Sharing the details for our Spring Forward Wellness Challenge. The fun starts on April 21, it’s totally free, and you can join here. 

Hi friends! I hope that you’re having an amazing morning. If you’re feeling a little blah and looking for a motivation burst, I hope you’re join us for this year’s Spring Forward wellness challenge. All of the details are below!

I’ve been running fitness and wellness challenges on my blog since the very beginning, and every year they evolve into something different and better than the year before. This is 100% in thanks to all of you: your support and shared motivation with one another, check-ins and awesome comments keep this thing going. You help each other along the ways to your goals, and as your cheerleader from the sidelines, it’s heartwarming and inspiring to see.

What is the Spring Forward Wellness challenge?

What to expect:

We rock and roll Monday, April 21.

When you sign up, everything is delivered to your inbox: 2 weeks of workouts + video tutorials, weekly plans and guidelines on structuring your week, recipe pack, and a full two-week meal plan for healthy eating inspo. You can start with us on April 21, or if you’re ready to go for it now, start whenever you’d like!

Your goal is to complete 10 workouts in 14 days, take the wellness tidbits I share each day in your inbox, and see what works for your life. My goal is for you to feel energized and amazing – to spring forward in progress and momentum.

How to set yourself up for success:

Gather your supplies.

You’ll need the following tools for a successful challenge:

1) A notebook or tracking tool (app) on your phone.

I like to kick it old school and write down my workout and life in a notebook. Find what works best for you, and practice this week writing down your meals, workouts, water intake and how you feel each day. If you plan to track your macros, download My Fitness Pal or Chronometer.

2) Dumbbells.

The workouts are going to be dumbbells and body weight ONLY, meaning you can do them anywhere at any time. For beginners, I suggest 3-5 lb weights to start, intermediates 8-15 lbs and advanced 15 lbs +.

Find a challenging weight for you, and consider investing in a light and heavy set. Y

Sharing 10 functional fitness workouts you can do at home. 

Hi friends! How’s the day treating you? I hope you’re having an amazing one so far. We’re on Day 2 of homeschool life – we decided to pull P out of her private school and homeschool her for the rest of the year – and knock on wood, things are going well so far. I’m working on a full blog post with all of the details and what we’re doing that I’ll post here soon.

For today, I wanted to chat about fitness-y things, especially since many of us are sneaking in home workouts or travel workouts as we head into spring and summer.

When I work out, I try to emphasize functional movements that make sense for longevity.

Functional fitness helps you move better, feel stronger, and build real-world strength that translates into your everyday life. Think about squatting to pick up your toddler or rotating to grab something from the backseat.

I put together a roundup of 10 workouts you can use for inspiration when you want something quick that makes sense for life. These workouts use foundational movement patterns like squats, hinges, pushes, pulls, and rotation, and can all be done at home with just a set of dumbbells.

Each workout is 30 minutes or less and includes clear form tips to help you move safely and effectively. As always, talk with a doctor before making any fitness changes and honor your body by modifying as needed.

10 Functional Fitness Workouts You Can Do at Home (In 30 Minutes or Less)

Workout 1: Total Body Circuit

Format: 3 rounds – 45 seconds work, 15 seconds rest

1. Dumbbell Squats

Setup: Hold one or two dumbbells at your shoulders or at your sides. Feet shoulder-width apart, toes slightly turned out.

Form Cues:

Sit your hips back and down like you’re aiming for a chair.

Keep your chest lifted and core engaged.

Knees track over (not past) your toes.

2. Push-Ups (modify on knees or incline)

Setup: Start in a high plank with hands under shoulders, feet hip-width apart.Form Cues:

Lower your chest between your hands, elbows at a 45° angle.

Engage your core and glutes to keep your body in a straight line.

Exhale as you push back up.

3. Bent-Over Rows (with dumbbells)

Setup: Hold dumbbells, hinge at hips with a flat back, knees slightly bent.Form Cues:

Pull dumbbells toward your ribcage, keeping elbows close.

Squeeze shoulder blades together at the top.

Avoid rounding your spine.

4. Glute Bridges

Setup: Lie on your back, knees bent, feet flat on the floor, arms by your sides.

Form Cues:

Press through your heels to lift your hips.

Squeeze your glutes at the top.

Keep ribs down and avoid over-arching your back.

5. Forearm Plank Hold

Setup: Elbows directly under shoulders, forearms on the ground.Form Cues:

Keep your body in a straight line from head to heels.

Engage your core, quads, and glu

Sharing my thoughts on cardio during perimenopause the best cardio strategies. 

Hi friends! How are you? I hope that your morning is off to a great start! How was the weekend? We went to my brother’s wedding, which was gorgeous and wonderful (I’ll share pics in Friday Faves!), and just enjoyed a low-key weekend. I caught up on some spring cleaning and enjoying the beautiful weather outside.

For today’s post, I wanted to chat a little bit about cardio. I feel like there’s SO MUCH cardio *noise* right now.

“Stop doing all cardio! Just walk.”

“Cardio messes up your hormones!”

“HIIT is the devil!”

The reality is that cardio is good… it’s healthy for your heart, ya know… but you just have to be strategic about the type of cardio you’re doing, where you are in your health journey, and how often you’re doing it. A big factor is perimenopause and things changing over time.

A quick lil refresher: perimenopause is the 8-10 years before menopause (where you have no cycle for 12 consecutive months) and hormone levels start to change. I don’t think I’m quite there yet – I turned 40 in November – but I know it’s around the corner and that many of my reader friends are in this sweet spot.

