I love you already.

Have you ever fallen in love with someone you’ve never met? 

Many moms experience this phenomenon during pregnancy. Your baby starts growing inside of you. You feel waves of emotion. You feel those little feet kicking. Your heart melts. You love your baby before they’re even born. Before you’ve ever seen their face. Before you’ve ever met.

“I love you already.”

Sure, there’s the unknown of what they’re going to look like, their gender (for some), and their personality—but that loving bond between mama and baby is strong from the very beginning.  

Imagine if we could feel this way—not just towards our kids, but towards ourselves? 

Imagine saying, “I love you already” to yourself, and really meaning it.

“I love you already”—even before you’ve accomplished anything on your to-do list for today.

“I love you already”—regardless of what...

It Only Takes 90 Seconds

90 seconds. 

It’s less than the time you need to microwave leftovers. It’s definitely less time than you spend waiting for your potty-training toddler to do his or her business. And it’s absolutely less time than it takes to figure out where you left your phone (ahem, soccer field 4B last Saturday).  

90 seconds also happens to be the lifespan of an emotion—like anger, fear, or shame. Just 90 seconds. This has been confirmed by neuroanatomists who study how humans respond to stressful situations. 

Here’s how it works: 

First, a stressful event happens. For instance, you get a critical email from a colleague. You see a photo of your ex (with their new partner) on Instagram. Or you realize you’re over-due on a bill. Yikes. 

Your body reacts to this event with an intense rush of emotion. It might be Anger. Fear. Shame. Guilt. Anxiety. Loneliness. Disgust. This emotional rush will usually rise,...

What Are You Doing With Your Leftover Halloween Candy?

If you're anything like most moms who celebrate Halloween, you're staring at a pile of your children's snickers, skittles, kit-kats and m & m's wondering what to do with all the leftover Halloween candy.  I'm assuming your reese's peanut butter cups and licorice are already gone!  

Do you watch your kids tearing through candy after candy and feel a little anxious or like you're a bad mom?  Isn't everybody sugar-free and gluten-free these days???

Do you have the "candy fairy" come to take away the candy and leave behind a toy?  

Do you let your kids eat what the want on Halloween and donate the rest the next morning in an attempt to just "get it out of the house"?

While these options might feel tempting, none of the above options will help to promote a relationship of trust between your child and their food.  

Most often, it's the adults that need to deal with our own anxieties...

The one minute rule

I am definitely not into rules when it comes to food—with one exception. The one minute rule.

I used to take forevvvvvvvvver trying to decide what to eat. I would debate endlessly with myself. I would “weigh” all the options (mentally and often, literally--placing food in a measuring cup). I’d consider what I should and shouldn’t eat, and when I should and shouldn’t eat it. 

So much ruminating, fretting, and stressing about meals. It sucked up so much time. So much mental anguish. Totally exhausting. And honestly? So boring.

Nowadays, I give myself the one minute.  

I ask my body:

What do I want?  

What would taste good?  

What sounds nourishing right now?

If that’s not available, what’s the next best/closest thing?

I check in with my body for a minute or so. I wait for the answer. Which might be “chilled watermelon” or “pasta with pesto and sun dried...

Top Five

Think about five people in your life that you really admire.

Maybe it’s your mom, your best friend, a mentor, teacher, plus an artist, actor, or musician that you love. 

Got your list of five people? 

If you’ve got some paper nearby, write down five reasons why you admire each person. Five people. Five reasons, each.

Next, take a look at your list. What kinds of things did you write down? Probably things like generosity, compassion, creativity, dedication, big heart, artistry, talent, courage, so hilarious, always there for me when I need them, such an amazing writer, bold, tells the truth, beautiful singing voice, started an amazing charity, gives back to the community, doing important work in the world…and so on.

Did you write down anything to do with each person’s weight or size or body type? 

I’m guessing, probably not. 

I doubt your list includes things like…because she’s a size four or I really admire her...

You Want A Plan?

