Top posts of 2019 (and survey help!)

Hi friends! Hope youโ€™re enjoying the morning! I donโ€™t know about you, but Iโ€™m so ready for 2020 to begin. The end of 2019 can pretty much go in the trash can lol. Even though Iโ€™ve been feeling way better, Iโ€™m still a bit tired and achy. I havenโ€™t worked out since Xmas eve, and I just feel ready to feel like myself again, get back into a routine, and not feel like I could nap at any second. 

As I set my intentions for the upcoming year, I always like to go back and check out my blog posts to see which ones performed well. Some of these are usually expected, and some are complete surprises! It gives me a little glimpse into the type of content that youโ€™re looking for and I like to use some of these ideas to plan future posts. 

When Iโ€™m planning my content for the next year, I also use your survey suggestions and topic requests. If you havenโ€™t done this yearโ€™s survey yet, please take 2 minutes here! Your feedback is invaluable to me (and yes Iโ€™ll have a sneaky giveaway to celebrate this week!).

Here are my 19 top blog posts for 2019: 

1) PiYo review month 1. This is one of those posts that continues to do well every single day and Iโ€™m afraid to mess with it even though the photos are a total nightmare. Carry on, old post. 

2) Potty training tips from two nanas. This is from that one time that my mom and nana potty-trained Liv in 24 hours. She was a little over two years old and it was a game changer. I was really excited to use their strategies for P, but she ended up potty-training herself around 18 months. She screamed at me, โ€œNO DIAPERSโ€ every time I went to put a diaper on her, so finally I stoppedโ€ฆ and turns out she didnโ€™t need them any more. These kids are a mystery in the best way, I tell ya.

3) How to combine baby led weaning with purees. This one was unexpectedly controversial. Turns out people get fired up about how other people feed their babies, despite epic disclaimers and โ€œtalk with your pediatrician and do what works best for your family.โ€ Both of our kids had purees in addition to baby led weaning for convenience and it worked out well for our family. Theyโ€™re both awesome and adventurous little eaters now.

4) When I got my breast implants removed and my experience with explant. This was an important post for me and one where I really put it all out there. I was so thankful for all of the support Iโ€™ve received about this and itโ€™s one of the best decisions Iโ€™ve made for my health. 

Breast explant surgery

5) My full review of the Peloton App. Even if you donโ€™t want to invest in the Peloton bike or treadmill, you can absolutely still get an awesome workout using the app. They have so many workouts available, including bootcamp, meditation, and yoga, plus you can use the app on a spin bike or treadmill at home or the gym. I use the app on my old spin bike for about a year before purchasing a Peloton bike. 

6) Top 5 easy healthy meals for breakfast, lunch and dinner. These are some of our go-to staples that we still enjoy all the time!

7) Baked breakfast cookie. This is a convenient and portable breakfast treat. I havenโ€™t made it in a while, but I have a feeling that it will be making a comeback. Liv is changing schools next semester and it starts earlier and is a bit farther, so as much as Iโ€™d love to have time for them to eat at home, weโ€™ll probably have a lot of car breakfasts. 

8) Full Peloton bike review and is the Peloton bike worth it? The Peloton bike is one of my favorite purchases EVER and I still use it at least 2-3 times a week. The Pilot is into it now, too! Iโ€™m obsessed with my bike and if youโ€™re considering gifting yourself one for New Years, my code gets you $100 off accessories: XXKJQU.

Peloton bike2 1024x683

9) Morning detox drink. This is one of my classic drinks and I especially love it during the winter months. According to Liv, it smells like death, but I look forward to it. 

Morning detox drink 3

10) Homemade nibble bars. These are the perfect little bars for toddlers and tiny hands! I need to make some for Augs. ๐Ÿ™‚ 

11) How to keep your guinea pig cage clean. This was an important post to write because I did SO much research before we got guinea pigs to make sure our house wouldnโ€™t smell like a barn. The strategy really works and visitors are usually impressed by how clean the cage is and the fact that Liviโ€™s room doesnโ€™t smell. 

Holding the guineas

12) Fitness categories page. This is where I keep all of my workouts and theyโ€™re organized by muscle group and type of workout!

13) Orangetheory vs. Barryโ€™s Bootcamp. This one is a comparison between Orangetheory and Barryโ€™s Bootcamp with what makes them difference. I feel like it could use an update since I feel like the Orangetheory workouts and technology have changed quite a bit. 

