This is not just a post about paying gratitude and wishing everyone a happy Thanksgiving-- while I will do that here as well, the series of events that happened over the past 36 hours made me think about gratitude in a deeper way. 

The word, "gratitude," is thrown around so often nowadays in this age during which people are realizing more and more how integral our mental health + mindset is to our quality of life. But the concept of what it means to live with gratitude and having an active practice of gratitude tends to get a little muddled up along the way. And sometimes the way we describe it can feel...

Struggling with health is not a foreign concept to me. I've had countless sprains, breaks, stitches, 3 concussions, bad allergies, a hip surgery, and an eating disorder. But my Hashimoto's autoimmune disease and journey has been an entirely different animal to live with, for me personally. There are 26 million of you with autoimmune diseases out there, so it is no small crowd. I love the phrase, "autoimmune warrior," as the noun to describe us-- because that is exactly what we are. I'm sharing my story with you today in hopes that anyone who is struggling to find out what is wrong with them, struggling with a new diagnosis, or whatever, can feel a little less alone and a little more hope...

How I start my day is so important to me- having a healthy morning routine in place can totally set the tone for the entire day. Clearer mindset, better mood, and increased productivity are some major benefits you can experience when you have a calmer morning routine established, instead of that frenzied 10 minute rush to get out the door after 5 alarm snoozes that we are all familiar with.

Morning routines are also the perfect opportunity to establish some healthier habits towards a better lifestyle shift. I've written about my 5 easy hacks for a better morning routine, but I wanted to share some specific things I've been doing lately in mine that have made notable differences.

This is 27?? This year, my birthday TOTALLY snuck up on me. Is this what it means to reach your late 20's? 😂

I don't have time to go through old photos to piece together memories from this past year, but I really wanted to notate a few things that I could look back on a year from now, to see how much has happened since then too! 

So on the fly (in no particular order), I'm listing off 27 impactful things that have happened + lessons I've learned this year that I am really grateful for. 

Well. Just did two things I've never done before. I posted a video of myself deadlifting yesterday on my Instagram Stories, and then I just posted a full-body mirror selfie on Instagram for the purposes of this message. Recently I asked one of my old co-workers from Equinox and trusted fellow trainer to train me and program for me. This may come as a surprise or even might make some of you confused-- after all, I'm a trainer, so why on earth would I need someone to train me?

I'm sharing this with you all today because I want to dispel the negative stigma around asking for help. 

Two primary reasons: Firstly, I am busier and more stressed than I've ever been, leaving me very little brain + energy left to be a coach to myself. My second reason is that

Here's the thing. Living authentically doesn't mean being chipper and happy all the time-- living authentically means owning your reality, facing our fears, and chasing wholeness over happiness. For me, it was only lately that I realized how out of touch with myself I had gotten this past year, because I have been feeling more like myself than I have in a long time. After all, it's only when you come up for air, do you realize you had been holding your breath...

Of all things, a tweet about the recent Bachelor finale got me thinking about how we as a society regard the display of emotions. During the finale, the bachelor had to break up with one girl before he went onto propose to another, naturally (lolz), so this girl gets her heart broken on national television; which, is feasibly quite a mortifying and emotional event.

Then former contestant of the show applauded the runner-up on Twitter as "the strongest bachelorette I've ever seen. She didn't fall to pieces after all that. Bravo." 

...Wait. So if she...

You hear it's good for you, that you should do it to take care of your joints, so you don't get stiff, etc etc etc. This seemingly simplistic thing is actually far more complex than a simple sit and reach, and it doesn't help matters that every other trainer, instructor, and physical therapist is saying something different.

At the end of the day, every person has different needs, restrictions, and abilities, so this post is not to tell all the best stretch poses-- it's more about giving you the information you need to be able to strive for your goals more efficiently and safely. 

Here are 5 important things you might not know about stretching:

Happy hump day and first day of March, everyone! It's been awhile since I've done a Wellness Wednesday, and what's a better topic to jump back in with, than talking about how to get back on the fitness wagon?

I'm a big proponent of doing the little bits of effort everyday to stay on the wagon, because it is much easier to maintain being on the wagon than it is to get back on it. But sometimes life and shit happens and you go through phases. And suddenly, you find yourself on your butt, off the wagon. A basic principle of behavioral modification that my Precision Nutrition coaching taught me to teach my clients, is that you need to master a goal before you can add a...

We all fail. I'm not talking about the inevitable life failures that happen. I'm talking about the fact that we tell ourselves that we fail, all the time. And that is the one way we sabotage our contentment in life.

Don't think you do this? Sounds ludicrous, right-- why would you tell yourself you fail, all the time? Have you guys thought any of these things, even just this morning?

Everyone's new years in full swing?

I've talked before about how I don't believe in New Years resolutions (here's what I do instead), particularly when it comes to health and fitness, but what I am not at all opposed to is kicking the new year off with some cute new workout gear.

Admit it: there's nothing quite like having a new outfit or workout gear that helps get your butt back in the gym after some time slacking off.  And I think we all could use a little extra kick in the butt to...

Before you start jumping down the rabbit hole of 0 to 60mph New Years resolutions, a juice cleanse/detox, or any type of “health reset” I want you to pause for a moment.

If you're in need of some bigger changes with your health that you've been scared or reluctant to start, ask yourself these 4 questions to help you roadmap your way to lasting success. But if you're generally pleased with where you are and just have a couple habits you'd like to improve upon or if you just want to start one little step at a time, I've got 8 easy hacks to kickstart your health.

Starting right now, this season, let's live intentionally instead of passively.

Don't let yourself get lazy and live out of habit rather than intent.

The life, connection, and deeper fulfillment we all desire doesn't just happen upon us.
It's a result of practicing intentional living, day by day.

Being intentional with...

Staying healthy during the holidays. Haha. Ha. Hahaha. 

I know, it might seem like a faraway dream or false reality, but I promise you can actually enjoy yourselves during the holidays AND stay on track with your nutrition without choking down a kale salad while wistfully looking at people devouring holiday treats. All it takes is 3 simple tricks in order to stay healthy throughout the holiday season...

I think most women and a good chunk of men have thought this at one point or another:

"I'm doing all the right things: mostly eating well and working out, but why does my fitness progress always seem to fluctuate and yo-yo?"

Have you or anyone else found themselves in a constant, never-ending state of "trying to cut those last few pounds?" It is so understandably frustrating to feel like you are constantly fighting an uphill battle, and never being satisfied for too long.

I've noticed...

How many of you guys feel like you're working really hard in the gym, but your progress is stalling? It can be extremely frustrating to put in the work and not reap the rewards you're supposed to be getting. What if you’re forgetting about the one really important thing here that could kickstart your progress again? Recovery is as important (if not more so) than working out and your time in the gym— here’s how to maximize recovery:

Happy Wellness Wednesday!

Last week, I shared a bit of my personal experience on why I was hesitant to begin practicing meditation, and how I reluctantly started to meditate. This week, I want to talk about the factual reasons why I commit myself to this practice and hopefully inspire you to think about how it can benefit you and your life too...

I know what some of you guys may be thinking: Minna, a cynic? 

I've always been a bit of a walking juxtaposition. While I do think that I am a generally positive person with quite an open mind, I do have my limits on being able to tolerate a certain level of "hokey" without at least an eyebrow raise or a slight eye-roll. 

This especially becomes apparent in...