Hi friends! How are you? I hope you had an amazing weekend! Once again, Liv’s team crushed their competition; they took 1st, 2nd, and 5th overall for their categories! It was so much fun to watch them shine and enjoy a little Phoenix staycation. We’ll be back in a couple of weeks for the next one.

For today’s post, I thought I’d pop in and share a little bit about how my personal relationship with fitness has changed and my mindset around it.

When I first got into the fitness world, I was omgsoexcited about trying and doing all the things. I loved teaching all of the classes, taking as many classes as possible, trying new exercises and strategies in the weights room, and was absolutely in the honeymoon phase of fitness. This *phase* actually lasted for many years, hence the name of my blog and why fitness has become more than a hobby and the baseline for my entire career.

Currently, I don’t feel very Fitnessista-ish 😉 It’s become more of a box that I check… and that’s ok.

I don’t look forward to strength training on my own the same way that I used to, so I haven’t been lifting consistently on my own for quite a few months. I walked into the gym yesterday to teach a class, and the weight room felt so foreign to me, when it used to be a daily staple in my life.

Instead of using a lack of excitement as my reason to quit strength training entirely, I’ve done some other things that have helped me to stay consistent.

Right now, it involves taking classes (F45, hot yoga, barre, Sculpt Society), working with an amazing local personal trainer, and I enjoy encouraging others through Fit Team and with my one and one clients.

I’ve realized over time that health and wellbeing is so much more than what you do in the gym each day. Yes, it’s absolutely important to move your body consistently, but I’ve been emphasizing the other 23 hours in the day more than what I do for my workout. I just make sure to get in a walk each day, usually with Maisey, get daily steps in on my walking pad and doing chores, and strength train 3-4 times per week (whether it’s through training or taking classes).

When we lose the honeymoon phase of anything, it’s when we really need to lean into our dedication and commitment, instead of depending on excitement and motivation. Goals can impact our attitudes about certain things, and I don’t really have any fitness-related goals right now.

I’m not looking to get incredibly strong or lean. No PRs or races or distance goals in my near future. While these things used to be exciting and motivating for me, I don’t think they would be right now. Just typing the word PR makes me feel stressed lol. I just want to be healthy with tons of energy, have full function and mobility, and for

This post is sponsored by my friends at NOW Foods and they have so many amazing products, including my fave creatine, on their site. Use FITNESSISTA for 20% off. Also this is a friendly reminder that this post is not medical information and not intended to prevent, treat, cure, or diagnose any illness. Always talk with your doctor before adding new supplements into your rotation. 

Hi friends! How’s the day treating you so far? I hope you’re having a wonderful morning. For today’s post, I’m chatting about a huge reader’s request topic and one of my favorite supplements: creatine!

Creatine is often taken by athletes and bodybuilders to improve their performance, but it is also consumed by older adults and vegetarians for health purposes. Not everyone knows the right way to take creatine, how it works, or what needs to be considered before adding it into a supplement routine.

In today’s post, I’m sharing a guide that can provide some education and help with informed choices when it comes to taking creatine, depending on the purpose that it’s intended to be used. Friendly reminder that your doctor will help you decide if adding creatine is a good choice.

An Overview on Taking Creatine

Creatine is a supplement that can be taken as powder or liquid, before or after a workout. I prefer to take it as a post-workout, but the thing with creatine is that you need to take it consistently to see and feel a difference. 

What Is Creatine

Creatine is an amino acid that is stored predominantly in muscle cells, with a small percentage in our brain, kidneys, and liver. You can get creatine in your diet from animal-based products, such as seafood and meat. This is why vegetarians and vegans will likely have lower creatine stores than omnivores and can often benefit from supplementation. Since creatine can be used for energy production for heavy lifting workouts and high-intensity training, it’s often used for performance enhancement.* Your body naturally produces 1-2g of creatine per day in the liver and pancreas.

Creatine is widely studied, easy to find, and inexpensive. My favorite creatine can be found here!

Read more

Sharing my thoughts on what fitness gear is worth the hype, and worth the investment, and what I think is overrated and should be skipped. 

Helloooooo! How are ya? I hope you’re enjoying the week. Thank you so much to those of you who have entered the giveaway and answered my yearly survey – I appreciate your help so much.

We’re in the middle of the December sprint – so many events and fun parties – but I’m popping in to chat about fitness gear. I feel like so many people are getting a head start on things this year, especially with New Years’ goals and prep. Group fitness classes are already bumping, and my fellow trainer friends said they’re also getting booked quickly for January and February. (I have 3 coaching spots left for Jan. If you’re looking for 1:1 nutrition coaching or fitness programming, you can apply here.)

Since many of us are prepping home gyms, scoping out fitness gear, wellness goodies, and nutrition options, I thought I’d do a roundup of some of my top picks. There are a LOT of things to choose from and it can get overwhelming! Also, I’ve found that some hyped-up options have been disappointing in real life. I’m sharing my picks in the list below, and also sharing your submissions from Instagram. (Ones with a * are from Instagram responses.)

