This podcast episode is sponsored by Nutrisense! I’ve been a huge fan of Nutrisense for over a year and recently wore another CGM during the holidays. If you’d like to join me and get insight to your habits, your body, and make some healthy changes, sign up here. Use this link and the promo code TFP (stands for The Fitnessista Podcast) to get $30 off and 1 month of free dietitian support.

Today on the podcast, we’re chatting about one of my favorite topics: yoga! Whether you’re a seasoned yogi or just considering your first practice, this episode is full of tips and inspiration. I’m chatting with Courtney Fox, who is an Arizona yoga instructor. I can’t wait to take her class next time I’m in Scottsdale!

123: Yoga on and off the mat with Courtney Fox

Here’s what we chat about:

– Benefits of yoga and breathing for mental clarity & overall health

– Creating, establishing and maintaining a yoga practice, plus tips for beginners

– Yoga is more than just a physical practice. How to take kindness, patience, and lightheartedness off of your mat and into your life

– Balancing a yoga practice with a strength training routine

– Finding balance in a tech world + sample stretches you can do at your desk

+ so much more 🙂

Here’s some more info about Courtney:

Courtney is an Arizona Native and cherishes the opportunity to teach and inspire people in her hometown. She is a 500-hour+ certified yoga instructor through Modern Yoga and has trained with some of the most experienced yoga professionals in the world. Her purpose is to introduce beginners to yoga in a playful, feel-good way so they can not only establish a yoga practice on the mat, but take their practice off their mat and into their daily lives to create a vibrant and healthy lifestyle. She enjoys bringing the community together through teaching at Diamondbacks Stadium, CIVANA Wellness Resort & Spa, the Fashion Square rooftop, festivals, a

Finance expert Davinia Tomlinson shares easy steps to help you manage your money‌‌

Anyone else counting the days until payday? The first payday after the holidays usually feels a long way off (especially if you got paid early in December), but some of us may be noticing it more than ever this year. As we head into the New Year, many of us like to take the chance to reset and embrace a fresh start, but worries about money and the cost of living can hold us back.

If you’re keen to get a handle on your finances in 2023, a great first step is to learn more about managing money so you can approach it in a simple and strategic way. To help us get started, finance expert Davinia Tomlinson, founder of Rainchq and author of Cash is Queen: A Girl’s Guide to Securing, Spending and Stashing Cash, shares five tips to help you take control of your financial future and live your best, most financially abundant life.

Whether you're just starting out or looking to improve your financial habits, understanding the basics of positive money management can help you feel reassured and put you back in the driving seat.‌‌

Learn to control your money mindset‌‌

Remember: you control your money, your money doesn’t control you. This is the key to transforming your relationship with money and establishing solid financial foundations that form the basis for how you live your life. Cultivating a healthy money mindset means that, in time, you will be making powerful financial decisions on autopilot. Start by keeping a daily money planner for a month and write down what you spend, when, why and with whom.

Next, reflect on how money makes you feel. Which words or thoughts come up consistently when you think about money and most importantly why? Do you feel excited? In control? Anxious? Whatever it is, write it down.‌‌‌‌

Lastly, look for patterns or clues in your behaviour. What do you notice about your money behaviour that makes you proud? Do certain people impact you positively or negatively? Is there a spike in spending after bad news? ‌‌‌‌

The only way to make a positive lasting change is to know your starting point, identify where you’d like to get to and take micro steps that you build on incrementally to achieve your target.

Understand the difference between what you make and what you keep

Being financially free is about understanding the difference between what you earn and what you keep. Keep track of your expenses and make sure you're spending less than you're earning. This will help you make informed decisions about what to do with any disposable income, including how much you can afford to save and invest for the future. Most people who achieve financial success aren’t simply those who ‘earn lots of money’. The most financially savvy are focused as much on what they earn as what they keep.

Deferred gratification ‌‌

It's easy to get caught up in the here and now and spend money on things we want but don't need. While there’s nothing wrong with the occasional burst of spontaneity when it comes to our spending, if this becomes

Carrot Cake Pancakes topped with Maple Cream Cheese Syrup, just the name is enough to make me grin. This was a real breakfast treat.

Carrot Cake Pancakes

These pancakes truly deserve their decadent name. With spicy notes from cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger, these taste surprisingly like carrot cake. I didn’t expect that much of the carrot flavor to shine through, but it does.

They’re fantastic with the cream cheese syrup included in the recipe below and they’re also wonderful when topped with my grandmother’s waffle sauce.

I enjoy these pancakes every bit as much as I enjoy the Zucchini Waffles we make all summer. These pancakes have been a win for the entire family.

