A Busy Mom's Reminder That Showing Up Is Only Half the Story
Seriously, how did we get here already?!
Summer feels like it was just yesterday, and somehow we're heading straight into the holiday season. Life has been moving at full speed, and the last couple of months have been quite a ride!
Since coming back from summer, I've been reminded of something important: even when you're a coach, even when you know what you're doing, and even when fitness is your job, finding the right balance between training, family, work, and recovery isn't always easy.
So, let me share a little of my journey with you. Because if there's one thing I want you to take away from it, it's this: you don't have to do everything perfectly, but you do need a plan, a little support, and the ability to know when it’s time to slow down.
From my first triathlon to my first marathon 🏊♀️🚴♀️🏃♀️
At the end of August, thanks to one of my GfM students who encouraged me to give it a try, I completed my FIRST SPRINT TRIATHLON!
Was I fully prepared for the swimming and biking portions? Absolutely not! 😂
Did I have a blast? HECK YES!
That experience reminded me how much fun it is to step outside your comfort zone, try something new, and learn along the way. And because I realized how much I enjoyed it, I decided to start taking swimming lessons (thanks to another of my students) to improve my skills. There is always room to learn and grow!
Then came another big challenge: my first FULL MARATHON.
I won't lie. I wasn't entirely happy with the amount of training I managed to fit into my schedule. #MomLife
Between raising three kids (#singlemomyear), running a business, coaching my amazing community, and managing all the unexpected things life throws at us, my training didn't look the way I had originally planned.
But I did the best I could with the time and energy I had available, and I crossed that finish line in 3 hours, 46 minutes, and 47 seconds!
And you know what? I'm SO happy I did it.
I now understand why people say a marathon is a 20-mile warm-up followed by a 10K race. 😂 By that point, your legs are cooked, and what carries you to the finish line is the mental strength, determination, and heart you've built along the way (I have been training for this last part since I was in the womb).
It was an incredible experience, and I'm proud that I gave myself the opportunity to live it.
Even a coach needs a little help ❤️
After the marathon, though, I felt… LOST.
What was I supposed to do next? How should I structure my training? How could I transition from marathon preparation back to a balanced fitness routine?
And then, thanks to YOU, my students, I found my way back.
I recommitted to my own workouts, showing up at 6 AM to train alongside you and following the total-body strength and conditioning program I created more than six years ago.
Sometimes, we need to return to the basics. We need structure, consistency, and a reminder that the fundamentals work.
I also finally found some great running buddies! Having people to run with has made such a difference. I'm happily keeping three runs a week in my routine, enjoying the miles together and having that extra motivation to get out the door.
Because let's be honest: when someone is waiting for you, it's a little harder to hit snooze! 😉
And as someone who coaches women through perimenopause and beyond, I know how important strength training is. I wanted to make sure I was incorporating some heavy lifting into my own routine, too.
So, what could possibly go wrong?
When life gets in the way of the plan… 🙈
Well, here's where I need to practice what I preach.
I decided to start lifting again after a 3 months break on a Saturday afternoon, squeezing in a workout between rushing the kids to their soccer games.
Not exactly the ideal setup for a focused training session and I did something that I would never do to any of my students.
During that workout, I felt a pull in my lower back. I took it easy for two weeks, giving myself time to recover.
Then came last Sunday.
I knew I needed a rest day. I was also feeling stressed about some business and life issues, but my training partner for my upcoming HYROX competition wanted to work out.
And, of course, I wanted to show up.
I started training without giving myself enough time to warm up, and… BOOM. My lower back flared up again with a simple broad jump.
DAMMIT!
It's frustrating, especially when you have goals you're excited (I have been waiting for the HYROX to come to Denver for over 2 years) about and a competition on the horizon. But sometimes the hardest lesson is the one we need to hear the most.
Knowing what to do and actually doing it are two very different things.
I know the importance of warming up. I know recovery is part of training. I know that stress, fatigue, and rushing through a workout can affect the decisions we make.
Yet, in that moment, I let my schedule and my desire to show up take priority over what my body needed.
I'm sharing this not because I want you to make the same mistake, but because I want you to know that you aren't alone when it happens.
I'm a highly experienced and knowledgeable coach with extensive qualifications, particularly in understanding the female body., but I'm also a mom and this year a single mom, an athlete, a business owner, and a human being and sometimes I forget that I am not 20 years old anymore.
