Hi friends! Happy Friday! How was the week? Ours was a whirlwind, but SO much fun.

I had our choir performance last Friday, drove Liv to Phoenix for her dance competition early Saturday morning, spent the night, the Pilot and I P drove up, I rushed home for our Sunday performance while they stayed in Phoenix for Day 2 of dance competition,

I took the shuttle from Tucson to Phoenix early Monday morning, they swooped me at the airport, we drove to Anaheim for Disney fun for a couple of days, then to San Diego for a couple of days. We’re finally back home after a super fun adventure and spring break!

It definitely felt good to sleep in our bed last night and I’m looking forward to a low-key Easter weekend with the fam. I’d love to hear what you’ve been up to!

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.

Friday Faves 3.29

Spring Break vacation:

Some pics from the Disney and San Diego adventures:

We had our usual Goofy’s Kitchen dinner (so good and such a fun way to kick off the trip!)Read more

Motivation Tips For Group Fitness Instructors

For today’s post, I wanted to talk about motivation tips for group fitness instructors: what I’ve found to work in my years of teaching, what only works for some people, and what falls flat, no matter what. I would love to hear your thoughts and experience as group fitness participants or fellow instructors!! Whether you’re leading through a screen, like many instructors are after Rona, or in person, motivation strategies are super important. You want to transmit energy and inspire individuals and group exercise participants both effectively and authentically.

What works (almost) every time:

Use great music with a diverse playlist.

This is one of my favorite things to do! Include a mix of music in your playlists, because someone in class will love the *weird song* you picked. For example, I’ll throw in a random oldies or country song just to keep things fun, and will also try to mix up top 40s music with more alternative and instrumental styles. If you make an entire playlist based on one genre (like EDM or top 40s) one person in class will love every song, but one person will hate every song and possibly never come back.

Call out participants by their names.

I think it’s so much more meaningful this way and shows participants that you care about them.

Acknowledge their hard work and push them to take it up within a safe level.

I talk more about this here! It’s SO important to encourage participants to listen to their body, modify as needed, and be proud of them for showing up!!!

Demonstrate proper form and ways to modify or progress an exercise.

When participants have confidence in the moves and know they’re not setting themselves up for injury, it’s more motivating. 😉

Emphasizing the muscle group they’re working.

Explain why it’s important (“a strong core helps protect our low back and support everyday movements”), and helping them put their mind to muscle.

Just be quiet.

Sometimes it motivating and powerful to be quiet for a bit and let the energy and music do the talking for you.

What works sometimes, depending on the vibe and your personality:

The more “woo” side of things, like visualizations.

During a spin class, sometimes I’ll say something like, “Imagine the people you love standing on the side of the road right now holding a sign to inspire you. What does the sign say?” Or “For our sprint, we’re riding against your biggest competition. Maybe it’s someone from work, or maybe it’s someone who doesn’t even know who you are.”

Hands-on adjustments.

Some people love these and some people hate them, so it’s good to ask at the beginning of class if there are injuries or if anyone is uncomforta

Sharing five things I do before bed each night in today’s podcast episode!

Here’s what I talk about:

– My anchor nightly habits that help me to get higher quality, restorative sleep

– The WHY behind each of them

and some little tips along the way 🙂

156: Five things I do before bed each night

Resources:

Topical magnesium

Topical magnesium for kids

Balanced magnesium (use FITNESSISTA10)

Cornea Care eye mask

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. You can try out Nutrisense here and use GINA50 for $50 off.

Join us for Fit Team! This is my online fitness community and you can try it free for 7 days.

I love love love the meals from Sakara Life! Use this link and the code XOGINAH for 20% off their meal delivery and clean boutique items. This is something I do once a month as a lil treat to myself and the meals are always showstoppers.

If any of my fellow health professional friends are looking for another way to help their clients, I highly recommend IHP. You can also use this information to heal yourself and then go one to heal others, which I think is a beautiful mission. You can absolutely join if you don’t currently work in the health or fitness industry; many IHPs don’t begin on this path. They’re friends who are passionate to learn more about health and wellness, and want to share this information with those they love. You can do this as a passion, or start an entirely new career.

You can use my referral link here and the code FITNESSISTA for up to $250 off the Integrative Health Practitioner program. I highly recommend it! You can check out my review IHP Level 1 here and Read more

Sharing a glimpse of how I structure my weekly workouts.

