In my work with clients, the trickiest time for maintaining our nutrition + lifestyle standards is Halloween through the New Year. It IS possible to enjoy the warmth of family and friends getting together to celebrate the holidays, AND also stay aligned with our health goals.

The protein leverage hypothesis originally proposed by nutrition researchers in the early 2000's, suggests the body has a biological drive to consume a certain amount of protein. When the body does not get enough protein, hunger and food intake increase in an attempt to meet its protein requirement.

Protein is often considered the building block of life. It’s crucial for muscle growth, repair, and overall body function. But recent research is shedding light on how essential it is for preserving muscle mass, managing metabolism, and supporting healthy aging.

When most people think of protein, they immediately picture muscles. While it's true that protein plays a critical role in muscle growth and repair, that’s just the beginning. Protein is essential for nearly every function in your body, for the structure, metabolic function, and regulation of all tissues and organs, including muscle.

Did you know that for those 65 and older, falls and related fractures are the leading cause of accidental deaths? Dr. Peter Attia, a renowned physician and longevity researcher, highlights a staggering fact: “Up to one-third of people over 65 who fracture their hip are dead within a year.” Let that sink in.

Intermittent Fasting (IF) is a diet trend where you have an eating window of 6-8 hours and the remaining 16-18 hours in a day, you are fasting.  Research was initially done on sedentary and obese men and women who did not exercise. For men, IF does have some significant benefits: improved insulin sensitivity, reduced LDL + triglycerides, decreased oxidative stress, enhanced verbal memory/performance, and it's easier for men to get into a Para-sympathetic nervous state, or a relaxed state=not stressed.

I recently received my Certificate of Completion in Menopause 2.0 from Dr. Stacy Sims - and I've got so much to share with you!  Dr. Sims is a Stanford PhD, a forward-thinking international exercise physiologist and nutrition scientist aiming to revolutionize exercise nutrition and performance for women.

Happy Fall!

It's been a full summer of taking time and space to reconnect with dear friends in far places, rejuvenate and celebrate life and living.  Spending time at the beach, working on overcoming my fear of swimming in the great Pacific ocean, it's been exhilarating!

Probably like you, I used the scale as a measure, not only of my weight, but also how "good or bad" I was eating, how high my self-esteem was, or how much I might loathe myself on any given day. I thought my weight was the best and truest reflection of my overall health.

It's March and Women's History Month, so it's fitting to share, explore and discuss with you, all things female. Let's start with female reproductive hormones shall we? In the above video, Dr. Peter Attia, a world renowned physician focusing on lengthening lifespan and improving healthspan, provides an excellent overview of female sex hormones throughout a woman's life. It's helpful to see and hear how our hormones fluctuate and change throughout our lifetime.

We've come to the end of March and this inquiry into all things female sex hormones, and the final installment regarding Progesterone + Testosterone.

During a woman's reproductive years, an egg is released from the ovaries each month during ovulation, and this egg has a protective body known as the corpus luteum. Progesterone is produced by the breakdown of the corpus luteum and prepares the uterus for pregnancy if the egg is fertilized, and if not Progesterone levels will fall, and the cycle will begin again.

Let's talk about the hormone Estrogen and it's impact on our health. There are three types of estrogen: Estrone (E1) predominant in menopause, Estradiol (E2) predominant in reproductive years, and Estriol (E3) predominant during pregnancy. The most potent is Estradiol, important for sexual and reproductive development, produced mainly in the ovaries, and after menopause a small amount can be made in the adrenals and fat cells.

It's the last day of February, and tomorrow kicks off Women's History Month. As such, the focus of my newsletters in March will be all things female. This should not dissuade my male clients and readers from engaging with the information, as it may very well concern you too, not to mention you may learn a thing or two:-)

You may not be aware of your Vagus Nerve, but it's doing some very heavy lifting for you. As the largest component of our parasympathetic nervous system, which regulates essential body functions, it also balances our fight/flight/freeze responses. The Vagus Nerve is the most complex of the cranial nerves, originating in the brain stem, it runs down both sides of the neck into the chest and abdomen, connecting our brain and our body, and regulates our emotional states.

Given that we recently talked about cold plunging and sauna bathing, it seemed natural to talk about the BREATH - important in all of life to improve our physical and mental health, and a necessary component in hot + cold environments.

Breath is the first thing we take upon entering this wild world, and also the last. I've spent vast amounts of time figuring out how to breathe properly to best serve the activities I was engaged in as a competitive athlete (gymnastics, swimming + skiing) in my early years, and professional dancer, yogi, Pilates instructor later on.

It's February and winter has arrived❄️ Spending time in a hot sauna sounds like a good idea to me! I suspect something in my Swedish DNA has created a genuine sauna lover out of me. I find there's little better in life than being in a sauna (or a hot bath) for an hour - it's pure heaven to me!

Research out of Finland, is showing that there are important health benefits, that are perhaps just as critical to our lifespan as nutrition, exercise and sleep, that improve the quality of our life for a longer period of time.

Welcome to 2024!

Over the new year I found myself in beautiful Yosemite National Park with friends. Enjoying sunny hikes in nature, eating delicious food (one of my dear friends is a private chef:), and cold plunging in the crystal clear, and very cold river water the park so generously offered us. YES! Very cold water can take your breath away.. but that's actually part of the practice: BREATHING. Breathwork has been a part of my practice - from my days in the dance world, to Pilates, yoga, and beyond. Breathwork is a powerful healing modality and has become increasing popular, especially by Wim Hoff - you can read about his work here: https://www.wimhofmethod.com/