SSD 2022 winners

I am continuously impressed by our LSF community. All the women in this community worked their butts off in this challenge. Not only was I inspired by your AMAZING transformation photos but your stories nearly brought me to tears. 

I am so proud of each and every one of you! You all finished this 8-Week Challenge strong which will help to create wonderful habits that will last a lifetime. Thank you for pushing yourselves and our community to be the best we can be! 

While we are on the subject, we need to shoutout our SSD winners! These women put their all into this 8-Week Challenge. These fabulous women, not only have incredible transformation photos but the most heart warming stories! It is my pleasure to introduce you: 

GRAND PRIZE WINNER – LINDSAY:

Lindsay, @linds.lsf

This was Lindsay’s FIRST challenge with us! She absolutely crushed this challenge and she lost 6lbs within this 8-Week Challenge. This challenge saved her and helped to create amazing new habits that she plans to stay consistent with. 

“Three weeks into the challenge, my blood pressure readings fell into the healthy range where they belong. They’ve been in that healthy range ever since. It’s crazy how fast my body responded to a few simple improvements. I started taking care of it and it immediately returned the favor.During the challenge, I lost 6 pounds and a couple inches off of my waist, hips, and thighs. But I gained an “I can do this” attitude and that’s made all the difference. Now I feel ready to tackle new challenges such as dedicated meal prep and leveling up to advanced workouts in the app. This whole experience ended on a high note for me because just a few weeks ago, my boyfriend took me engagement-ring window shopping! So what started out as a commitment to my health is turning into the beginning of the rest of my best life. “

Runner Ups

Emilee, @lsf_emjenn

Read more

Hi friends. I hope that you’re hanging in there this week, despite the horrific events that took place. I’ve cried a lot, and hugged our girls a lot, and have been working to educate myself on these important issues and take action as needed. Thankfully our school has already sent a thorough email with directives from the superintendent, even though we’re out of school, and I feel thankful for that. You can join me in donating to the victims here.

In the spirit of keeping this blog the positive space that it is on the internet, I’ll still be sharing Friday Faves below. If you feel like you need to take a break from the internet this weekend to protect your heart and mental health, I hope that you’re able to do that. I also hope that despite the sad news that we’re constantly surrounded by, that you’re still able to find moments of happiness and peace in the weekend ahead. <3

(We’re going to be in the pool the entire time and having the fam over for dinner on Sunday)

Friday Faves

Read, watch, listen:

What rituals do you have each day?

3 things to bring more joy into your life.

Did you watch the final episode of This is Us? How was it?? I watched the penultimate episode this week (and curled into a little ball as I cried my face off) but haven’t watched the series finale. Please lmk how you liked it!

One of my favorite gratitude meditations.

Don’t forget to check out this week’s podcast episode about anxiety here.

Going with the Pilot (and the entire squadron – they rented out the theater – to see Top Gun) tonight. I can’t wait for a theater full of pilots to shed tears at the opening scene and then spend the rest of the movie heckling the screen. Pray for me.

Fashion + beauty:

Face shaving tips for women. I’m still not sure about this whole thing. I tried a couple of times and I’m 99% sure I had a 5 o’clock shadow about an hour later lololol. It felt like my face was spiky when it grew back, too. Is this real? Do you do this?

Memorial Day weekend sale SITEWIDE on HigherDOSE. If you’ve been wanting a sauna blanket, a PEMF Go Mat, or a Red Light Face Mask, now is the chance! Use the code MDW22 at this link. I use my PEMF Go Mat for meditation every single day, the sauna blanket a few times each week (I sleep so well when I use it and it makes my skin glow), and the red light face mask a couple of times each week. They’re also launching their new serum this weekend and I can’t wait to try it. Read more

Hi friends. My heart is heavy following this week’s events, and behind the scenes, I am taking action in between praying for those sweet babies and their families.

Today’s podcast episode was a common request in my 100 podcast episodes post, so I thought I’d cover this topic today. It’s also something that I feel has been magnified in some way or another for the past few years, so think it’s a relevant topic for this week.

Today, I’m chatting about my experience with anxiety and some of the things that have helped me over time. PLEASE keep in mind that I’m not a therapist or a doctor. This is not medical advice and I’m just sharing my experience. If you struggle with anxiety or any mental health issues (or if you just want to chat to a trusted third party who can give you advice!) seek out the help of a local certified therapist. I always lurk the reviews online when we first move to a new place. You deserve to feel great; please seek out the help you need to feel better!

104: Things that have helped my anxiety

As a first-born Type A perfectionist, I’ve had anxiety for as long as I can remember. When I was younger, I had a TV in my room and would fall asleep watching the news sometimes, which is the perfect way to brew some worry and anxiety. There was also some transition in our family, since my parents got divorced when I was in kindergarten, and I’ve just always been a worrier. My anxieties and worries have ranged from very mild, like deadlines, wanting specific details to be perfect, or wondering if someone is mad at me, to much bigger things, like a husband who was abroad fighting in a war (four times!), a baby with severe reflux who had stopped breathing on a couple of occasions, health concerns, and family stuff.