Hiiiii! How are you? I hope you’re having an amazing morning! We’re at Disneyland today and I can’t wait to ride all of the rides, eat Disney treats, and enjoy some fun memories with my favorite people.

While I won’t be getting in any *official* workouts this week, I’ll definitely be walking 20k steps per day (minus the long drive home). For today’s post, I thought i’d share a little bit about what my workouts have been like lately and how I structure my weeks.

It varies week by week, but here are some of the things I like to include:

3 strength classes – I’ll mix it up between F45, pure barre Define (my fave right now!), and Fit Team strength workouts (low-impact modifications)

1-2 hot yoga or barre classes (I teach barre every other week and do about 80% of the workout with the class)

1-2 cardio days on the Peloton and/or Sculpt Society (this link gets you a free trial on the app!)

1-2 days OFF

Week of workouts

Here’s what a week might look like:

Sunday: OFF

Monday: Hot yoga or power yoga

Tuesday: F45 total body or Fit Team total body

Wednesday: Peloton or Sculpt Society

Thursday: F45 legs or Fit Team legs 

Friday: pure barre (Define or Classic), or Pilates

Saturday: Hike, Sculpt Society, or off

I also walk Maisey every day (usually 1-2 miles around the neighborhood) or stroll on my walking pad during meetings

You might notice that it’s not a ton of cardio, and not a lot of interval training. I FINALLY feel like I’m in a place where I’m able to push myself a little with cardio again. Cardio releases histamine – it was a trigger for my eyes- and can also deplete you further when you have autoimmune symptoms. I noticed last year that I couldn’t push myself the way I used to because I’d be sore and exhausted for days. I also got sick twice after very hard workouts, which was unusual for me.

This kind of schedule has enabled me to stay active without overdoing it. It’s working for me right now 🙂

I’d love to hear how you structure your week of workouts!

If you need help setting up a workout plan, I have a freebie you can download here.

You can also try Fit Team free here! This is my full wellness hub with new strength workouts each month, a schedule for how to build your wekely plan (and substitute group classes), recipes, meal guides, educational modules, and playlists. Join the team here.

Have a great day and I’ll see ya soon!
xo

Gina

The post Week of workouts appeared first on The Fitnessista.

Sharing my experience so far using the EquiLife CBO protocol as part of my gut healing process. You can read more about my journey here.

Hi friends! I hope that you’re having a wonderful week! We’re in California celebrating spring break with the crew. I’ll share some adventures on IG stories and some pics in Friday Faves.

For today’s post, I wanted to chat a bit about my CBO protocol journey now that I’m five weeks into the process. (I can’t believe it’s been this long!!) It was a huge step in my healing journey from eye issues and autoimmune symptoms, since I did some testing and found high levels of bacteria, yeast, and Candida in my gut. You can check out more about my experience here.

CBO is a 12-week protocol, and while it’s not for the faint of heart, I’ve already noticed incredible improvements.

EquiLife CBO protocol review

What is the EquiLife CBO protocol?

The Equilife Candida, Bacteria Optimizer Protocol is thoughtfully crafted and designed to tackle imbalances in gut microbiota, specifically targeting candida, fungal, and yeast overgrowth and bacterial dysbiosis. By harnessing the power of natural ingredients known for their antifungal, antibacterial, and gut-healing properties, this protocol aims to restore harmony within the gut ecosystem. The goal of the CBO protocol is to clean out the *bad* bacteria in your gut, repopulate the good bacteria, and heal and seal the gut lining. 

Friendly reminder: I’m not a doctor and this isn’t medical advice. I’m simply sharing my experience with this protocol. As with any dietary or supplement regimen, it’s crucial for individuals to consult with their primary care physician or a qualified healthcare provider before making any changes. This ensures compatibility with existing medical conditions, medications, and individual health needs. 

Key Ingredients in the CBO protocol:

Saccharomyces Boulardii: A protective and powerful probiotic.

Berberine: Extracted from various plants like goldenseal and barberry, berberine possesses broad-spectrum antimicrobial properties, effectively combating bacterial overgrowth and restoring microbial balance.

Oregano Oil: Renowned for its antimicrobial prowess, oregano oil contains compounds such as carvacrol and thymol, which exhibit potent antifungal and antibacterial effects, aiding in the eradication of pathogenic organisms in the gut.

Enzymes and Probiotics: This Equilife protocol also includes a blend of digestive enzymes and probiotics to support optimal digestion and gut flora balance. Enzymes facilitate the breakdown and absorption of nutrients, while probiotics replenish benefic