During perimenopause, it’s common to notice changes in energy levels, recovery time, and how our bodies respond to different types of exercise. Strength training remains the most important form of exercise during this phase, because it helps to preserve lean muscle mass, support bone density, and keep metabolism revved up. However, cardio still plays an essential role – it just might need to look a little different than it did in our 20s and 30s.

I think we can all remember the time when hours of high-intensity cardio were our life. I’d take multiple aerobic classes in a row, or spend hours on a Starclimber with a text book propped up. My hormones were also a mess. THANK THE LORD these days are over.

During perimenopause, I think it’s important to be strategic, focusing on movement that supports hormonal balance, stress management, and longevity while keeping inflammation in check. I wanted to chat about the best cardio strategies to incorporate into your routine during this transitional phase. *As always, talk to a doctor before making any fitness changes.*

The Best Cardio Strategies for Perimenopause

1. Walking & Hiking: Gentle But Effective

Walking is one of the most underrated forms of cardio, and during perimenopause, it’s a gamechanger. It helps manage stress, supports cardiovascular health, and keeps cortisol (our stress hormone) from spiking too high.

Aim for 8,000-10,000 steps per day as a general goal. If that goal seems impossible, see where your baseline is

Sharing some tips if you want to incorporate a weighed vest in your routine!

Hi friends! How’s the week treating ya? We’re in the 874th day of January and I’m ready to move on lol. With the fam being sick, it’s thrown off all of our routines, but thankfully they’re feeling better and back into it.

For today’s post, I wanted to share something that I’ve been using in my own routine and have seen them surge in popularity: weighted vests! They can be a great way to add an additional stressor and challenge your fitness routine when used correctly. I wanted to chat about some benefits, potential drawbacks, and everything you need to know before incorporating a weighed vest into your routine. As always, check with a doctor before making any fitness changes. Honor your body and modify as needed. Here are some things to consider while wearing a weighed vest.

What Is a Weighted Vest?

A weighed vest is exactly how it sounds: it’s a vest that you can wear with different weights and sizes available. You can use them for a variety of activities including, walking, running, strength training, bodyweight exercises — even chores.

 Benefits of Using a Weighted Vest

Here are some of the potential benefits of wearing a weighed vest.

Improve Strength and Endurance:

Adding extra weight challenges your muscles and cardiovascular system, leading to increased strength and endurance.

Bone Density Benefits:

Weighted vests can help strengthen bones through weight-bearing activities. Research published in the Journal of Aging and Physical Activity demonstrated that exercise training with weighted vests improved bone mineral density and muscle strength in postmenopausal women.

Enhanced Calorie Burn:

Wearing a weighted vest increases the intensity of workouts, leading to higher calorie expenditure. In this study, individuals wearing a vest that added 10% of their body weight burned significantly more calories than those not wearing any weight.

Improved Posture and Core Strength:

Carrying weight on the upper body can activate core muscles and encourage better posture.

Things to Consider While Wearing a Weighted Vest

While all of this sounds fine and dandy, there are absolutely some cases where a weighted vest isn’t warranted or may even be counterproductive.

Posture Matters

For some people, they start off with too heavy or a vest or the wrong fit, or they may already have compromised posture and alignment. So often we’re in a forward leaning position, hunched over our phones and computer screens. A vest can make it worse, especially if you have tight chest muscles and weak upper back muscles. Make sure your alignment is on point with shoulders down and back, core engaged, neck long, and spine neutral.

Start Slow and Build Gradually

I think it’s so important to

Answering the popular question about how long you should stretch for a run.

Hi friends! I hope that you’re doing well and enjoying the day!
For today’s post, I wanted to ask a common question, especially since it’s the new year and many of my friends out there are getting back to their running routines or starting new ones: how long should you stretch for a run?

Here’s the deal about stretching: science and opinions are mixed. You don’t *have* to stretch, but for many people, they find that it warms them up (it prepares the muscles for exercise and increases heart rate and tissue temperature), they may be less likely to get injured, and they may find that it mentally helps them get in the game.

How long should you stretch for a run

When it comes to stretching for a run, the recommended duration can vary depending on whether you’re doing dynamic or static stretching. Typically, dynamic stretching is best done before a run or any type of workout, while static stretching is more effective after a run.

Dynamic Stretching Duration:

Before a run, 5 to 10 minutes of dynamic stretching is usually sufficient in addition to any foam rolling. This type of stretching involves moving your muscles and joints through their full range of motion, which helps to warm up the body, increase heart rate, and enhance blood flow to the muscles. It prepares the muscles for the intense activity to come can help reduce the risk of injury.

I really like dynamic stretching because you’re working through full range of motion; it can help with altered movement patterns because you’re stretching out muscles that may be tight or underused. It feels good and energizing before any type of workout!

Static Stretching Duration:

After a run, I typically recommend 5 to 10 minutes of static stretching in addition to any foam rolling. This involves holding stretches for 20 to 30 seconds per muscle group. Static stretching helps to relax the muscles, improve flexibility, and reduce muscle stiffness post-exercise. It aids in cooling down the body, your heart rate will decrease, and it can help promote muscle recovery.

Differences Between Dynamic and Static Stretching:

Dynamic stretching is active, with movements like leg swings and walking lunges that mimic the activity of running. It’s designed to increase body temperature, improve range of motion, and get the blood flowing.

Dynamic stretching

Some of my favorite dynamic stretches before a run:

Leg Swings

Benefits: Improves range of motion, warms up the hip flexors.

Steps:

Stand on one leg with the other leg swinging forward and backward.

Keep the movement controlled and steady.

Switch sides after 10-15 swings.

Walking Lunges

Benefits: Engages multiple muscle groups, enhances blood flow.

Steps:

Step forward with your left leg, lowering your body into a lunge.

Push back up and repeat with your right