things I had to learn the hard way about health and wellness

Web Admin 0 479 Article rating: No rating

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

How stress can cause hormone imbalance

Web Admin 0 510 Article rating: No rating

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

Fall Fashion Faves

Web Admin 0 482 Article rating: No rating

Sharing some of my favorite fashion finds for fall!

Hi friends! How are you? I hope you had an amazing weekend! We had a great little staycation in Phoenix, and P and I hit up the trampoline park and the Children’s Museum while Liv took dance classes all day. We’re back home, back to school, and I’m blitzing through work before I leave on a San Diego trip this week. I’d love to hear about your weekend!

For today’s post, I wanted to chat about fall fashion faves. Usually I’m kind of meh about fall fashion – I’m usually over here like give me all the tanks and sundresses – but this year I am FEELIN’ IT. Booties, jeans, sweaters, florals, reds, browns, yes yes.

Here are some of the things I’m loving for this upcoming season! It’s a mix of my style preference: classic with a sprinkle of the trendy things mixed in. If there’s anything you’re loving (or loathing!) for fall, please feel free to link it up in the comments section. Also, can we officially rejoice the death of the shacket? It’s gone, right???

*Little note that affiliate links are included below. They don’t impact purchase price but enable me to earn a small kickback that I use to keep this lil blog running. Thank you so much to those of you who choose to shop with my links!

Fall Fashion Faves

Dresses:

I’ve rented this dress in tan from Nuuly and it’s so gorgeous and flattering. Love it in the red for fall!

This dress looks super luxe but is an amazing price.

This would be so cute with boots or flats.

This silkly slip dress.

These are some of my all-time favorite dresses.

Farm Rio continues to be my #1.

I have this dress in hot pink and get SO many compliments when I wear it. (It looks like a La Vie Style House tunic at a fraction of the price.) They have fall colors and they’re all amazing.

This dress is a splurge, but I looooove it.

I’m always pumped when leopard comes back around.

Jeans:

I know that wide leg jeans are in style right now, but I’m not a tall person (5’4 1/2) and have short legs. They look bizarre on me, so I’m going more for bootcut and straight leg jeans.

Got these jeans and they fit extremely well; the fabric is excellent, too. Just a tiny bit of stretch.

Read more

9.13 Friday Faves

Web Admin 0 512 Article rating: No rating

Hi friends! Happy Friday! What’s going on this weekend? P has some basketball games and then the girls and I are off to Phoenix for dance. (The Pilot has a huge work event so that’s his life lately.) It’s going to be a busy one, but I really look forward to the weekends and love watching the girls shine in their respective activities.

I’m also excited to get out fall decorations! I was tempted to buy all the gourds at Whole Foods, until I remembered that the javelinas love to eat them 😉

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.

9.13 Friday Faves

Fashion + beauty + random:

Here’s a pic of the comfy Amazon set I’m loving lately.

It’s not too thin and the fabric is light and cozy. Definitely decent quality for the price.

I also ordered this set – can’t wait to wear it with Chelsea boots – but it won’t be here until the end of September.

Why are Somerset dresses the BEST?

If you’ve been needing a Vitamin C serum, here is an excellent option.

I’m trying to get set up for the holidays now so it’s not such a scramble. Ordered this advent calender for P if you’re looking for one!

Read, watch, listen:

Check out this week’s podcast episode about parasites. It was an eye-opening one for me and I learned a lot.

Speaking of parasites, I ordered this Rogers Hood Parafy kit to try. She’s gone viral on Instagram and TikTok (she’s the “Worm Queen.” You’re welcome if you decide to go down a rabbit hole lol) and I wanted to see what the hype is about.  This is an Read more

172: Parasites and detoxing with Kate Mills

Web Admin 0 485 Article rating: No rating

Hi friends! I have the perfect Halloween podcast topic today… let’s talk about parasites 🙂

I’m chatting with my friend Kate Mills all about these creepy crawlers, including:

– What are parasites and how do you know if you have them?

– Her health journey

– Her favorite detoxing strategies

– and so.much.more

*Friendly reminder that this isn’t medical advice. As always, talk with a doctor before making any fitness or nutrition changes.

172: Parasites and detoxing with Kate Mills

Here’s more about Kate and her background:

Kate Mills is an Integrative Health Practitioner who has been on her own healing journey for over 28 years and specializes in identifying and addressing root causes and helping her clients find balance and optimize their own health.

After suffering from severe chronic pain, 10+ years of migraine headaches, daily seizures, and a multitude of symptoms that no western medicine doctor or test could identify the cause for, she became her own health detective. She spent most of her life learning, testing, and biohacking her way to now being healthier than she ever thought possible, and is passionate about helping others do the same.

Kate’s journey overcoming Lyme disease, mold illness, parasites, yeast overgrowths, deficiencies, mental health issues, and so much more have given her the tools and experience to support nearly anyone in reaching their health goals.

Kate specilizes in helping others reduce internal and external stressors while supporting their cells through detoxes, parasite cleanses, mold and yeast protocols, and maximizing healing technology (combined with a healthy lifestyle).

You can connect with Kate on her website, on Instagram, and at HLTHCAVE here.

Partners:

I’ve been using Nutrisense on and off for a couple of years now. I love being able to see how my blood sugar responds to my diet and habits, and run experiments. Read more

RSS
First2829303133353637Last