A roundup of the books I read in February and if I’d recommend adding them to your collection.

Hi friends! How are you? I hope that you’re enjoying the week so far! I’m teaching a barre class today and looking forward to a juice date with a friend.

For today’s post, I’m sharing a roundup of the books I read in February and if I’d recommend adding them to your TBR list. After being in a slump with books for a while, and with launching Healing Code + working on IHP3, I read three books last month, which I’m calling a win.

Here’s the full roundup:

February 2025 Reads

The Lotus Shoes

I’ve been interested in Chinese historical fiction (LOVED Lady Tan’s Circle of Women) and this one caught my eye. This book is about the story of Little Flower, who is sold as a muiazi (maidservant) to a prominent family. She has bound feet and is talented in emboirdery, which are two characteristics typically reserved for the higher classes. This book was action-packed – it started off quickly and kept the same pace, which made it easy to read quickly – but shattered my heart so many times. It was a testament to the power of resilience, even when it seems like everything is stacked against your favor. 10/10- highly recommend it if you enjoy historical fiction.

From Amazon:

1800s China. Tightly bound feet, or “golden lilies,” are the mark of an honorable woman, eclipsing beauty, a rich dowry and even bloodline in the marriage stakes. When Little Flower is sold as a maidservant—a muizai—to Linjing, a daughter of the prominent Fong family, she clings to the hope that one day her golden lilies will lead her out of slavery.

Not only does Little Flower have bound feet, uncommon for a muizai, but she is extraordinarily gifted at embroidery, a skill associated with the highest class of a lady. Resentful of her talents, Linjing does everything in her power to thwart Little Flower’s escape.

But when scandal strikes the Fongs, both women are cast out to the Celibate Sisterhood, where Little Flower’s ar

Sharing some of the things I’ve learned about improving my relationship with food over time.

Hi friends! How are you? I hope you’re having a wonderful week so far. Today is another day packed with strategy calls, and I’m looking forward to an F45 class and famil dinner tonight.

For today’s post, I wanted to share some thoughts on cultivating a healthy relationship with food. This is something that can take a long time, especially if you grew up in the 90s and early 2000s (the WORST diet and body image messaging), maybe had family members with problematic attitudes towards food/exercise/body image, or have been struggling in this area for a variety of reasons.

For myself, it’s definitely been a work in progress, and I really think that having babies helped improve my mindset on so many things. Looking back, my habits aren’t something that I would agree with now or encourage, but at the time, I really thought I was making amazing choices with the harmful messaging that I was surrounded with through books, magazines, and online. I feel like I’m at a good place, but am always learning and evolving, which is the way is should be.

Achieving good nutrition and developing positive eating habits starts with one crucial foundation: having a healthy relationship with food. This process takes time, patience, and dedication, but it can be truly transformative. An unhealthy relationship with food can lead to restrictive eating, binge eating, orthorexia, mental challenges, and even eating disorders in the long run. Today I wanted to chat about some of the things that helped me develop a healthy relationship with food, focusing on mindset shifts, balanced food choices, and mindful eating practices.

Friendly reminder here that I’m not a doctor or Registered Dietitian. If you need help improving your relationship with food, seek out an experienced RD who can help you!

How To Have A Healthy Relationship With Food

Before chatting about specific strategies, it’s important to understand what a healthy relationship with food involves. This understanding will help you implement the tips in a way that makes sense for your personal journey and unique nutritional needs.

What Is A Healthy Relationship With Food?

A healthy relationship with food isn’t about following a specific diet, eliminating entire food groups, or categorizing foods as “good” or “bad.” Instead, it’s about understanding why and how you choose foods, recognizing hunger and fullness cues, and removing guilt from your eating habits. It allows you to view food as fuel and nourishment, rather than something to fear or obsess over. It allows food to simply be food, will the ability to enjoy ALL of your favorite things; nothing is off limits.

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On the military life.. not the blog. You’re not getting rid of me that easily 😉 

After 22 years, the Pilot is officially retired from the military! You can check out the full recap of the fini flight and celebration here.

It’s been almost three weeks, and I have a lot of emotions. I still kind of feel like he’s just on leave right now, and can’t really believe that it’s actually over. It was such a dynamic lifestyle, filled with the highest highs (there’s nothing like that honeymoon feeling when they come back!) and some low lows.

