Interested in switching to safer products? In this post, I’m sharing ingredients to avoid in your beauty products and why it matters for overall health.

I’ll be honest, my journey to switching to safer personal care and beauty products began long after my health journey started. I’ve dedicated much of my life to fitness and eating well, but it wasn’t until more recently that I learned what I put ON my body matters just as much as what I put IN my body.

Lack of Regulation

Unlike the food industry, the beauty industry is unfortunately highly unregulated. The last major law regulating this multi-billion dollar industry was passed in 1938 – that’s over 80 years ago! Since then, thousands of chemicals have been introduced and companies can get away with sneaking toxic and potentially harmful ingredients into their products. Asbestos in makeup!? Scary!

My journey of switching to safer products for myself and my family and been slow and steady. I am so grateful I linked arms with Beautycounter a few years ago because it’s been an immense source of education and resources (not to mention, the community aspect and prosperous leg of my business).

As for regulating personal care products, the European Union is leading the way banning around 1,400 ingredients; Canada restricts around 600… and the United States, a measly 30! The FDA currently does not have authority to regulate what’s in our products, so it is really up to us individuals.

Once we know better, we can do better; by purchasing products with safer ingredients, we are voting with our dollar.

Read more

PB&J protein smoothie

You know how a song, smell, or a bite of something can take you back to a moment? That’s what this PB&J smoothie is going to do for you too! Right back to being a kid eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, but better.

This one is packed with about 25g of protein to build lean muscle and burn fat, healthy fats to curb cravings, and an immunity boost we could all use right now!

And the best part? It will talk you less than 2 minutes to make!

PB&J Smoothie Ingredients

• 1 cup frozen strawberries (or other berries you love)
• 1 cup unsweetened oat milk
• 1 tbsp peanut butter
• 1 scoop LSF Vanilla Plant Protein or LSF PB Plant Protein
• 1 scoop LSF Wing Woman Immunity Boost

Smoothie Directions

Add all ingredients above in the order listed to a blender. Blend on high until smooth and enjoy!

Get Your Peanut Butter On

This smoothie is honestly great ANY time of day. It has a perfect balance of healthy fats, carbs, and proteins so you can’t go wrong. I love making this one for breakfast (maybe throw in some spinach for greens you won’t taste!), but it also makes a perfect post-workout snack too!

The post PB&J Protein Smoothie appeared first on Love Sweat Fitness.

Sharing the top reader favorites that I’ve recommended here on the blog in 2022! 

Hi hi! How are you? I hope you had a wonderful weekend. We spent the weekend celebrating Liv’s birthday! I’ll share some more pics in Friday Faves but we had an awesome dinner with her friends, saw Annie yesterday with my mom and nana, and the family came over for dinner. I hope you had a lovely weekend, too!

For today’s post, I wanted to share the reader faves from 2022! It’s always fun to look back on my analytics and see what your favorite finds were from the blog. Y’all have good taste, I tell ya. 😉

Here are the top picks from last year!

Top 10 reader purchases of 2022

1. HigherDOSE Sauna Blanket

The best sauna blanket in the land reigns supreme. I got this little beauty a couple of years ago (and upgraded to the newest version), and it’s still something I really look forward to in my routine. Since it’s been colder outside, I find myself craving the warmth and sweat. I always use it 2-3 times per week, and lately it’s been every couple of days. When I use my sauna blanket, it opens up my detox pathways (I sweat WAY more than I do during most workouts), I notice an improvement in my skin, and I sleep like a rock.

I’m so so happy so many of you are enjoying this one, too! If you decided to order one for yourself, use FITNESSISTA15 to get 15% sitewide.

2. Sakara meals

This is another thing that makes my heart happy that you all enjoy it, too! I look forward to these meals EVERY month. They’re a little treat and I gift myself some beautiful eats and some convenience. I book them during my busiest weeks, and it feels like the truest form of self care to eat a nutritious meal I didn’t have to make myself. A lot of friends have ordered Sakara meals just for lunch, as it can be one of the hardest meals to get in during a busy day. Check out all of the amazing options here and use XOGINAH for 20% off!

