger & More Confident
For the first two weeks of your handstand journey, we’ll have you work with some balance drills and some positional drills.
Nothing too crazy, and in fact some of these might seem TOO EASY. That’s fine! That’s what we want, remember?
We’re using small victories to motivate us. Dropping you on your head in the quest for a handstand is not a way to motivate anyone. Well, maybe this guy.
We recommend you focus on four exercises: the wall walk, hollow body, quadruped rock, and crow pose:
Wall walks
In this drill, we’ll get started right away working toward something that actually looks like a handstand! If you’re like me, you’ll probably get excited and start to overreach a bit at this point. But I believe in you: don’t let the enthusiasm and suspense get the best of you!
All we’re trying to do with this exercise is support our bodyweight on our straightened arms (just like the front plank or pushup).
So, the first level of this exercise is to simply get yourself up into the top of a pushup and hold. If that’s too hard,put your hands up on an elevated surface and/or rest on your knees and hands instead.
Once this is mastered, level up by simply lifting your hips in the air into a down dog position!
From here, it’ll be a matter of getting your feet onto a higher and higher surface. Note: putting your feet up something (I like bumper plates) even a few inches off the floor counts – small steps! As you progress, add more bumper plates (or whatever you’re using) so your feet are higher and higher.
Once you are supporting yourself with your feet on a high box, try walking your feet up the wall. (Think of it like a really tall box!)
Be careful at this step: Be sure you have enough energy to walk back down safely and second, and that you don’t walk too close to the wall and risk flipping onto your back!
See the part below on Pirouettes to safely exit these wall walks if you happen to “go over!”
With each of these variations, we’re looking to build up to a solid 15 seconds under control before moving forward.
Hollow body
The hollow body is one of the best ways to to engage the midsection and stabilize the body. It will help to give your handstand a good shape. Do you need to master the hollow body to master the handstand? Not necessarily, as there are plenty of handstands out there that are a bit banana-shaped. But the hollow body will help you create a more efficient position.
Start by laying down a yoga or exercise mat on the ground and laying on the ground face up. Think about pressing your lower back down into the ground and engaging your midsection like you’re coughing. You should still be able to breath!
Once the midsection is set, tuck your knees to your chest and hold your shins like you’re getting ready for a wicked cannonball. Holding the shins will help you maintain that lower back and midsection position.
Still feeling good? Then try rocking! Rock your body forward and back slightly from the upper back to the lower back, like a rocking chair. Head and feet stay off the ground. If you are stable then you should move as one unit.
If you need more of a challenge, reach your arms by your ears, keep the knees tucked, and rock some more. Without the hands holding the shins, the midsection really has to keep engaged in order to give you a smooth rock.
Again, with any of these positions, build up to be able to rock for a full 15 seconds under control.
Quadruped Rock
You may be thinking that feeling the balance of a handstand is going to be brutally difficult. Not so! We can start quite easily on our hands and knees in the quadruped position.
From here, we will simply rock forwards and backwards on our hands. Seem familiar? If you did the wrist mobility we described above, it’s the same motion! Isn’t that handy?
As you are rocking back and forth, feel where the weight rests in your hands. When you rock back, it sits more in the heel of your hands. When you rock forward, you’ll feel it in your knuckles and fingertips.
Where do we want it in the handstand? Right around the knuckles. This is a balanced spot – similar to the balance you find when standing. You don’t sit all your weight on your heels, and you don’t lean all your weight forward, gripping your toes hard into the ground, do you? Find and feel that balance when you rock.
Ready for the next step? Try Crow Pose.
Crow Pose
To enter Crow Pose, move forward from the Quadruped Rock position so that your knees are on the outside of your arms. You can even bend the elbows a little and rest your legs on them.
Rock forward in the same manner as before, putting a little more weight on the hands and a little less weight on the feet.
Important: this isn’t Assassin’s Creed… We are not making a leap of faith here! Don’t jump!! We are simply looking for less and less weight on the feet.
Take things slow and easy – rising up on the toes when you can. When you are ready to pick the feet up and hold yourself off the ground on just your hands, it should come naturally.
Be sure to grab into the ground hard to hold and control yourself, and feel free to put down a pile of pillows or mats in front of you if you should fall!
All these rocking and balance drills can be done for several sets of 5-10 reps. Listen to your wrists and give things a rest as needed.
Wall Walks, Learn to Bail Safely!
