If you're thinking about starting a family or having another kiddo, you might be eager to learn more about how to best prep your body!
I’m going to be launching a preconception program SO SOON! (Join the waitlist here!) But in the meantime, I wanted to give you some ideas of books you can start reading if you just can't wait.
Read MoreIf you’re in the first trimester or even just a season of life where you need to slow down, this is for you!
If you know me at all, I’m a pretty big meathead. I LOVE lifting heavy, maxing out, & getting stronger. (But don’t put me down for cardio.)
Getting sick in the first trimester realllllly made me slow my roll. I didn’t want to, but literally had no choice. And if you’re pregnant or just need to chill the heck out, here’s a little sneak peek into how I changed my perspective on working out for the past few months.
Read MoreI recently shared about the best foods for fertility, and thought you may also be interested in what foods to stay away from to help boost fertility as well. So today I’m putting together a list of the worst foods for fertility, and why!
Read MoreThe preconception time is SO underrated. There isn’t much emphasis placed on the couple’s health BEFORE trying to conceive, but should there be?
With rates of infertility rising, I think taking some time before starting to try should be standard practice at this point. While there are many different things you and your partner can do to prepare in advance, one of the simplest is focusing on your nutrition!
Today I’m going to focus on what to INCLUDE, but know there are also things you should probably EXCLUDE to optimize your health as well.
While the foods I’ll discuss below are great for any time of life, they contain some specific nutrients you really want to prioritize during the preconception period.
Read MoreIf you google “preconception exercise”, you’re going to see A LOT of different answers, and the truth is there isn’t ONE right answer.
But the main thing you’ll see everywhere is to make sure you’re doing kegels. And while that’s not inherently wrong, there is nuance to that because many women have pelvic floors that are OVERactive, meaning that kegels may not be beneficial, and even detrimental.
There are SO many other things you can do to prepare your body for pregnancy, a few of which I’m going to share today!
Read MoreWhat is your relationship with exercise like?
If you’re like me, you may have had a love/hate relationship with it over the years. As a kid, it’s all about having fun! Playing sports, chasing your friends, doing cartwheels, etc. No agenda, no worrying, just pure enjoyment of moving your body.
Then as you get older you learn about how exercise is healthy and can make you lose weight, which seemingly everyone wants to do. Which makes you think that you should too. You start to realize there is SO much pressure on women especially to look a certain way, and yet that seems to be a moving target.
Be thin, but not too skinny. Be strong, but not too muscular. Be curvy, but not too much!
It’s a never-ending cycle.
My relationship with movement has changed drastically over the years, and I thought I’d share because I know some of y’all will relate.
Read MoreThese are the days.
The days of dreaming. Dancing. Drowning.
Because these things don’t have to be at odds with one another.
I realized this as I danced around my living room, singing “Spirit Lead Me” in an empty house. It was just Jesus, me, & Kota when I feel like I truly saw this beautiful truth for the first time.
Read MoreIf you’re not feeling the motivation today friends, I feel you.
Sometimes it feels impossible to get started, but that is the hardest part! So I did this workout one day when I didn’t want to do ANYTHING. These simple movements get your whole body moving in a gentle way. It’s just enough to get your heart rate up a little bit and give you that boost of energy you need to get through the day.
You can do this as a quick total body workout, or as a warm up to get you ready for another workout. Whichever you do, you’ll definitely feel better afterwards!
Set a timer for 15 minutes and complete as many reps as possible until the timer goes off:
10 up downs
10 (each side) squat to oblique crunches
10 down dog pushups.
Read MoreCan we PLEASE stop using the term “girl push ups” in reference to knee push ups?
I have seen plenty of men who have horrible push up form, what should we call those?
I want you to know that you CAN do a “real” push up. AKA a full push up from plank position. It just takes time to build up strength, but you are not doomed to knee push ups just because you’re female.
To start, you HAVE to work on your form. Bad form will not only make it more difficult, but may lead to injury.
Read MoreYou’re probably already aware of the immense effects that nutrition has on your health. Our society is becoming increasingly careful of what we put IN our bodies. But many people don’t understand that the effects of what we put ON our bodies can be just as significant (if not more so) than what we eat. Chris Kresser says, “what you put on your skin might be an even greater risk for toxin exposure than what you put in your mouth”. And the CDC says the skin is, “the most common path of toxic substance exposure”. Why is this? Two main reasons:
Your skin is the largest organ you have and absorbs a loooot of stuff.
Our personal care products are garbage and have VERY LITTLE regulation.
What do you think is the biggest obstacle in sticking with your habits? In my experience working with all different types of women, I would say it’s usually MOTIVATION.
