Clarity Wellness

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...

Is the nutrition world making your head swim? Eat only meat! Eat only plants! Stay away from carbs! Sugar is the devil! It doesn't matter what you eat as long as you count your calories! I'll admit, I'm sure I add to your confusion sometimes, and I probably add to your stress levels.  My cousin recently told me, "I read your stuff on Facebook, and I just want to go eat a cookie." I'm sorry.  I really am.  It shouldn't be that confusing.  All the science out there essentially boils down to two things:  eat whole, unprocessed foods, and control your blood sugar. Even if we know the science, our relationship with food can be a complicated one.  It's doesn't have to be that way, though.  If you're not happy with the relationship you have right now, it's like any relationship.  You're not going to change it overnight.  It takes work, it takes patience, and it takes baby steps. Sometimes you're hit by a lightning bolt (a diagnosis, the de...

Picture this: you're craving the chocolate bar that's hiding in your cupboard, so in an attempt to satisfy the craving, you eat a handful of nuts.  That doesn't work, so you make a keto mug cake that you found on Pinterest and eat that.  Nope.  Still want that chocolate.  So you try some almond butter mixed with a little cacao powder.  Then some Greek yogurt.  Then some cheese.  Nope. Nope. Nope.  What could possibly calm that craving?  Ummm...maybe a little piece of chocolate?  Unfortunately now you've eaten a whole day's worth of food when that's all it would have taken. That's called "eating around" food.  You've heard that if you want something sweet you should eat something with artificial sweeteners instead.  Or if you want something salty and crunchy you should reach for the celery sticks. And yes, often when we crave something it's indicative of something our body needs--whether it's salt (electrolytes), quick energy (c...

It's that time of year again.  You're coming off a busy season of shopping, cleaning, cooking, eating, drinking, and if you have teens like I do--concerts, final exams, final projects, and occasional full-on meltdowns.  It's exhausting. And in the process, I'll bet there are are a few things that moved down on the priority list, mostly the healthy things that keep us grounded, like exercise, sleep, carefully-planned meals, alone time, etc. If you're in the mindset of looking forward and planning for a healthy, happy 2023, here are a few things to consider in building a killer morning routine that will set the stage for a day that feels calm, productive, and self-directed. There are hundreds of books on building a morning routine, but you ultimately have to figure out what works for you. Have you read The Miracle Morning ? It's one of my favorites.  If you have, you'll remember the SAVERS acronym for a successful morning: Silence Affirmations Visualization Ex...

  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...

Some of you might know about my struggles with running this year...an achy hip on one side, and a super-tight calf on the other. I really haven't run much since April, and then only in short spurts. I've had to resign myself to being a walker for many months, and was trying to embrace the mental break that it gave me, even though I really missed my runs, my running group, and, let's be totally honest, the ability to eat just a little bit more without my weight creeping up on me. A few weeks ago I decided that I'd had enough and was ready to be a runner again. After all, the same hip that was giving me angst was the same hip that ached through 22 marathons and countless physical therapy sessions. I know what I have to do--I just don't do enough of it. Life has been busy, but I'd managed to go out and run a few times a week, and I'd felt pretty good. Best of all, I felt like I was getting my mojo back, and that's pretty priceless to me right now! It w...