This week, to meet my stated goals of getting more flexibility and multi-dimensionality out of my fitness life, I joined a yoga studio and took several hot yoga classes. I was a hot yoga virgin, and I couldn't have gotten experienced at a better time: my body was craving the deep stretches, and my mind was thirsty for the much needed mental calm after a rocky period with the bf. Three hours in a 105 degree room, listening to the near-constant talking of the instructor as she guided us through each pose and letting my mind focus on the sound of my breathing created some mental space where I pushed the cares and worries of regular life out of my brain space and in its place, some enlightened ideas seeped and settled in. Here are my three big Yoga/Life take-aways: Continue reading

Lately I have been examining how the echo chamber of my internet existence affects my mood. I have self-selected websites & people to follow through Facebook and Twitter feeds because they are people who are more involved in issues that I care about than I am. Trouble is, they are... Continue reading

Even though I seem fit on paper ( mileage logs or lists of events completed, number of gym visits, progression of squat weight, etc.), my body often feels tight, sore, or just not operating at 100%. What's the point of all this working out if my body doesn't work the way I want it to? Continue reading

So, last time I talked about living a swole life in terms of relationships, but as we all know, we are accountable to ourselves, ultimately, to live the best life we can, apart from romantic relationships. Just as we should consider how other people fill us up, poke holes that shrink our potential, grab our strings and support us, or weigh us down, think about how Actual You do these things to Ideal You. Continue reading

In the weightlifting community, 'swole' is a term referring to a body that is pumped up, larger than life. As in "Get Swole" used as an encouragement to get fired up for a good workout. Swolemates are romantic partners who workout together! The language of romance conjures images of love... Continue reading

Demi Lovato, Lady Gaga, Kate Winslet....yep, celebs can be bulimic, and so can your daughter. I was. Like many famous people who struggle with eating disorders, mine started when I was 12. As my own daughter turns 12 this year, I wanted to share with you my experience. Continue reading

Uniforms matter. When you are sick or your life needs a makeover, don't underestimate the power of lipstick. Continue reading

This is a crazy week for me. I'm in the process of moving into my boyfriend's house after living on my own for about 4 years following my divorce. I'm nervous! I can't lie. There are many competing emotions as we make this step forward together. Continue reading

As parents, we often want to push our kids outside of their comfort zones because we know that this is where growth and development occur. This is where life gets challenging and rewarding and fun. We know what they are capable of, and we want to help them reach their full potential, even if they don't think they are ready. Be careful that when you do this, you are not trampling over their right to say 'no' and have that be respected. Ignoring your kids' assertion of their stopping point can ruin their sense of trust and safety with you, and it sends a terrible message about the lack of power the word 'NO' has Continue reading

If you are struggling to establish a running routine or having problems adding miles to meet your running goals, trust me: Jeff Galloway's Run-Walk approach is the way to go. I've used it all my running life. I've talked about it in my running posts, but read about it from the source in a quick blog post here: Jeff Galloway on the Benefits of walk breaks on long runs Continue reading

Love is hard to find. It's the saddest thing in the world to lose it over your own unhappiness, self-loathing, or insecurity. These conditions turn the best of us into delusional bitches in self-destruct mode. Check yourself before you wreck your relationship. Continue reading

Learn how walking can help you run longer and avoid injury Continue reading

Here is a secret I've learned from 20+ years of running. When you first start a running routine, it sucks. Even after you have many races under your belt, it will still suck, briefly. Then the sucky part will be replaced by awesomeness. They don't call it a "runner's high" for nothing. You never hear anyone speak of an "elliptical high" or a "stairmaster high". Running is special. You gotta fight through the lows if you want to get to the highs. Continue reading

Divorce sucks, but it happens to the best of us. Recognize, consciously, that your family does not need to fall into the traps and mirror the trends long associated with uncoupling, which GP seems so resolved to avoid. The good news is that you can do it all without eating a kale leaf, pulling hot cups off your back or rubbing sharkfin oil on your face. - See more at: http://www.zusora.com/zusora/2014/03/the-gwyneth-effect.html#sthash.4oMxqnqN.dpuf Continue reading

