Please keep in mind that today’s post is for information purposes and is not medical information. If you have questions about improving your gut health, talk to your health care provider. 

Today I want to talk about something that may not be the most glamorous topic, but it’s incredibly important: gut health. As women, we often put a lot of emphasis on our performance, energy levels, and what we put into our bodies to look and feel our best. But what about what’s going on inside? Our gut health plays a crucial role in our overall health and wellbeing, from our digestion and immune system to our mental health.

So, why is gut health so important?

Our gut is home to trillions of bacteria, both good and bad. When our gut is in balance, meaning there’s more good bacteria than bad, it helps keep our immune system strong, aids in digestion and absorption of nutrients, and even produces neurotransmitters that affect our mood and cognitive function. On the flip side, when our gut is out of balance, it can lead to a host of problems such as bloating, constipation, diarrhea, fatigue, and even depression and anxiety.

Now, the good news is that we can improve our gut health through a few simple lifestyle changes.

*Please note that this is not medical advice and simply intended for informational purposes. Always consult your doctor or health care professional before making any fitness or nutrition changes.*

Gut Health for Women: Why it Matters and How to Improve it

Here are some tips:

Eat a diet rich in fiber:

Fiber feeds the good bacteria in our gut and helps keep things moving smoothly. Aim for at least 25-30 grams of fiber per day from sources such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes. A helpful strategy: track your fiber! I like Chronometer and My Fitness Pal.

Incorporate probiotic-rich foods:

Probiotics are live bacteria that can help boost the good bacteria in our gut. Foods such as yogurt, kefir, kombucha, tempeh, sauerkraut, and kimchi are all sources of probiotics.

Avoid processed and sugary foods:

These types of foods can feed the bad bacteria in our gut and lead to inflammation and other issues. When you do have these foods, enjoy them, and move on with your life. I just don’t recommend making them the staple or focus in an everyday diet.

Manage stress:

Chronic stress can negatively impact our gut health, so finding ways to manage stress such as meditation, yoga, or simply taking a walk in nature can be incredibly beneficial.

Consider supplements:

In some cases, supplements such as probiotics or digestive enzymes may be helpful in improving gut health. I love the Sakara probiotics! (My code is XOGINAH for 20% off)

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Sharing some tips on how you can use FAM (fertility awareness method) for period prediction for yourself, or for your tween/teen daughter! 

Hi friends! I hope you’re having a wonderful day so far! We’re living the summer life: swimming all day, meeting up with friends, hitting up the arcade, and packing for a fun trip. What have you been up to?

For today’s post, I wanted to talk a little bit about Fertility Awareness Method and how you can use this amazing tool for period prediction. Once you have the hang of it, it makes life SO much easier.

As you guys know, I’m a huge fan of Fertility Awareness Method. It’s my primary method of birth control and I’ve been practicing since I went off birth control back in 2008. Over time, it’s evolved so much! I used to have to track my temp and cycle signs on a paper chart and now they have amazing apps and technology.

****I only recommend FAM as birth control if you’re in a monogamous relationship and with the understanding that there is a learning curve. Also, remember that it doesn’t protect you from any sexually transmitted diseases or infections. It may take you a while to *get* your cycle, so just a heads up that you may want to use a backup method if you’d like to use FAM as a birth control method.***

While Fertility Awareness Method can be an amazing birth control tool, it can also be used for something incredibly valuable: accurate period prediction. If you practice Fertility Awareness Method, you’re able to know the exact day that you’ll get your period.

I was thinking about FAM and how much I love it… and then a little light bulb clicked in my head. It could also be used to know when a tween or teen girl is going to have their first period ever. How freaking amazing is that?! I’m going to share all of the details + how you can use this for accurate cycle prediction in this post. I wanted to share this info for my mama friends out there, or for those who are curious about tracking their cycle.

Using Fertility Awareness Method for period prediction

When I first discovered Fertility Awareness Method, I WISHED I would learned all about this when I was growing up. It turned my body from a complete mystery into something that I was empowered and informed about. What was happening inside my body wasn’t completely random each month; it was entirely predictable. I just had to track it and understand my cycle.

If I would have known about this information, it would have saved me from a particular instance in middle school when I was wearing white shorts. Ughhh.

Each month, we have distinct phases of our cycle:

1) Menstruation: day 1 of full bleeding (may be preceded by spotting but that’s not technically the first day of your cycle)

2) Follicular phase: follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) prompts the ovaries to prepare and release an egg

3) Ovulatory phase: this is when the egg is released and can potentially be fertilized

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Running, biking and other aerobic exercise help improve your health and fitness. Find out just how much aerobic exercise is right for you and how much cardio is too much.

Hi friends! How’s the morning going?? I hope you’re having a wonderful week. For today’s post, I updated an older *beefy* one with lots of fitness tips. If you’re wondering about how much cardio to do and need help with your routine, join us for Fit Team!

I frequently get variations of the same question. What is my weight loss goal? What cardio exercises should I do? What is a *good* amount of cardio I can do without losing muscle? What’s the bare minimum?

But what the core of each of those questions is ultimately asking is: How much cardio is too much?

Let me dust off my cardio queen badge and tell you a long tale.

How Much Cardio Is Too Much?

The Tale of the Cardio Queen

Back in the day, I thought cardio was the “end all be all” of health, fitness, and (what my goal was at the time) losing weight. I figured that more was better as far as cardio exercises go. Little did I know, I was burning my precious muscle away as I pounded the treadmill and was striding along on the elliptical.

It’s equally tragic and amusing to consider the amount of time I spent doing cardio, thinking I was throwing myself a solid to only later find out that it was overkill. I cardio-ed my little heart out, and there was a time when I was going an hour +, almost every day of the week. I was doing way too much cardio at high intensity. (This is also when I screwed up my me

 Today I’m feeling reflective as I celebrate a major milestone – 20 years of practicing yoga!

Hi friends, I hope you had a wonderful weekend. Ours was low-key and we saw Riverdance, which was everything.

While I was at hot yoga last week, I realized that I’ve been practicing yoga for TWENTY YEARS. It hit me pretty hard and I couldn’t believe how much life I’ve been through since I was first introduced to yoga. Moves, deployments, babies, highs, and lows, yoga has been a fairly consistent part of my life. I’ve cried during savasana, mastered certain poses, struggled with others, spent 90% of certain classes in child’s pose, and learned to truly be present and focus on my breath.

It’s been two decades of unrolling my mat, connecting with my breath, and flowing through sequences that challenge and transform my mind and body. It’s hard to believe that 20 years have passed since I first discovered yoga, and while I can’t do any crazy tricks and I’m not the most flexible bear, this practice has shaped my life in countless ways. So, in honor of this milestone, I want to share with you some of the lessons I’ve learned, and the rewards I’ve reaped over the past 20 years of practicing yoga.

(Maisey also wants me to tell you that today is her birthday! OF COURSE she’s getting a doggy cake and birthday song)

20 years of practicing yoga

My introduction to yoga:

My very first class was a Rodney Yee yoga DVD I picked up at Target on a whim. I was in college, feeling the stressors of a dramatic relationship and constant homework deadlines, and figured I’d give it a whirl. Instantly, I was drawn in by the sense of calm it brought me. I also loved Rodney Yee’s clear, concise instruction and his ability to guide students to a deeper understanding of their bodies and the practice of yoga.

Looking back, this was the perfect way to get started: it was zero pressure (because I was solo, at home, in my mom’s living room). I started to practice yoga regularly, mostly before bed, and eventually transitioned into studio classes. Over the past 20 years, I’ve taken hundreds of yoga classes in studios all over the US, from California to Orlando and many spots in between.