What I want you to remember as we head into the holiday season
With Halloween here, the holidays are just around the corner. Our calendars will get fuller, routines will get disrupted, and finding time for ourselves may become even harder.
We've also welcomed so many new moms into the GfM community over the past couple of months. Each of you has your own story, challenges, and goals. Some are navigating pregnancy, some are rebuilding strength postpartum, and others are working to stay strong through perimenopause and beyond.
Whatever season of life you're in, here are three lessons I'd love for you to take with you.
1. Don't do it alone. Find your workout buddies and your coach.
Having a workout buddy can make the difference between skipping a workout and showing up. It's about accountability, friendship, shared effort, and having someone who understands why those 60 minutes matter to you.
And a coach? A good coach helps you turn your goals into a realistic plan, adapt your training to your circumstances, and recognize when you need to “push” and when you need to “care”.
You don't need to be an expert to start. You don't need to figure everything out by yourself. That's what your community and your coach are there for.
2. A workout is only one piece of the puzzle.
We often celebrate the hard workout, the heavy lift, the long run, or the personal record.
But what about the warm-up? The mobility work? The active recovery? The rest days? The sleep and the time we give our bodies to adapt?
Training is the stimulus. Recovery is part of how we benefit from it.
A well-designed program includes more than the exercises themselves. It considers progression, recovery, and the demands of your everyday life. Please, try to attend the Wednesday Active Recovery classes or feel free to always text me for a recording session: you’ll make my day!!
And for us women, especially throughout pregnancy, postpartum, perimenopause, and beyond, learning to work with our bodies matters.
At GfM, this is why we integrate our Pelvic Core into our movements. We want to build strength with awareness, learn to coordinate breathing and movement, and develop skills that support us both during our workouts and in everyday life.
The goal isn't simply to do more. It's to build a body that can support the life we want to live.
3. Consistency doesn't mean pushing through everything.
This might be the hardest lesson for busy, driven women like us.
We're used to making things happen. We squeeze workouts between meetings, school drop-offs, soccer games, work deadlines, and family commitments. We tell ourselves we'll rest later.
But sometimes, showing up means modifying the workout. Sometimes it means taking a walk instead of running, choosing mobility over heavy lifting, or taking a complete rest day.
And sometimes, it means accepting that today's plan needs to change.
That's not a lack of discipline. That's learning to train intelligently.
If something hurts, don't push through it just to stick to your schedule. Adjust your training and seek appropriate professional guidance if needed (I have so many good providers in the area that could improve Active Routine).
Your fitness journey is much bigger than one workout, one week, or one competition.
Let's keep showing up for ourselves — the smart way 💪
As I head into the next chapter of my own training, I'm taking a step back, reassessing, and reminding myself that my long-term goals matter more than any single workout.
I still want to run, lift heavy, improve my swimming, and prepare for HYROX. But I also want to do those things in a way that allows me to keep showing up for my family, my business, my students, and myself.
And I want the same for you.
Let's continue building routines that fit our real lives. Let's celebrate the small wins, lean on our workout buddies, trust our coaches, and give ourselves permission to adapt when life doesn't go according to plan.
Because we aren't training for a perfect week.
We're building strength, confidence, and healthy habits for the long run.
And if there's one thing my first marathon taught me, it's that getting to the finish line takes more than strong legs. It takes heart, a plan, and the ability to keep going when things get hard.
But let's not forget: sometimes the smartest thing we can do is slow down before we have to stop.
So, tell me: who's your workout buddy? And when was the last time you gave yourself permission to rest?
Let’s welcome our new moms and let’s keep celebrating our “old” and super committed students:
0Giorgia
1Aditi
2Ana
3Ashley&Ben
4Dom
5Brooke
6Cleo
7Emilie
8Erika
9Hannah
10Jamie
11Jara
12Jessica E.
13JessicaN.
14Karen
15Karina
16Kim
17Erin
18Emma
19Kristin
20Liz
21Rachel
22Alison
23Valeria
24Adi&Yehuda2
5Tali
26Irene&Carlos
27Bia
28Ranjana&Manik
29Tamar
30Kristi
31Veena
32Vitti
33Maggie
34Charlotte
35Tingting
36Sarah
37Kaitlin
38Lauren
39 Maria
Let's keep supporting each other, one workout at a time.
With energy and strength,
Giorgia ❤️
