healthy and beautiful

I realize she's not a "company" but some find this humor offensive For some reason, I’ve encountered multiple accounts of sobriety lately. My friend Aidan Donnelley hosted Elizabeth Vargas for one of her “Happier Hour” book events. Elizabeth’s book tells her story about anxiety and alcoholism. Aidan has written about and been fairly public with her sobriety as well. I also read Love Warrior , Glendon Doyle Melton’s memoir. And most recently, a friend turned me on to the Home podcast, specifically an episode about eating and addiction. The nutritionist interviewed tells her story about her issues with alcohol. I think the topic of women and alcohol is an important one. I know, from years of counseling, that for many people alcohol may not be a major problem but it’s not a non-issue either. A lot of clients worry about their drinking, being open and having conversations privately or publicly is vital. I come to the table from a slightly different vantage point. I like a coc...

In late October, my friend mentioned she was doing a wellness feature, for the month of November, on her blog. She asked if I could guide her, offer tips that kind of thing. I mentioned that our Foodstalking program was taking off and she was in. Done! We agreed I’d stalk her for the month of November (I hope she doesn't regret her decision). With Foodstalking, stalkees send their food logs by 9pm.   By 9am they receive a tip for the day and feedback on their log. Aidan’s first entry on November 1st was from Halloween the night before.   I recall her first tip was “ Sayonara Snickers ” but very quickly her eating and habits improved. She wrote about her month . I chuckled when I read her recap. When she assessed her progress she made it sound a little like she was a little bit of a slacker or somehow didn’t do as well as she should. In my opinion, she had a stellar month that included more cooking, exercise, preplanning, certain supplements, less sugar etc.  Interesting.I...

As some of you know (if you read her blog) I am Foodstalking my friend Aidan this month.  Aidan is doing really well (she may be sick of my suggestions but she hasn’t said so), sending me her food log each day but yesterday this question came “thoughts on tgiving dinner? Rules or no rules??!” I don’t think it came as too much of a surprise to Aidan, who knows I wrote a book about nutrition and planning, that I not only replied “rules but reasonable ones” but also attached a “treaty” for her to complete and sign. Then, during a client session yesterday, another client asked “is this time of year a total nightmare for you?”  It isn’t and I’ll tell you why. If we think about our choices over Thanksgiving we set the tone for a mindful (AKA weight gain free) holiday season.  Before Thursday sort a few things out: When will you workout? I believe in moving (you don’t need a gym, “turkey burn” or a turkey trot but if you have access to these- go) on Thanksgiving you just need ...