As you start to get better with Wall Walks, and you practice getting closer and closer to completely vertical while upside down, there’s going to be instances where you start to “tip over.”
In order to safely return your feet to the ground, you’re going to want to do what we call a pirouette. Jim and I demonstrate how to do so here:
This is one of the most important skills you can learn as you develop your handstand practice, as it will allow you to safely exit any handstand without any risk of injury as you develop your balance!
Tips and Tricks
Nothing beats patience and hard work, but there are a few tips and tricks we can provide that will allow you the best chance for success.
Make sure you go through a proper warm-up: We’ve given you several options for the wrists and shoulders. Not only will a warm-up help prevent injury, but it will get the muscles and joints properly prepared to get the most out of your training.
Prioritize Your Handstand: You can work the skill on its own time, and it won’t interfere or be interfered by anything else, but what if you’re doing other exercises during your workout? When do you handstand?
The best time to work the balancing drills is at the beginning of your workout, after you’ve warmed up. These skills require concentration and a fresh focus to really benefit and progress with them. Trying to balance after you’ve exhausted yourself with a tough cardio session is an exercise in futility (pun intended).
The best time to work the positional drills would be sometime during your strength session, and before your cardio. These drills are not as dependent on completely fresh muscles, but we still don’t want to try and hold ourselves upside-down after a grueling workout.
Too much, too soon.
We’ve mentioned this a million times because it’s so important. Taking on too much too soon is a way to develop bad habits and possibly injure yourself. Take your time! Enjoy and really master each step!
Take it Easy: In the same vein, we want to look for success.
What do I usually see when people practice handstands: Someone kicking up 100 times and kinda getting a handstand once or twice. How much sense does that make?
While we might not be batting 1,000 with all our attempts, but we should be looking to successfully complete around 8 out of 10 attempts. If we’re not? Then we might have taken on too much, too soon!
The 5-Minute Rule: Practice Handstands Every Day and Be Amazed at What Happens
Commit to 5 minutes a day. That’s it. But do it every day.
If you want more instruction, a skill-tree leveling system, and exact directions on what to do, for how long, and when to advance, check out our course, NF Handstands.
I’ll see a lot of people go all in for a single handstand session, and then not touch the skill for a week or more. Dan Gable once said, “If it’s important, do it every day.” Now this is a simplification, but with handstands, this is ESPECIALLY important.
When you first start out, your arms and shoulder may only be able to do 5 minutes before they are DONE.
Doing them for a short time each day is the best strategy to improve strength, endurance, and balance.
Have you ever tried to kick up into a handstand?
What’s the one thing holding you back?
What questions can I answer?
-Steve
PS: In addition to our handstands course, we do also offer 1-on-1 instruction through our Online Coaching Program. Here you’ll get paired with a coach that will build a workout program and nutritional strategy with your specific goals in mind, like handstands, deadlifting, becoming more flexible, or all of the above!
You can schedule a free call with our team at the bottom of our Coaching Page to learn more about the program and we can see if we’re a good fit for each other!
###
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Sweat Babe Crush 😍 Brianna
Her transformation = 😱AMAZING
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nice to sangria
Hey hey! How are ya? How was the weekend? Ours was filled with glorious monsoon rain, and while it changed some of our plans, it was amazing. It’s cooled down a ton over here, and I feel like it’s been such a mild summer compared to Tucson’s typical desert oven style. I’d love to hear what you were up to!
Before I get into the weekend recap, I have to share a couple of pics from girls’ night. We had cooking club here at the house, and since I got to choose the theme, we all know what/who I picked. Ina Garten FTW.
Of course, I had an enormous cheese board ready to go,
plus lots of sangria,
and the infamous drink markers made the trek from Valdosta. (I added some cowboys to the pile just for good measure.)
This was easily the biggest cheese board I’ve ever made. It had different types of meat (prosciutto, salami, and capocollo), all the cheeses (truffle cheese, caramelized onion cheddar, Iberia, manchego, herbed goat, goat brie), raspberry preserves, olives, dried cranberries, peaches, apples, grapes, truffle almonds, cornichons… I think that’s it? OH, and dark chocolate. It was my first time adding dark chocolate with almonds to a charcuterie board and I feel like we need to make up for lost time.