3. The tee shirt dress

Love this cute and casual Rails dress. It’s perfect with low-top sneakers and a baseball cap.

4. These golden goose sneakers

I was debating on these sneakers before I bought my other recent pairs of GG and they’re the perfect neutral.

5. The best egg chair!

I got this egg chair for our balcony for a steal and so pumped that many of you snagged it up, too.

6. These heeled sandals

These were so inexpensive but the quality is excellent. I hope they’re still in style this spring because I still plan on wearing them.

7. The jeans I wear constantly

This is when I dubiously accepted the fact that skinny jeans are no longer for the cool kids. This was my compromise. They’re still fitted enough to be flattering, but looser on the bottom to be more on trend.

8. This cozy cardigan

I’m wearing this cardigan while I type this blo

Hellooooo. Happy Friday! How are you? I hope you’ve had a wonderful week so far! The kids headed back to school this week and as much I want to say YAY I finally got work done and we’re back in a routine, nope. I missed them like crazy and I hate waking up early, so there ya go.

We did go out with a bang and had a wild card girls’ day on our last day of winter break. I took pieces of paper and wrote options on them for the day and the girls picked randomly from each set. (I saw the idea go around TikTok a while back and thought they’d like it!)

They ended up picking eegee’s for lunch, Round 1 (a huge arcade), Starbucks, Mildred & Dildred (the best local toy store) and a board game (we played Zingo and Old Maid). P told me I was a fun mom. *cry emoji*

This weekend is Liv’s birthday (11! HOW?!), Annie with the family, and getting ready for a lil trip we’re taking next week. I’d love to hear what you have going on this weekend!

It’s time for the weekly Friday Faves party! This is where I share some of my favorite finds from the week and around the web. I always love to hear about your faves, too, so please shout out something you’re loving in the comments section below.

Read, watch, listen:

What’s the most helpful thing a therapist ever told you?

Matilda

We’ve all been waiting anxiously for Matilda’s release on Netflix and while I expected it to be good, I did not expect it to be that good. The music is epic (“Revolting Children” is on repeat and P has memorized 90% of the dance moves), and the storyline is amazing. Expect a tiny bit of crass language and bullying, but it had an overwhelming message of bravery, positivity, and the power of love/kindness.

Wednesday

Liv had been wanting to watch Wednesday since her friends have seen it, so after doing a bit of research (and determined no major adult themes, just scariness), I figured we could watch it together. We both loved it! It was intense,

This podcast episode is sponsored by Nutrisense! I’ve been a huge fan of Nutrisense for over a year and recently wore another CGM during the holidays. If you’d like to join me and get insight to your habits, your body, and make some healthy changes, sign up here. Use this link and the promo code TFP (stands for The Fitnessista Podcast) to get $30 off and 1 month of free dietitian support. 

First podcast episode of the New Year is heeeeere! Today I’m sharing three things you can focus on in 2023 that have nothing to do with exercise or fitness. Share this episode with someone you love, and if it resonates with you, please let me know what you’ll be doing first over on Instagram!

Resources from this episode:

Woman Code 

Taking Charge of Your Fertility

The Rain Barrel Effect

Glucose Revolution

Why We Get Sick

Fertility Awareness Method and Getting Off Birth Control

Seed Cycling

Removing Environmental Toxins

How to eat for your menstrual cycle

Tips for New Years goals and resolutions

Check the quality of your tap water here

Have you been wanting to try Nutrisense? Now is your chance! I’ve been using this tool on and off for a year, after I found out that my fasting glucose was borderline high. It’s enabled me to make simple changes in my routine, and learn more about how my body responds to certain foods, stressors, and habits.

Your blood sugar levels can significantly impact how your body feels and functions, and Nutrisense helps you analyze in real-time how your body responds to  exercise, stress, and sleep.  It’s so empowering to be able to see how your body is responding, and