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My Healthier Things
Why did I write a song in January 2023 about “My Healthier Things”? During 2022 I typically enjoyed 1-2 units of alcohol per day (they sell Belgian beers at the…
Creating a Sleep Sanctuary for Our Nightly Retreat
How to turn your bedroom into a peaceful sanctuary for your nightly restorative sleep retreat
Five Ways to Release Racing Thoughts and Sleep Better
So many factors can interfere with the restorative sleep we need, like light, noise, caffeine, alcohol and hormonal changes. But one of the most common complaints I hear (and deal…
Who Rescued Whom? How rescued produce rescues me 🥦🍇🥰
The box of “rescued produce” that shows up on my doorstep each week rescues me by inspiring / forcing me to add abundant servings of fruits and vegetables to my meals 🙂
Herbs and Spices, Not Sugar and Fat
Healthy, single-ingredient whole foods like vegetables and plain yogurt can seem bland and boring. Fortunately, it’s easy to add plenty of flavor (along with an extra boost of nutrition!) using herbs and spice blends.
Five Easy Ways to Get More Out of Walking 🚶🏽♀️
Five easy ways to add more health benefits to our walks: add a backpack or weighted vest; use walking poles to involve the upper body and core; gradually increase step count; vary the terrain and movements; and exercise and stimulate our feet
Water Aerobics and Aqua Zumba: Keep Playing in the Water This Fall! 💦
Water exercise and Aqua Zumba classes build aerobic fitness and strength (more than you might think!) without joint stress, are super-fun with music and social connection, and provide additional health and mood benefits just from time in the water. Here’s my take on them and some interesting (I hope) tips and info!
Easy Substitution Strategies: Less starch and sugar, more vibrant health 😍
Foods made from flour and/or sugar are everywhere! If we don’t actively fend them off, they can fill up our meals from morning to night. Think of the free breakfast…
We Need to Exercise Our Positivity Muscles🤓
Here I describe six great practices which can help us release “stuck” negativity and bring out more of our authentic self, who not only feels more positive but is better at dealing with our problems and moving toward our goals.
Our Culture Makes Us Fat 😟 (and what to do about it)
We tend to blame individuals for obesity, but it is a biopsychosocial, global phenomenon. Our modern way of living makes us fat, and I offer five ways in which we can all work against this and help each other and ourselves be healthier and happier.
Starch is Sugar, Crackers are Cookies 😵
Starch is long chains of sugar! I drastically reduced sugar and flour-based foods in my eating plan (and increased my exercise), healed from obesity and feel younger at 61 than I did at 51. And I love my new way of eating, thanks to great substitutions.
What to Do About Overwhelm
Four strategies to combat overwhelm: physical movement, self-compassion, reframing “should” thoughts, and asking ourselves good questions
The six Brussels pounds, gone in a month. What worked for me 🧐
How I lost six pounds I’d recently gained: protein, vegetables and determination were the keys to not feeling hungry or deprived 🙂
Electric Bikes are the Future
Why do I think electric bikes are the future? My report after two years of riding one
What happens if I eat all the Belgian things? 🧐
I gave myself permission to feast during my last visit to Brussels, gained six pounds, and am now happily practicing constraint as a balance
“Train for Life” (and don’t wear flip-flops!): Wisdom for women over 45 from my fabulous sports chiropractor Dr. Anne Sorrentino
Sports chiropractor Dr. Anne Sorrentino explains how women can move and feel better at 51 than they did at 31
Protein’s Greatest Hits: 12 practical, healthy and maybe surprising ways to add more to your eating plan
Boosting your protein a little bit each day can help conserve muscle after age 30 (!) and keep you full and satisfied. Here are my 12 favorite easy, healthy ways to add protein to your day.
Protein: A Secret Weapon for Women (and Men) Over 45 🧐
Why is protein a secret weapon for women (and men) over 45? There are at least two really good reasons. Here’s why you might consider bumping yours up a bit, in a healthy way.
From Cravings to Calm: Five powerful strategies
What can we do about cravings? Here are five powerful strategies that can help.
Why do we struggle with cravings? Six reasons: some natural, some artificial
Why do so many of us struggle with cravings? An obesogenic culture, foods that overload our reward systems, emotional eating and a noisy inner toddler may be among the reasons
Is it OK to experience joy in 2020? Four ways to allow it and feel it
Should we allow ourselves to experience joy in this difficult year? I say yes and share ways to make it happen
Despite COVID, We’re Still Working Out in the Woods
In spite of the pandemic, my “Fierce in the Forest” group has continued exercising outdoors every Saturday morning. We throw things, drum with sticks — and protect our mental health during this stressful year.
Holiday Gatherings: Win Against Temptation (and have a great time!)
