I was recently talking with a group of people about Wellness and it was revealed that several of them did not have a clear understanding of what Wellness was "supposed" to mean. They had many varying opinions. Some seemed to think that Wellness was a vague and over-generalized concept, some felt it was strictly about being in good health and others felt that it referred to how healthy they were or if they exercised and ate a "healthy" diet.I choose to go with The National Wellness Institute's definition of Wellness as "a conscious, self-directed and evolving process of achieving full potential."

There's an epidemic of sleeplessness in our culture that comes from too much cortisol and other hormones, ridiculous amounts of sugar in our diets, too much stress, too many screens and multitudes of things constantly clamoring for our attention.  I have been an insomniac for over 20 years and as a result I've become an expert in some great ways to kick insomnia to the curb. 

No mater what your beliefs are, it's impossible to avoid seeing that this country is in the middle of some crazier than usual bullsh*t. It's really easy to get sucked into a sinkhole of anxiety, frustration and anger, and while sometimes those feelings can ultimately inspire action and change, they need to be balanced with some radical self-care or they will burn you out. 

As you may already know, I am a big fan of a well-placed "f-bomb" and I'm fairly unapologetic about it.  But there are words that I've become much more careful about using and they may not be what you think. Here's a list of the top 3 "bad words" that I try to avoid:

People often comment on the name of my business, Audacious Wellness, maybe because audacious is one of those words that can mean several different things. Personally, I love the idea of audacity when making life choices. Women I admire from Eleanor Roosevelt and Margaret Sanger to Alice Waters and Debbie Harry, have all been considered bold, daring and gutsy, or in other words, audacious, for going against the so-called grain to ultimately change perceptions and create new norms.

It's the middle of August and the middle of an "extreme heat warning" here in Seattle. Super hot summers are a relatively new thing in this town so lots of old houses like mine do not have central AC.  It's usually right around now that I start daydreaming about the cooler temps of fall and that fresh-start, back-to-school feeling I love. So, in the spirit of September's approach, I put together 5 easy ways to get ready for fall that I think you will love - even though they do not include having a pumpkin spice latte! 

Here's a fun fact about turning 50 (or 43 or 47 or any age after 40 really…): stuff you have done all your life can suddenly stop working the way it always has. That's right - you think you've got something wired and just like that it either explodes or just starts fizzling out. Then you're like, "WTF? I'm waking up at 3 AM? I've always slept a solid 8 hours a night", or " Hello? I've gained 10 pounds and I have not done one single thing different in the past 6 months."  Welcome to the wonderful world of aging and perimenopause.

As a coach I am always looking for good metaphors to help make sense of things we humans keep tripping over or bumping into. One of my favorites comes courtesy of the airline industry. We all know that in case of an emergency, we need to secure our own oxygen masks before we try and help others. If we can't breathe then we are useless to everyone - including ourselves. This is a great metaphor for real life! Daily living in the 21st century can feel relentless and stressful and often keeps our adrenals running as if we are in a constant state of emergency.

It's been my experience that sometimes when we set goals to lose weight or improve our health, life tends gets in the way. We have a stressful day (or three), a few nights of insomnia (*raising my hand), or some other diversion, we get derailed and then it feels impossible to get back on track. Typically what motivates us is in the first place is wanting to go down a few pants sizes or lose those jiggly arms, but I've come to believe that the clearer we are on what motivates us, the better the odds are of turning our goals into lifestyle changes.

For years after I moved to the west coast and began to adapt a more healthy lifestyle, I have been accused by my east coast family and friends as becoming a "crunchy granola" type. So, in the spirit of all things crunchy I give you the best recipe I have found for real-life, delicious, crunchy granola.

Something about September always puts me in a good mood.

The smell of freshly sharpened pencils, the feel of new school supplies, the taste of apples and honey for Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish New Year), the hint of autumn in the air with it's promise of sweaters and boots, the quality of light in the afternoons and the rich colors of the fall produce all conspire into one long run-on sense- memory that feels kind of like a little reboot. 

