Sharing tips on how to stay consistent with working out, even when life gets in the way. 

Hi friends! How’s the week treating you so far? I hope you’re having a great one. I have two podcast interviews this morning (new episode will be up tomorrow!) and am looking forward to coffee with a friend this afternoon.

For today’s post, I wanted to talk a little bit about workout consistency. When I do my annual survey, this is always a common theme. It can be SO hard to stick with a routine, and I wanted to share some tips.

Staying consistent with a workout routine can be challenging, especially when exercise isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. Despite the undeniable benefits of regular physical activity, finding the motivation to lace up your sneakers and GO can be a struggle. If you’ve ever grappled with incorporating exercise into your daily routine, you’re not alone. In today’s post, I’m sharing tips and strategies to help you stay motivated and committed to your workout goals.

How To Stay Consistent With Working Out

Start Small and Build Gradually:

Kickstarting a consistent exercise routine doesn’t mean diving into hour-long intense workouts from the get-go. Begin with manageable durations and intensity, gradually building as your fitness level improves. This approach makes the process more sustainable. Start with just 10 minutes and see how you feel.

Set Realistic Goals:

Trim down your fitness goals into smaller, achievable milestones. Setting realistic expectations prevents overwhelm and allows you to celebrate victories along the way, keeping you motivated for the long term. Check out this post for tips on goal setting!

Choose Activities You Enjoy:

Exercise doesn’t have to be a chore. Opt for activities you genuinely enjoy, whether it’s dancing, hiking, or a favorite sport. When you look forward to your workout, staying consistent becomes much easier. Don’t feel like you *should* only do a certain type of workout. The best workout is the one that you’ll actually do. This means that it’s something you enjoy and look forward to. There are a million types of exercise out there, which means the perfect one for you absolutely exists.

Track Your Progress:

Keep a workout journal or use fitness apps to track your progress. Seeing improvements, no matter how small, serves as a powerful motivator and helps you stay accountable to your goals.

Recruit a Workout Buddy:

Enlist a friend or family member to join you in your fitness journey. Having a workout buddy not only adds a social aspect to exercise but also provides mutual encouragement and support.

Mix Up Your Routine:

Monotony can lead to boredom and decreased motivation. Spice up your workouts by incorporating variety—try different exercises, classes, o

Crunchy greens, juicy tomatoes, and a medley of meats and cheeses are drizzled in a delicious creamy dressing to make this Italian Grinder Salad.

Grinder Salad

Whoa. This salad. It is SO good! As soon as I tasted the Italian Grinder Sandwich that I shared earlier this week, I knew that a salad needed to happen. The tangy slaw mixture topping the sandwiches was my favorite part, so I wanted to make the most of that flavor combination in a loaded salad.

Luckily, I had plenty of extra ingredients on hand, so I was able to make this salad the very next day. The whole family gave it two thumbs up and I’m pretty sure I’ll be making it again soon.

If you don’t need 8 servings all at once, or if you aren’t feeding 3 teenage boys, I suggest prepping all of the grinder salad ingredients and storing them separately in airtight containers, as instructed in How To Eat A Salad Every Day.

Just stash the meats and cheeses in a couple of ziploc bags or containers, and pour the grinder salad dressing into a jar until it is needed. This makes it so much easier to prepare salads consistently and quickly.

When you’re ready to eat a great salad, just combine however much of each ingredient you need in a bowl and toss your individual serving with a bit of dressing. These ingredients should keep well in the fridge for several days.

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Sharing the books I read in January and if I’d recommend adding them to your collection!

Hi friends! How was the weekend? I hope you had a great one! We were in Phoenix for an awards ceremony, and hiked at Camelback before heading home.

For today’s post, I wanted to share a recap of the books I read in January. I really wanted to hit the ground running with books, enjoy some fun reads, and I finished five books last month. They were a mix of fiction and nonfiction, and I enjoyed all of them.

Here’s a recap for the month:

January book recap

Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing

I was hesitant about this one because I love Friends and love Matthew Perry dearly. I’d heard some people say that this made them like him LESS, and I didn’t want that. The good news is that for me, it did the exact opposite and I found myself loving him even more. I think many of us grew up watching Friends, and feel connected to all of the characters. Even though I was in 5th or 6th grade when it started, I watched almost every single episode, starting with the very first one. My wise 11 or 12 year old self recognized that it was something special.

