Category: Lifestyle

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Allowing your authentic self to show up

Hey friends! This week’s topic came up because I was inspired by someone at a conference I went to recently. She was the outlier in the group who provided constructive feedback in a situation where most people would be quiet. Her courageous act brought me to produce a video talking all about why being our authentic selves is so important and ways to ensure that we manifest all the gifts that we are given as an individual. It’s also a reminder that we are all on the same playing field, because we all have these similar insecurities with being ourselves, therefore anyone you talk to CAN relate to you!

Check this week’s video out and let me know your thoughts!

Questions to ask yourself from today’s post:

  1. What are the triggers and scenarios where you don’t feel like you are your authentic self?
  2. Who makes you feel like you can’t be your authentic self around them? Why? Remember to ask the 5 “why’s” to get to the core of the issue.
  3. Aren’t you exhausted of acting like someone you aren’t?
  4. You are the only person that has to live with YOU. Do you want to live with the feeling of putting up a front? That “punch in the stomach” feeling?

Remember that you are placed in different situations because you are supposed to be there.

Please subscribe to my channel if you haven’t already, and give this video a thumbs up!

I appreciate you and all your uniqueness!

Gina

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Redirecting Negative to Positive Self Talk

Did you know that we think anywhere from 12,000-60,000 thoughts per day? More impressive (and sad) is that, according to research, 80% are negative! How CRAZY is that stat? Personally, I found myself in the negative thought downward spiral these past couple weeks and have been working on combatting them!

In this week’s video, I share some tips on navigating both the self-talk that we impose on ourself, as well as dealing with the negative self-talk that can come from outside sources and judgements. Ultimately, we need to embrace our uniqueness and individuality to take us to the next level both mentally and emotionally.

 

Let me know your thoughts below, or on Instagram! 🙂

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Using Celebration to Move Forward

On today’s video I talk about the importance of celebration…WOOHHOO! We get so caught up in the “next thing” and “next step” that we don’t take time to enjoy where we are NOW. I talk through shame in accomplishments as well as the “enough” trap.

Because of this lack of celebration and appreciation of where we are, we actually lose the ability to leverage our celebration and wins for the next step.

Don’t forget.. celebrating and having fun is what it’s all about! Let’s make the best of our every day.

 

 

If you liked this video, please “like” and subscribe to my channel for more weekly content!

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Dealing with difficult times and getting through the tough season

Hey friend!

It has been a while, but I am baaackk! I have been going through some tough times in my life and am talking all about the lessons I learned through the past couple months.

 

A few highlights:

  • Realize you are living in a season, don’t let “can’t” take over your vocabulary
  • Use the 10/3 rule – Once you realize you tell yourself something negative, take 10 seconds to realize what you said and say the complete opposite, positive statement 3 times. Would you rather lose $10 or $86,390? Watch the video to learn more!
  • Don’t forget your gratitude list – this changes your paradigm and your focus!
  • How to balance the positive and the negative through this tough season

I talked about this in this week’s video. Check it out and let me know what you think!

 

 

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Coachella Essentials

I can’t believe it!

Coachella is right around the corner! ‘’Tis the time for fashion, sun, music, food and so much fun! This is my fourth Coachella and couldn’t be happier with the lineup. They thought about all of us Latinos when they made the lineup and I am HYPED (J Balvin, Bad Bunny, Tucanes de Tijuana)! I am also excited to see others, but these are at the top of my list to see at a huge stage.  

Today I wanted to share a little more of my necessary ‘Chella items that will hopefully help you on your first time(s) at the festival to make it run super smooth and have more fun. Here are the things to pack so that you can have a great experience:

  1. Water bottle/Camelback – It’s about to be HOOOTT! Make sure you prepare and have somewhere to store your cold water. If you can take an electrolyte replenisher and add it to your water, that would be the icing on the cake. There are water refill stations inside, so you can refill your water container.
  2. Sunscreen – Protect your skin! Make sure to not only wear some as soon as you get in the sun, but you continue to re-apply all day.
  3. Cute hats/caps – Ladies and gents, please cover your face! The festival begins around 1pm and you WILL be in the hot sun. Make sure to cover your face with a stylish hat.
  4. Bag flasks – If you have an alcohol preference, I would get a bag flask to more easily carry around your liquor.
  5. Walkie talkies – You will find that there are very few areas where you get full phone service, so if you are going with a group of friends that you won’t be with the entire time, then I would suggest buying walkie talkies. This will save you trying to call them over and over while there.
  6. Bandana – For the most part, the festival grounds are full of dirt. You want to make sure that you keep your allergies controlled and airways clear from as much dust as possible. It is typical to get the Coachella cough after the festival (basically a cough that lasts a week from all the dust), so anything you can do to help it will be best for you in the long run.
  7. Comfy shoes – You will be walking to a lot of different stages and for several hours through the day. Make sure that you are wearing comfy, preferably close-toed, shoes.
  8. Light jacket – Although during the day it’s super hot, it gets pretty chilly at night. The wind also picks up and it is worth carrying a jacket or a change of clothes to stay warm as it gets later.
  9. Portable charger – You want to make sure that you get all the fun times on your phone and Insta! Make sure that you pack a charger for your phone that fits in your bag.
  10. Not cash – This is really up to you, but just in case you were to lose your wallet, you want to make sure that on these multi-day events you don’t have too much cash lying around. This is why I would recommend just taking your card and always carry your wallet in the front of your outfit.
  11. For ladies – small purse/fanny – This will help you carry your lipstick, ID, etc.
  12. For guys – backpack – Carry your water and jacket with you and help out your girl(friends).

