In this enlightening blog post, we delve into the critical difference between health span and lifespan, offering a fresh perspective on aging. Through real-life success stories, practical strategies, and a call to action, we guide you on how to live a vibrant, independent life well into your golden years. Whether you’re looking to enhance your physical activity, improve your nutrition, or boost your mental health, this post is your roadmap to aging with grace and vitality. Join us as we redefine what it means to age well, proving that it’s never too late to invest in a healthier, happier future. Read More . . .
How to Stop Food Logging
Step away from the food log and into a world of mindful eating and intuitive nourishment. In this enlightening post, we explore the transformative journey from strict food tracking to embracing food freedom. Discover the joy of eating without guilt, the benefits of listening to your body, and practical strategies for maintaining a healthy relationship with food. Say goodbye to the stress of diet diaries and hello to a life filled with balance, pleasure, and health. Join me on the path to dietary freedom and unlock the secrets to a happier, healthier you. Read More . . .
Your Health Isn’t Your Fault
Embark on a journey from feeling trapped by health myths to embracing empowerment and responsibility in your wellness journey. This guide reveals how shifting your mindset and adopting healthy habits can lead to a profound personal health transformation. Uncover the steps to break free from the victim mentality and take control of your health, laying the foundation for a life filled with energy, confidence, and self-acceptance. Read More . . .
The Ripple Effect of Self-Care
Why Self-Care in Midlife Isn’t Just Good, It’s Needed Running on empty in midlife? You’re not alone. Self-care usually takes a back seat to the hustles of life, especially if one has to juggle between work, family, and commitments that never seem to come to an end. But the thing is, when we neglect self-care, we might just be dragging not only our very own selves down but also our health, happiness, and eventually integrity along with us. Imagine that. When’s the last time you put yourself ahead of everyone else and didn’t feel bad about it? If you’re struggling to remember, it’s time for a wake-up call. Self-care in midlife isn’t a luxury; it’s a necessity. And before you dismiss this as just another feel-good mantra, hear me out: this is about your survival and thriving in the years that should be the best yet. This isn’t just about Read More . . .
What Every Employer Should Know:
The Changing Landscape of Health in Midlife As we approach January, a month synonymous with new beginnings and resolutions, it’s crucial to reexamine our approach to health, especially in the context of midlife. The new year brings with it a sense of endless possibility, a fresh start where transformation feels not just plausible but inevitable. We often set goals with a focus on physical health, envisioning a year where we finally achieve our fitness objectives. Yet, one of the key reasons many of us struggle to stick to our New Year’s resolutions isn’t due to a lack of discipline, willpower, or desire. Rather, it’s because we tend to overlook the fact that our health doesn’t exist in a silo; where physical health isn’t isolated but deeply interconnected with our emotional and mental well-being. Our lives are a blend of various elements – our family, work, and personal aspirations all interconnect, Read More . . .
Investing in Health Today:
The Unseen ROI for Your Retirement What do you imagine your retirement will look like? Do you picture yourself exploring the awe-inspiring vastness of the Grand Canyon, trekking along the historic paths of the Camino de Santiago, or strolling through the quaint cobblestone streets of a Tuscan village? Do you imagine days filled with joy, playing with your grandchildren, picking up new hobbies like pickleball, or rekindling romance with your partner in a home finally quiet from the bustle of family life? This idyllic future, rich with experiences and vitality, isn’t just a dream—it’s a possibility well within your reach. But there’s a crucial element to making these dreams a reality: your health. In this article, we’ll explore how proactively taking care of your health today isn’t just a choice for well-being; it’s a strategic investment that will pay dividends in your retirement, both financially and in quality of life. Read More . . .
4 things I learned from logging my food & exercise
At some point along my weight loss journey, I realized that I wasn’t going achieve my goals and have them be life long habits if I was implementing radical and quick fix solutions. I needed to think about sustainable habits. What were those things that I could do and keep doing for years and years, and still be successful? AND if I was going to do something that wasn’t sustainable, I would acknowledge it, but if it could get me to a goal and then I could safely transition off of it, the technique would be worth a try. An example of this is food logging and wearable fitness trackers. In my guide, 7 Mistakes I made in my Fat-Loss Journey, one of the 7 mistakes that I made was being too dependent on the calories in versus calories out approach. And that’s true. I used my fitness trackers and Read More . . .
What would future you eat?
Almost every Mom that I work with, who have young kiddos, struggles to get their kids to make healthier choices. Too often when given the choice between apple slices and french fries, kids will make the decision to get the french fries. And who can blame them? French fries are tasty. Sometimes, we adults do this same thing. We have salad on the menu. We even have all the ingredients. And yet, we choose to get take out for dinner instead. What is that? And what’s it about? Past, Present, and Future There are 3 people who live inside of me (so to speak): Past Elizabeth – that’s me from 1 minute ago all the way back to when I was born. All of Past Elizabeth’s decisions, choices, impulsivity and planning have gotten me here, to where I am right this second. Future Elizabeth – that’s future me. She has Read More . . .
Ever wish you could do a Do-Over?
