Friday Faves

Hey hey! Happy Friday! The weekend is here again and I’m excited for night swims with friends, trying to sleep in late (fingers crossed), and Sunday dinner with the fam. All the good stuff.

I’m so sorry for disappearing yesterday. Pretty much every night, I stay up late because it’s my chance to wrap up my post for the next day, answer comments, and maybe watch Shameless if I’m caught up with work stuff. On Wednesday night, I fell asleep putting the girls to bed. Like, CRASHED. There was no way zombie blogging was happening, so I took it as a clue that I needed to sleep and it was glorious. I’ve been feeling kind of *off* all week since I hurt my back on Sunday.

I was on the rowing machine feeling way too confident with my intervals. I kept pushing my wattage until I hit my highest number ever and left the gym feeling pretty stoked. Lately, many of my workouts have felt mediocre and I felt like I really pushed myself for the first time in a while. I noticed my back was bothering me that night and then when I woke up on Monday, I could hardly walk. I had to take these weird short shuffle steps because if I bent my knees too much or twisted too much, pain shot up my back. It was pretty horrible.

I made it through Monday and then on Tuesday, I had a massage I originally had booked as a *treat.* I ended up needing it because I was injured. She worked on my back, my super tight hips and hamstrings, my shoulders and pecs (OW), and when I left, I could walk like a semi-normal person.

Best massage

My pain level was dramatically down and I felt worlds better. Just to seal the deal, I had a chiropractor appointment on Wednesday and she popped everything right back to where it needed to be. I tried my mom’s chiropractor and she is an ANGEL. (If you’re local, send me a message and I’ll be happy to send you my massage therapist and chiropractor’s info!) Since she has a PT background, she also gave me stretches for my shoulders and hamstrings, which were really pulling things out of alignment. 

I’ve learned over time that one incident isn’t usually what causes an injury. It’s consistent repeated motion with muscle imbalances and compensation, and then one time you move a certain way, it’s literally the straw that breaks the camel’s back. I’m very thankful that massage and chiropractic care were able to provide sweet relief! I had to take a more rest than usual, and was easy on myself this week. Just thought I’d share this story for my friends who may be feeling blah or nursing an injury. I hope you’ll take the time you need to feel better and seek the assistance of professionals that will be able to help you. <3

Let’s get into the Friday Faves party, shall we?

This is where I share some of my favorite finds from the week and love hearing about your faves, too. Please shout out something you’re loving in the comments section below!

Read, watch, listen:

The Aida soundtrack. Ugh, it’s just SO GOOD. I listened to this at the gym on Sunday (the day I was feeling super pumped and hurt my back. fail) as a way to switch things up from a podcast, and while it’s not your typical pump-you-up workout music, it was a refreshing change. I was a huge Aida fan way back in the day – I think it toured here when I was in high school?- and the music is Tim Rice and Elton John, very much like The Lion King meets RENT (thanks to Adam Pascal). If you love musicals and haven’t heard this one, listen to the first track, “Elaborate Lives,” and “The Gods Love Nubia.” You’ll feel it in your soul.

Crazy Rich Asians. I’m about halfway through this book and loving it so far. I’m seeing it next week with friends and am determined to finish it before then. Did anyone see the movie yet?

50 things from the 80s. I don’t remember all of these, but quite a few forgotten treasures popped up from my childhood. 

To the mom who stays up way past her bedtime (yup. Every night). 

Don’t forget to check out this week’s podcast episode here! If you enjoyed the episode, please consider throwing a rating or review my way. I’d appreciate it so much! So many great podcast recommendations in this post.

Fashion + beauty:

Countercontrol was just released and the reviews are insane! If you have acne-prone or oily skin, check out the new collection here.

Tarte is another one of my fave beauty brands and this new set looks like perfection. (I’ve been wanting to try their lashes!)

I really didn’t need to see that Tory Burch has a home collection.

5 pieces everyone will be wearing this fallLeopard shoes make me v. happy.

Fitness:

Fit Guides are coming and they’re better than ever. I’ve been spending the past month tweaking the fitness plans and we’ve also added 2 follow-along videos + meal plans from an RD. They are all designed and ready to go, and they look AMAZING. I can’t wait for you to have them later this month. For first dibs, click here to get on the waiting list.

Fitnessista Fit Guide Cover Display

This workout looks amazing.

Good eats:

Cooking club! We had cooking club here at the house last night. Since I’m writing this post on Thursday afternoon, I don’t have pics yet from the festivities, but here’s the glorious bread from Barrio. I’ll share some pics in my next post! The theme was Ina Garten, so you know it included some incredible food. 

Barrio bread

Trying this simple shrimp salad this weekend. 

Easy dinners for back-to-school.

We can’t stay away from Bahama Bucks. I get the mango, melón, and cucumber with chili salt and chamoy. YAS. The girls often get the princess flavor, which means it tastes like cotton candy, unicorns, and rainbows.

