Sharing some journaling prompts you can use as we wrap up the last portion of the year. 

Hiiii friends! Happy Wednesday! What do you have going on this week? My newest baby niece will be born this week and I can’t wait! I’m excited to put some baby meals together 🙂

Today, I wanted to chat about something that has changed my morning routine: journaling. I always heard people talking about it, but didn’t want to give it a try because it felt awkward and uncomfortable. I’m supposed to just… write?? Write about what? What if it isn’t good? What if someone reads it and was like wth is wrong with this person? It made me nervous to write something so effortlessly, without the power to brainstorm, strategize and delete.

But, during the time that shall not be named, something changed: I needed to dump my thoughts onto paper. I stopped caring about it being good, or perfect, but instead used it as a brain dump because my head was SO full of thoughts. It gave me clarity and peace, and since then, I’ve used it as part of my morning routine.

Usually my morning routine looks something like this (sometimes all of it happens, sometimes it’s in pieces broken up throughout the day, sometimes only one thing might happen):

My morning routine

Probiotic and a big glass of water

Meditate on my PEMF Go Mat (code is FITNESSISTA15) listening to binaural beats on Spotify for 7 minutes

Daily devotional/Bible study and prayer 10-15 minutes, listening to worship music on Spotify

Journaling 5-10 minutes about goals, a brain dump of thoughts, or where I see myself in the future. I write about these things like they’ve already happened. It’s been SO wild to go back to some of the things that I wrote in 2020 and every.single.thing has happened, even the ones that felt genuinely impossible.

After this, I’ll have breakfast (usually Daily Nutritional support and Truvani protein pudding topped with berries and hemp seeds or Nuttzo) and supplements, make a coffee and then get started on work

**Feel free to adjust your routine according to your unique beliefs and goals, and set yourself up for a peaceful and energized day.

Journaling prompts to use this fall

If you’re feeling stumped on the journaling portion, here are some prompts you can consider:

Reflect on your spiritual growth this year.

What lessons have you learned, and how have they shaped your beliefs and values? How is the version of you NOW different then the version of you at the beginning of the year?

What are three goals you want to ac

Sharing a round-up of vegan pumpkin recipes to enjoy this fall!

Hey friends! Fall is finally here, and you know what that means—jeans, sweaters, boots, chili, aaaaand pumpkin everything! There’s something about that cozy, slightly sweet flavor that just screams autumn. Our leaves don’t change here in AZ, but the air gets a little crisper, and I love to bake and create pumpkin recipes. The Pilot isn’t a fan of squashes and gourds, but thankfully, I have two little pumpkin-obsessed buddies.

Whether you’re a long-time vegan or just looking to add more plant-based meals to your diet, I’ve got some amazing vegan pumpkin recipes that are perfect for this season. We’re talking everything from comforting soups to indulgent desserts, all with that delicious pumpkin twist. Please let me know if you give any of these a try!

10 Vegan Pumpkin Recipes For Fall

1. Pumpkin Pie Smoothie Bowl

A delicious and healthy high protein breakfast option that tastes like pumpkin pie! It’s gluten-free, vegan, and an awesome breakfast for busy mornings.

2. The Best Pumpkin Cornbread

The “make with everything” side dish for fall. Gluten-free, lightly sweetened, and no added oils.

3. Pumpkin Pie Mousse

This tastes like pumpkin pie in a bowl, minus the crust. It has the creamy texture of pumpkin pie filling but is totally egg-free for my vegan friends out there.

4. Pumpkin Amazeballs

These pumpkin protein balls are the perfect seasonal healthy snack! They pack a punch of protein and healthy fat in delicious dessert-like bites.

5. Vegan Pumpkin Bread from Well Plated

This marvelously moist, springy, and pumpkin-spiced bread is dairy-free, whole wheat, naturally sweetened, and uses a whopping WHOLE CAN of pumpkin (no weird pumpkin leftovers!).

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Sharing why I’m obsessed with barefoot shoes and how you can incorporate them into your fitness routine and life!

Hi friends! Happy Monday! How was the weekend? I had an amazing time in San Diego with Betsy attending the Lagree certification workshop at DEFINE. (San Diego friends, go take a class with my friend Carina! I’ve known her for years – we taught barre together in SD – and she’s an incredible instructor and person.)

So today, let’s talk about barefoot shoes.

(It was hilarious when I went to gather all of my shoes for this photoshoot. I was like wow I really do have five pairs and I use and love all of them!)

Barefoot shoes have been around for quite a while.

According to this website:

In the 20th century, barefoot shoes emerged as people began questioning the need for heavily cushioned and supportive shoes. In the 1960s and 1970s, the popularity of the “Jogging” movement led to the development of more minimalist running shoes, which aimed to mimic the barefoot experience.

I think many of us can remember the early 2000s, when barefoot shoes saw a resurgance as Vibrams came out. I remember seeing them for the first time —  they looked like duck feet to me. They were horrendous lol. But, it was definitely a lightbulb moment. I’ve worked in the fitness industry since 2008, and after multiple trainings and workshops (like the foot stretching and gait classes I took and then taught at Canyon Ranch), I realized the impact of footwear on overall function and how minimalist shoes can change your workouts and life.