I should have snapped some pics of the other dishes, but I usually had sangria in one hand and some type of cheese in the other. Everything was AMAZING. I think the star of the show was this ridiculous dessert. I can’t wait to make it for a family get-together. It was a dream come true. (And with Tate’s gluten-free cookies, it was gluten-free.)
For my entree, I made Ina’s turkey lasagna. If you’re looking for a perfect lasagna recipe, this is it. All of the ratios are ideal, it isn’t soggy, the flavors are perfect, and Ina is just a legend.
We ended up chatting, drinking sangria, and snacking until late. Madre had the kiddos at their house, and she brought them home in their jammies for bed. Of course, they were wide awake and sat at the dining room tables crushing the rest of the cheese board and giggling. The cutest ever.
Friday night, we had plans to meet up with friends for swimming. When the pool was closed for lightning, we went back to their house for chips, salsa, and margaritas. We came home in the rain, and I fell asleep 10 minutes into Shameless. I just started season 8 and am REALLY trying to finish up before the new season begins. Pure dedication haha.
Saturday, we hung out at the dance studio, hit up Whole Foods for lunch, and I got some work stuff done
and chores around the house. We met up with some friends for dinner,
and hung out at madre’s for a bit. I had plans to hit up the gym but decided to take an extra off day after my back injury and feeling off all week.
Sunday was crepes at the market,
(they had live music and the girls were the cutest little dance partners)
groceries, church, and an unnecessary but eventful trip to Target. The usual Sunday adventures.
I hope you had a happy weekend, too!
I’ll see ya in the morning with a beefy post about how fitness and hormones change over time.
xoxo
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Sunday, August 26, 2018
Summer Shape Up Week 8
Week of August 27th
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Friday, August 24, 2018
Friday Faves
Hey hey! Happy Friday! The weekend is here again and I’m excited for night swims with friends, trying to sleep in late (fingers crossed), and Sunday dinner with the fam. All the good stuff.
I’m so sorry for disappearing yesterday. Pretty much every night, I stay up late because it’s my chance to wrap up my post for the next day, answer comments, and maybe watch Shameless if I’m caught up with work stuff. On Wednesday night, I fell asleep putting the girls to bed. Like, CRASHED. There was no way zombie blogging was happening, so I took it as a clue that I needed to sleep and it was glorious. I’ve been feeling kind of *off* all week since I hurt my back on Sunday.
I was on the rowing machine feeling way too confident with my intervals. I kept pushing my wattage until I hit my highest number ever and left the gym feeling pretty stoked. Lately, many of my workouts have felt mediocre and I felt like I really pushed myself for the first time in a while. I noticed my back was bothering me that night and then when I woke up on Monday, I could hardly walk. I had to take these weird short shuffle steps because if I bent my knees too much or twisted too much, pain shot up my back. It was pretty horrible.
I made it through Monday and then on Tuesday, I had a massage I originally had booked as a *treat.* I ended up needing it because I was injured. She worked on my back, my super tight hips and hamstrings, my shoulders and pecs (OW), and when I left, I could walk like a semi-normal person.
My pain level was dramatically down and I felt worlds better. Just to seal the deal, I had a chiropractor appointment on Wednesday and she popped everything right back to where it needed to be. I tried my mom’s chiropractor and she is an ANGEL. (If you’re local, send me a message and I’ll be happy to send you my massage therapist and chiropractor’s info!) Since she has a PT background, she also gave me stretches for my shoulders and hamstrings, which were really pulling things out of alignment.
I’ve learned over time that one incident isn’t usually what causes an injury. It’s consistent repeated motion with muscle imbalances and compensation, and then one time you move a certain way, it’s literally the straw that breaks the camel’s back. I’m very thankful that massage and chiropractic care were able to provide sweet relief! I had to take a more rest than usual, and was easy on myself this week. Just thought I’d share this story for my friends who may be feeling blah or nursing an injury. I hope you’ll take the time you need to feel better and seek the assistance of professionals that will be able to help you. <3
Let’s get into the Friday Faves party, shall we?
This is where I share some of my favorite finds from the week and love hearing about your faves, too. Please shout out something you’re loving in the comments section below!
Read, watch, listen:
The Aida soundtrack. Ugh, it’s just SO GOOD. I listened to this at the gym on Sunday (the day I was feeling super pumped and hurt my back. fail) as a way to switch things up from a podcast, and while it’s not your typical pump-you-up workout music, it was a refreshing change. I was a huge Aida fan way back in the day – I think it toured here when I was in high school?- and the music is Tim Rice and Elton John, very much like The Lion King meets RENT (thanks to Adam Pascal). If you love musicals and haven’t heard this one, listen to the first track, “Elaborate Lives,” and “The Gods Love Nubia.” You’ll feel it in your soul.
