"I know we picked up an hour of sleep this weekend, but why am I still dragging?!?" Cathy said as we sat on cut rounds of firewood near the burn barrel fire on our street corner. "Was it because I tried to make post-trick-or-treating pizza for 25 14-year-olds when I thought I was only making food for 8? Maybe it's because they didn't leave my house until 9:30 pm, even though I started calling parents to retrieve their children at 7:45 pm?" "But I didn't use to be like this!" "I used to host...
just now • 3 min read
Does eating healthy feel hard these days, Reader? "Gah, it's so hard to get food right these days," Laurie said. "It feels like being healthy and eating right has to be a full-time job." "I try to add more fiber, get enough protein, eat more foods with omega-3s…all the things! But then I just get overwhelmed, and don't do any of it." "Why is nutrition so hard?" That comment stopped me. Nutrition being hard is THE LAST thing I want for any of us. Perimenopause and menopause symptoms are hard...
7 days ago • 2 min read
I appreciate you, Reader! Thanks for sharing your stories about taking HRT or not during perimenopause and menopause. Hopefully, sharing your experience helps us both feel less alone in this wild season of change. Since we've talked about ingredients to support your health in midlife, let's put them into practice. You've heard me talk about behavior vs. outcome-based intentions before. If you want to lower your cholesterol or blood sugar, create a behavior-based intention to support your...
14 days ago • 1 min read
Hi Reader, Behind the scenes... I have a lot of breast cancer in my immediate family. My calculated risk of getting breast cancer before I'm geriatric is about 30%. As my perimenopause symptoms evolve, the question I keep coming back to...is hormone therapy safe for me? If you asked me last Fall and Winter, I would have said, "hard no." Even though I was waking up with heat waves every couple of hours, falling off emotional cliffs, and experiencing the worst acne of my life - with random...
21 days ago • 3 min read
Hi Reader, Constipation, gas, heartburn, random diarrhea - what is your 💩 telling you? Digestive upset is one of the most common, but least talked about, symptoms of perimenopause and menopause. Why? Poo is a taboo subject for most women - unless it relates to the latest influencer detox supplement for a "youthful glow" or GLP-1 medications. We don't talk enough about how hormones affect digestion. Think about the last time you had a regular menstrual cycle. You were probably a little (or a...
28 days ago • 2 min read
”I just decided, at this moment, to throw a Fall open house and make soup!” T announced in an early-morning post-walk text. I love a good walking brainstorm! ”I’m going to make soup with whatever I can harvest from my garden. Everyone can bring something to share from their harvest too - a sprig of herb, the hidden zucchini, whatever they have!? ”Delicious idea!” I texted back. ”I don’t have a harvest, BUT I’ll make something with apples from M’s harvest, and I’ll bring homemade bread. Can’t...
about 1 month ago • 2 min read
"I know I should be eating more vegetables and salads. And I do if someone else makes them for me or I'm eating out. But otherwise I buy the salad stuff or the vegetables, and they just sit in my fridge until I get around to composting them." Erin said Can you relate Reader? Let's put the lever-pulling idea from last week's email into practice. This will get you thinking about food without diet culture "shoulds." Say your cholesterol has gone up recently thanks to the decline of estrogen in...
about 1 month ago • 2 min read
The concert had already started with the opening act - a blues piano player from New Orleans by way of the UK. Hearing the music and the crowd, we hustled along the 4-block walk from the car to the outdoor venue. Jane frantically dug through her purse looking for her phone with your digital tickets on it. ”Damn it! I left it in the car! I’m so tired of forgetting EVERYTHING!” ”No problem, I can relate. I’ll go get it.” I said, speed-walking my Birkenstocks back the 4 blocks. Earlier that...
about 2 months ago • 2 min read
“I’m so over breakfast, Reader!” I hear this A LOT from clients - same for lunch. But this time it’s me. I’m over the cliché breakfasts for women over 40. Smoothies with protein in all forms, collagen, creatine, fiber. Greek yogurt bowls with fruit, but not too much ‘cause sugar (eye roll). And the classic, coffee with collagen. Sorry, but coffee isn’t a meal no matter what you put in it. I fell for the smoothie fad. It’s easy. And I liked them for a while (months), until the texture got...
about 2 months ago • 4 min read
We’re only about a mile from where we planned on camping. After a 6-hour drive to the trailhead, we decided to hike in a few miles of our 20-mile adventure to stretch our legs. The rain starts. Slowly at first. Then bigger drops. The drops turn to hail. We frantically dig through our packs for rain gear, trying not to let any rain into our packs at all costs. Thunder rolls. Then CRACK! Lighting. Mary isn't convinced we're still on the dry side of the Pacific Crest. “Did you bring a ground...
2 months ago • 4 min read