After a fabulous road trip to northern California to see the great, awe-inspiring redwood trees, I am back in Seattle and  enjoying summer's last stand. I loved being away but I missed being in my kitchen! The first real dinner I made when we got home featured one of August's most prolific vegetables: zucchini. It was such a hit that I thought I'd share the recipe.

As some of you may already know, I lost about 50 lbs a few years ago.

One of the (many) reasons my weight got out of hand in the first place is that often I would be scrambling at the last minute to figure out meals for my family and me, so much of the time I would end up eating from the hot bar at Whole Foods, snacking on goldfish crackers, ordering pizza or finishing my kid's fish sticks because I was exhausted and couldn't deal.

I finally lost the extra "baby weight" that I couldn't seem to shake for years. That old adage "it will just fall off when you are nursing" thing didn’t work for me. A few years ago I hit a wall. My babies were nearly teenagers. I was not getting any younger. And to be honest, I was sick of feeling like crap about myself.

I knew that if I really wanted things to change then I was going to have to do something different.

Yoga and Me (a love story)

I am trying to get more into yoga. I mean, I live in Seattle where it’s practically in the by-laws that every able-bodied woman do yoga have a yoga practice.

People who do practice yoga seem so together. There’s almost a smugness in their faces when I see them walking to class with their rolled up mats tucked under their well-toned arms. Like they are in on some giant secret. Yoga taunts me. One of the best yoga studios in Seattle is 2 blocks away from my house.  Plus some of my very best friends swear by yoga.

I was recently talking with a group of people about Wellness and it was revealed that several of them did not have a clear understanding of what Wellness was "supposed" to mean. They had many varying opinions. Some seemed to think that Wellness was a vague and over-generalized concept, some felt it was strictly about being in good health and others felt that it referred to how healthy they were or if they exercised and ate a "healthy" diet.I choose to go with The National Wellness Institute's definition of Wellness as "a conscious, self-directed and evolving process of achieving full potential."

Has this ever happened to you? You're late for an appointment and looking for parking. You end up driving right by a prime spot in front of your destination because there's a car on your tail and you feel bad about abruptly stopping, so you decide to drive around the block and go back for the spot but when you get there someone else has already grabbed it. This happened to me last week and my first reaction was to say to myself (using the unkind voice that lives in my mind), "Lisa, you idiot! You should have taken the spot when you first saw it." But lately I've been training myself to notice that unkind voice and what it's saying so I caught the thought pretty quickly. I consciously switched my inner dialogue and told myself "Lisa, it's OK.  You are not an idiot. I love you." I immediately started to feel better.

Last month I got to perform in a local community theater production of Guys and Dolls. Performing in musical theater again had been on my "wish" list for about 25 years and I am so freaking glad that I got to do it! Musical theater was a big part of my identity when I was younger. I was in everything from Bye Bye Birdie to Oliver and I loved singing and performing. Up until my sophomore year at college I was often in plays until I got way too cool and spent all my free time listening to music, dying my hair black, wearing armloads of silver bangle bracelets, going to clubs at 11:00 pm to hear bands and obsessing over cute British bass players- but that's a story for some other blog post…

A couple of years ago, with the big 5-0 on my horizon, I found myself in a bit of a meltdown. On paper my life was pretty awesome. I was married to a great guy, had 2 healthy, reasonably well-adjusted teenagers, I was living in an old craftsman house in a city that I loved and working from home with hours that I chose myself. I was healthy, had an active social calendar and regular trips to NY & LA. But as I got closer to that big birthday I started feeling lost. 50 sounded so BIG. So old. So middle aged. It was doing my head in.

No mater what your beliefs are, it's impossible to avoid seeing that this country is in the middle of some crazier than usual bullsh*t. It's really easy to get sucked into a sinkhole of anxiety, frustration and anger, and while sometimes those feelings can ultimately inspire action and change, they need to be balanced with some radical self-care or they will burn you out. 

