Dry brushing is a simple exercise that improves health by increasing skin circulation and stimulating the lymphatic system. How do you get started and how should you dry brush? Get the answers here.

Hi friends! How’s the morning going so far? The kids are at a morning camp, and I’m working on getting things together for upcoming travels. I hope you’re having a great day so far. 🙂

For today’s post, I want to talk about dry brushing! This is something I’ve done since the Valdosta days (the first time!), and figured it was finally time for a post. Some of my regular habits are so engrained in my routine, I forget about them, and a friend or someone will will say, “Wait. You do/did what?!” lol. These things can be anywhere from chiropractic, functional medicine doctors and testing, acupuncture, Mayan abdominal massage, placenta encapsulation, meditating, using FAM to track my cycle, etc.

Dry brushing that came up in conversation recently, and I wanted to write a blog post and share a short video on this super easy hack you can add into your routine. Friendly reminder that this post is not medical advice! Just sharing my experience.

The Health Benefits of Dry Brushing

Dry brushing involves using a soft bristled brush to gently brush the top layer of skin. You can do this for a variety of reasons: to improve circulation and lymphatic drainage, for skin texture and exfoliation, or because it feels great!

Improves lymphatic flow

Our body is covered with lymph nodes that are concentrated in the head and neck area, the armpits, and groin. Our lymphatic system helps with tissue drainage, fat transport, removing waste, and immune function. If these vessels become congested or clogged, you may notice swelling or inflammation. I like to do gentle lymphatic massage on my face and neck, and dry brushing on my body to help encourage my lymphatic system to function properly and keep things moving along!

Can exfoliate and improve skin texture

The act of dry brushing the skin helps to remove dead skin cells on the surface and can help improve skin texture. If you don’t typically exfoliate your body, this is a great way to do it! When you exfoliate your skin, it also helps your moisturizer or body oils absorb properly to hydrate the skin.

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Hi friends! Happy Friday! The weekend is heeeeere and the Pilot and I are off to Miraval. BLESS IT. Cell phone access is limited, but I’ll definitely share sneak peeks and some of the fun (and delicious eats) on IG stories when I get a chance.

What do you have going on this weekend? Liv has a show later this weekend, and we’re meeting up with friends for swimming and dinner. It’s the usual summer fun around here and I’m soaking it up since the kids start school so early here in AZ. We’re headed to Hawaii in a couple of weeks to cap off the summer, and unlike our previous family vacations, I haven’t planned much at all to do while we’re in Oahu (Waikiki area).

(Pic from a milkshake date with these cuties a few days ago)

I’m just excited to be there and I think the kids are pumped to spend every day at the beach. I booked the Paradise Cove luau – so many were sold out – so if you have feedback or tips on that luau (or if you hated it and we should cancel lol), please let me know!

It’s time for the weekly Friday Faves party! This is where I share some 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.

We had family visit this past week (the Pilot’s mom, dad, sis, + our niece and nephew) and that was definitely a huge a highlight. We took them to some of our fave Tucson spots, ate the best Mexican food,

and we had everyone over for a cookout and swimming. We had 20 people over and the Pilot smoked a giant brisket, two whole chickens, and we also had cheesy potatoes, chopped salad, ceviche, chips, fresh sourdough, fruit salad, asparagus, salmon, s’mores and dump cake for dessert. It was pretty legendary. 🙂

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Hi friends! How are ya? I hope you’re enjoying the week so far!

I have a new podcast episode up for you today, and I’m chatting all about ways to get more out of your workout routine. If you’ve been consistent with your routine but aren’t seeing results, here are some checkmarks to consider. It’s always helpful to assess our routine and see where we’re succeeding, what our weaknesses look like, and small changes we can make to improve results. Of course, always talk with your doctor or healthcare professional before making any changes to your fitness and nutrition routine.

107: How to get more from your workout routine

Switch the emphasis from cardio to strength training and walking

Don’t get me wrong; I LOVE cardio. I love to sweat from my eyeballs and I thrive on the endorphins. Cardio is a solid part of my routine for the mental health benefits.

Here’s what too much cardio can be a problem:

It can increase inflammation in the body, which gives us a puffy look and makes it harder to recover from our workouts

It can catabolize muscle tissue if it’s in excess and we’re not fueling/recovering properly

With cardio overtraining, it can lead to altered movement patterns, muscle imbalances, and overuse injuries. If you’re an endurance athlete, make sure you’re following a balanced training plan that incorporates cross training, along with proper fueling and recovery.

If you have body composition goals, you will notice a bigger difference if you switch your focus to strength training and use walking (or hill walking) as cardio. This will enable you to preserve muscle tissue and use your energy for strength.

Not sure how much cardio you need? Check out this post. 

Do the same things over and over again; follow a progressive training module

I cringe SO hard when I think about how I used to advocate for “muscle confusion.” Your muscles don’t have a brain lol. It’s actually beneficial to do the same movement patterns (push, pull, hinge, squat, carry) and increase the sets and reps over time. THIS is how you strategically build lean muscle. Of course, you can add in changes to keep things exciting and challenge yourself in a different way, but all solid training plans need to emphasize the basics. The classic movements have stood the test of time for a reason.

