Month: April 2025

Hi friends! Happy Friday! What are you up to this weekend? The Pilot is back tonight – he’s been gone a ton for airline training – so I’m looking forward to going somewhere alone lol. I can’t wait to take a hot yoga and a barre class this weekend 🙂 We’re also meeting up with friends at the pool, P has a bday party, and getting ready for Liv’s next dance competition. I’d love to hear what you have going on.

Our Spring Forward challenge started on Monday, but it’s not too late to join in the fun!!. I’ve loved seeing everyone’s check-ins this week. Get your plans here – it’s totally free and everything is delivered to your inbox.

It’s time for the weekly Friday Faves party! This is where I share some of my favorite finds from the week and around the web. I always love to hear about your faves, too, so please shout out something you’re loving in the comments section below.

4.24 Friday Faves

Fashion + beauty + random:

Wrapped up week 3 of homeschooling. We did the usual subjects and for science, P worked on constructing a roller coaster.

This is so random, but my neck and traps have been sooooo tight, and I ordered this. I can’t wiat for it to arrive this afternoon. It looks like pure bliss.

We took Maisey with us to meet friends at their campsite for dinner last weekend in Mt. Lemmon, and she LOVED it. I had no clue how she’s do in the wild. Would she run off and disappear forever? She was so good. She played with the other dogs, stayed closeby, and then as we sat around the bonfire, we took turns holding her like a giant baby while she snoozed. We’re definitely doing the full camping experience next time.

Easter recap. Easter was different this year but still lovely.

The girls’ baskets:

(They both got swimsuits, slides, and candy. P got goggles, a book, Fortnite gift card, and NBA trading cards, while Liv had a bluetooth speaker, Makeup erasers, beauty blender, and a Sephora gift card)

The Pilot was only home for breakfast, so we had gluten-free cinnamon rolls, eggs, coffee, and fruit,

and watched the livestream of Mass at home. We met up with some friends to see King of Kings, then had dinner with the fam to celebrate Trevor’s birthday!

How cute is our lil niece?! I can’t even.

New Oliveda workbook! One of our uplines created this workbook, and it’s filled with sales strategies, info about the products and company, and tips for building your business. If you love the products, join us! It’s only $50 for the entire year, there are no sales requirements, we get a sweet 25% discount, and the community is amazing. I just ordered some more of my favorite moiturizer and shower gel.

Easter dress was from Rent the Runway. I use this (and loooove it) every month. My referral link will let you try it free for one month! This is perfect for spring/summer travel and events.

Read, watch, listen:

This book is breaking my heart but I’m blasting through it. It’s beautifully written, captivating, but as expected, totally heartwrenching. I’ve stayed up late too many nights reading this one.

What not-flashy things do you love?

Permission to rest.

I always love having something to look forward to, and this is it right now. It probably won’t be on Broadway until next year, but I’ll be READY.

Fitness, health, and good eats:

15-minute HIIT blitz.

10 healthy gluten-free desserts.

Sheet pan salmon with dill potatoes.

Thank you so much for stopping by the blog today! Have an amazing weekend and I’ll see ya soon!

xoxo

Gina

The post 4.25 Friday Faves appeared first on The Fitnessista.

Okay, let’s talk about bedtime stretches and moving your body!

When I was cleared to work out after Liv’s birth, I couldn’t wait to get back into sweaty interval training. Finding my personal max and soaked in sweat sounded like a dream to me. After P’s birth, I couldn’t wait to Orangetheory and Spin again. (Hopefully, I’ll be back at OTF in the next few weeks as my hand gets stronger!)

After my most recent hiatus, I had one thing on my mind: yoga.

Yogaaaaaaa.

I was craving a fiercely heated room, finding my way into familiar poses, and soaking it all in during savasana. I still haven’t been able to take a class -push-up and plank feel great but I’m not quite ready for a full practice- but I’ve been incorporating bits of yoga into my daily life. Maybe it’s a reminder to stay in the present moment (instead of rushing through the “what-ifs” in my brain), or a few deep breaths to center myself. It might be a quick flow with Liv (she’s a big yoga fan), or a simple stretching routine before bed.

This is the perfect way to wind down after a long day. It only takes a few minutes to stretch your muscles, become mindful of your breath, and ease your way into sleep. I find that setting a timer for 5 minutes to stretch and breathe helps me fall asleep faster, and as an added bonus, I’ll tack on 5-10 minutes of meditation. Afterwards I feel peaceful, centered, and ready to crash out. Works literally every. single. time.

