Here are a few things I know about you:

• You don’t just do things. You do things well.
• You’re energized by putting all your effort into something.
• You’re excited by learning, growing and improving.

And you feel that way at home and at work. So, one day … you got yourself a Pinterest account.

In the completely unlikely event that you don’t have a Pinterest account, here’s a little primer. Pinterest is a search engine, much like Google, that was created in 2010. Users post “pins” or images to their online board. The pins are often linked to websites that offer more information. For example, if you search “fall meals healthy,” you’ll get thousands of image-based results like this:

It’s got a little of a social media element because you can comment on and save pins. You can also follow your favorite pinners so that you’re notified about what they’re pinning. When you open Pinterest, a curated set of pins will greet you and keep you engaged and scrolling for hours.

Cool, right?...

Summer is - hands down - my favorite season. So, I’ve been lamenting the end of summer for weeks. In the Northeast, the summer break is often extended until after the Labor Day holiday. That just allows me to be in denial about the start of school for a little bit longer.

But, in late August, I had to face the music. I had uniforms and folders and water bottles to buy. And I had schedules to plan and calendars to synchronize.  The flurry of back-to-school activity made it pretty hard to ignore that September was coming. Well, that and that pumpkin spice latte that just won’t go away. And now September is here! 

If you’ve been hanging out with me for a while, you may have realized that I really embrace new seasons. In January, my blog post focused on making your New Year’s resolution a habit. You can find that post here.  On July 1st, I offered The Real Summer Reset in celebration of doing a mid-year follow-up for your 2019 goals. And now September presents us with yet another opportu...

Do you wish you could just press the “easy” button on having a healthy lifestyle? Yeah, you’re not the only one. And I don’t want to burst your bubble, but ... you can’t. Whether you made a decision to be the healthiest version of yourself one decade ago or one day ago, you should know that your goal will require daily effort from you. It’s going to take some work.

So, now that you know that your new lifestyle won’t be easy, I have good news for you! It can be simple. So, please let it be simple. Simple, not easy. And, because I’m a nerd, let’s look at the definitions of easy and simple, as according to Merriam-Webster.

Definition of easy:

1. causing or involving little difficulty or discomfort

2. requiring or indicating little effort, thought, or reflection

Definition of simple:

1. free from ostentation or display

2. sheer, unmixed

3. free from elaboration or figuration

4. readily understood or performed

As the old adage says, nothing worth having comes easy....

Nutrition science is fascinating but also frustrating. Like anything in science, the facts of nutrition science can be proven. But if you wait long enough, these facts can also be disproven. That’s just the nature of science. The worldwide community of physicians, nutritionists, biologists, chemists and the like is constantly searching for answers and gaining knowledge. So, what we know is always changing.

And what we now know about nutrition science now is so far removed from what we used to believe, say, in the 90s. That means if you’re eating according to 1990s knowledge, you might not be serving yourself well. And who knows what truths we’ll uncover in the next 20 years! But it’s likely that some of today’s nutrition recommendations will become moot. That’s just the nature of the science game.

But hang onto your hats. Because keeping up with the facts is hard enough, but it’s even more difficult to separate fact from fiction. There are an infinite number of opinions about what yo...

When I first started health coaching, I asked a lot of professional moms a lot of questions. My questions were geared to learning how to help them the most. I wanted to know if and how health coaching could help them. I asked questions like:

• What are your current eating habits?
• Are you content with them?
• Have you tried to change them before?
• What has stopped you in the past?
• What are your obstacles now?
• How do you want to feel in your body?

And I got amazing feedback! I’m so grateful for those women who gave me their time and their thoughts. From those conversations, there were two overwhelming ideas. I’m going to share one with you in this post. (Don’t worry. I’ll share the other one in time.)

These accomplished, Xennial and Generation-X moms asked:

What should I eat? I can do it if I know what to do!

And honestly, I struggled with that. I didn’t want to tell them what to eat. That sounded like a d-i-e-t to me. And I don’t support the d- word.  See … I can barely write i...

I coach because helping you get from where you are to where you want to be lights me up!

It’s an honor for me to be by your side as you dream big and knock down your goals, one by one. 