In your personal routine, take a look at your core exercises and make sure they have the pull, push, hinge, squat, and carry movements at least 2x a week. If you’re looking for a progressive training plan, join us in Fit Team.

Podcast about progressive training here!

Focus on sleep and recovery

Athletes need 7+ hours of quality sleep each night in order to facilitate mental and physical repair.

Some tips for bett

Look, I get it. You know you’ll feel better if you work out. But maybe your alarm was extra-unwelcome this morning or you’ve had an exhausting day. And you know that with a little bit of a boost, you’re not just more likely to actually feel up to exercising — you’re also more likely to crush that workout.

And that makes a pre-workout pretty appealing, but that quick high comes with some serious lows you need to be aware of.

Why I don’t use pre-workout

You all know I take my sweat session seriously. So a lot of people are surprised when they hear that I never make pre-workout part of my routine. I mean, it’s a pretty standard part of that fitness lifestyle for a lot of people.

But here’s the thing. Pre-workout is FILLED with synthetic sh*t like artificial sweeteners and untested supplements. Like, you’re truly getting that boost from chemicals paired with a VERY heavy-handed dose of caffeine. And that means it comes with side effects like:

• Jitters
• Nausea
• An energy crash afterward
• Tingling and flushed skin
• Digestive problems
• Water retention (read: bloating)
• Heart palpitations
• Headaches

You might think those side effects would probably be pretty rare — but you’d be wrong. A 2019 study found that 54% of people who took pre-workout experienced side effects, and those side effects were more common in women than in men. That means that if you and your friend both take pre-workout, the odds are pretty darn high that at least one of you will have to deal with feeling sick, getting a skin reaction, or some other issue. 

On top of all of this, pre-workout raises your heart rate. If you’re going to be getting into some serious cardio, that can put excess (read: dangerous) strain on your heart. 

As we learn more about what pre-workout does to the body, more and more health and fitness experts are coming out against it. And I’m right there with them.

What to watch out for

I’m not saying all of this to freak you out. But I do think that if you’re using pre-workout, it’s important to put some thought into it. Read the label and look up ingredients you don’t know. Here are a few common ones I would steer clear of:

• Excess caffeine: A lot pre-workout products have upwards of 250+ mg of caffeine per serving. Factor your daily cup (or two) of coffee on top of that and you’re quickly hitting or exceeding the FDAs recommended caffeine intake of up to 400 milligrams. It’s important not to shock your system and overload it too quickly. 
• Beta-alanine: This compound is supposed to help prevent muscle fatigue and soreness. But it also affects your skin. If you’ve ever felt tingly after taking pre-workout, beta-alanine was probably to blame.
• Niacin: A.k.a., vitamin B3, niacin does play an important role in your metabolism. But if you’re eating a healthy diet, you should already be getting plenty of it. And the high levels of niacin in pre-workout cause skin flushing, so much so that a lot of people get red patches on their skin. 
• Creatine: Creatine is a pretty popular fitness supplement because it helps to boost muscle mass and enhance athletic performance. But do you know

Sharing my top picks from the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale! Affiliate links are included below. These links don’t affect purchase price but enable me to earn a small kickback that I use to help keep this lil blog running. I know a lot of influencers and creators cover this sale, so I just want to say thank you so much to those of you who choose to shop through my links!

Hi hi friends! Happy Monday! How was the weekend? We’re wrapping up a super fun weekend with family in town. We swam all day, went to the arcade, ate the best Mexican food, had a cookout (my whole family came over for this one, too), and visited the Air and Space Museum. I hope you had a wonderful weekend, too! Today is the first day of Summer Shape Up! If you want the plan, sign up here 🙂

For today’s post, I’m sharing my top picks from the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale! I look forward to this sale all year, especially for stocking up on classic pieces (like jeans, jackets, and shoes), back-to-school for the kids (shoes and their winter jackets), and home items. The sale officially opened for cardholders this past Saturday, but I’m just now going through my list. I thought I’d share some top picks, plus things that I have and love (or are in my shopping cart).

Nordstrom Anniversary Sale Finds

Clothes

Super comfy pocket joggers

*I got this sweater in the sale a couple of years ago and wear it around the house every night when I get a little chilled. This is also a lovely gift for postpartum mamas.

**These are my very favorite thongs. I have so many but ordered a few more.

*The best shorts pajamas

Crop crewneck sweater for $15!

*This is when I stock up on bras. This is my very favorite one. It’s seamless, gives you a little boost, and the best part: NO EVIL WIRE.

Long-sleeve mock neck dress

**I’ve had a few of these dresses for years now. The price is amazing, they last, and they’re so flattering. Ordering another color 🙂

Classic white sweater for $39

If you’re going for the trendy wide-leg jeans look (I bow to your bravery in my skinny jeans) this wash is beautiful

*Love this bralette with a low-cut flowy tank

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