mom life Archives - Page 3 of 3 - Popcorn and Pandas

3 Week Yoga Retreat

I was an athlete growing up, but yoga is something I discovered in my 20’s after college. Being that person who was always into cardio heavy sports like soccer and basketball, yoga was quite a switch. The quiet, calm music…having to hold balance and stay still in a position for an extended period of time. It was definitely different. But the moment I tried it for the first time, I knew I loved it. There was just something about it that made me feel AMAZING after it was all over. It was a different feeling than I had experienced from exercise before. I normally felt exhausted, tired, banged up, bruised, sore, and more after a soccer or basketball game. But after yoga I felt rejuvenated. I felt a clear mind. I felt a release of stress, tension, and anxiety. I knew that yoga would not be going anywhere in my life.

While living in New York, I have had the pleasure of attending amazing yoga classes from my favorite teacher Brian Williams! If you haven’t taken a punk rock yoga class before, or a class on top of a roof in this amazing city, this guy will rock your world. Seriously. I am still dreaming of taking his week long yoga retreat vacation to some beautiful, tropical location. One of these days, I will make it happen.

But for now…since becoming a mom, it’s nearly impossible for me to make a yoga class (or any other classes for that matter). When my older son was about 18 months, I finally decided to get back into shape by taking my workouts to the living room. I quickly found out I was pregnant with baby #2 and I was going to need something more low impact than P90X. I WISHED Beachbody had a yoga program at that time, but they didn’t. The closest thing they had was PiYo, and I absolutely loooooooooved it. This combo of pilates/yoga/cardio/sculpt/strength + Chalene Johnson will always have a special place in my heart. However, it was not truly yoga.

I am THRILLED that as of yesterday, Beachbody has launched a new *** 3 WEEK YOGA RETREAT *** that you can do inside your own living room!!!! This is the program I have been waiting for!!!! Now I don’t have to feel left out because I can’t make the classes, but I can do them from home. 21 different yoga workouts for 21 days. On demand, so you can not only do them at home, but wherever you need to go. Pretty amazing.

The super yogis will love this, but it’s even better for those just beginning or those needing a low impact workout.

I’m currently doing Hammer + Chisel as you may have seen from my posts yesterday, but I seriously cannot wait to rock out this yoga program as soon as I am finished! I already know that I will love it. <3

Hope you all had an awesome Labor Day Weekend! I cannot believe they are already serving pumpkin spice lattes at Starbucks. I am sad for the summer to end, but I do love the fall. School also starts this week for my oldest guy which is crazy! He will be in a 3’s program this year, and it will also be my first experience as a mom packing lunches! Is it weird that I oddly excited about that? I am also a bit excited to get started in our new routine. Yesterday, I was feeling all “Bring Back the Summer,” but today I think I’m embracing the new season.

Namaste!!!

Gina

Dreams into Reality

Team Spark Happy Hour June 23

About a year and a half ago, I felt a little lost. The company I worked for had folded 6 months prior, I had an 18 month old and was newly pregnant with baby #2. My mother had always worked outside of the home, and naturally being the person I am, I always wanted to do the same. I never wanted to rely on anyone else and I wanted to “be successful” in my own right.

Before becoming a mom, I also could never have imagined how hard it would be to balance work and life. Going back to work was easier said than done. I liked my old job, but it was definitely hard to leave every morning. During those 6 months of “soul searching” I realized I didn’t want to go back to working in advertising full time and leaving my son (and future son to-be) 5 days a week for incredibly long hours.

My blog and a couple writing gigs told me that I wanted to do something from home…and on my own…but I just didn’t know what. Because the blog was certainly not paying the bills…

At the same time I was also incredibly out of shape. Aside from walking, I hadn’t done anything since I got pregnant with my first born. This was a heck of a lot different from my athletic past life, and I did not feel like myself and was quite sure I would probably never again.

It was then that I stumbled upon the coaching opportunity. A fellow blogger started her journey and I quietly followed until I saw she was looking to mentor new coaches. I thought to myself “WHY NOT ME?!” What did I have to lose? If I hate it, I will just find something else.

So I took the JUMP. A year and a half ago, I had NO idea what I was getting myself into…but I knew that I would be helping people and I would be getting healthy at the same time.

Fast forward to the present day, and my life has completely changed. I am able to stay at home and raise both of my kids AND also have a full time job that I work in part time hours. I have helped over 200+ people start their health + fitness journey and achieve incredible results, and I have trained and helped mentor 20+ coaches to build their own businesses and start their own journey toward financial freedom. I have been able to take multiple vacations so far this year and have at least 5 more trips on the books for the rest of the year. We are paying off debts from old houses owned in Baltimore, hubby’s student loans, and more. I have made so many new friends (pictured above) from across the country who are positive, uplifting, supportive and who I look forward to talking with every day.

The journey is not over, and it’s hard work, but it’s work that I LOVE, so it doesn’t actually FEEL like work. It’s something I can do on my own time, my own hours, + create and design by MY standards. I wake up each day excited to check in with my challengers and my team. I love seeing the lives transform each and every day, including my own. It makes me feel happy that I can provide for my family and be a positive example for my boys.

Are you looking for something MORE in your life? If you have ever felt the way I did…if you want more time with your kids, more travel/vacation time, a chance to do something for yourself, the opportunity to feel as if your success is limitless, to surround yourself with an amazing community of people….

Then PLEASE JOIN ME + Team SPARK! – THURSDAY night 6/23 at 8:30pm where we will share our stories and give you a behind the scenes of a day in the life of a coach. How we help others, why we love it + how you can fit coaching into your already busy schedule.

***Comment below “I want to learn more!” with your e-mail address***

Come learn how to turn your DREAMS into a REALITY – And don’t forget something to say “Cheers!” on Thursday! 🙂

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Hope you all have an AMAZING Monday!!!

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XO,

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Gina

***Team Beachbody® does not guarantee any level of success or income from the Team Beachbody Coach Opportunity. Each Coach’s income depends on his or her own efforts, diligence, and skill.***

Fall Fever

Plaid Button Down: Old Navy / Sweater: Target / Denim: Rag and Bone / Booties: Target / Necklace: H&M / Watch: Michael Kors / Bracelets: Tory Burch, Stella & Sparkle / Earrings: Stella & Dot

Hey gang! I know it’s been awhile since I’ve done a fashion post. Trust me, it’s not because I haven’t wanted to! It’s just that with working at home with two little ones these days, it’s hard enough to get DRESSED in clothing outside of athletic wear let alone have the time to have PHOTOGRAPHIC EVIDENCE that I got dressed haha. But alas, a wonderful friend of mine recently moved to NYC with her fiance, and they made the trek out to Brooklyn to see us for brunch this past weekend. I decided this was a great opportunity to, you know…put on real clothes, swipe on some makeup, and actually blow dry my hair for once! 😉 Not that she cared how I looked when I showed up, but it’s the little things people, it’s the little things! So, thank you Tissy! It was a gorgeous fall day for a neighborhood stroll, and we ended the evening with Halloween festivities later that night!

This week is going to be a crazy one as we are leaving for Maryland on Wednesday night to spend the weekend there celebrating one of my BFF’s getting married! So excited for our first night out without the kids since Luca was born, although also slightly anxious…even though I know they will be in good hands with family. Going to do my best to stay on track with Round 2 of the 21 Day Fix this week as well amidst the craziness.

Hope you are all starting this week off right!

XO,

Gina