Crazy Rich Asians. I’m about halfway through this book and loving it so far. I’m seeing it next week with friends and am determined to finish it before then. Did anyone see the movie yet?
50 things from the 80s. I don’t remember all of these, but quite a few forgotten treasures popped up from my childhood.
To the mom who stays up way past her bedtime (yup. Every night).
Don’t forget to check out this week’s podcast episode here! If you enjoyed the episode, please consider throwing a rating or review my way. I’d appreciate it so much! So many great podcast recommendations in this post.
Fashion + beauty:
Countercontrol was just released and the reviews are insane! If you have acne-prone or oily skin, check out the new collection here.
Tarte is another one of my fave beauty brands and this new set looks like perfection. (I’ve been wanting to try their lashes!)
I really didn’t need to see that Tory Burch has a home collection.
5 pieces everyone will be wearing this fall. Leopard shoes make me v. happy.
Fitness:
Fit Guides are coming and they’re better than ever. I’ve been spending the past month tweaking the fitness plans and we’ve also added 2 follow-along videos + meal plans from an RD. They are all designed and ready to go, and they look AMAZING. I can’t wait for you to have them later this month. For first dibs, click here to get on the waiting list.
Good eats:
Cooking club! We had cooking club here at the house last night. Since I’m writing this post on Thursday afternoon, I don’t have pics yet from the festivities, but here’s the glorious bread from Barrio. I’ll share some pics in my next post! The theme was Ina Garten, so you know it included some incredible food.
Trying this simple shrimp salad this weekend.
Easy dinners for back-to-school.
We can’t stay away from Bahama Bucks. I get the mango, melón, and cucumber with chili salt and chamoy. YAS. The girls often get the princess flavor, which means it tastes like cotton candy, unicorns, and rainbows.
Funny story:
Liv and I were talking about a students in the news who developed a way to bottle scents for astronauts. She wanted to give them a way to smell a bit of home while they’re away from earth, so they can sniff the pendants and be reminded of their favorite people and places. I asked Liv what scent she’d want to bottle if she went into space and she said, “Nana Cece. She always smells so good.” (Truth. Madre always smells beautiful.) And then she said, “Mama you’d want to bottle the smell of sleep.” When I stopped laughing, she said, “You sleep like a bear.” LOL
Happy Friday, friends!
xo
Gina
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Thursday, August 23, 2018
Slay-Your-Day Metabolism Boost Smoothie
A Smoothie that Burns Fat?!
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Wednesday, August 22, 2018
Lazy Girl Beach Towel Workout
Get a tan, feel the burn
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011: Mom hacks with Brittany Dixon
For today’s episode, I’m chatting with Brittany Dixon from A Healthy Slice of Life. You may have seen her beautiful photos on Pinterest, or her fun Instagram stories. She’s a woman I truly admire, not only because she accomplishes so much (homeschooling! meal prepping! running a business!) but she’s also just a kind and awesome person.
In this episode, we discuss:
-Mom hacks. The things that make life easier when you’re wrangling kiddos
-Our philosophies on “teaching moments’ with the girls
-How to cultivate a positive body image for young girls
-How to make grocery shopping less of a pain
-and the things she’s currently loving to make life easier
A little bit about Brittany:
She’s an ACE (American Council on Exercise) certified Fitness Instructor, an ACE certified Lifestyle and Weight Management Consultant and health coach. She owned and operated a metabolic testing and health coaching company until spring of 2012, when I she closed it to stay home with her first daughter.
She appears regularly on FOX News Rising to share healthy recipes for kids, and is the author of A Mom’s Practical Guide to Babbled Weaning.
Here’s the link to the countdown timer she mentioned!
Find Brittany on her blog, Instagram, or Facebook.
I wanted to apologize that the editing in this episode is a little choppy. I thought I could sneak away to record the intro while Liv and P were playing in the playroom, and halfway through, P busted in and said, “Mama, why you talking to yourself?” lololol
I’m still learning the editing game and had some major tech struggles last night, but it’s here! I hope you enjoy this one.