For our 10th wedding anniversary, Gary & I went to Italy. It was an amazing trip. We started in Venice & then travelled to Tuscany & ended up in Rome. One day, when we were in Venice, we were trying to get to the Rialto Bridge, and it seemed that no matter which direction we headed out, we’d end up in the same square! The first few times, it was funny. But then it became irritating. How often do we find a similar result in our lives? Life is not a straight line. We think it’s going to be, but most often, it’s far from that. Occasionally we’ll realize that we’re headed in the wrong direction in our lives, or not where we expected to be, I was recently listening to a podcast interview with a woman who published a crochet magazine. Although I don’t crochet or knit, and don’t Read More . . .
Should you exercise while you’re on vacation?
I live in a tourist town on the eastern coast of Mexico. We’re near Cancun & Playa del Carmen. We have a high season where we get an influx of visitors, and a low season where, we still get some visitors – just not as many. When I talk to folks who are visiting, or even my clients who will be traveling here on vacation, I hear the same fear all the time – they think that they’re going to gain weight while they’re here. But I’ve found that while living here, it’s been really easy to maintain my weight without any scales, and feel good about my diet (of course, you can be healthy and unhealthy pretty much anywhere! It’s all about our choices.) What’s the difference? For one, the restaurant portions aren’t nearly the size that they are in the states. And because imported food is more expensive, Read More . . .
Redefining Failure: 3 Steps to Overcoming Fear
I was a young bride. 24 years old. And ‘Everyday Cooking’ by Dr. Dean Ornish was all the rage. I mean, Everyday cooking? That means it’s something that I can do. Right? I don’t recall why – maybe it was because I desired to be healthier, or if I felt like it was my role as a wife to cook – but I chose a recipe from the book, bought all of the ingredients, and started following the recipe. That was 1/2 of my lifetime ago – but I still recall standing in that kitchen, looking in the pot of food, wondering where I went wrong?!? It did not look like the picture. And as the end result started to get more and more away from the picture in the cookbook, I started course correcting, however as a new cook, I ended up with a soupy mess that tasted just Read More . . .
What can Goldilocks teach us?
You know the story of Goldilocks, . Right? A little girl gets lost in the forest, and stumbles upon a house where 3 bears live, but aren’t currently inside. As she wanders through the house, trying out things that belong to the bears, everything that belongs to the Papa Bear is too big; everything that belongs to the Baby Bear is too small; but everything that belongs to the Momma Bear is just right, fits like a glove, and feels good. We can apply the Goldilocks story to our health habits and that can predict whether we’ll have success with the new habits that we decide to adopt. Will they be long term habits that feel like your favorite jeans? or will they soon get discarded like that Snuggie that your cousin gave you for Christmas? See, when we set out to create new habits for ourselves, we want to Read More . . .
We’re on TV!!
This is totally off topic, and personal, but in June 2018 we had the opportunity to be featured on House Hunters International. It was tons of fun, and we’d totally do it again even though the internet trolls came out & told us what horrible people we were because, well, the internet gives everyone a voice – whether we use that voice to spread good or spew hate is up to us. But the truth is that if Gary and I agreed on everything, if we liked everything, it wouldn’t make compelling television now, would it? It would be pretty boring. If you want to follow our treks through Mexico, you can follow us at Tex Mex Expats. Enjoy the show & we’ll see you there! Read More . . .
Weighing yourself: When & How?
Lots of gurus will tell you not to weigh yourself daily, or that you should weigh weekly, monthly, or not weigh at all and just use the mirror as your guide. I think that different people will find success in the different methods. Which one should you do? Read More . . .
Scale going up when you start exercising?
It’s the new year & you’ve started a new exercise routine. You can’t wait to jump on the scale to see all of your hard work pay off. But wait! The scale actually went UP? Well that’s not right! What’s going on?!? Read More . . .
How long until your good habits show up
It’s been a week, and you’re excited to jump on the scale – get validation on all of the hard work that you’ve been putting in with your food and exercise. You must have lost 10 lbs by now! Right? Gah! The scale doesn’t reflect what you thought! What’s going on? Here’s what I’ve learned in observing my own body, and what I’ve seen in my clients. Read More . . .
Avoid these 2 weight loss mistakes
It’s the new year, and everyone wants results yesterday. I get it. But consistency is going to give you the results that you desire. And making too many changes at once is going to lead to discomfort & not continuing with your healthy habits. Read More . . .
How certain ‘off plan’ foods can help you stick to your diet
What you need to know about buffer foods and trigger foods if you want to be able to manage your weight. Read More . . .
Can you lose weight while drinking alcohol?
Sure, alcohol is toxic to our bodies, but it also has a fair number of health benefits. One of the first things people tend to cut out when they’re starting a new way of eating is alcohol – and with good reason: it has almost as many calories as fat, and almost twice the calories of carbohydrates and protein the body can’t digest it, so any food that we take in with it, will be shuttled directly to fat stores while the body burns off the alcohol it lowers our inhabitions, so where you might have had more resolve not to eat that bread before, now it doesn’t seem like that big of a deal. and more But do you have to give it up completely? Read More . . .
How Many Treats Can you Have?
We think that when we start a new resolution, or goal that we need to be perfect. But Consistency beats Perfection any day! When we think that we need to be perfect, and on plan every day, the minute we go off plan, that means that we’ve screwed up. Instead of feeling like we need to adhere to someone else’s plan, what if we created a plan that worked for us long term? That includes adding treats to your daily diet. But how many treats are enough? How much is too much? Read More . . .