“Holiday-proof” your self-care and sail through temptation at events, by focusing on the people (not the food), planning ahead, hunting for primal foods, fighting pressure with positivity, and keeping a glass of water in your paw 🙂
Why I’m Going Back Into the BodPod
My weight and my body mass index are fine, according to the charts. But if you take a deeper look inside my body, things don’t look so great. I was…
My No-Car Challenge: Maybe Permanent?
My October challenge for myself was not to use a car. For at least 30 days, I could only walk, ride my bike, or take Metro or the bus. No…
The Whole30: Changing Your Relationship with Food
For my monthly challenge in September, I chose to do a Whole30, which I had never done all the way through before. Our older son Alex got married in August,…
Real Food on the Road
You’re hungry, and you exit the highway toward the usual lineup of gas stations and fast-food chains. Or you’re stopping with friends or family at a popular restaurant. How can…
Social Connection: It’s a Health Goal
“Write about loneliness,” suggested a blog follower and old friend (thank you!). Loneliness — a feeling that you lack sufficient social support and connection with others — is considered an…
Easy Batch-Cooked Vegetables 2: Carrots, Sweet Potatoes, Winter Squash, Beets and Brussels Sprouts
More vegetables — thanks for all the suggestions! Like last week, I’m offering what I think are the simplest ways to prepare vegetables all at once, so you can easily…
Batch-Cook Your Veggies: Fast, Easy (Lazy?) Ways to Prepare Cabbage, Eggplant, Peppers, Asparagus and Broccoli
After work, the gym, or driving kids around, you probably don’t feel like washing, chopping and cooking vegetables. The answer (I think) is batch cooking one or two days a…
It’s Not You, It’s the Food
Researchers put 20 people in a lab, fed them tasty meals that they enjoyed, and encouraged them to eat until they were satisfied. But there were two kinds of buffets:…
They Enjoyed the Real-Food Buffet, Ate Until Satisfied, Lost Two Pounds
I was so excited to see this study published recently, because it fits in so well with my own experience, and nothing like it had been done before in such…
$10 and 30 Minutes a Day: My Healthy Food Challenge
If you’ve been reading my posts, you know I’m still catching up from the spring (!). So here is my report on my healthy food challenge during March and April…
Body Positivity, Body Neutrality
What if you truly loved your body just as it is right now, celebrating what it can do, like a three-year-old joyfully running through a lawn sprinkler? What if you…
I Tried Keto, Part 2: I Liked It, But …
I wrote (much) earlier on this blog about the trendy “keto diet” here. Basically, it’s about switching to our “backup system” when we use up our stores of carbohydrates (we…
Getting Off Track, and Getting Back On
Hello dear readers! In February/March (!), I suddenly stopped posting on this blog, on Instagram and on my new-and-exciting business Facebook page. My life got a little more complicated than…
I Tried Keto, Part 1: What’s it all about?
Suddenly “Keto” is everywhere. I even saw these Slim-Fast Keto bars this week at my local Giant supermarket: What is this new fad, and what’s the science behind it? Quick…
Your Fierce 2024 Self
January is a good time to think about what we want to achieve in the coming year. (I hope your January challenges are going well!) An even longer-term perspective can…
What’s Your January Challenge?
A new year inspires us to new beginnings. Holiday feasting is over, and in the northern hemisphere, the darkest nights are behind us. Even though winter has just begun, the…
Feasting and Fasting
Feasting and fasting seem to be a natural human rhythm. Sometimes they are part of a ritual structure (Lent, Ramadan). Feasting and fasting are also simply the logical consequence of…
The Journey Starts with Self-Compassion, Part 2 : The Humans
I live in my own head. It’s not always comfortable in here. I know about every one of my appalling mistakes, my thoughtless comments, the many ways I’ve let people…
The Journey Starts with Self-Compassion, Part 1: The Animal
Think of the most beautiful, graceful, awe-inspiring animal you can imagine.
Now imagine that you have one of these animals in your care. You’re responsible for everything it needs, and it loves you and wants to please you. (If caring for an animal doesn’t attract you, imagine being responsible for a radiant, affectionate child.)
For me, the animal is a jaguar. Her name is Tulum, and I met her at the zoo exotic animal rescue facility in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico.
30 days no alcohol authentic self batch cooking biopsychosocial changing the culture clean eating connection cravings depression diabetes diet easy substitutions exercise goals gratitude happiness healthy aging healthy eating human habitat inner critic keto lifestyle diseases mental health mindfulness plant based plant foods positivity PQ primal processed food processed foods protein quick meal prep real food recipe refined carbs rescued produce resolutions self-care self-compassion self-talk sleep weight loss whole foods workouts