5-Minute Bedtime Stretches  for Relaxation

1) Seated Cat/Cow

Start in a comfortable seat with your legs crossed and hands on your knees. As you inhale, fill your belly, and arch your back, bringing your chest forward. As you exhale, draw your belly in and round your spine. Repeat 5 times, taking long, even breaths. This is my guaranteed knock out stretch because it aaaalways makes me sleepy afterwards.

2) Neck Stretches

Remain seated. Take an inhale and as you exhale, let your right ear fall towards your right shoulder. Make sure to keep both shoulders pressing down. Inhale back to center, and exhale to bring the left ear towards the left shoulder. Complete 3-5 on each side for the best benefits.

3) Overhead Reach

Remain seated. Inhale to bring your right arm up overhead, close to your ear. Keep your shoulders pressing down. As you exhale, bring your right arm up and over to the left side, slightly bending your left arm to support you. Inhale back to center, and exhale to bring your left ear up and complete on the other side. Optional: extend one leg out towards the side where you are reaching. (So if your right arm is up, your left leg is out.) Complete 3-5 on each side.

4) Spinal Twist

Bring one knee in towards your chest, and extend the opposite leg straight in front of you. Whichever leg is out, use the same arm to “hook” your elbow in front of your knee. Take a big inhale to lift the crown of your head, decompress your spine, and exhale to gently twist. Go easy with this one. Hold for 5 breaths on one side before switching to the other side.

5) Fish Pose

Extend both legs in front of you and point your toes. Bend your elbows straight behind you, and keep your fingertips pointing forward, and place them directly under your hips. As you inhale, lift your chest, and exhale to gently take your gaze towards the ceiling, or back behind you. Take 3-5 deep breaths.

6) Forward Bend

Keep your legs extended in front of you. Inhale to bring your arms up overhead, keeping your shoulders down. As you exhale, fold forward, reaching towards your shins, ankles, or toes. Bend your knees as much as you need to in order to get the very best out of this stretch. Trust your body and how far it’ll let you fall into a stretch.

7) Viparita Karani

Lay down on your back with your legs extended vertically against a wall. This position calms the nervous system and relieves lower body tension. Relax in this position for 5-10 minutes, and you’ll be ready to snooze.

8) Butterfly Pose

Lie on your back and bring the soles of your feet together. Let your knees fall outward. Use pillows under your knees for support if you need it. This stretch is fantastic for opening the hips and calming the mind.

9) Optional: Meditation

Take 5-10 minutes to sit and breathe. If it helps you, think of a mantra as you meditate. Also, don’t try to fight any random thoughts that come into your brain. Acknowledge them, and try to let them go. More meditation tips here.

10) Savasana (orrrr go to sleep ;))

Lie on your back with your feet apart, and palms facing up. Focus on taking deep breaths. Maybe go to sleep. 🙂

Stretching Before Sleep Benefits

Incorporating a very gentle stretch routine into your nighttime wind-down can give you a surprising number of benefits for both your body and mind. Whether you’re dealing with poor posture, tight muscles, or mental fatigue, stretching before sleep sets the tone for rest, recovery, and overall well-being. Here are some of the top benefits of getting that good stretch in before bed!

• Reduce Stress: Stretching helps activate the parasympathetic nervous system, allowing the body to relax and release built-up tension from the day. And trust me, there’s usually a lot. 🤣

• Breathe Deeply: Focused breathing during stretches increases oxygen flow and promotes calmness, signaling your body it’s time to go to sleep.

• Lower Heart Rate: Slow, deliberate movements paired with deep breathing can help lower your heart rate, preparing you for a more peaceful sleep.

• Correct Poor Posture: Stretching counteracts the effects of slouching or sitting all day, helping realign your spine and shoulders.

• Support Recovery: A gentle stretch helps muscles recover from daily movement, making it especially beneficial for anyone active or those managing aches.

• Relieve Tensions: Consistently stretching helps release tightness in the upper body, hips, and legs. These are all areas where we commonly hold stress.

• Improve Sleep Quality: Studies show that some slow evening stretches can help people fall asleep faster and experience deeper, more restorative rest.

Do you stretch before bed?

So next time you’re winding down, take a few minutes to go through these bedtime stretches, breathe deeply, and let your body soften into rest. Your mind, body, and your sleep will definitely thank you. I know I always feel so good and sleep much better when I stretch before bed. It’s a MUST in my household.

Anyway, what’s your favorite way to wind down at the end of the day? A glass of wine and some reading usually do the trick for me. 😉

See you next time!

xoxo

Gina

The post Bedtime Stretches for Relaxation appeared first on The Fitnessista.