When I tell women, “Listen to your body, and it will tell you what it needs,” some women feel totally on-board with this concept. Others feel skeptical. Some even argue with me, saying:

“Listen to my body? That’s way too vague. I need a meal plan to follow. And I need a workout plan. Give me a plan, and I’ll do it.”

The thing is, listening to your body is not vague. It’s actually very specific. 

Right now, as I type…

I can feel that I’m a little thirsty and I need some water. 

I can feel the air in the room and I notice that I’m comfortable, not too hot, not too cold. 

I can feel the subtle feeling of fullness in my belly from the snack I had an hour ago. 

I can feel a dull ache in my shoulders from a little too much sitting and typing, and I know that some stretching would feel great.

I can feel that I’m not really hungry right now, but I probably will be soon. (And,...

The compound effect.

How many minutes do you think you’ve spent feeling unhappy about your body—or feeling anxious and worried about food?

How many minutes have you spent reading Weight Watchers guidelines (or Paleo, Whole 30, Keto, or any type of meal plan) and then compiling your grocery shopping list accordingly? 

How many minutes have you spent scanning a restaurant menu to determine what you “should” eat and what’s “allowed” on your food plan?

And, how many minutes have you spent trying on a thousand bathing suits or pairs of jeans, squeezing into a pair of Spanx, or taking 1,000 Selfies to find “the right one” because you’re never satisfied with how you look?

How much time? 

A few minutes per day?

While a few minutes per day may seem like much, it’s eerie how it adds up. 

Just like there’s a compound effect with money you invest, there’s a compound effect with the time you invest into...

Jelly Belly

I love starting my day with a quick run or Peleton ride to wake up my body and shake the cobwebs out of my brain. Typically, a quick twenty minutes wakes me up and gets me going. 

One morning, I was running down the block by our home—pushing my younger sons in the jog-buggy while my daughter scooted beside me.

New England weather can be unpredictable—a crisp, cool wind one moment, then blazingly sunny the next. 

A few minutes into my run, I realized that I was overdressed. With my long-sleeved shirt, sports bra, and full-length pants, I was roasting.

I had a choice. I could keep my shirt on (and feel overheated and uncomfortable for the rest of my run) or I could take my shirt off. 

Shirt off...or on?

Maybe this wouldn’t be much of a quandary for someone who’s never struggled with their body image (does this magical unicorn-person exist, somewhere?). But for most people, myself included, the notion of whipping off your shirt in...

10 things I learned in Shavasana

When I first started practicing yoga, I thought Shavasana was pointless. Sprawling on the floor, completely still, doing literally...nothing? No thanks. I’d rather go wait in line at the DMV. At least that’s somewhat productive!

Back then, whenever we reached the end of class and it was time for Shavasana, I remember thinking, “Can’t we just skip this part? Let’s wrap this baby up with a bow so I can get out of here and get back to doing something! Grocery shopping. Cleaning the house. Anything!”

But now? Twenty years later—after countless down dogs, warriors, and planks—I look forward to Shavasana every time. It has become one of my favorite poses, and has taught me so many valuable life lessons. A class without Shavasana would be just plain wrong.  

Here are 10 things I’ve learned in Shavasana:

1. Doing nothing is everything.  

Ahh, I was so young and naive to think that...

I can’t vs. I don’t.

When you’re writing an essay or an email, it’s incredible how adding, subtracting, or switching just one little word can change the whole meaning of a sentence. 

Even just one letter can change the whole tone.

Consider the difference between “I believe in you” and “I believed in you.” Adding that tiny “d” changes everything.

When it comes to our bodies, our health, and the way we take care of ourselves, language matters. The words you say inside your mind. The words you say aloud. Every word influences the way you feel and act. 

For instance, there’s a big difference between saying “I can’t” and “I don’t.” 

“I can’t” conveys restriction, rules, and powerlessness. Like: “I can’t have that cake.” (Subtext: “I can’t...because I have no willpower, and I won’t be able to stop, and then I’ll...