It’s wild (and I’m so thankful to all of you) that so many of you have been here almost our entire military life! When we first moved to Valdosta and I started the blog, we were newly married and I was brand new to this entire lifestyle.

Babies!!

Our military life was puntuacted with pure joy, like the deployment returns and fun squadron events, but also sadness, fear, and worry.

– The incredible feeling when he hugged me for the first time after each deployment.

– When he had been gone for a long time and then felt a bit like a stranger.

– The fun squadron events and late nights drinking wine and chatting with the ladies.

– Talking to him on the phone while he was deployed, but hearing the rocket attack alerts in the background. (It was the voice of a woman with a British accent saying, “Rocket attack. Rocket attack.”)

– Carefully packing and shipping deployment care packages, so excited to check the mail, and cherishing handwritten letters and cards.

– Learning that his plane had been showered with bullets during a particular flight overseas.

When I first met the Pilot, I asked him how often he had to be gone and if he’s ever have to deploy. He told me he probably wouldn’t be gone much at all, and likely wouldn’t have to deploy. (All of my military wife friends can chuckle here.) He was stationed in North Carolina six months later, and was deployed for the first time within a year. He ended up deploying four times.

Military life is constantly being flexible for the unknowns and inherently rigid lifestyle. One of the hardest lessons for me was that the military was always first, no matter what was going on.

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Sharing some of my top tips on how to stay fit as a busy parent.

Hi friends! How’s the morning going? I hope you’re having a lovely day so far. I’m teaching a barre class this morning and cranking out some work stuff the rest of the day.

I started teaching at a different studio – I LOVE it – and also see a lot of new moms while I’m there, since we offer childcare. <— a rare find in the fitness world these days. For today’s post, I thought I could chat a bit about staying fit as a busy parent and some of my tips.

Taking time for fitness makes a huge impact on overall wellneing (sleep, metabolism, mood, blood sugar regulation, heart rate, etc) but as a busy parent, finding time for yourself can sometimes feel nearly impossible, especially if you have really little ones.

I also feel like as the girls have gotten older, it still feels challenging because they’re so busy with extra activities and homework. Between school drop-offs, work responsibilities, meal prep, helping kids with homework, being their personal Uber, and the never-ending to-do list, fitting in a workout might seem like a luxury rather than a necessity.

It’s important to remember that staying fit doesn’t have to mean spending hours at the gym. With a little creativity and some simple strategies, you can maintain an active lifestyle while juggling your parental and life responsibilities. Today, I wanted to share some practical and realistic tips on how to stay fit as a busy parent—without sacrificing quality time with your family.

How To Stay Fit As A Busy Parent

If you’ve ever felt like there just aren’t enough hours in the day to squeeze in a workout, you’re not alone. This post is here to help you find simple yet effective ways to stay active, even with the busiest of schedules. Whether you’re looking for quick workout ideas, tips to stay motivated, or creative ways to involve your kids, I’ve gotchu. I wanted to share quite a few actionable strategies to incorporate movement into your daily routine—without adding extra stress to your plate.

Why Is It Important To Stay Fit As A Parent?

Parenting is a full-time job, and taking care of yourself is just as important as taking care of your family. Staying fit isn’t just about looking good; it’s about feeling good, having energy, and setting a great example for your kids. Here are some of the major menefits of making this a priority (which I’m sure many of you already know, but sometimes it’s helpful to have a lil reminder)

Boosts Energy Levels

Between early mornings, school runs, and late-night wake-ups, parenting is incredibly rewarding and beautiful, but can be a lot of work. It can use a lot of energy! Regular exercise helps improve circulation and oxygen flow, increasing your energy levels throughout the day. Even a brisk walk or quick dance party with the kids can give you an instant mood and energy boost.

Supports Mental Health

Parenting comes with its fair share of stress (hi, I have a 13 year old lol), and exercise is one of the best ways to reduce stress levels. Movement releases endorphins, which help boost your mood an

Women’s Valentines Gift Guide 2025

Welcome to our Women’s Valentines Day Gift Guide for 2025! Full of wonderful, personal and practical gift inspiration for the gals in your life… or even yourself! We have included some of Carrian’s personal tried and true favorites!