Clarity Wellness

Everywhere I go on social media this month I see posts on how to stick to your dietary plan over the holidays, nasty ingredients that are in your favorite dishes, and recipes for healthier options.  I'm all for eating healthier (obviously!) but aren't the holidays stressful enough?   Case in point: one of my family favorites at Thanksgiving is a corn pudding that we've been eating for as long as I can remember.  It's pretty basic—corn, butter, yogurt, and a corn muffin mix packet.  I saw a post this week on the ingredients in the corn muffin mix that was quite horrifying, along with a link to a healthier option you could use.  The price difference?  Twelve dollars!  Now, I'm all for healthier options (especially the gluten-free varieties), and quite honestly, I don't recommend eating corn muffins—even the twelve dollar ones—at all, but if you're only eating them once a year, why break the bank and stress over it? I will be making the cheaper versi...

I've been hearing a lot lately in the nutrition stratosphere about the fact that our metabolism doesn't really slow down at menopause, and as a woman knocking at that door herself, I find that very frustrating.  I talk to women every day who tell me that the tricks they used in their 20s and 30s to slim down don't seem to work anymore.  They tell me their weight is redistributing itself and their clothes don't fit the same way.  They tell me they are doing all the things they've been told to do (move more/eat less) and nothing changes.  How can you tell these women that their metabolism hasn't changed? I wish there were an easy answer. There seem to be a multitude of answers--some of them biological, and some lifestyle related. Let's start with the biological. As we age we tend to lose muscle mass, and when you add declining hormone levels, you're going to see a change in body composition. Loss of estrogen causes weight to accumulate around your middle i...

Habits make our lives easier. They make things automatic and free us from the decision fatigue that hits us near the end of the day. However, you probably already know how hard it is to create a new habit. The old ones are so deeply ingrained. It should be simple—there really are only 3 steps involved. Trigger, behavior, reward. With some things it really is that easy. Walk into the bathroom, brush your teeth, enjoy the reward of fresh minty breath. Unfortunately, other habits are not so easy to implement. Habits around food can be the hardest! That’s where we bring in the big guns: habit stacking. Throw every trick you’ve got at it. There are lots of things you can do, but here are some of the most powerful tools I have found for creating better habits around food: 1. Put it in front of your face. If you want to drink more water, fill your water bottle and take it with you everywhere. If you want to eat according to a plan, print it out and post it on your fridge....

  In case you haven't seen my latest post, I recently had skin cancer surgery, and ended up popping a few stitches.  Now I have a hole on the top of my head that is healing very slowly.  It's been over a month now, and I'm still a long way from being healed.  My next stop is a wound care clinic, and then I'm on to a plastic surgeon.   Looking in the mirror in the mornings and trying to do something with my hair while hiding the mess under a headband is the hardest, and honestly, for a few weeks there, I had a really tough time dealing with it.   I'm tired of playing the victim role, though.  I know what I need to do to heal myself, and the answer doesn't lie at the bottom of a box of cookies.  Not that I had gone overboard with the junk food, but I did let things slip a little.   In my nutrition coaching business I give my clients a meal plan to follow each week, and those that do see the greatest results.  So...why was I ...

I am a fan of the sun.   I love its ability to warm me when I'm cold, to trigger vitamin D production in my skin, and to boost my mood.  As a kid growing up in Iowa, I spent long afternoons mowing lawns, hiking around the nearby woods, and lying in the backyard trying to get the perfect tan.  Most of this did not involve sunscreen. Ok, maybe some baby oil or Coppertone SPF4, but nothing really protective.   As an adult, I have always enjoyed a little bit of a tan, but I've been more careful.  I limit my time in the direct sun and wear a hat every time I go out for a long hike or run.  Sunscreen is part of my daily routine. Unfortunately, it all caught up to me this year.  I go to the dermatologist every year, and every year she burns off a spot or two that she refers to as my "barnacles," otherwise known as actinic keratoses. This year, however, she decided to take a couple of biopsies.  They were basal cell carcinomas, requiring Mohs sk...

