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...

 Via Vo/shutter stock There’s a definite pattern when it comes to adults and Halloween candy. Many adults resist candy on Halloween. Then, the next day if it’s in the house or at the office they start to pick. “Just a couple” pieces here, a couple there. The same thing goes for Thanksgiving. Day of, many clients are on plan. The next day? The leftovers take them down. Why is this? Many people make a decision, ahead of time, not to eat candy on Halloween or not to eat the 5,000 calorie meal on Thanksgiving. It’s clear what the plan is for the holiday itself. The day after? There’s no plan for that and so deliberation begins. “Should I have it?”   and this line of questioning rarely ends well. I read a thought-provoking Vox article, “ the myth of self-control ”. The first portion of the article is a little depressing as the case is made that it’s super tricky to pass things up. “Human beings are terrible at resisting temptation.” Then came the  interesting part. “The people...

Sure you want to eat that? What are you uncomfortable discussing? Sex? Money matters? I would normally add politics to this list but most of us have extinguished that fear this election season. Today I’m shooting a news segment on couples and food. The producer joked to me “it’s easier to get heroin users to talk to us.” I sent a few emails to clients and friends. We have two women and one man on board to open up about food differences in their relationships. However, the majority of the responses I received went something like “this is a huge issue for us but I’m not sure we want to air our dirty laundry.” Really? We weren’t asking people to strip naked. Rather “he’s a health nut and I’m not” that sort of thing. When a client enters into a new relationship I always ask, “what kind of an eater are they?” While this may seem unimportant initially, while everyone is on good behavior, you eat three times a day, it will matter. If you love to stay home and cook and he wants to go out every...

Achieving a lean and healthy body is possible for all of us. We have the ability to do what it takes to make it happen. It doesn't cost lots of money, require anything special, not even a gym membership. We can achieve a lean body naturally by choosing a healthy lifestyle. The choices we make each day determine what our body will look and feel like. Consistency with eating right, exercise, plenty of rest, water and decreased stress will help create the body we want. It starts with our grocery lists and foods we buy to maintain our physique. If we're buying processed sugar filled food products then we will create an unhealthy body . It really is that simple but many of us refuse to change this basic part of living. The same goes for   exercise . I f you're not taking care of your body with a regular fitness program, it will let you know through injury or stiffness. We can lean up naturally by purchasing healthy foods and eating at home most of the time. Our hard earned ...

Something happened during last week’s debate and I’m not talking about Trump losing his s#!t or the Hillary shimmy. No, the something I’m referring to happened to those of us watching. The hullabaloo disguised as a debate left viewers unsettled and fearful. I felt as if I had witnessed an accident and posted “ I need lavender and chamomile and kava and natural calm...and Xanax”   I wasn’t kidding. I couldn’t sleep with the thought that there are people who support “that”. At this point, it’s not being partisan, it’s being human. The WSJ called it “political anxiety disorder". Sure enough, when there’s anxiety there’s eating, as my clients the next day attested to. Even Carolyn mentioned a half pint of Halo top disappearing as she tried to calm her “Donalds". We coined these election-induced munchies “debate weight” at the office.   With the VP debate tonight, we have a solution: Election Survival Kit It contains: healthy, almond cookies, delicious (grain free!) rosemary crac...

Greetings from Vegas! I have to admit, it's a little strange to be here, of all places, when we open up the sign up for our September Squeeze program (a few spots remain). In today's newsletter we mentioned our "work"trip to the wild blueberry barrens of Maine. In Bar Harbor, a little competition took place for the best wild blueberry smoothie. I made a basil blend and Carolyn concocted something with avocado. Full disclosure, it was pretty annoying how into food styling their creations some people were. Carolyn and I did not win but our non annoying, awesome friend Marnie did. Here's her winning recipe. Wild Blueberry Basil Mojito Smoothie AKA the "Marnito" recipe via  Marnie Schwartz, Nutrition Editor, SHAPE Magazine 1 cup wild blueberries (different than cultivated blueberries) juice of 1 lime 10 basil leaves 10 mint leaves 1/2 cup full fat plain yogurt 1-2 dates Add yogurt to a powerful blender, follow with the other ingredients and blend. Do not sp...

My losing smoothie Greetings from Vegas! I have to admit, it's a little strange to be here, of all places, when we open up the sign up for our September Squeeze program (a few spots remain). In today's newsletter we mentioned our "work"trip to the wild blueberry barrens of Maine. In Bar Harbor, a little competition took place for the best wild blueberry smoothie. I made a basil blend and Carolyn concocted something with avocado. Full disclosure, it was pretty annoying how into food styling their creations some people were. Carolyn and I did not win but our non annoying, awesome friend Marnie did. Here's her winning recipe. Wild Blueberry Basil Mojito Smoothie AKA the "Marnito" recipe via  Marnie Schwartz, Nutrition Editor, SHAPE Magazine 1 cup wild blueberries (different than cultivated blueberries) juice of 1 lime 10 basil leaves 10 mint leaves 1/2 cup full fat plain yogurt 1-2 dates Add yogurt to a powerful blender, follow with the other ingredients a...

Do you think eating healthy is too hard? I say keep it simple and don't stress. Too many of us are getting frustrated counting calories, weighing food, and calculating macro percents ad nauseum. Healthy food choices have become an overwhelming chore. Have you heard of the saying throw out the scale? Apply that mentality to our food by tossing the scales and calculators. Eating right is about quality and not calories anyway. Who needs a scale if your pounding down kale, right? Eating donuts, pastries, and white bread is a different story. Eating right is simply swaping out unhealthy choices for healthy food. Instead of eating french fries, bake sweet or even white potatoes. It also helps to use nutrient timing and eat every 2 to 3 hours. Eating small meals throughout the day stimulates our metabolism, regulates blood sugar, and eliminates feeling hungry. Eating healthy is a good thing . Keeping it simple will allow you to enjoy your food and feel good about your healthy lifestyle....

lauren and I are no strangers to airplane rides or adventures. I’m sure our shared history traveling on Semester at Sea and desire to live FULL lives are two of the reasons we work together so well. This past year, I made it a priority to say 'yes' to as many escapes, adventures and retreats as my calendar (and bank account) will allow. Rather than having a Year of Yes (great book by the way), I think of it as only saying YES to things that make my body feel really good. Food, movement, and good people are my priorities. ( yogascapes  Moab with  Kerri Kelly  +  Jason Bowman )  I should share that as an anti-type A person (more type Z), retreats are my favorite way to travel. After showing up in Thailand itinerary-less a few years ago, I’ve realized that planning, or outsourcing the planning, is in fact wonderful and necessary. Interestingly, lauren is a self-confessed type A-person and likes outsourcing the organizing too. This way, she can obsess about somethin...