With every goal that you set and meet, you get closer to your dream. I think of your goals as the roadmap to your dream. So, if you want to make your dream come true, you need goals. And you have to make reaching your goals inevitable. 

But how do you do it? How do you reach your goals? 

To be successful, you need a system. And an essential part of that system is your habits. But not just any habits - healthy ones.

For this to really work, you need to understand it. Otherwise, it’s just a bunch of meaningless steps. With that said, here are some key ideas about habits:

• What is a habit?
• What makes a habit healthy?
• How do you make a healthy habit anyway?
• And how long will it take to make this healthy habit?

What is a habit?

First of all, without your knowledge, there’s a lot going on inside...

It’s July 1st!

July 1st has a special meaning for physicians and surgeons. Traditionally, it’s the first day of the training year. What does that mean? 

It means that brand new doctors start their first day of work, internship, on July 1st. With the flip of a calendar page, they go from medical student to doctor. On June 30th, they couldn’t possibly order a medication or a test for a patient, but on July 1st … Bam! They’re instantly capable!

It’s an incredibly exciting, albeit chaotic, day in teaching hospitals all across the country. I’ll be honest - it’s a chaotic month. Ok, really the first three months of the year can feel kinda wild. Oh, the memories!

The inside joke is don’t go to the hospital in July! I kid. I kid! You’ll get great care. Just know that July 1st is a big switch day. All of the young doctors are getting acclimated in new roles. It’s a time of transition and transitions can be slow. Or messy. Even confusing. 

But there’s an exciting, new world on the other sid...

It’s officially summertime! And summertime is synonymous with summer vacation! My last blog post was about detox diets, but a good vacation is a detox of sorts. You get to unplug and unwind. You get to reset and reconnect.

But sometimes parents can find it stressful to travel with kids. And stress can seriously ruin your vacation high! So, I’d like to offer 5 simple tips for healthy travel with kids. Use them in good fun and in good health!

Have fun!

My first tip is to keep it positive. Let’s be honest - traveling with kids is work. It isn’t relaxing. But it should be fun! So, make having fun your priority.

It’s been said that you only have 18 summers with your kids. When you think of 18 years as 18 summers, it sounds like so little time. And, in a way, it is! Many more experienced parents have advised me -  your children’s early years will fly by. I know … tears. But it has the ring of truth, doesn’t it? So, make the most of those summers by creating vivid, fun memories!

Let i...

Now that sunshine and 70 degree days have come to New England, it finally feels like spring. And with spring comes the realization that summer will be here soon!

Summer is my favorite! I love the long days of sunshine with my sweaty, bronzed kiddos. I love trips to the beach and, of course, barbecues!

I hope your summer weekends are full of barbecues! These summer gatherings are about food, yes, but there’s also all about family, friends, and fun!

Memorial Day, the unofficial start of barbecue season, is coming right up. The 4th of July will be here before you know it, and I’m willing to bet your Independence Day celebration will likely involve a barbecue. And, if you’re fortunate, just about every other weekend will also come with its own barbecue opportunity.

What comes to mind when you think of a barbecue? I think of music filling the air. Volleyball and badminton. Lemonade and iced tea. Grills. And food! Glorious food!

You know the barbecue menu - hot dogs, hamburgers, pota...

“We’re not who we say we are. We’re not who we want to be. We are the sum of the influence and impact that we have in our lives on others.” - Carl Sagan

“My job is to somehow make them curious enough, or persuade them, by hook or crook, to get more aware of themselves and where they came from and what they are into and what is already there … just to bring it out. This is what compels me to compel them, and i will do it by whatever means necessary.” - Nina Simone

When Beyoncé was announced as the headliner for Coachella 2017, I had a brief delusion that I would trek to the desert for her show. But I was pregnant. My daughter was actually born in April when Coachella is held.

Turns out Beyoncé was pregnant too - with twins - so she didn’t make it to Coachella 2017 either! So, when she rescheduled for Coachella 2018, I renewed my delusion of going to Indio, California, for a year. I imagined that I would even take my baby to simplify the weekend at home without me for my husband and...