Sharing some of my favorite stretches for better posture. 

Hi friends! How are ya? I hope you’re enjoying the day so far! I have a Spanish lesson today and am meeting up with a friend for lunch. I hope you have a fun and relaxing day ahead!

For today.. let’s talk about posture. (And how many of you sat up a little straighter while reading that?! I did while I was typing it.)

Good posture is more than just standing up straight; it’s about alignment, balance, and overall well-being. Beyond the aesthetic appeal, maintaining proper posture can enhance flexibility, strength, and even reduce the risk of injuries. However, with sedentary lifestyles and prolonged sitting becoming the norm, many people suffer from poor posture. Fortunately, there are simple yet effective stretches that can help correct and improve posture, regardless of age or fitness level. Today, I wanted to share a variety of stretches aimed at enhancing posture and overall spinal health.

10 Stretches For Better Posture:

Cat-Cow Stretch:

Muscles Targeted: Spine, abdominals, and back muscles.

Benefits: Promotes spinal flexibility, stretches the spine, and helps alleviate tension in the back and neck.

How to Do It: Start on your hands and knees, inhale as you arch your back and lift your chest (cow pose), exhale as you round your spine and tuck your chin to your chest (cat pose). Repeat for several breaths.

Forward Fold:

Muscles Targeted: Hamstrings, lower back, and spine.

Benefits: Lengthens the spine, stretches the hamstrings, and relieves tension in the lower back.

How to Do It: Stand with feet hip-width apart, hinge at the hips, and fold forward, reaching towards the floor. Allow your head to hang heavy and hold for a few breaths.

Chest Opener:

Muscles Targeted: Chest, shoulders, and upper back.

Benefits: Counteracts rounded shoulders, opens the chest, and improves posture by stretching the muscles in the front of the body.

How to Do It: Stand tall, interlace your fingers behind your back, and squeeze your shoulder blades together as you lift your arms and open your chest. Hold for 30 seconds.

Seated Spinal Twist:

Muscles Targeted: Spine, obliques, and hips.

Benefits: Improves spinal mobility, releases tension in the back, and stretches the muscles along the spine and s

Sharing a comparison between Pilates and yoga, and which one I like more 😉 

Hi friends! Happy Monday! How was the weekend? I hope you had a great one! We officially have spring fever over there. I want to replant the garden – I let everything outside die when I was dealing with the great eye saga – and clean everything, while the kids are already begging to jump in the pool wearing their pajamas.

I’m enjoying this short-lived sweet spot of weather before it’s a thousand degrees by walking and hiking as much as possible!

For today’s post, I wanted to chat a bit about Pilates and yoga, and the diffferences between these two popular low-impact workout options.

In the world of mind-body fitness, Pilates and yoga stand as two prominent practices, each offering a unique approach to physical and mental well-being. While they share some similarities, such as emphasizing breath control and mind-body connection, there are distinct differences between the two. There are nuances of Pilates and yoga, which make them super special, and I wanted to chat about muscle engagement, styles, advantages, and considerations for incorporating them into your fitness routine. As always, talk to a doctor before making any fitness or nutrition changes!

Pilates vs. Yoga: Understanding the Difference and Benefits

Muscle Groups Targeted:

Both Pilates and yoga engage various muscle groups, albeit with different emphases. Pilates primarily targets the core muscles, including the abdominals, obliques, and lower back, while also engaging muscles throughout the body to improve strength, flexibility, and stability.

On the other hand, yoga encompasses a broader range of muscle groups, including the core, arms, legs, and back, with different poses targeting specific areas depending on the style practiced. I feel like both are great total-body workouts, but Pilates definitely includes more core work.

Jumpsuit is here!

Styles of Pilates and Yoga:

Pilates comes in several forms, with the most common being mat Pilates and equipment-based Pilates using apparatus like the reformer, cadillac, and chair. Mat Pilates focuses on bodyweight exercises performed on a mat, wherea

Hi friends! How was the week? I hope you had a great one. What’s going on this weekend?

We have a birthday party, a night out with friends, and I’m teaching a barre class.  I also can’t wait to crawl into the sauna blanket this afternoon; it’s a little chilly today. I’ve love to hear what you have going on!

I was also thinking of doing a spring challenge, similar to Spring Shape Up but with MORE. Wellness tips, fitness programming, live calls, free, the whole deal. Let me know if that’s something you’d be interested in doing and we can start later this month!

It’s time for the weekly Friday Faves party (on a Saturday! Yesterday ended up being wild, but I still love doing this particular post each week). 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 4.5

Life:

Easter fun! We had an amazing Easter weekend here at home after our San Diego and Disneyland trip last week. Saturday night, the girls and I went to mass, and Sunday morning, the Easter bunny made a stop at our house.

He brought new swimsuits and candy for both kids, a drone and a stuffed animal for one kid, skincare and lulu for the other. 😉

We had a lovely breakfast at my dad’s house with his side of the family and we finally got to meet the newest member of the family, Hudson! He is snuggliest sweetest little guy… and is NOT helping my current baby fever. (Team Two and Through, but I’m struggling with this right now lol.)

Classic Easter pic:

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Imma bout to show you the way to my heart.

How To Cook Grilled Artichokes

Artichokes are one of the first foods that the Pilot and I would make to go along with our dinners. When we first started dating, money was tight so instead of going out to eat, we’d share an ahi tuna steak and cook two artichoke hearts as our fancy dinner at home. The Pilot is kind of the artichoke king and over time, he’s shared the method to cook them perfectly. They can seem like an intimidating veg – they’re covered in battle spears for goodness sake – but they’re a simply-prepared and nutrient-dense side.

Here’s the step-by-step artichokes recipe!

How to Prepare Artichokes

Artichokes need a bit of a trim before you cook them. You’ll pull off the artichoke leaves, trim the top and the stem, and scoop out the chokes.

After trimming, place the artichokes in a bowl of cold water with a squeeze of lemon juice to prevent browning. You can also rub lemon juice on the cut areas of each artichoke, but I find it much easier to just dunk them in lemon water.

Now it’s time to cook them!

How to Cook Artichokes

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Hi friends! I have a new podcast episode up today and am so happy to be chatting with Rachel Scheer.

We talk about:

Her healing story and how she become a functional medicine practitioner

Her tips for stress reduction and how stress impacts major functions in the body

The pillars of health and what it means to be healthy

Her tips for being “Healthy in Real Life”

and so much more!

157: The true meaning of health with Rachel Scheer

Rachel Scheer is a certified Functional Medicine practitioner with a degree in Nutrition Science and Dietetics from Baylor University. She is also the CEO and founder of Rachel Scheer Nutrition, a leading Functional Medicine Nutrition Practice in the United States. Facing severe gut issues that nearly led to surgery, which would have removed her entire large intestines, Rachel transformed her health through functional medicine, nutrition, and lifestyle changes. She is passionate about helping others do the same.
As an acclaimed speaker and author of “Root Cause: The Complete Guide to Functional Nutrition for Coaches,” she is the visionary behind the RSN Functional Nutrition Institute, offering comprehensive certification programs for coaches and practitioners. She is also passionate about helping other female entrepreneurs create their own success and abundance.

Connect with Rachel on her website and her Instagram.

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