Barefoot shoes are not only lightweight and super comfortable, but they enable us to have full function of our foot muscles, full toe splay (instead of our toes being crammed into narrow shoes), and can affect overall posture, alignement, and performance.

Read more

Hi friends! How’s the week going? I hope that you’re having an amazing week. It’s been wild around here as usual, working during the day and chasing the kids around in the afternoons and evenings. I feel like summer was so peaceful and that the school year is pure chaos. I’m still trying to figure out how to balance everything, especially since the kids are busy with their own activities + boatloads of homework.

For today’s post, I wanted to chat a little bit about my personal wellness and health journey and some of the things I had to learn the hard way. If you’re an OG blog reader (Hiiiii! Thank you for being here for so long!) you’ve had a front-row seat to how things have changed around time. You’ve seen the cardio queen days, the raw food days, the pregnancies, the good, the bad, the weird, and everything in between. 🙂

It’s funny because as a health and wellness professional, it’s easy to assume that we have it together most of the time and that we follow our own advice. The reality is that many of us are trying out different things, failing, and learning along the way. Even the things you *know* (like the value of sleep, stress management, and eating a dang vegetable) can still be challenging for those of us who work in this industry.

Here are some of the things that I had to learn the hard way.

Things I learned the hard way about health and wellness:

– Everything isn’t for everyone. As someone who has tried pretty much all the things (besides swim-related activities because I’m a float on a raft and doggy paddle kinda girl), I’ve learned that my body doesn’t like every type of exercise class or format. Since I’m still on my healing journey and trying to keep inflammation down, I know I still can’t do a ton of sprinting or HIIT right now, and that’s ok. Barre and yoga feel a million times better to me than box jumps and burpees, and I don’t feel like I have to nap afterwards.

The same goes for nutrition and supplements. Some people do really well on a high fat diet, while others don’t. Some people need more B vitamins and protein, and less carbs, while others need higher carbs and don’t digest protein as well.

Probiotics can be amazing tools, but if you have gut bacterial overgrowth, it can actually make it worse.

Cold therapy can tip over an already-full stress bucket.

It goes on and on.. It’s really about figuring out what works well for YOU 🙂

– Good shoes make such a huge difference! I think back to my first long distance runs wearing kids’ sized Nikes lol. I’m glad I’ve stepped up my shoe game!

I’ve tried out so many shoes and my #1 fave right now are Vivobarefoots. (<— that link gets you 20% off) I have a whole post coming ab

Chatting about some of the long-term impacts of stress and how it can lead to hormone issues down the line.

Hi friends! How are you? I hope you’re having an amazing day so far! I’m taking an F45 strength class and have calls lined up the rest of the day.

For today’s post, I wanted to chat a little bit about stress. I talk with clients every day, and this is a huge theme. We’re all stressed. It can be emotional, physical, or environmental stressors, and the results compound over time. When stress becomes chronic, it can unfortunately wreak havoc on the body, affecting things like our digestion, immune system, glucose tolerance, sleep, and hormones.

Today, I wanted to focus specifically on hormonal imbalances caused by stress, and what you can do about it. Please keep in mind that as always, this post is not medical advice. Talk to your doctor about personalized recs for you and get the help and support you need. If you’re ever curious about functional lab testing to see how stress is affecting your body’s balance, email me gina@fitnessista.com subject TEST.

How Stress Can Cause Hormonal Imbalance

When we’re stressed, our body releases cortisol, which is known as the stress hormone. When it’s in small amounts, cortisol can be helpful. It gives us energy and adrenaline to deal with the task at hand. When the stressors are chronic, our body is flooded with excess cortisol, and it eventually stops responding as well. High cortisol eventually leads to low cortisol, which gives us that apathetic, fatigued, and worn down feeling.

Cortisol can also interfere with the production of sex hormones, like estrogen, progesterone, DHEA, and testosterone. Ample hormones are crucial for our menstrual cycles and reproductive health. High levels of stress can also impact thyroid function, which plays a huge role in metabolism and energy.

When cortisol is high, it can lead to mood swings, weight gain, and mental health struggles. The adrenal glands, which produce cortisol, become overworked, which can lead to adrenal fatigue. This is also called adrenal insufficiency, where the body isn’t reponding to cortisol the same way it used to.

This ongoing imbalance can contribute to a range of symptoms, from irregular menstrual cycles and fertility issues to fatigue, anxiety, and depression.

Here are some of the things we can do about it:

How To Manage Stress Induced Hormonal Imbalance

Stress management is one of the hardest, but one of the BEST things we can do for our health.

Here are some of my favorite strategies:

1. Adopt a Regular Exercise Routine

Stress can be an incredible way to reduce stress, but it’s important to remember that exercise can be an extra stressor the body, particularly if it’s especially long and intense. General movement can help lower cortisol levels, increases endorphin production (your body’s natural mood boosters), and is obviously a good thin