College move-in day Wow. I look at my Facebook group and blog and realize I’ve been quite the slacker lately. What’s going on? Well let me tell you… Life’s been going on. My oldest went off to college a few weeks ago, and though you might think that would free up more time for me (it technically has) I’ve also been having a hard time sitting still with my feelings or sitting still at all. The realization that my children are leaving the nest and my role as their mother is changing is throwing me for a loop. I’m not quite sure I’m ready for this. What does it mean for the rest of my life? Instead of thinking about that, I’ve been keeping quite busy-- cleaning the house, cleaning out closets, painting her room, planning band events, and planning an Alaska cruise. All things that need to be done eventually, but also things that can be parceled out after I’ve done the things that are really a priority to me, like writing and coaching—and maybe a little introspection. room makeover ...

Ever have one of those days where everything you had planned flew out the window and you became a slave to everyone else’s agenda? Who am I kidding? I have a hunch you all have, and if you have kids, I KNOW you have. This morning I had plans to go on a long, soul-soothing, solo hike. However, when I woke up, my aching hip had other plans. No problem, I thought, I’ll walk to the coffee shop with my husband and get some quality time in with him, while loosening up the hip at the same time. That I did, and then worked on meal planning for the week, baking a birthday cake, and doing some PT for my hip. All well and good, until the shizzle hit the proverbial fan. Suddenly I found myself putting out fires right and left, hunting down a rotten smell from the fridge, calling the dentist for the third time this week to reschedule (yet again), and rushing to the store for last minute groceries, all while trying to plan a birthday get-together. Oh, and did I mention that my hormones are a...

  The holidays bring up all sorts of emotions for us—the good, bad, and the ugly.   Along with those emotions, there’s a lot of eating going on.   We eat to celebrate, to soothe ourselves, and sometimes even when we’re hungry. 😊 Do stress and eating go hand in hand for you?   Find yourself reaching for the chips or chocolate when things get rough?   I know that for me, just the thought of a difficult conversation can make me reach for the nuts (giggle, giggle!)   It also happens when something suddenly doesn’t go according to plan.   And again it happens when I’m just waiting for something or someone and I’m mindlessly scrolling through my phone.   Sometimes it even happens when I’m working on a difficult project that requires a lot of brain power.   The crunchiness seems to help my mind work better. I’m sure there’s some science behind it somewhere. I know I've written about this in several other posts, but I also know that we often ha...

  This time of year can pass in a blur.  We get so busy making things merry and bright, rushing from party to party, cooking food and buying gifts, that we forget to stop and enjoy the moments.  We stop paying attention.  Then one day we wake up and find that we’ve put on five extra pounds, our joints are achy, our heads are a little stuffy, and despite the fact we feel like we could nap at any time, we are wired—either on caffeine or adrenaline (or a combination of both!) and eager to rush to the next thing planned. I had this happen already last week.   I enjoyed Thanksgiving with friends and family, then another Thanksgiving meal with relatives, then a tailgate party—all lots of fun, but they took a toll on me.   There may have been a few drinks involved, a piece of pie or two, and some other foods that I know I should be more careful with (gluten, I’m looking at you!)   I had used the Holiday Loophole .   You know the one:   I only e...

Well, it happened.   Just like that we returned to our pre-pandemic behavior and let life get really crazy again.  When people ask me how I am, I find myself answering, “Just crazy busy.”  I wasn’t going to let that happen. Then marching band season happened, and since I have a senior and a freshman this year, we let things get away from us.  Early morning practice and nighttime events, along with tough course loads and the homework that goes with them have transformed my girls into walking zombies.  My husband and I find ourselves volunteering for more than we had planned and going to every night rehearsal, concert, fundraiser, etc. that we can.  We’re all stressed and tired, but I honestly wouldn’t change it for the world.  We get one year where they are both in the same school,  playing on the same marimba, no less,  and I’m not going to miss a minute of it. Every time I watch them play, I get goose bumps.   Every. Time....