Bahama ucks

Funny story:

Liv and I were talking about a students in the news who developed a way to bottle scents for astronauts. She wanted to give them a way to smell a bit of home while they’re away from earth, so they can sniff the pendants and be reminded of their favorite people and places. I asked Liv what scent she’d want to bottle if she went into space and she said, “Nana Cece. She always smells so good.” (Truth. Madre always smells beautiful.) And then she said, “Mama you’d want to bottle the smell of sleep.” When I stopped laughing, she said, “You sleep like a bear.” LOL

Happy Friday, friends!

xo

Gina

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20 Comments

  1. Lauren on August 24, 2018 at 9:29 am

    Okay, so you and I are basically the same person because (in addition to Hamilton), I LOVE LOVE LOVE the Aida soundtrack! Adam Pascal gives me chills, and do yourself a favor and watch some YouTube videos of him and Heather Headley singing Elaborate Lives!

    • Fitnessista on August 24, 2018 at 4:22 pm

      ahhhh we are the same person! i guess i know what i’m watching tonight. let me know if you found any with good quality; i remember looking on youtube and they were all blurry

  2. Virjinia @ With Purpose and Kindness on August 24, 2018 at 11:25 am

    Bahama Bucks is awesome! Definitely a great summer time treat! I totally agree about the injury comment. We just have to know our bodies and know what needs to be addressed every so often to keep us in one piece! Massage and chiropractor visits are musts for me ESPECIALLY now during marathon training!

    • Fitnessista on August 24, 2018 at 4:18 pm

      it reminded me that i need to make more time for them!

  3. Taylor on August 24, 2018 at 12:46 pm

    Love the scent story.. too cute!!! I had a life changing massage last week and saw my chiropractor twice this week… so needed and makes me feel semi-normal again too. I think it is so important to take the time for self care especially if we are hard on our bodies with tough workouts. Hope you have a great weekend!!

    • Fitnessista on August 24, 2018 at 4:18 pm

      ahhh that sounds amazing. so glad they were able to help you!
      have a wonderful weekend!

  4. Amanda on August 24, 2018 at 12:58 pm

    I’m Tucson too – Aida did come when we were in high school! That was a great show now that I remember it but I totally wouldn’t have without seeing your post today.

    • Amanda on August 24, 2018 at 1:00 pm

      **from** Tucson. I am not Tucson.

      • Fitnessista on August 24, 2018 at 4:17 pm

        LOL!

    • Fitnessista on August 24, 2018 at 4:17 pm

      i was obsessed when it came here! i think we saw it like 4 times at the U of A

  5. Nicole Kump on August 24, 2018 at 3:46 pm

    I saw Crazy Rich Asians this week, and it was cute. It had a few really funny moments, cheesy moments, and it was overall a good chick flick. Not my fave ever, but definitely will make you want to visit Singapore….it looks awesome! Wish I could have done cooking club…would have been so fun. Have a great weekend!

    • Fitnessista on August 24, 2018 at 4:17 pm

      that’s good to know – i’m excited to see it (and eat an entire bucket of roadhouse jalapeño popcorn)
      hope you have a great weekend! we definitely missed ya last night

      • Elisabeth on August 25, 2018 at 10:09 am

        I’m Australian expatriate & I live in Singapore with my British husband & 4 young daughters – we’ve lived here over 11 years & it’s a dynamic 24 hour city. Excited to see my adopted home on the big screen!

    • Grace on August 25, 2018 at 1:07 pm

      Yep, it was an overall fun rom com. Ken Jeong and Awkwafina as father and daughter were the best scenes. More of them in the next movie!

  6. Tracy on August 24, 2018 at 4:04 pm

    TGIF!

    I’m just finishing a book and need a new one. Just downloaded that one… can’t wait to start it!

    I’m super interested in those Tarte lashes, too. Do you know anyone who has tried them?

    Have a great weekend 🙂

  7. Kyla on August 24, 2018 at 5:20 pm

    We did “Aida” my junior year of high school and out of every musical I ever was in, “Aida” has the best music! Elaborate Lives will always be one of my favorites and Step Too Far.

    fun fact- We actually MET Heather Headley as she lived a town over from my town and she saw one of our posters promoting the production. She SANG for us IRL (cue the angel chorus) and I got a picture with her. She was incredibly kind, talented, and even more gorgeous in person. I’m forever a fan girl!

  8. milania on August 24, 2018 at 5:26 pm

    THAT song isamazing!!!! i too love leopard prints shoes!! that bread looks dreamy!

  9. Kayla on August 25, 2018 at 4:23 pm

    Isn’t Aida the best??? I hope they revive it on Broadway soon

    • Fitnessista on August 27, 2018 at 1:00 am

      omg if they do, i’m making the trip up there <3 SO GOOD

  10. K on August 26, 2018 at 3:43 pm

    I herniated a disc rowing two April’s ago. I know it was not the actual rowing so much as overuse imbalances building over time — but it was ROUGH. I couldn’t walk for three weeks. It took months of recovery and I herniated it again another 9 months later. So important to have someone making sure your form is consistent and that you’re cross training and strengthening all parts of your body! I was a cardio queen – and I was definitely doing too much HIIT. I appreciate the reminder from a fitness professional who is well regarded to listen to your body. Sometimes it’s easier said than done.

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