 

I hope that these tips help make your trip better and you enjoyed today’s post. Do you have any other essentials you ensure to take? Tell me in the comments below!

XO,

Gina

 

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February Favorites

Happy Monday, fresh start to a new week and {almost} Spring! Have you seen all the butterflies flying around? San Diego has had them all over the city had me so happy and excited about what this season has to bring – new beginnings, more colors outside, more sunshine and more daylight in the day.

If you are new here, every month I share my favorite products that helped make my life a little better or a little more fun. I did a video on my January favorites here.

I am so excited to share my monthly faves for February and hope that they get you inspired for the season!

  1. Siete Foods Grain-Free Chips – The Mexicana in me dances inside with these! It’s almost impossible to miss these on my Instagram stories lately, but these chips have been life-changing. As I am on my {slow} journey to try and leave all processed flour, it has gotten tougher and tougher when I can’t have my tortillas or chips with guac. These chips have allowed me to still keep some Mexican in me and have my chips and guac. The even better news is that the brand used to only be online, but now it is in Ralph’s and Costco (that I have seen). They taste like normal tortilla chips and are UH-MAZING!IMG_9397.HEIC
  2. Origins Drink Up Intensive Overnight Mask – I have VERY dry skin and this mask has helped me so much because the lotion is so thick, moisturizing and soothing. I also really love the Origins brand itself because it is eco-friendly and they try to use as many naturally-existing ingredients/base for their products as possible.IMG_9399.HEIC
  3. Origins Super Spot Remover – This product has really helped me with active blemishes. When I wash my face at night, I put on my moisturizer {above} then add this on to the pimples that I have either just popped, or I feel are coming up.  The next morning there is a significant reduction in swelling and growth. This product especially becomes relevant as we start sweating more in the spring weather,
  4. Cutwater Lime Margarita – Like I said.. The sun is coming out, and so are the parties! I found this canned margarita which is super delicious and gluten-free! They are sold in 4-packs, and although pricey (typically $15), they are 12.5% alcohol, so you definitely don’t need any more than the 4 in the pack. I do not drink beer, so this is a nice alternative for tailgating, bringing to a party or even just having at home. These are sold at your local grocery store, near the other canned alcoholic beverages like the -Ritas.IMG_9395.HEIC
  5. Liquid IV – You need something to hydrate after the Margs, right? Liquid IV is SO good and so easy to use. They come in packets that you can just add to 16oz of water. Every packet provides 3x the hydration of a normal glass of water and replenishes your electrolytes. We initially bought these for our Grand Canyon camping trip, as they were referred to us, but now we just use them any day that we haven’t been drinking enough water, are hungover, or had a really tough workout. The citrus flavor is the only one I have tried and really like it.IMG_9398.HEIC
  6. Pump up song from February: Say my name – David Guetta, J Balvin and Bebe Rexha

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I hope you go out and try some of these products and I am so curious to hear what you think! Leave your comments below.

XO,

Gina

 

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How journaling changed my life

Hey friend!

I cannot believe that I am officially 3 months into my blogging journey and that it has came this far. I am SO thankful to you for reading and contributing to the conversation!! My blog stemmed from two things: my desire to help people and my enjoyment of writing. I found my enjoyment through getting into journaling.

When I tried new workout plans, the trainer would always encourage me to write down my intentions for the workout plan in order to better connect to my results. I also got into journaling when I got more into personal development. Part of the journey of improving yourself, is understanding yourself. I’ve found that by writing things down I could better understand the core of what I am feeling, thinking, or even attempting to say but still searching for the words. Writing allows me to dig deep and discover things about myself that I didn’t know.

I am an extrovert. I love hanging out with my friends and documenting every moment (let’s be friends on Instagram to see all the deets), but I also take time for myself on a daily basis to get into my journal and write. If you are trying to find an outlet for stress relief, creativity or even just starting a new gratitude practice, I would strongly recommend you get into journaling.. It is life changing.

So, how do you start? Here are a few prompts you can use over the next week to begin your day writing and getting your thoughts on paper:

  1. What three things am I grateful for today?
  2. What am I most looking forward to this week?
  3. What was the trigger that got me upset this week? Is there any way I could have avoided it? How can I better deal with it next time?
  4. What is something I said recently to someone I love that I should have said in a more caring way? Write down what SHOULD have been said and correct it with the person if possible.
  5. How am I feeling today? Why?
  6. What affirmations do I need to here today to be successful?

