A full day, from start to finish

This post is sponsored by my friends at NOW Foods. It’s one of my favorite places to shop for pantry essentials, supplements, pet care, and natural beauty. You can use my code FITNESSISTA for 20% sitewide here.

Hi friends! I hope you’re enjoying the morning so far! I’m popping in with an old-school style Day in the Life type post. There were quite a few requests for more posts like this in the annual survey (thank you for your help with this!), so here we go!

Morning

6:45am. My alarm goes off. If I have to take the kids to school, I have to wake up 15 minutes earlier to get dressed, but since the Pilot is doing drop-off, I get an extra 15 minutes. Bless it. I hadn’t worn my Oura ring for a while, so I had to reset it to factory settings, and I was excited to see my sleep and readiness score for the day.

I wake up the kids, head downstairs, and pack up lunches, backpacks, snacks, and sweaters. I make them oatmeal with peanut butter and berries for the road, they head off to school, and I get ready for a workout. While I’m getting dressed, I chug a giant green juice, eat a banana, and half a bar.

I also drink some ginger tea:

8:15 A challenging and fun pure barre Define class. This is a newer class option and it’s all strength-based. I love the mix of barre and traditional strength training moves.

9:30 back home and having the rest of my breakfast: two scrambled eggs and a smoothie with avocado, pumpkin seeds, frozen zucchini, cocoa powder, dates, protein powder, and almond milk.

I have my morning supplements (loving this Omega-3, NAC, quercetin + zinc, and elderberry for this time of year), and eat at my computer while answering emails and publish a reel to IG.

10:30 Kristi is here to shoot blog content photos, which explains why some of the photos in this post are professional/gorgeous and others are quick real-life on the fly 😉 We shoot about once a month and it makes a huge difference to have blog photos ready to go for upcoming posts.

11:30 We finish photos for 5 blog posts (!), and I take Maisey for a walk around the neighborhood.

Afternoon

12:00 Lunch! A salad with tuna, chopped veggies (bell pepper, radish, beets, cucumber), different types of lettuce, quinoa (pre-cooked during meal prep and waiting in the fridge) and a tahini vinaigrette. I’ve been trying to take a *real* lunch break lately (instead of only eating at the computer), so I’ll eat outside, listen to a podcast or watch an episode of Friends. I sit at the dining room table and listen to an audiobook while I eat for 15 minutes.

12:15-2:30 Work blitz. I write two blog posts and edit an upcoming podcast episode, while sipping on green tea and I snack on some chocolate. I start the podcast episode for post-production uploading (to remove any excess sounds and stabilize the volume) and take a pause on work stuff while it’s back to mom mode. Before I leave for pickup, I do 7 minutes on the PEMF mat with a short meditation.

3:00 The kids are out of school. We head home, start homework, I make them a snack plate, and get Liv ready for dance.

Evening

5:15 After dropping Liv at dance, P and I finish her homework while I prep dinner: chopped chicken salad. This is one of my favorite ones to make it advance so it’s ready to go for the evening! I use rotisserie chicken, steamed edamame, rice noodles, and I’ll add coleslaw mix, chopped green onions, bell peppers, cilantro, peanuts, and make a peanut dressing with Tamari, peanut butter, rice vinegar, honey, sriracha, ginger, garlic, sesame oil, and olive oil. I cover the salad and put it in the fridge, and keep the dressing separate in a jar until it’s ready to use.

6:15 P and I take a short bike ride/walk around the neighborhood and the Pilot comes to home to high-five me and take over. I pack up some salad to take with me in the car. It’s not ideal, but it’s better than waiting until 8:30 to eat.. and thankfully it’s only one night each week.

7pm Choir practice! I look forward to this all week. We’re currently doing Verdi’s Requiem (it’s a LOT, but breathtakingly amazing) and it sets my soul free.

8:30pm I’m back at home. The Pilot has cleaned up the kitchen after dinner, and I make the kids’ lunches and snacks, set out their clothes for the next day, and do a quick cleaning blitz before bed (laundry and wipe down counters). While I’m doing this, P is getting ready for bed, and the Pilot and Liv are doing homework together.

9pm I read a book with P and hang out with her until she falls asleep, while the Pilot finishes homework with Liv downstairs.

After P is asleep, I finish cleaning up for the day, upload my podcast episode and schedule my blog post, and get ready for bed while Liv gets ready for bed.

10:15 I read for a little while, do my evening eye mask, and take magnesium before crashing out!

10:40 Lights out and ready to do it all over again 🙂

What I liked about this particular day: 

I loved all of the different colored veggies I had this particular day! I feel like it was produce-heavy, and I felt energized and satisfied all day. I also loved that I was able to get in a couple of short walks in between work to shake out my legs and get fresh air. Also, it included chocolate and choir, which are two things that make me happy. I hit my protein goal with the protein powder, tuna, chicken, and edamame. Even though it was a busy day and I could have stayed up later reading or unwinding, I’m glad I stuck to my bedtime routine so I’d be rested for the next day.

What I would do differently:

I would say I’d make it less of a scramble, but that’s just where we are right now. I just try to look for moments of peace and stillness where I can take it, and even though the nightly eye mask is a pain, it forces me to take at least 10 minutes to stop and breathe. 🙂

So, tell me, friends: what’s something that you make time to do each day? Any strategies that help you during this busy season?

xo

Gina

Thank you so much to NOW Foods for sponsoring this post. I’m so thrilled to continue to partner with them, and have been a huge fan of their products for years. You can check out their product line here and use FITNESSISTA for 20% off sitewide. We use and love their supplements, pet care, skincare/beauty, pantry staples, and essential oils. 

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