How was your Memorial Day weekend, Reader? My back was sore. My shoulders ached under the 25+ pound pack I carried for our first Savor Food and Body Backpacking Adventure of the season. "Ooof! That last mile and a half! I definitely don't have my August Body anymore," I thought. It was 6.3 miles into camp at The Forks. But it felt like 12.3 miles. Would my body get strong enough to do 15+ mile days with a heavy pack by August? To be clear, an August Body IS NOT the same as the diet culture...
12 days ago • 2 min read
Have you ever been to Alaska, Reader? About 4 years ago, I sat on a plane ready to take off for Alaska. I'd wanted to see Alaska for so long, and now I would tick it off my bucket list. As I looked out the window over the wing, this surge of anxiety rushed into my brain. I started to breathe hard. I felt like I wanted to bolt out of the seat and run away. Why? I've never been afraid of flying. It was an easy flight from Seattle to Anchorage. My boyfriend at the time was sitting behind me. I...
26 days ago • 3 min read
Hey Reader, "I normally ride 12-13 mph down Dobbin Road. We were clocking 16 mph on Sunday!" The Bike Guy said over dinner. "Really? I didn't realize how fast we were riding. I was just riding like I always do." I said He thought I was trying to chase down another group of riders out in the distance to see who they were. Nope. I didn't even notice them until we were about 2 miles out from them. THEN I started to chase. The Bike Guy probably thought, "oh shit, she's got another gear in her!"...
about 1 month ago • 3 min read
"My body feels like a carton of Greek yogurt - cold, wet, smooshy. But I'm trying to get in enough calcium and protein." "I'm a walking osteoporosis disaster," Sharon said, expressing how done she was with Greek yogurt. "I'm 51, have a small frame, and don't love eating Greek yogurt all the time. I'm doomed to get osteoporosis for sure." How do you feel about Greek yogurt Reader? Strong and healthy bones are important as we move through perimenopause and menopause. BUT! Social media makes it...
about 1 month ago • 4 min read
You can keep the lights on... …I told The Bike Guy as I slipped off my clothes, bra, and underwear. I didn't use to be this comfortable being naked in front of my partner. No. This is NOT a weight loss success story. It's a body image story in progress. At the height of my disordered eating days, I had plenty of body shame. I told myself, "Your thighs are too thick. Your stomach is too soft and round. And your boobs are too small." What story do you tell yourself about your body image,...
about 2 months ago • 3 min read
How's your body image this week, Reader? Last week, in my friend’s dining room, I noticed a photo of her and her family taken about 7 years ago. My friend's body was different – thinner, younger, stylish. I asked her how she felt when the picture was taken. Hungry. She said. “I was starving in that picture was taken. I wouldn’t let myself eat what I truly wanted. I exercised all the time, trying to achieve a body that I thought I should have. I wasn’t happy, but everyone kept telling me how...
about 2 months ago • 3 min read
What'd you have for lunch, Reader? When I asked Julie this, she said, "I have zero clue about how or what I should be eating - at lunch, for breakfast...should I even be eating breakfast? I keep hearing about intermittent fasting for weight loss during menopause. Should I be doing that? I have no. Idea. What to eat anymore." When I asked Jennifer what her typical day of eating looked like, she said, "I'm tired of dieting yet I'm also tired of feeling uncomfortable with extra weight. I'm...
3 months ago • 2 min read
How do you deal with the winter blahs and cold weather Reader? Winter of 2023, chocolate chip cookies made with coconut oil were my coping strategy. I thought, "I have Full permission to eat cookies whenever I want! If I eat the whole batch in three days, it's time to make more!" To be honest, I was coping with more than winter blahs and cold temps - struggling in a relationship, living between 2 states, and feeling a heavier loneliness than I'd ever felt. Chocolate chip cookies to the...
4 months ago • 2 min read
"I'm a crunchy-type person. I don't want to take another medication. But my cholesterol just went through the roof at my last doctor's appointment. Now what?" I love working with "crunchy-type" people! 😎 Hey Reader, Since February is heart health month, here’s what you need to know about gentle nutrition basics for heart health - in real life! And without compromising satisfaction or falling into the dumpster fire of diet culture. The most important nutrition strategy is this... What foods...
4 months ago • 2 min read
Running fashionably late Reader, but on my way!” Friends get this text from me often. Inevitably, I try to do "all the things" for all the reasons, and occasionally my body battery runs out sooner than I'd like. Limited capacity is real! Many of us have limited capacity to do everything on the to-do list compared to when we were in our 20s and 30s - including what we want to do for our health. Despite good intentions, dropping the ball on behavior-based health goals is easy. Not because you...
5 months ago • 2 min read