Something that has always helped me, no matter what I was going through: therapy.

I’ve been blessed to see some incredible therapists in my lifetime and think it can be SO helpful to have one in your back pocket, even if you don’t see them super regularly. It can feel a little weird and awkward at first, but I always leave each session feeling lighter, relieved, and like I have a plan.

I wanted to note first that while NOTHING can replace traditional therapy, there are also some strategies that have also helped:

– Exercise! The key is to do this in a way where you can recover easily and you aren’t perpetuating a constant flight or fight response in the body. Think about your personal “stress bucket,” and make sure that exercise isn’t the thing tipping it over. If you’re an anxious person, I would shift focus from intense and high-impact workouts (like bootcamp workouts and CrossFit), to more low-impact options like yoga, barre, walking, Pilates, moderate strength training, or dance.

– Bringing myself to the present moment. What are 3 things I can see? What

Sharing a recipe for gluten-free cashew chicken that will change your liiiiiife. Not even joking.

Hi hi! How’s it going? I hope you’re having a lovely morning. Today is a day off from the gym (taught dance cardio, barre, and aerobics all in a row and ya girl is spent), so I’m looking forward to reading by the pool with the crew and also getting some content done for an upcoming partner post with NOW Foods (you can use FITNESSISTA for 20% off sitewide! They have SO much amazing stuff). I also have a 1:1 client call and am getting some stuff done around the house.

For today’s post, I have a new quick and easy dinner recipe for you that was a home run: gluten-free cashew chicken.

TBH, I LOVE Chinese takeout. It makes my soul so happy, but I typically end up feeling a little bloated afterwards and kind of blah. Fried food just doesn’t love me back, so I don’t eat it super often.

I was craving cashew chicken, but didn’t have the things I usually like to coat chicken for air frying: out of almond flour, coconut flour, arrowroot, everything.

In the pantry, I saw this bag of pancake mix staring at me, and figured I’d give it a whirl.

This is a game changer, friends.

It has so many great ingredients for coating or breading chicken (you could totally use this for fish, shrimp, or tofu) and very little mixing required. Just season the heck out of it with salt and pepper, make a little egg bath (about 2 eggs with a little water) and you’re good to go.

Heads up with this recipe: you do need an Air Fryer. (It’s $87 right now!)

I fought buying one for at least two years and now that I have one, I’m like how the heck did I live without you for so long?! You can cook so many things in the air fryer, but our favorites are frozen fries (they crisp up beautifully), teriyaki salmon, chicken wings, bacon (the BEST way to cook regular and turkey bacon!) and quick veggie and protein dinners (like chopped chicken sausage, veggies, and potatoes).

I coated some diced chicken with egg and then popped it into a bowl with the pancake mix, and stirred to coat. Next I sprayed the air fryer basket (preheated at 375), added the chicken and cooked for 12-15 minutes, flipping once. I made sure it was done – always use a meat thermomet

mindfulness activities

It’s Mental Health Awareness Month and a great opportunity to practice being more mindful in our everyday lives!

It’s interesting to me that not long ago, no one was really talking about mindfulness. Now, I feel like it’s everywhere. And it’s so awesome! Being tuned into the moment, really enjoying what’s happening right now, is so, SO powerful. Like, life changing.  

But it’s hard, right? With life running a million miles a minute and a thousand things you want to do, it can be hard to slow down enough to do even a few minutes of mindfulness activities. But don’t you worry, girl! I’ve got you. I’ve put together some of my best tips to help you stay in the moment during your everyday routine.

Everyday mindfulness activities

Mindful eating

How often do you scarf down a meal before running to class or mindlessly eat while you’re in front of the TV? Change it up, girl!

Try being mindful when you’re eating. Slow down and really taste each bite. Have a moment of admiration for the beautiful meal in front of you. You’ll get so much more out of mealtime this way!

If mindful eating is hard for you, it can be helpful to take a few minutes after you eat to make notes on your meal. Don’t just write down the basics, like what you ate and the nutrient breakdown, but also note how it made you feel. You might learn more about healthy food options that make you super happy! 

Quality, nutritious food choices can go a long way in impacting both your physical and mental wellbeing. A better diet = a healthier lifestyle = better mental health!

Mindful listening

Okay, I know we all struggle with this. But of all the mindfulness activities, this is the one that will make the biggest difference for the people you care most about.

Here’s what I do: if I’m going to meet up with a friend but I know my brain is going a mile a minute, I carve out a few minutes to sit with my notebook or #GOALS Planner. I make notes about stuff I don’t want to forget and put stuff on my calendar to deal with later. That way, when I show up with my friend, I can be totally, 100% present with her. I can tune into everything she’s saying and really enjoy the time with her. And I think it makes the hangout sesh better for both of us! 

Mindful Meditation

Meditation is one of those ideas of mindfulness that can feel really intimidating if you’re not sure where to start. But meditating helps to slash stress and increase your self-awareness, plus it makes you feel better. And it can even make you more creative a