Military Life · 20. September 2017

Prepare and plan as we may, pain is an inevitable part of the human experience. Have you ever planned how you will respond to emotional pain? Read my story and discover the practice of self-compassion and how it can be a lifeline for spouses of deployed military members.

Wellness Planning · 20. October 2016

The previous weeks of this blog series have been all about planning. What do I want most? What will make the biggest impact on my health and well-being? With the hard decisions behind me, I am really enjoying the process of putting my ideas into action! For me, this is the fun part. I have signed up for piano classes (there's that creativity need surfacing again!) and resumed studying French. These things may sound more like work than play, but to me they offer refreshing and self-directed...

Wellness Planning · 03. October 2016

Some things come naturally and some do not. I am the type of person who gravitates towards logic, order and science because they make sense to me. I have cultivated many habits, some of which are helpful (exercising regularly and eating well), and some less desirable (like wanting to be good at everything). As a Wellness Coach, I encourage my clients to acknowledge and celebrate the healthy behaviors that they do well. Oftentimes we forget to applaud our successes, especially when they come...

Wellness Planning · 26. September 2016

Welcome to week 2 of my Autumn blog series! This series is all about how I am planning life balance into my (crazy) Autumn. Feel free to follow along and try some of these activities yourself; I hope you find them as useful as I do! Last week, I posted an activity that I called the Needs Chart, which had us define what "life balance" would look like (I envision being rested, nourished, and strong), and identifying what needs must be satisfied in order to achieve this. If you missed last week's...

Wellness Planning · 19. September 2016

I have a lot going on this year. There will be some fun and excitement, and there will be some major challenges. That's okay - challenges almost always have an upside. Take this blog, for instance. I wouldn't normally commit so formally (and publicly!) to self-care. What a fantastic way to ensure I am held accountable! I have decided to approach this process as I would with a coaching client, starting with clarifying what I want out of the experience. One of the first things I do with a new...

Seasonal Tips · 14. September 2016

It's Autumn already! Red leaves and school buses have made their debut, and my family's Fall rituals have begun. Like many families, this season gets a little frantic with choosing, registering, and scheduling programs, figuring out school bus routes, work schedules, and calendars, cleaning and packing summer stuff, searching for cold-weather gear, buying whatever no longer fits ...BREATHE... Busy time? You got it!

Weight Wellness · 08. May 2016

Has something ever happened that guilted you into starting a weight loss regime? Perhaps you discovered that you had outgrown a favorite outfit; maybe you overheard a child making an insensitive comment. These events stick with us, forcing us to acknowledge that we are not where we want to be. This emotionally-charged and uncomfortable process often inspires us to jump into action and try to lose weight as quickly as possible.

Weight Wellness · 11. April 2016

If there is one thing in life that is certain, its uncertainty! As hard as we try, there will inevitably be circumstances we don't expect. This reality can be frustrating and discouraging when we are trying to make lifestyle changes. Its normal to get caught up in the disappointment of not meeting our goals and expectations. Our success with new behaviors is very much dependent on how we deal with these inevitable situations. Preparing ourselves to meet 'failure' with flexibility and creativity...

Weight Wellness · 23. March 2016

Self Talk Our relationships with our weight scales, mirrors and perceptions of how we "measure-up" have a dramatic effect on us. There are countless cues throughout the day that remind us to evaluate ourselves: we sit down and notice where our pants feel tight, we look in the mirror and notice how tired we look, we see a colleague walk by with a gym bag and we compare our own physique and exercise habits... our days are packed with mini judgements and we rarely, if ever, stop to consider how...

Weight Wellness · 23. March 2016

When I ask new clients what they hope to accomplish during our work together, most clients tell me that they desire some degree of weight loss. What we often discover after a couple of sessions, however, is that each client's ability to lose weight is inextricably linked to other parts of their emotional, physical and mental well-being. Sustainable weight loss is rarely, if ever, as simple as calories in = calories out. If it were this easy most of us would be living at our ideal weight!