You’ll notice that all of these questions are in very real-time, or short-term time spans. That is because you want to get more in-tune with where you are now before you start getting too deep into the past or future. These are all pretty simple prompts, but if you sit down and truly answer the question, you will find great things! You will also find yourself “blabbing” a lot in your writing and that is normal; allow you brain to dump things out and you will get to where you need to be with your journal practice.

Do you have a journal practice? What are some prompts you use to get started?

XO,

Gina

 

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How to make chores easier

Hi, friend!

I wanted to share something that the husbie and I have been trying to get better at lately which is keeping our house clean on a more regular schedule, rather than spending our days off cleaning. It has literally been the topic of conversation more often than I would like to admit because #adultingsucks! How do people have time to have a full time job, have a side hustle, start a businesses, maintain social commitments, be healthy, make family time AND still scrub the shower and pair socks?! Like who are these super humans?! We are still trying to figure out how to make it all fit in 24 hours.. It’s hard. Our current biggest struggle is keeping the house clean without it absorbing an entire day! However, your physical environment is so important to your productivity and all facets in your life, so maintaining a clean organized home should be prioritized.

In our old home, we had a chore list that made our lives so much easier! Our house was smaller, but this list made our lives SO much manageable. We are bringing it back and are starting to see positive changes. We broke down our weekly chores by day to ensure that cleaning/keeping our home tidy doesn’t take longer than 30 minutes per day, unless it is a meal prep day. By doing small things every day, you free up your day off to do things that you actually enjoy, rather than spend hours cleaning/washing/doing all the things you need to do around the house. We don’t have a yard or weekly pet duties, but yard work and pet duties would also be listed here. You can see what a sample chart looks like in the file attached.

In addition to planning chores, we have started to organize our weeks by daily activities to maximize our time. For example, we will have two days per week set as our “working” days knowing that we will spend those working the entire afternoon. If it is not one of those days, we have the afternoon free to ourselves and either watch TV or do another hobby, meet up with friends, go to date night, etc.

By being more conscious with small daily tasks, it allows more overall flexibility and happiness in our lives. How do you stay on top of your home chores and tasks?

I hope this chart helped, and if you would like the excel format, I am more than happy to share with you, just leave a comment below 🙂

Weekly chore list

XO,

Gina

 

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Valentine’s Day Self-Love Challenge

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Today is the designated day to show love, but the reality is.. EVERY DAY is a great day to show love. Especially to yourself! I wanted to dedicate a post to self-care because the reality is that you cannot really love others, until you love yourself! ❤ Although today is Valentine’s Day, I challenge you to show YOURSELF some love today AND through the end of the month by completing at least 3 of the activities below! You have 2 weeks girl, you can do this! Post them on Instagram and tag me! I would love to see you take this challenge to take care of yourself!

  1. Workout! But don’t do a workout you half-like. Do something you LOVE! Dance, go for a long run, lift heavy weights, take a yoga class.. Heck! Try a new pole dancing class.. Get out there, and move your body doing something YOU LOVE!
  2. Wine and mask – Take some time aside in your day to drink some wine while your mask is on. Sheet masks are so easily available and affordable that this can be an easy one. If you rather drink sparkling water or kombucha in a wine glass, do that instead!
  3. Take a nap! Sleep is SO important to living your best life. Set some time aside on your day off to take a nap when you need it.. It’s life changing!
  4. Tell someone you love them. Yes, TELL, not text. Not just anyone.. Someone in your life that you haven’t told in a long time! Maybe it’s your brother, your aunt, your friend, your parents or even your significant other. Saying the words “I love you” are so powerful both for you and them.
  5. Journal – Take some time aside for journaling. How are you feeling? What are you grateful for? What things are making you happy right now? What are some goals you are crushing and want to recognize yourself for?
  6. Put on lipstick! Yaaaass girl! Lipstick is SO empowering. It gets so many of us out of our comfort zone but it is such a great way to make yourself stand out and show a little more boldness than your usual self. Wear it and rock it with confidence!
  7. Dress up! I don’t mean in your prom dress.. But take one night, or even day, to put a little more into your outfit for the day. Maybe wear wedges vs flats, wear a dress instead of pants, actually do your hair vs putting it up, or even just add some accessories to your outfit.
  8. Take a bath – set some time side for yourself and get in the bathtub. Get a bath bomb to make it a little more fun, or just hang out in the bath with a candle and chill.
  9. Get your nails did! Go to the nail shop to get a mani, pedi or if you prefer, paint your own nails and rock a fresh new color!
  10. Post a selfie! You are GORG! Show off that beauty and confidence with a selfie on social media. EXTRA CREDIT: Write one reason you love yourself in that post. It can be anything from having a healthy body, to having a great hair day. Show yourself some love publically.

I hope to see you tagging me in your posts and using the rest of February (including today) to love yourself!

XO,

Gina