Thank you so much for listening!
xoxo
Gina
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Tuesday, August 21, 2018
cultivating female friendships
The scene usually goes something like this:
We’re at the playground. Liv runs up to a girl who looks to be about her age and asks her name. They exchange names, one of them asks if they want to play, and boom. Instant friendship.
If only it worked that way as adults, right?
I feel really fortunate that as a military wife, I’ve been connected with women going through similar situations wherever we’ve moved. They understand the loneliness and stress – our husbands literally take their lives into their own hands every.single.day – and it’s nice to be surrounded by people who *get it.* The squadron wives have become like family, and the incredible thing is that our paths always seem to cross again. (I’ve had so many blast-from-the-past meetups and playdates with old friends since we’ve been back in Tucson. It’s been so amazing to pick up where we left off!) Without my military wife friendships, and the life-ers (from high school, teaching fitness classes, and the blog!), I feel like making new friends as an adult would be super hard and awkward.
Some of the things I’ve learned:
– You have to put yourself out there. I met Jess at the barre studio in San Diego. We talked for a bit after class and it totally could have ended there, but instead, we exchanged phone numbers and made a plan to get together with the kiddos. Her family feels like our family now, and that never would have happened if we decided to forego actually making a plan.
The same thing happened with my friend Betsy! We met at the kids’ yoga studio and emailed a couple of times. She invited us to her huge Halloween party. The awkward introvert in me wanted to skip it but I’m so glad I didn’t! They’re now some of our very closest friends and I’m so thankful that San Diego introduced us to them.
– On the same note, you actually have to make plans. Since I work mostly from home (I’m still teaching fitness classes here and there), it would be so easy for me to hide out in my sweatpants. I’ve been booking one “free block” each week to meet up with friends or do something fun. (This week, I’m meeting friends for breakfast then getting a massage. I’m super pumped.) As an adult (no built-in school or extracurricular activities) with kids and a busy schedule, I feel like we’d never see friends unless someone takes the steps to send out a group text and make a plan.
(I feel like new friends are always made over giant cheese boards.)
– Do something regularly. This one is HUGE. Knowing when you’ll see everyone each week or month, at a fairly regular time, makes it much easier to schedule when you’re juggling kiddo activities in the mix. Next week, we’re having cooking club here at our house (YAY), and I know when it will occur each month so I can plan accordingly. Themed events are so much fun and it’s a great way to get friends together or meet new people. Wine club, book club, cooking club, tasting parties…
I’d love to hear about how you met your female friends! What are some of the things you do to maintain your friendships as you get older/busier?
xo
Gina
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Monday, August 20, 2018
HAVE YOUR (PAN)CAKE AND EAT IT!
‘Ah but Pancakes are just for Shrove Tuesday‘, you say? No, my dear reader, I disagree; you don’t have to wait for 5th March 2019 for your next pancake hit, but instead, embrace the healthier pancake for your next breakfast! Summery berry-laden pancakes, naturally sweetened with a sprinkling of Truvia in the mixture, are satisfying, deliciously filling, and yet light and fluffy, AND they pack a serious punch for the reader with a sweet tooth. Click MORE to see the full recipe and benefits…
What’s the benefit to me? Well, aside from a quite exquisite flavour profile, these pancakes consist of the following ingredients;
1. Banana – it lends the creamy consistency, is a natural mood-enhancer, & affords plenty of potassium
2. (Optional, if you’re using a non stick pan you won’t need this) Coconut oil – a great source of healthy fats, mainly mono & polyunsaturates.
3. Truvia, made from the stevia leaf (a member of the chrysanthemum family, native to north-eastern Paraguay). It’s the perfect alternative to sugar for the pancakes, giving it the sweetness and granular crunch of sugar – yet without any of the calories! It is the very essence of having your (pan)cake and eating it.
4. Eggs – a naturally rich source of protein – 13g protein per 100g.
5. Blueberries – an excellent source of vitamin C and antioxidants, as well as a very low-GI source of sugars.
6. Almond milk – I like to whip up my own thick batch of almond milk, which takes some preparation, but is super easy to make and gluten free. To try it for yourself find my separate almond milk recipe HERE.
Back to the pancakes of the hour…
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Back-to-School LSF Looks
Straight from the LSF shop!
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roses and ritas
Hi friends! Happy Monday! Hope you enjoyed the weekend. Ours was a perfect mix of family time, adventures with friends, and enjoying these little nuggets.
