Sharing my thoughts on what fitness gear is worth the hype, and worth the investment, and what I think is overrated and should be skipped. 

Helloooooo! How are ya? I hope you’re enjoying the week. Thank you so much to those of you who have entered the giveaway and answered my yearly survey – I appreciate your help so much.

We’re in the middle of the December sprint – so many events and fun parties – but I’m popping in to chat about fitness gear. I feel like so many people are getting a head start on things this year, especially with New Years’ goals and prep. Group fitness classes are already bumping, and my fellow trainer friends said they’re also getting booked quickly for January and February. (I have 3 coaching spots left for Jan. If you’re looking for 1:1 nutrition coaching or fitness programming, you can apply here.)

Since many of us are prepping home gyms, scoping out fitness gear, wellness goodies, and nutrition options, I thought I’d do a roundup of some of my top picks. There are a LOT of things to choose from and it can get overwhelming! Also, I’ve found that some hyped-up options have been disappointing in real life. I’m sharing my picks in the list below, and also sharing your submissions from Instagram. (Ones with a * are from Instagram responses.)

Worth the hype:

Peloton

I’ve had my Peloton for about 4 years now, and love it just as much as I did when I first got it. The bike is high-quality and I always enjoy the classes. You can check out my full review here!

Oura ring

The Oura ring is the same thing; it still brings me as much joy as I did when I purchased it. My only gripe now is that the battery life seems to work for less time and I have to charge it more frequently, but it seems to happen with most electronics after a couple of years. My full review is here. 

Apple watch

The Apple watch is another thing I wear every day and love it. It does encourage me to move more throughout the day, even though sometimes I think it encourages overtraining. For example, my Oura ring will tell me I need a rest and my Apple Watch tells me to crush my next workout. I do think it’s very handy and w

Read on for my biggest Favorite Things giveaway to date and how to enter these amazing prizes!

It’s the most wonderful time of the year….

Favorite Things is here!

Annual Survey + Favorite Things Giveaway is here!

I’ve been doing this type of giveaway for years now as a way to share gratitude with some lucky reader friends. You make this little corner of the internet the amazing space it’s become.

It’s still mindblowing to think that I started this blog 13 years ago, as a newlywed who was interested in fitness and health, and was craving some type of connection with those who enjoyed similar things. Who would have even known I’d get to *meet* all of you, and also be able to live my dream every day???

Being able to work from home and be here for the kids is everything to me – especially with a husband who travels frequently and has an unpredictable schedule – and I also get to virtually hang out with ya’ll, chatting about fitness-y and fun topics. So I hope you know how grateful I am every.single.day that you help make that happen.

Every click, comment, follow, product purchase, and pageview directly helps our family and I am beyond thankful to you all.

Let’s celebrate with a little giveaway, shall we??

Here are the prizes that are up for grabs:

(10 winners! Each winner will choose the prize they would like, in the order the names are drawn)

– A HigherDOSE sauna blanket or PEMF Go Mat (1 winner. Thank you SO much to my friends at HigherDOSE for sponsoring this portion of the giveaway)

– 3 days of Sakara meals (1 winner)

– Beautycounter goodies and amethyst jade rollers (3 winners)

– gold-plated medallion necklace (similar); the same one I wear every day (2 winners)

– A pair of Vuori performance joggers (1 winner)

– A year of Fit Team membership (1 winner)

– A container of Daily Nutritional Support (1 winner)

Total value: approx. $1700

Here’s how to enter:

– Leave a comment below with something

Hi hi! Happy Friday! Happy weekend to ya. What do you have going on? We have a Christmas dinner at a friend’s house, a squadron Christmas party, a birthday party, and two birthday brunches. So many fun activities packed into the weekend! I’m hoping that in between the events, we can catch up on some house stuff (and that I can finally tackle the laundry mountain that’s taken over our bed. I was doing a load each night, and things just got out of hand very quickly…).

Something exciting on the way: Favorite Things starts MONDAY! Be sure to check back here.. the prizes are SO good and I can’t wait to hook up 10 reader friends with some of my all-time favorite things.

Please take a couple of minutes to fill out my annual blog survey. This will get you a head start on an extra entry for the giant giveaway! Your survey responses are invaluable to me and they help me create my entire content calendar for the new year. Please take 3 minutes here to fill out your copy.

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 things that you’re loving, too, so please shout them out in the comments section below.

