How did you get injured?
I was reaching for something in the back seat of my car and heard a pop in my shoulder.
Not again!
Oddly enough, many of us are scared to workout because we think we’ll get injured at the gym. But we’re more likely to get injured when we least except it—usually because we’re reacting to an unexpected stimulus during, for example, a men’s hockey pick-up game or while we’re cooking in the kitchen.
How did you get injured?
I was reaching for something in the back seat of my car and heard a pop in my shoulder.
Not again!
Oddly enough, many of us are scared to workout because we think we’ll get injured at the gym. But we’re more likely to get injured when we least except it—usually because we’re reacting to an unexpected stimulus during, for example, a men’s hockey pick-up game or while we’re cooking in the kitchen.
1. Sandbag clean & presses
2. Shoulder touch push ups
3. Sandbag squats
4. Plank pike jumps
5. Sandbag burpees
6. Punching sit ups
Bonus: 5 Bridges
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Leave your reps in the comments below.
My reps for today’s workout:
Sandbag clean + presses 8, 8, 8
Shoulder touch push ups 13, 12, 12
Sandbag squats 17, 16, 16
Pike jumps 31, 30, 30
Sandbag burpees 8, 7, 7
Punching sit ups 17, 17, 18
Did you do this workout?
Tweet It!The post Full Body Sweaty Sandbag Workout appeared first on 12 Minute Athlete.
Sharing my top picks for favorite kids gifts this holiday season. Check out my gift guide for her here, too!
Hi friends! Happy Monday! I’m so excited that so many of you are in for the mindfulness challenge. I have to admit that it was HARD to avoid checking my phone after I woke up yesterday. I’m so used to checking everything as soon as my eyes open, but at the same time, it felt so much more peaceful. (Ok I did feel a little bit of stress wondering if my inbox was catching fire but the good news is that it wasn’t.) The girls and I had crepes together at the Farmer’s Market with my dad, stepmom, Kyle and Everly, and enjoyed the afternoon at the park. This weekend, I also completely took Liv’s closet apart, built extra shelves and organized everything. It feels good to have extra storage in her room, especially since we’re heading into the holidays and her birthday.
For the kids gifts I don’t tend to go super crazy. We have extremely generous relatives and a huge family, and I’ve stuck with this motto since Liv was born: something they want, something they need, something to wear, and something to read. With this strategy (+ their Santa gifts and gifts from everyone else), they’re PUMPED on Christmas morning and I don’t feel like I’m going overboard.
If you’re shopping for kids this holiday season, here are some ideas! Many of the items on this list are tried and true faves, or something that they’re receiving this holiday season.
(WordPress made an update that is making large images blurry. I’ll have it fixed ASAP but all of the links below work!)
A new scooter, plasma car, or bike (with a cute helmet).
This giant dollhouse. I got this for the girls last Christmas and they still play with it every single day.
An American Girl doll. (The girls have 8 between the two of them and still want more…)
A camera. They’re each getting one of these + a bunch of film this year. 
LEGO set. You can never go wrong with LEGO. P has this amazing Frozen 2 jewelry box and I love that it’s something functional.
The softest baby doll. These were the girls’ first baby dolls and they’re absolutely lovely. Super soft and they smell great, too.
Pretend kitchen. This is another playroom staple and favorite.
Dance leotards and shoes. (The ivivva ones are the best.)
A new umbrella and rain boots.
Experience gifts! Trips to the zoo, museum, dance class gift cards, gymnastics, camps, etc. always make wonderful gifts.
Festive jammies. So many adorable ones here, too.
A warm coat with a cute beanie.
Leopard slippers or shark slipper booties.
A sequin party dress or lil blazer.
Ugg boots. This is when I replace the girls beloved Ugg boots (they wear them all season). Liv is getting these ones (on sale!)
Mo Willems books. This is Liv’s favorite author and we all love reading these books together.
The Boxcar Children. This is a fantastic intro to chapter books. The stories are suspenseful and well-written, plus it’s fun to teach them a little bit about another time period.
Harry Potter.
Princesses Wear Pants. (Love the message in this one.)
So tell me friends: what’s on your kid’s wishlist this year? Any previous gifts that were a huge hit?
xo
Gina
Cyber Monday deals for other gift ideas:
Save $100 on the eufy. I use this magical invention every.single.day and it saves me from dog hair and crumbs.
If you don’t have an Instant Pot, now is the time.
We LOOOOOVE our Ring doorbell and all our Ring products.
Great deal on our favorite Bose headphones. I take these on every flight and also love using them for work.
Gap 50% off everything! Here’s what I’m ordering for the girls: Christmas dresses, emoji pajamas, this tie dye sweater, ALL the leggings, and long-sleeved graphic tees.
Madewell 30% off. Love this ruffle front top, this metallic dot top, and this turtleneck sweater dress. This is the pom pom sweater I posted recently.
Shopbop big fall sale. This cozy coat is so cute, these leopard leggings (!!!!) and this metallic dress.