The best ever. <3
Friday morning, P and I dropped off Liv at school and headed to barre3. I’ve been so thankful for their Play Lounge; it’s awesome knowing I can take a class with one or both of the girls and they have excellent childcare. As I’ve been doing barre3 more often, I’ve become even more fond of their format. It’s so accessible for many different stages in life (prenatal, postpartum, certain injuries) and the instructors constantly provide modifications. I love looking around the room and seeing different variations of the same exercise, depending on participants’ fitness levels or personal considerations. It makes my personal trainer heart so happy.
After class, P and I wandered around the mall for a little while and grabbed smoothies at Nekter.
(I usually create my own smoothie with cashew milk, pea protein, almond butter, kale, chia seeds, and lots of ice.)
After smoothies, we went to madre’s house for a home haircut. I haven’t had one in months and my hair was officially a little crunchy. It was wavy and smooth until the ends, which split into a thousand pieces that ran in every possible direction. It was so refreshing to get a few inches chopped off!
We spent the rest of the afternoon chillin’, picked Livi bear up from school, and met up with the fam at Calle Tepa for dinner.
Any week that ends with tacos and margaritas is a good one, indeed.
After our Mexican feast, we went over to Uncle Eric’s to hang out and play with Coco until the girls’ bedtime.
Saturday, the Pilot surprised me with the most gorgeous red roses for our anniversary,
and we had a relaxing morning. Livi had ballet – P and I usually sit on the floor playing Magnatiles the entire time- and caught up on errands and chores. Later that afternoon, we met up with my dad, stepmom, a friend, and her daughter for pizza. (They both asked us to have dinner at the same place at the same time, so we all met up and ate together. It was perfect.)
Afterwards, we were trying to think of something fun to do and decided on Trail Dust Town aka the Wild West Disneyland (with about 90% less rides). We panned for gold, rode the little rides, and got ice cream before calling it a night.
Sunday morning, we were all woke up (way too early) in a little bit of a funk. I blame it on the planets, but the girls were bickering (they usually get along so well), and I woke up feeling like I never went to sleep. We ended up laying low around the house and I made pancakes, and burned the eggs. When I told madre we probably weren’t going to make it to church – I literally couldn’t summon the energy to get us dressed and out of the house on time – she gave me the best gift ever: she took the girls antique shopping with her while I crawled back into bed for a nap.
Living away from family for so long, I haven’t had the luxury of “on the fly” help with the kiddos. Let me tell ya, it’s incredible. I didn’t even have to ask my mom for backup; she just swooped in and saved the day. When I went over to her house afterwards, we were all feeling worlds better.
The family came over for family dinner and we enjoyed a BBQ feast. Trevor, Alexus, my stepdad, mom, Kyle, Meg, Everly, Uncle E, Nana, and Tata all came over. I didn’t get a ton of pics of the food, but I made BBQ chicken (20 minutes in the Instant Pot!) and the brownies below (Simple Mills brownies with peanut butter frosting), Kyle brought chorizo mac n’ cheese from commoner, madre brought baked potatoes, buns, cheesecake, shredded barbacoa, nana brought bread and ice cream,
and uncle E made the most ridiculous cobbler. He shared his secret with me for the best cobbler topping. Are you ready for it?
Sugar cookie dough! Do it. You’ll love it.
My plate was filled with BBQ chicken on spinach, mac n’ cheese, cobbler, and a brownie. It was everything.
This morning, we’re back to the usual routine around here! I’m catching a quick workout, interviewing Brittany for this week’s podcast episode, and we’re meeting up with friends at the park after school. I hope you have a happy Monday! Thanks so much for checking in on the blog today.
See ya soon.
xoxo
Gina
Summer Shape Up friends! Keep up the amazing momentum. I’m loving all of the check-ins on Instagram and our Facebook group. If you’d like to join in the fun, the info is here.
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Sunday, August 19, 2018
Summer Shape Up Week 7
Week of August 13th
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Friday, August 17, 2018
Friday Faves
Hey friends! Happy Friday! What’s going on this weekend? We’re meeting up with some friends for a playdate, swimming with the fam (if it’s not raining!) and doing the usual dance class and weekend activities. The girls are LOVING school (thank goodness!) but it’s going to be nice to take it easy in the mornings instead of rushing around. (And since I actually have to walk P inside, no more school drop-offs in my pajamas haha. The 3 of us have to be dressed and out the door!) I’d love to hear what you’re up to this weekend.