Running a marathon is an accomplishment like no other. But let's face it. Even though it is do-able, your toenails might fall off, your legs might be so sore that pressing the brake pedal in your car becomes a challenge, and you might find the need to take stairs backwards or sideways for weeks. Continue reading

I've long enjoyed trail runs, and love a good workout that leaves me sweaty and mud-splattered, with wet, dirty shoes. Yes, the gym is good for weights and guided exercise classes, but I've never experienced the same sense of pleasure and satisfaction on the cardio deck at my gym that I get in the woods. Don't be afraid to get outside and get dirty! In life, similarly, you need to be fearless when it comes to getting dirty. Eat clean. Keep your space uncluttered. But know how embracing a dirty, messy philosophy in some areas will make your life more attractive and loads more fun. Continue reading

Whether a 5k, 10k, half marathon, marathon, or mud run appeals to you, recreational running offers so many choices. I'm going to focus today on marathons because, as I will tell you in a minute, now is the perfect time to add this to your list of awesome achievements. Continue reading

If you think you're too lazy, too busy or too out of shape for a little bit of walking or running to matter, you're not. If you think running sucks, you may have a point. Trust me, though, it gets better! Till you get to the place where running doesn't suck, just listen to your body. It wants to move, play, and breathe fresh air. Do this. Continue reading

When I encountered this evidence of an educated, sensitive person who was in a leadership position expressing the notion that his female colleagues- all of them-were, essentially, hookers in his mind...I was taken aback. All this everyday sexism may seem like insignificant drops in a bucket to those acting thoughtlessly, but they add up to an ocean of entangled 'women's issues' that are really 'human issues' involving half our planet. Continue reading

To paraphrase Immanuel Kant, if you give a man everything he wants, at that moment, everything will not be everything. I love the way this sentiment echoes my earlier "lesson" about knowing your boundaries. If you don't set limits or checkpoints in your life, you'll never feel satisfied. There will always be more and bigger and better out there. You might have everything you ever wanted, but it is not enough because it's not everything you could possibly have. While you are busy running a race with no finish line, you might not realize that you past your happiness miles ago and left it in the dust. Continue reading

When I stood in the doorway of an airplane, getting ready to leap out in my first tandem jump, 13,000 feet over the green fields of Virginia, my mental panic was calmed only by an inner voice telling me to just keep breathing, slow and deep. As long as I was breathing, I was alive. While focusing on breathing is a way to relax or perform better, it is also a reminder, more generally, to get back to the basics and focus on the fundamentals that make us who we are instead of getting distracted by all the noise. Continue reading

Sheryl Sandberg wants every girl who is considered 'bossy' to be told instead that she has "leadership skills." The "Ban Bossy" campaign is the latest well-intentioned, but ultimately silly, effort by well-positioned people who want to be seen as spearheading the nation's gender equality efforts. Continue reading

We have a problem with rape. Not just in this country. It's everywhere. Despite decades of public awareness campaigns, we remain strangely confused about the criminality of rape. ( See today's news story about the Norwegian woman raped in Dubai whose prison sentence- for being raped- was just overturned. The details of this case are the epitome of 'rape confusion'). Continue reading

We often see life as a linear progression, climbing a ladder, so to speak. It's important to know which rung is the highest you want to go. There are only so many who will stand atop the ladder. We can't all be leaders. We can't all be president. Only one person gets that chance. We can't all be the best, all the time. What is a leader, if he has no followers? Continue reading

In the world of film and media studies, the Bechdel Test is the barometer that measures whether or not a work has a certain female complexity that earns it a feminist thumbs up. It doesn't mean that women appear fully clothed or in non-sexual ways, but that they achieve a degree of character depth because 1. The work has at least two [named] women in it 2. Who talk to each other 3. About something besides a man. That seems like a pretty low bar to pass, but a surprising few contemporary films pass it. Continue reading