I gained a few pounds this year. And this was the BEST GIFT for so many reasons. I lost my weight 20 years ago. About 50 pounds. And since then, I’ve kept within my healthy range. But I recently crept into a place where I just didn’t feel good in my body. The last few months have been a bit rough. My father in law died in December + my Dad died three weeks later + COVID. Note: This is not a plea for sympathy. Life is just hard sometimes. And when shit gets hard, my husband bakes bread like he is feeding an army. FOR REAL. Over the past few months, I was eating too much fresh bread + drinking too many gin and tonics + generally snacking more frequently than usual. This is probably a good time to share a … [Read more...] about I Gained Weight
Simplify
Ignoring the Pressure to Be Productive
COVID-19 has effectively blown through our lives like an F5 tornado and completely uprooted our sense of safety and normalcy. This is a situation unlike any we’ve experienced before. Most people are feeling a combination of unprecedented fear + uncertainty. When will I be able to (safely) fly and see my Mom again? Will my sister/husband/friend lose their job/business? Will there be toilet paper at the grocery store today? Will school reopen in the Fall? Another consequence of COVID-19 (and contributor to anxiety) is that we’re being urged to use this time to learn a new language or train for a half marathon or improve ourselves in some way. The pressure is convincing. I fully admit to moments where I considered … [Read more...] about Ignoring the Pressure to Be Productive
Eating With Structure + Freedom
Meals. What on earth are we doing if we’re not eating meals? I will tell you: We're doing things like… bingeing grazingfastingpickingsnackingdietingstarvingand eating all day long Fifteen thousand years ago (or thereabouts) our ancestors stopped grazing all day as they roamed. They settled down, sowed crops, and developed a pleasant schedule of getting together regularly to eat. We went from eating all day long, berry after berry, to sitting down to lunch. Regular, repeated mealtimes is a human design pattern that stayed in place until kids had to get up at 4am for swim practice, and bagels or Pop Tarts were consumed while driving. Until we were forced to take jobs that don't even allow us bathroom … [Read more...] about Eating With Structure + Freedom
Creating Space for Change
Americans spend north of $60 billion annually trying to lose weight, on everything from gym memberships to weight-loss programs to fat burning shakes. I think it’s safe to say the approach we’ve taken so far isn’t really working out for us. But why? In order to achieve lasting results, we need to transform our deeply rooted habits. And changing our habits requires space + time + energy + engagement. Learning and assimilating new + healthier habits is tricky if you spend your days and weeks running from one thing to another with barely enough time to sit and enjoy a meal - or prepare a meal – or get a good night’s sleep. You can’t learn and do better when you’re always adding more + more + more to an already … [Read more...] about Creating Space for Change