It’s time for the usual Friday Faves party. This is where I share some of my favorite finds from the week and always enjoy hearing about your faves, too. Please shout out something you’re loving in the comments section.
Life/random:
I HAVE to tell you guys about the Mermaid Festival we went to last weekend. We met up with some friends for dinner, and since P had graced us with a 4pm nap (meaning she’d be awake until at least 10), I figured we could make a night out of it and head to the mermaid festival. We called nana while we were leaving the restaurant and swooped her to join in the fun.
You guys. It was such a scene in the best way possible. The Mermaid Festival is still pretty new to Tucson – I think it’s their second year – so they’re still working out some of the kinks, but it was insanely fun. We circled around looking for a parking spot and then walked down to Congress for the festivities.
(Please note the sombrero. Oh, Tucson.)
We were surrounded by swarms of kiddos and adults dressed like pirates and mermaids and headed to the enormous pirate ship where they had pageants and contests. There were a ton of food trucks and booths (with wigs, mermaid jewelry, and tops) and a Mermaid parade. The parade was led by mermaids on stilts, dancing to Brazilian drums, and everyone who was dressed up joined the parade.
The girls loved it even though they don’t look too thrilled in the pic below.
(One is mid thumb-suck and the other is people-watching. It was the best people-watching I’ve seen in Tucson in a loooong time.)
It was super fun and we’ll definitely be back next year, in full costumes, natch.
Fitness:
Summer Shape Up is going strong! Our Facebook group is bumping with inspirational posts and you guys are crushing the workouts. It’s not too late to join in the fun! Details are in this post.
Be sure to check out this week’s full barre workout video! I hope you love it.
Fashion/beauty:
Already scoping out items for fall…especially since 90% of my cool-weather clothes are packed away in storage. (Oops.) I can’t help but feel a little bit of fall on the brain since it’s been cool and lovely here in Tucson for the past couple of weeks. (In the 80s and even the 70s! It’s practically freezing lol.) Here are some of the things I’ve found: new chambray shirt (on sale right now), wrap dress to wear with heels or booties, classic navy sweater, this black jumpsuit as a perfect transition piece (I’ll prob layer it with my camo button-up), the same pair of slip-ons I wore last year until they fell apart.
Thank you SO MUCH to all of you who ordered from me during last week’s Beautycounter sale!! If you missed the sale, you can still get the romantic set for $30 off.
Food:
This unicorn pancake and egg mold. Our beloved babysitter from Valdosta sent this to the girls and they’re obsessed. It’s really taken my pancake game to the next level. 
Also, worth noting that I was surprised it works as well as it does! I haven’t had much luck with pancake molds in the past, but this one is awesome.
SKINNY DIPPED ALMONDS. I’m excited to be partnering with them soon because I’m in loooooooove with these almonds. Many chocolate-covered almonds feel like too much of a sugar bomb to me. There’s like 90% chocolate and 10% almond. These are so much more balanced, less sugary-sweet, and they have the best flavors. The peanut butter ones are like Reese’s in a bag (with a boost of healthy fats and protein). They have them at Target if you’ll be out shopping this weekend!
Eat Fit Go. This recently opened in Tucson and they have tons of healthy macro-balanced food options. I’ve been grabbing some lunches and protein balls each week and it’s been a game changer. (It’s also perfect for the nights when the girls just want mac and cheese and broccoli; I can heat up one of these bad boys.)
The only thing I didn’t like was all of the plastic. I called them to see if they’d consider allowing customers to preorder and pay for the what they’d like in advance while providing their own containers. Unfortunately, it wouldn’t work because their kitchen is in Phoenix. They assured me that they’re working on sourcing fully biodegradable containers and that the plastic they currently use is 100% recyclable, which made me feel a bit better. The meals are really good and awesome for a quick and healthy bite.
High-protein vegan breakfast ideas.
This buddha bowl looks amaaaaazing.
This chicken recipe is happening next week.
Read, watch, listen:
Don’t forget to check out this week’s podcast episode! Tina and I chat about her journey with UC, her tips for awesome abs, where we think the blog world is headed, and answer reader questions.
A really interesting post (and comments section) about free-range parenting.
Good reasons to stop complaining.
And just for kicks: a pic of P eating a bagel in the rain.
Happy Friday!
xoxo
Gina
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