Whenever I ask my community what they need help with, motivation almost always comes up. This is totally normal and completely understandable. With how much we all have going on in our lives, there’s just not enough motivation, time, or energy to do it all!
So today I have 3 tips for you on how to get motivated, no matter what your goal is.
Read MoreI CAN NOT believe it’s almost December. I mean seriously, what is time? It’s easy to be a negative Nancy about 2020 and just look forward to it ending, but I have another idea. What if we embraced the last month of the year with a new attitude. Let’s try our best to make the most out of what’s left of this year. The holidays will be different this time, so why don’t we try something new? I’m putting together a super fun FREE 12 Days of Christmas Challenge and I want YOU to join me! I know we don’t have a lot of free time around the holidays, so don’t worry! It’s SUPER SIMPLE! 12 minutes of movement for 12 days. THAT’S IT!
Read MoreHi friends!
I know that time is short these days, but I ALSO know that I feel like hot garbage if I don’t do some sort of exercise all day. So here is a quick little workout you can do on your lunch break! If you don’t have a band, just stick with the first part.
*Fur baby pets are highly recommended, but not required*
Read MoreThings are crazy in the world. And we all have our differences, but I think we can agree on one thing.
Breakfast is REALLY hard to prep ahead of time.
But this casserole is going to change alllll that. You can make this on the weekend and have a macro friendly breakfast ready for the whole week!
Read MoreHi friends. Before I start, I want to give you some expectations around what you’re about to read. I will not be sharing my thoughts on the candidates or political parties. If you just let out a big sigh of relief, read on. If you plan on asking me about sharing my political affiliation via the internet, please move on. It’s not that I won’t share because I’m ashamed, I’m MORE than happy to talk with my people about it IRL. But the interwebs is just not the place for it. Rather, I’d like to share some thoughts I’ve had around our attitudes towards each other throughout this election. It’s SO odd to me that after ALL we’ve been through this year, we still have it out for one another. You’d think that after a pandemic and all the havoc it’s caused, we would’ve come together by now.
Read MoreDo 1 round for time (go as fast as you can with breaks as needed)
100 jumping lunges (or reverse lunges)
100 air squats (add booty band for challenge!)
100 glute bridges (again add band if wanted)
Rest 2 minutes, then do 3 rounds of:
20 cossack squats (each leg; hold weight for challenge)
20 ham curls
20 clamshells (each side)
Did you know that you don’t have to have a home gym to workout at home? Bodyweight movements are plenty to build strength and get a good sweat in. This workout is a quick ladder 5, 10, 15, 20, 25 for 5 rounds, and I guarantee you’ll feel it the next day!
5 rounds of:
5 pull ups (or lat pull over if you don’t have a pull up bar)
10 push ups (feel free to go to knees or do elevated push ups)
15 bicep curls (dumbbells, resistance band, or an EMPACK like me!)
20 dips (chair will also work)
25 lemon squeezers (or situps!)
Did anyone else grow up having cinnamon rolls on Christmas morning?
When I went GF, my mom still found a mix I could have and made it happen. (Thanks, Ma!)
And while there are some good options out there, I really wanted to try making them from scratch. I had a fail or two along the way, but I feel like we’ve now hit the jackpot. My husband is usually skeptical of my GF, DF, refined sugar-free baked goods.
BUT NOT THIS TIME. This time he ate over half of them in one sitting. So I KNOW they’re good
They’ve got that semi-hard outer shell with a soft fluffy inside. I like to think that’s the collagen’s doing.
Read MoreDear Teachers, I don’t know exactly why I’m writing this yet. I just know that I have a lot of things to say to you and think others might benefit from reading, too. You see, I’m also a teacher. I taught brick and mortar for 4 years in two different schools and grades. And let me tell you it was hard on me. I loved my students, team, and administrators, but boy did it take a toll on me, both mentally and physically. So when I moved to Colorado, I got a job teaching second graders online (crazy, right?!) and it was everything I needed. There is a lot that I miss about brick and mortar, but I’m a much better person now that I have the mental space that I do. All this to say, I’ve had a few different teaching experiences. And NOTHING can compare to what you are experiencing right now.
Read MoreHey friends. Let’s have a nice, calm chat about how you can boost your immune system this time of year. No need for panic, but I’ve had a lot of people asking for information, so I decided to put a resource together that I can just share with anyone who asks. And tip #1 is ironic.
Reduce stress. Your immune system is extremely affected by stress. So freaking out about catching coronavirus isn’t going to help. Stay away from triggering news outlets and try to stay focused on what you CAN control, which is how you take care of yourself. Get outside and get some sunshine on your skin, it does WONDERS for your stress level.
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