As I exhale deeply in downward dog, I hear the bedroom door creak open and close. 

Ugh, don’t they (meaning any of the other 6 people in our house since one daughter is doing yoga with me) know that I’m in the middle of teaching my class?

Two minutes later I’m holding plank and hear the door creak open and softly close.

At least the intruder is trying to be silent.

Four minutes later I’m balancing on one hand and one foot. “Creeeaaaak”, close.

Seriously, this is annoying. The one hour a week I look forward to EVERY other day of the week is getting interrupted. Deep breath, back to the present. FOCUS.

Five minutes later I’m looking right at the door when it opens two inches. With my best zen whisper, I mouth to my daughter doing yoga with me in to kindly find the perpetrator and beg them to stop.

Three minutes later, a note slips under the door with an SOS!! notice at the top.

This made me think of how many times our body comes...

In the US today,  we're observing Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. day.

This past year has given many hope that the systemic oppression and racism that plague our country (and that Dr. King fought to eliminate) will give way to a more peaceful, equitable and inclusive world for everyone. 

I can't help but think about justice around body size when I think about racial justice. 

There's been much in my anti-diet world about the racist history of diet culture and BMI which you can learn more about here. 

When you talk to your kids about the work Dr. King started years ago, you can also remind them that you don't want to participate in or support a culture or system that oppresses people based on their size. You don't want to give money to diet culture which makes people feel uncomfortable and unsafe in public areas, the medical community and even in their own home. You don't want to give money to a world that elevates thinness

We need to keep...

Without going into details, this week I'm coming to you grieving the loss of a loved one. 

Through my tears, I'm reflecting on a life lived well and death. 

I'm reminded that none of us knows how much time we have on this planet. 

No amount of kale or green smoothies or a certain size will guarantee you to make it to 100 years old. 

No magic code exists. 

"I wish I had eaten more lettuce and dieted more" said no one EVER in their final days.

The wish is usually that there had been more things that brought joy, more connection, more adventure and more love. 

This week I hope that you'll hug the people in your home (and through your zoom screen) a little bit tighter.

Inhabit your body with aliveness and passion. 

Trust yourself. 

Surrender and let go of trying to control things outside of your control (yes, this means your body size).

Let your food and body be what they want to be. 

Cultivate fierce self love. 

Connect with your...

Hey mama,

We made it to 2021! Do you feel like a champion for surviving 2020?

I wish that our reality was different, but we're still wearing masks, staying at home and watching the COVID death toll climb. I know you're exhausted and overwhelmed after a year of working harder around the house, taking in the news, worrying about your parents, yourself and your kids and taking in your part of racial inequalities in America. 

It's a lot and down right traumatic for many. 

While there's tremendous hope for the coming year, we're still "in it". In order to get through this, we're going to need all the energy, self care and health we can muster. And I'm not talking about monthly pedicures or a biweekly blowout. 

I'm talking about getting enough sleep, moving your body, practicing gratitude, having someone to talk to or connect with, laughing (start here) when you can and getting enough food. 

The diet industry knows that you're tired and your life feels out...

Well, it's hard to believe we made it to the end of 2020. 

It's certainly been *a year*. 

Today is the shortest day meaning it's the longest and darkest night. Seems appropriate for where we are in the pandemic....growing numbers of cases and deaths. These certainly feel like the darkest of days, but there's hope ahead. 

My hope for you is that you find small ways to celebrate with whoever you're with this holiday season. Enjoy this unique chance to have a blank slate to create a different, yet meaningful way to celebrate this year. Keep the spirit of the season alive with stories, food and small traditions. 

When you enjoy your food this holiday season, remember that there's a constant ebb and flow of hunger and fullness and there's no arrival at a perfect level of hunger. Challenge yourself to enjoy your food with intention and to invite all of your senses to participate in the pleasurable experience of eating....touch, taste, sight and smell. Being able to be...

"Why does it matter, I'm just going to fail the test anyways!" shouted my daughter as the car door slammed. 

"Out of all the possible thoughts out there, why are choosing to go with that one?" I asked. "Why not chose to think you're going to do great!"

"Mom, I do NOT want to hear any of your dumb coaching therapy this morning" she said firmly through clenched teeth. 

"Ok. who has something fun at school?!" was my attempt to shift gears which went over like a lead balloon. As we turned onto the highway, I searched for the Christmas station, because Mariah Carey can fix just about any bad mood. 

You know what else helps to shift your bad mood?

The power of positive thinking.

Reframing your thoughts and looking for evidence to disprove your crummy thoughts {I know you've got a lot thanks to 2020} can dramatically help during challenging times. 

As much as I believe in positive thinking, I know it doesn't fix every problem,...

"Ding, dong, the Dows are dead!" my daughter chanted in a sinister voice. 

She was singing this made up ditty in response to my husband flying late last week to see his ailing dad and the possibility that he might get COVID while traveling. 

"Dad's going on the airplane, and then he'll get COVID and then he'll give COVID to us and then we'll all go to the hospital and then we'll all die".

Have you done this before? It's called catastrophizing (going from best case to worst case scenario or imagining the worst possible result).

I'm guilty of this, too.

While doing the dishes after dinner this week I was simultaneously figuring out how I would manage the kids because I was sure that my husband was in a car crash since he was 30 minutes late from dropping off my daughter. 

He was actually just in the garage on a business call. 

We imagine the worst case outcomes when it comes to our partners, our kids and our bodies. You fear...

"Well, obviously I'd be a 10 out of 10" my daughter said without hesitation. 

She declared this in response to a family conversation about social media. My husband was explaining to our girls about ad targeting, location monitoring and more which you can learn about in this startling documentary.

When she learned that the origins of social media were college guys passing around photos of girls and rating them, she was all, obvi I'm a 10 out 10 over here. 

She didn't pause to think about her hair, what she ate that day, how much she had exercised, what clothes she was wearing or how the latest filter on her iPhone made her look. 

She wasn't concerned with bettering herself in that moment by planning a post Thanksgiving detox or cleanse. She wasn't worried about compensating for any current or past actions around food. She wasn't worried about how she measured up under anyone else's microscope.

She felt no pressure to be anything other than...

Our sons crowded around the living room jockeying for the best spot to see the action. 

A variety of shouts followed: 
"Who's winning?"
"How many points do they have?"
"Yes, c'mon, let's goooooo!" 

They weren't watching their favorite sports team. 

They were watching election results. 
As the states lit up red, red, blue, red, blue......they couldn't stand the suspense. 
"C'mon blue, let's do this. Yes!!!!!"

As the results trickled in, it reminded me of how often we label the way we eat as winning or losing. We track our points or calories throughout the day and if we successfully stay within our allotted amount, we've "won" the day. 

We think to ourselves, "yes, I didn't eat that brownie!" or "yes, I'm feeling hungry and forcing myself not to eat so that means I'm doing well!"

I don't remember an exact day that I stopped judging my success based on what I had (or hadn't) eaten, but I know my life dramatically changed once I stopped this senseless...