This book is heartbreaking, as can be expected, and gave a true glimpse into the struggles that addicts face. Addiction took over his life, sabotaging his relationships, affecting work, and impacted his mental health. It was also devastating to learn that all he really wanted was a wife and kids. He had *everything* but also at the same time, he felt like he had nothing. I recommend listening to the Audible version so you can hear it in his own voice. 8/10

From Amazon:

“Hi, my name is Matthew, although you may know me by another name. My friends call me Matty. And I should be dead.”

So begins the riveting story of acclaimed actor Matthew Perry, taking us along on his journey from childhood ambition to fame to addiction and recovery in the aftermath of a life-threatening health scare. Before the frequent hospital visits and stints in rehab, there was five-year-old Matthew, who traveled from Montreal to Los Angeles, shuffling between his separated parents; fourteen-year-old Matthew, who was a nationally ranked tennis star in Canada;

Nutella Stuffed Strawberry Chocolate Cupcakes

If an 8 year old can make Nutella Stuffed Strawberry Chocolate Cupcakes, you certainly can do it! Moist chocolate cupcakes are a must for Valentine’s Day!

Are you familiar with how cooking happens in our house? It’s not just a mom thing, and it’s certainly not just an adult thing, the whole family is involved. I’ll tell you all about how our family created the tradition of kids cooking, plus a few tips for making it work in your home, but first, let’s chat about these Nutella Stuffed Strawberry Chocolate Cupcakes, very similar to our Milk Chocolate Cupcakes.

Nutella Stuffed Strawberry Chocolate Cupcakes

I love the look of chocolate and fluffy, pink anything, yes, even pink pancakes. I’m not really a pink girl, I think I have one or two pink shirts in my closet and that’s probably it. Now don’t panic, I have nothing against pink, I’m just not drawn to it like I am blue or white for example. I should move to Santorini, Greece. That seems like a good choice.

Ahhh but chocolate and pink, there’s something about that just makes me want to take a big ol’ bite. And these Nutella Stuffed Strawberry Chocolate Cupcakes are the perfect example.

A moist chocolate cupcake, stuffed with totally lickable Nutella and topped off with strawberry buttercream that is silky like those old school 90’s silk pajamas. Nothing short of a dream.

Why Coffee in Chocolate Cake

You all know us well enough by now to know that we don’t drink alcohol, coffee or tea and while yes, alcohol usually cooks out of things, we don’t keep it in the house so it just doesn’t happen.

When it comes to chocolate cake I’ve had to embrace that it does in fact make a difference. I bought this, Espresso Powder  used for baking and I merely add a little to any liquid in chocolate baking and it enhances the chocolate flavor without adding any coffee flavor. I honestly still skip it all the time, but really, it does make a difference and you’re probably eating it most of the time you buy a chocolate anything out and about.

Boiling Water in Chocolate Cake

Have you noticed how many chocolate recipes include boiling water? Especially a chocolate cake or cupcake. So what’s the deal with boiling water in chocolate cake?

It seems like it would be something with the hot water making the cake more moist or tender, but it’s actually about the cocoa. When making anything chocolate you should mix cocoa with hot water then let it sit for a few minutes. What you’re actually doing is blooming the chocolate, or in other words, the cocoa dissolves and the flavor particles are released leading to a more powerful chocolate flavor.

Chocolate brownies are a little different, you’ll want to bloom the chocolate in hot oil. Not like, fry you up some fried chicken oil, just warmed up so

Sharing my top picks for Valentine’s Day gifts for the gals in your life, or ideas for your own personal wish list! Please share any of your ideas in the comments!

Hey hey! Happy Monday! How was the weekend? We went to Phoenix for a fancypants event for the Pilot’s work, went on a family hike, and tried the Original Chop Shop for the first time. I hope you had a fun and relaxing weekend!

For today’s post, I’m sharing some Valentine’s Day gift ideas for her! Whether you’re shopping for someone special, or sharing this list with your partner, there are tons of great ideas here. Please share any gift ideas in the comments below or anything that’s on your personal wish list!

Gifts for the fitness fanatic:

– Our favorite wireless headphones. The Pilot and I both have these and love them! They’re awesome for travel and workouts.

–An Oura ring makes an amazing gift

– My favorite yoga mat and mat towel

– A cute yoga tank

– The best workout leggings

–A Beyond Yoga set

– A sauna blanket! My liiiiiiiiiiiife. I use this magical creation 2-3 times per week and it feels amazing. I sleep so well and it makes my skin glow. Use FITNESSISTA15 for 15% off!

–The red light face mask makes a perfect Valentine’s gift, too. You can use FITNESSISTA15

– The best crosstraining sneakers

– or my fave barefoot sneakers

– TRX suspension training system

– A theragun

-A lululemon belt bag

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