Worth the hype:

Peloton

I’ve had my Peloton for about 4 years now, and love it just as much as I did when I first got it. The bike is high-quality and I always enjoy the classes. You can check out my full review here!

Oura ring

The Oura ring is the same thing; it still brings me as much joy as I did when I purchased it. My only gripe now is that the battery life seems to work for less time and I have to charge it more frequently, but it seems to happen with most electronics after a couple of years. My full review is here. 

Apple watch

The Apple watch is another thing I wear every day and love it. It does encourage me to move more throughout the day, even though sometimes I think it encourages overtraining. For example, my Oura ring will tell me I need a rest and my Apple Watch tells me to crush my next workout. I do think it’s very handy and w

Sharing my top tips for hosting an awesome dinner party + some of my favorite cooking hacks.

Hi hi! How’s the morning going? I’m off to mass with the kids and then hitting an F45 class. I hope you have a great day, too.

For today’s post, I thought we could talk a bit about dinner party tips and cooking hacks. Please keep in mind that I’m NOT a professional (even though we have some people in my family who are professional cooks and others who cook like they’re professionals). I’m just a home cook who enjoys it and also happens to LOVE feeding people. When the Pilot and I first got married, a friend said I needed a kitchen sign that said, “Never leave hungry” because that seemed to my motto. It brings me so much joy to enjoy awesome meals with the people we love, so we love having friends and family members over whenever we can.

Over time, I’ve learned some good dinner party tips and cooking hacks, so I wanted to share with ya this morning. If you have any you can add to the list, please chime in in the comments section so we can help each other out! (* = ones that were submitted from Instagram! Thank you to those of you who chimed in)

15 Tips For Hosting A Dinner Party

Make anything you can in advance

I learned this one from my nana, who will make and freeze as many meal components as possible before a family get-together. She used to own a catering company, so she’s pretty used to making large quantities of amazing food. Anything you can make before a party, do it. This means things like dips, desserts, side dishes, anything. I usually try to pre-make anything I can, so I’m not cooking as people are arriving.

I learned this one the hard way. We invited friends over the first time we lived in Valdosta, and I hadn’t prepared a single thing. They all sat at the kitchen table as I ran around the kitchen, stressed, and sweating from the hot stove and burners. Learn from my mistake, friends.

Never try a new recipe the night of a dinner party

It can be tempting to want to try a cool new recipe you see on social media or a website, but always give it a test run before serving it to another group of people. I’ve had a handful of Pinterest fails and I’m so glad I took the time to try them out in advance. Serve options that you can cook easily and that you know are a hit.

Set the menu strategically

Check in with guests to see if there are any dietary restrictions. Plan out the menu in advance depending on the occasion and them

Sharing some tips on whether you should do strength or cardio first in your workout routine. 

Hi friends! Hope you’re having a great morning and hope you enjoyed the long weekend! I’m already counting down the days until the next school break. Waking up early is not my cup of tea lol.

For today’s post, I wanted to talk about strength vs.cardio and which one you should do first in your routine. There are so many different types of exercise routines, and they offer different benefits for the body (and mind!). Doing an combination of strength and cardio can help you acheive your body composition and fitness goals, and knowing how to structure these in your routine can help you maximize the benefits. Deciding which one to do first depends on your fitness goals and other factors.

In today’s post, I’m sharing tips on how to decide which one to do first!

Should I do strength or cardio first?

A balanced fitness plan includes strength and cardio components, as well as mobility and rest. You also want to make sure that you’re alternating workout intensities throughout the week. For example, if you have a really hard cardio day, follow this with an easier day or rest. How much cardio and strength training you do in your weekly routine depends on your current fitness level, goals, unique factors (like age, health issues, injuries, medications, etc.). While I am a certified personal trainer and women’s fitness specialist, please remember that I’m not a doctor. Talk to your doctor before making any fitness changes and honor your body.

Also, remember that whenever you start something new in your routine, you will likely be sore, so DON’T push it too hard. This is why I usually have beginning training clients start with bodyweight-only or super light weights; they’re going to be sore no matter what.

Benefits Of Cardio After Weights

For body recomposition:

I typically recommend cardio after strength training if building muscle is the priority.  Typically women don’t understand that if you’re looking for a more “toned” look, you need to put on muscle. For this reason, we’ll emphasize strength training (progressive training and phased programming for optimal results), and sprinkle cardio in, but not too much.

For hormonal considerations:

Also, many of the women I work with are dealing with hormone imbalances, often from years of stress, under-eating, and overexercising. Workouts can be an extra stressor on the body, especially intense cardio. So, we’ll focus more on strength training and stick to daily walks until their energy levels return and inflammation is down.

Weights first helps to prepare the body for cardio

Doing strength first can help the body prepare for more explosive cardio movements, as you’re often working the joints through full range of motion and warming up the muscles. It can be helpful to mimic some of the upcoming cardio movements during your strength training routine.

Increased metabolism through higher muscle density:

Muscle tissue is “hungrier” than fat, which means it burns more calories at rest. When you’re focused on muscle-building, you may not s