14) 1 month of baby food, 1 hour, $20 – round 2. Baby food posts are always on my top lists. Since weโ€™re done on the babies front, I think I should make food for a baby friend of ours so I can take some new pics. ๐Ÿ™‚ 

15) Healing timeline for breast explant and diastasis recti repair. In this post, I broke down my healing journey and what it looked like. It was a ROUGH recovery, but Iโ€™d do it again tomorrow if I needed to. I wanted to write this post because when I was first researching getting my implants out and having my diastasis recti repaired, I couldnโ€™t find anything like this. I wanted to know how I could build up my movement, exactly how Iโ€™d be feeling, and any tips for a better recovery.  

16) My review of the book Thinner, Leaner, Stronger. While this isnโ€™t my favorite strength training or healthy living resource, I liked it way more than I expected. 

17) Exciting cable machine exercises. This post is if youโ€™re sick of doing the same olโ€™ cable exercises. It includes some of my favorite ways to switch it up!

18) DIY shower steamers. I love these little beauties! Theyโ€™re like a bath bomb for your shower and made with natural ingredients. 

DIY shower steamers with essential oils

19) 1 month of baby food, 1 hour, $20. The OG baby food post. This one absolutely needs new photos but Iโ€™m really proud of the recipes. Itโ€™s been fun to see mamas make this food for their babies over the years. ๐Ÿ™‚

So tell me friends: is there a post on the blog that stuck out to you that you really loved? Any topic requests for 2020?

See ya soon with some tips for New Years resolution mindset.

xoxo

Gina

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8 Comments

  1. Janice O'Kane on December 30, 2019 at 7:08 am

    Your Morning Detox Drink has become a go-to for me!

    • Fitnessista on December 30, 2019 at 2:51 pm

      so happy you like it, too!

  2. Josie on December 30, 2019 at 10:03 am

    I had no idea you had baby food posts! I made the majority of the food my son ate as a baby and same for my daughter. A lot of trial & error. I just added fresh banana to a cauliflower/apple mixture last night and it was a hit for my daughter. The banana adds some creaminess and she really enjoyed it! If you do rewrite the posts, I recommend using a pressure cooker. I’ve used my Ninja Foodie for sweet potatoes, carrots, peas, cauliflower, green beans, etc and it has been a huge time saver! 7 minutes for sweet potatoes is way more appealing than 50 minutes of baking. Definitely worth it.

    Love your blog! Happy New Year!

    • Fitnessista on December 30, 2019 at 2:51 pm

      i definitely need to update them now that the instant pot is a thing! SO much faster than the oven and steaming.
      hope you have a happy new year!

  3. Nicole on December 30, 2019 at 10:44 am

    I truly like that youโ€™re blog isnโ€™t a rinse, wash, repeat kinda thing. You still keep some privacy while revealing that your life isnโ€™t rainbows & unicorns all of the time. I donโ€™t wonder how you do it all…because you admit that you canโ€™t. And you have your failures & ups & downs. You might share more at times than others…but youโ€™re a real person.

    I love your recipes & I love your fashion shares…except that youโ€™re teeny tiny & Iโ€™m 6ft tall. Do you have any fashion friends that are tall that could do a guest post on their boxes that they receive? (I am completely forgetting the name of the box right now!!! Ahhh!!!!)

    I imagine you get your fair share of negativity as well & I hope that you always know that you have more fans than haters. We all love you Gina!!!

    Your recipes are creative. Love hearing about the girls, but Iโ€™ll understand when we start hearing less & less about them.

    Iโ€™ll be honest….I havenโ€™t listened to a single podcast…but itโ€™s always on my ยซย to-doย ยป list…& one day I will!!!

    • Fitnessista on December 30, 2019 at 2:50 pm

      that means so much to me. thank you so much for reading and for such a thoughtful comment <3 i can absolutely see if a tall friend could do a trunk club or stitch fix review
      thanks again for all of the support and hope you have a happy new year!

  4. Jessie R on December 30, 2019 at 11:47 am

    So interesting to see the most popular posts. Cracks me up that the guinea pig one made the list ;). I’m also excited for the new year, great things ahead! But I am also grateful for an amazing 2019, it was a good one, but I’m ready for an even better one next year!

    • Fitnessista on December 30, 2019 at 2:49 pm

      same! i liked 2019 but have a good feeling about 20202 ๐Ÿ™‚

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