My baby managed to eat three of these pancakes while I was making the rest of our breakfast. (Edited to add: That little baby will be turning 13 in a few months, so you can tell these are a LONG time favorite.)

When I first made these, I was doing a lot of baking with whole wheat flour. And while I enjoyed the pancakes when we made with wheat flour, if I’m being honest, I like them even better now when they’re made a little bit lighter and fluffier with all-purpose flour.

You could even split the difference and make them 50/50 with half whole wheat flour. Whether you choose to make them with regular flour, whole wheat, or a mix of both, I can promise you they’ll be delicious.

Carrot Cake Pancake

Pancake making is a pretty straightforward process. It has become so routine for me I do the same basic steps every time. Whisk together your dry ingredien

Sharing a recipe for homemade protein ice cream that’s rich and delicious; the perfect healthy dessert or protein-packed snack!

Hi friends! How is the day going? I hope you’re having a wonderful morning. How about a little ice cream for breakfast?

I have a super easy and delicious recipe to share with you today for homemade protein ice cream!

(I added peanut butter and chocolate chunks to this batch and it was a dreaaaaammmmmm)

Homemade Protein Ice Cream

We all know that protein is important. Not only is it the most satisfying macronutrient, protein is also the building block for our cells. It’s important in the fitness/health world because it can help us build and retain muscle, which is especially crucial as we age. We want to build and protect our muscle to help our bones and also protect our metabolism, as muscle is “hungrier” than fat and has a higher energy demand.

I tend to recommend around 1g per lb of ideal bodyweight (depending on SO many factors, like body composition, age, goals, preferred eating strategy, etc) but I like to aim for 1 palm-sized serving at each meal and snack.

This protein ice cream is a creamy and TASTY dessert, which packs an awesome serving of protein. It’s a great way to add variety to your protein sources while enjoying a sweet treat. I’m sharing the recipe with you today so you can recreate it at home!

Is Protein Ice Cream Healthy?

Protein ice cream is a great healthy treat, especially since this one includes some healthy fats (from coconut milk) and you can add any toppings you like, including peanut butter, nuts, or fruit. Please keep in mind that this should not be a substitute for *real* ice cream, if that’s what you’re craving. If you’re craving Ben and Jerry’s and try to make this as a substitute, it won’t fill the void for ya. 😉 Have some of the real deal, enjoy it, and move on with your life.

However, if you’re looking to add another protein-packed option

Are you always putting others’ needs before your own, to the point where you have no time for yourself? You could be a ‘super-helper’, and it might be doing you more harm than good…

Some of us are better at helping others than we are at looking after ourselves. Maybe this sounds familiar to you personally, or perhaps it conjures up an image of someone you know. These are the ones who are susceptible to the ‘super-helper syndrome’ – where people feel compelled to help others, but don’t look after their own needs.

And super-helpers are all around us. Most obviously you will find them in the caring professions, giving strength to our schools, clinics, care homes, and hospitals. But they are also in offices, gyms, community groups, and charities. Helping whenever and wherever they can, either at work or in their own time. They are the problem-solvers, the mediators, and the fixers, who can’t resist any opportunity to help.

But, as kind as it is to want to support others, the old adage ‘you can’t pour from an empty cup’ is well-known for a good reason. It’s important to spot the signs of being a super-helper early, so you can take action before you reach a state of collapse. Here, we’re sharing the four most common adverse consequences.

Exhaustion

Many helpers run on empty and take this for granted. Are you tired all the time? Do you have no time for yourself? Is your sleep disturbed? Do you suffer from muscle tension or headaches? Do you feel irritable, tetchy or just weighed down?

Resentment

Are you stretched out like an elastic band that’s eventually going to snap? It’s easy to say you don’t want anything in return for helping, but the reality is it’s hard to keep going indefinitely if you get little reward. At the very least, you deserve thanks and recognition. Do you find yourself ruminating on how much you do for others?

Exploitation

If you never express any needs, then it’s easy (and convenient, too) for other people to act as if you don’t have any, to take advantage of your help. If you give the impression you want nothing in return, you’ll often get nothing in return. That’s why it’s important to take a hard look at whether some of the people you are helping are exploiting you. Do they really need help at all? Do they need your help?

Self-criticism

It’s ironic that those who are so good at looking after others are often less kind to themselves. Helpers’ self-criticism typically operates on two levels. Do you criticise yourself for not helping enough (helper’s guilt)? Do you criticise yourself for experiencing the other three adverse impacts of the ‘super-helper syndrome’ – for feeling exhausted, resentful, or exploited?

If you are at the point where you are finding it difficult to look after your own needs, take a step back. Like everyone else, there are times when you need comfort, rest, reassurance, sustenance, or time to yourself. And if you don’t express your needs, how can anyone else know how to take