When I was 19, sitting at a collegiate football game, I suddenly swelled up like a balloon. My rings got stuck, my jeans felt like a vice, and I had to leave the stadium to walk, find shade, and guzzle water. I ended up unzipping my pants just to breathe. At the time I had…
📸 These were my “progress” photos. At 37, I looked leaner and more defined than ever. But it wasn’t my first “body chapter.” In my late teens, I was a high school athlete—strong but starting to put on weight. By college, training with the rugby team for lacrosse, I was thick and powerful. A foot…
Every spring, we crave a fresh start — lighter meals, more movement, a clean slate. But too many “reset” programs leave women depleted, not renewed. Here’s how to reset your body without burning out. When “Reset” Means Restriction Every April, the internet fills with challenges: juice cleanses, 7-day detoxes, bootcamps. They sound refreshing, but in…
Back in college, it took a lot to really fatigue my muscles. The trainer at UO could get me there, but on my own it usually meant 5–7 mile runs before I felt that satisfying soreness. These days? A half-mile run with a stroller can do me in. (The toddler likes speed.) Different body, different…
For years I thought I was great at hydration. I carried my big water bottle everywhere, refilling that baby like I was winning at adulting — and then spent half my day running to the bathroom. Meanwhile, my skin looked dull and at some times sallow, my energy crashed mid-afternoon, and I was living in…
I’ve never thought of stress as “just in my head.” I’ve always felt it in my body — the racing heart, the tight chest, the way it steals my sleep. Maybe I’m just a sensitive soul despite being a Cadbury egg (hard shell, gooey center). Either way, my body made it clear: stress is physical.…