Carbon38 30% off with code CYBER30. This has become one of my favorite spots to get workout gear! I’m obsessed with these holiday leggings (I wear them for barre all the time) and these tri-panel leggings.
LOFT 50% off with code CYBER. Love this penguin sweater with the black skirt, this shimmery sweater dress, these rhinestone hoop earrings, and this beanie.
Get the Equilibria All is Calm CBD box here! This is the CBD I use and love. Use the code FITNESSISTABF for 20% off.
J Crew 50% off! Some top picks: a leopard blazer, flannel pajamas, oxford shirt for the mister, and Liv would loooove this dress.
Banana Republic 50% off. This sequin slip dress is gorgeous and I always like their shoe selection.
Kate Spade 40% off with code TGIBF.
Old Navy 50% off the entire store! I love this sale to stock up on winter pajamas for the girls.
Express 50% off everything. I have and love this jumpsuit and this sweater.
The post 2019 Holiday Gift Guide for Kids appeared first on The Fitnessista.
Hi friends! So nice to see ya over the weekend. I hope you’re having a wonderful time with family and relaxing.
We’re officially into December and the craziest time of the year, so I figured that it would be a perfect opportunity to focus on mindfulness. I’m going to focus on being more present and centered this holiday season, and I’d love it if you’d join me! So welcome to the first December Mindfulness Challenge.
I didn’t want this challenge to feel like something overwhelming or something that you have to have to dread each day. In the end, I determined that three daily steps could make a huge difference and they’d be easy to check off within 20 minutes.. with multiple rewards for our sanity.
Meditation. There are numerous benefits of a daily meditation practice. It can make your brain YOUNGER, can improve sleep, focus, memory, boost fitness performance, and I find that I just feel like a happier human when it’s in my life. My tips for starting a meditation practice are here. If you’re a beginner, I highly recommend using the app Calm or Headspace. Calm is my personal favorite (<— not affiliated with the brand in any way) and I use it during the day and looooove the sleep stories or sleep meditations before bed. (You can have Matthew McConaughey read you a bedtime story. You’re welcome.)
Reading or writing. Here’s a succinct list of the benefits that writing can give you. I find that it’s a great stress reduction tool because it gives you the opportunity to dump all of the thoughts from your brain onto paper. For me, once these to-do list items and worries are written down, they don’t stress me out as much. I find that it’s helpful to set a timer and just write whatever comes to your mind. No one is going to read it and it can be total nonsense. But, it feels GREAT. If writing isn’t your thing, take this time to read something that you enjoy each day. It can be heavy nonfiction or pure romance fluff; just choose something that you genuinely want to read.
Ditching the phone dependence, especially in the morning and before bed. This is going to be the most difficult one for me, especially since I’m guilty of checking my phone as soon as I peel my eyes open in the morning. I squint at the bright screen with one eye closed, and immediately feel cortisol and adrenaline surge through my body as I check email, social, and affiliate dashboards. The worst part about this habit is that I can’t take any action until I drop the girls off at school and come back home, an hour and a half or two hours later. The only thing this achieves is stress. So for December, I’m not checking my phone until I’m back from drop-off and can actually respond to emails, put out fires, and be productive. As far as before bed goes, the blue light from our screens can inhibit melatonin production, which makes us sleep more soundly. This is why you might feel more wired at night after watching movies or being on your phone or laptop before bed. I’m going to ditch my phone at least an hour before bedtime, and if I watch TV, I’ll wear my blue light blocking glasses. I usually head up to bed 30 minutes before I actually want to crash out so I have time to read each night for a little while.
– 10 minutes of meditation, solo or through an app, like Calm or Headspace
– 10 minutes of reading or writing every day
– No phone until after awake for 1 hour, and no phone 1 hour before bed
Week 1: Yoga or meditation class
Week 2: One outdoor activity solo or with a friend. I feel like being outside in nature is so peaceful and healing, and also delivers a boost of Vitamin D, which can get depleted in the winter months. Plan some time to be outside this week!
Week 3: One night in for self care. This can be a Zeel massage at home, a face mask and a bubble bath, an early bedtime, a girly movie you’d otherwise never watch (YAY Netflix Christmas movies) or anything else you’d find restorative and enjoyable.
Week 4: One hour of planned “free time” – to read, walk, drink tea, stare at a wall in silence, get a massage; time that isn’t filled with work or chores. As a mom or someone with a busy schedule, I know this can be incredibly hard to find a spare hour. Dedicate time to make it happen for yourself!
Are you joining in the challenge? What’s something in your routine that you always look forward to? What’s something you think you can do to make this month less stressful?
Please tag me in your weekly pics and updates this month! @fitnessista #decembermindfulness
xo
Gina
The post December Mindfulness Challenge appeared first on The Fitnessista.
Workout equipment: Jump rope Workout type: 12 Minute Timer setting: 18 x :10 x :30 1. High knees w/ jump rope ...