Friday Faves

Learn:

One of my big goals for 2023 is to figure out TikTok. I fought it for SO long, but the reality is that’s where people are hanging out right now. And as a consumer of the platform, I love it. It took the algorithm a little while to get to *know* me, but it definitely knows me now. (Bring on all of the incredible choreography, chef life behind the scenes, singing videos, interior decorating, fashion tips, and quick recipe videos.) I really want to start creating content on TikTok and providing value in a new way, but I feel overwhelmed by the platform, especially with the different editing methods and features.

Thankfully, my friend Amber – we were in Jill’s mastermind together – just created a course ALL about TikTok, along with a masterclass, and I’m so pumped to do it. She’s been crushing it over there (274k followers!), and she’s going to share her tips and strategies. I know this might not be applicable to everyone, but also know that a lot of reader friends have online businesses and are involved in social media, so if you’d like to join me in her TikTok course, the link is here!

It’s $200 off right now and the price jumps on Monday when the course begins.

(Amber is on the far right of this pic from our Scottsdale trip about a month ago)

We’ll be on Instagram live today talking about TikTok if you want to join in then, too – I’d love t

 Sharing some of my favorite Amazon winter fashion faves!

Hello hello! Happy Thursday! I hope you’re having a great week so far. I have a podcast interview, getting in a legs workout, and meeting up with our Bible group for lunch. I typically work through the weekend – it gives me a chance to get ahead for the week and be present for the girls when they’re home from school- so I’ve made Thursday more of a low-key day. I’ve definitely been loving a bit of a down day during the week!

For today’s post, I wanted to share some Amazon winter fashion faves. Amazon has been CRUSHING the game lately. When they invited me to join the Fashion Influencer program, I hadn’t purchased much from their clothing department (but have ordered many things from probably every other department lol). I’ve been quickly impressed by the prices and the quality. I also feel like it’s the perfect option for more trendy choices, since I don’t like to spend a lot when it comes to trends. I’d rather invest in the classics, knowing I’ll wear them for years (like jeans, shoes, classic tops, handbags, etc), but sprinkle in a couple of trendier pieces that are still good quality.

I wanted to share some of the things I’ve ordered and loved recently, and also some of the cute options I’ve seen!

Amazon Winter Fashion Faves

Things I’ve bought recently and love:

This pink collared sweater

I’m wearing this sweater while I write this post! The collar gives it a little something extra and it’s cute with jeans and my Spanx faux leather leggings.

This neutral oversized blazer

I’d been looking for a neutral oversized blazer, but didn’t want to spend a ton. This one is perfect. It’s well-made, and looks cute with jeans and a tank, or with a black dress and Chelsea boots.

Read more

Hey hey friends! I’m so excited for today’s podcast episode because we have someone on the show who is a personal friend and someone I admire deeply: Lesley Logan. She is an amazing person, a powerhouse instructor, and has inspired thousands of people all over the world to live healthier, happier lives.

Here’s what we talk about in today’s episode:

– Pilates chat: what is it, myth busting, what’s the difference between Lagree and classical Pilates, why you shouldn’t be intimidated by it

– Why self care isn’t selfish case

– Strategies for maintaining a self care routine during a busy season

– Her tips for being “Healthy in Real Life”

and so.much.more.

Here’s a bit more about Lesley and her background:

Lesley Logan, a certified Pilates teacher, breathwork, habits and mindset coach, is the founder of OnlinePilatesClasses.com, the first free online catalogue of Pilates exercise tutorials, where you can also find weekly Pilates classes and workshops. Teaching Pilates since 2008, she has run multiple studios, has trained hundreds of people to become teachers themselves and has taught thousands of students. When not teaching from her studio in Las Vegas, Lesley she’s hosting her podcast Be It Till You See it or traveling the world leading Pilates retreats.

Connect with Lesley on Instagram, check out her website and take classes from her here, and listen to her podcast.

Resources from this episode:

The weather is cooling down, and I’m still obsessed with my sauna blanket. It feels even BETTER when it’s chilly outside and you can use the code FITNESSISTA15 for 15% off! This is one of my favorite ways to relax and sweat it out. I find that it energizes me, helps with aches and pains, I sleep better on the days I use this, and it makes my skin glow. Link to check it out here. You can also use my discount for the PEMF Go Mat, which I use every day!

I love love love the meals from Sakara Life! Read more