As you may already know, I am a big fan of a well-placed "f-bomb" and I'm fairly unapologetic about it.  But there are words that I've become much more careful about using and they may not be what you think. Here's a list of the top 3 "bad words" that I try to avoid:

In getting back to the business of living my life these past couple of weeks, the practice of gratitude has been a very effective tool for moving out of the fear of an unknown future and into the present moment where all things are possible. So, in the spirit of giving thanks, I'd like to share with you my current gratitude list.

People often comment on the name of my business, Audacious Wellness, maybe because audacious is one of those words that can mean several different things. Personally, I love the idea of audacity when making life choices. Women I admire from Eleanor Roosevelt and Margaret Sanger to Alice Waters and Debbie Harry, have all been considered bold, daring and gutsy, or in other words, audacious, for going against the so-called grain to ultimately change perceptions and create new norms.

I've been going through some stressful things of late and haven't been paying as much attention as I normally do to the way I've been eating. As a result I've gained a few pounds, my clothes are tight and I'm generally dragging. It made me think about what I'm feeling (or avoiding feeling) when I don't eat mindfully. It made me question what I am really hungry for right now. 

It's the middle of August and the middle of an "extreme heat warning" here in Seattle. Super hot summers are a relatively new thing in this town so lots of old houses like mine do not have central AC.  It's usually right around now that I start daydreaming about the cooler temps of fall and that fresh-start, back-to-school feeling I love. So, in the spirit of September's approach, I put together 5 easy ways to get ready for fall that I think you will love - even though they do not include having a pumpkin spice latte! 

Here's a fun fact about turning 50 (or 43 or 47 or any age after 40 really…): stuff you have done all your life can suddenly stop working the way it always has. That's right - you think you've got something wired and just like that it either explodes or just starts fizzling out. Then you're like, "WTF? I'm waking up at 3 AM? I've always slept a solid 8 hours a night", or " Hello? I've gained 10 pounds and I have not done one single thing different in the past 6 months."  Welcome to the wonderful world of aging and perimenopause.

It's almost July 1 - which means that 2016 is halfway to done. Crazy, right?!  I am regularly amazed at how fast time seems to roll by these days vs. when I was younger. It probably has something to do with the fact that when we're young we are way more present than we are as adults… but I digress.

What I really want to talk about is goals.

Here in the 'personal growth' sector I see quotes and aphorisms floating around all the time. I like them because they can be great reminders and perspective shakers. Depending on the day or the time that I see them, they help me navigate my way around life's little speed bumps, nudge me to check in with myself or simply remind me how grateful I am or how awesome it is to be alive in the world. Even though I am a coach and I teach people all kinds of tricks for staying present and shifting their thoughts, those quotes can be good self-coaching tools for me.

As a coach I am always looking for good metaphors to help make sense of things we humans keep tripping over or bumping into. One of my favorites comes courtesy of the airline industry. We all know that in case of an emergency, we need to secure our own oxygen masks before we try and help others. If we can't breathe then we are useless to everyone - including ourselves. This is a great metaphor for real life! Daily living in the 21st century can feel relentless and stressful and often keeps our adrenals running as if we are in a constant state of emergency.

People have their own preferences about how they like to stay informed on news and current events. My mom likes the evening news and makes a point of turning on NBC with Lester Holt every night at 6:30 PM. My husband checks his favorite blogs while he has his coffee and rarely misses a chance to watch Meet The Press on Sunday mornings. I listen to NPR when I'm cooking dinner and often use that time to check in with the world and see what's up.

(or how I lost 50 pounds, turned 50 and then told age 50 to fuck off).

When you get into the world of Personal Growth and Self Help, you hear the word "intention" a lot. 

Like all the time. 

One of my favorite things to do on December 31 is to go on Facebook and Instagram and read everyone's goals and resolutions. It's the one time of year where people's enthusiasm and general positivity practically vibrate off the screen. There's talk of everything from finding adventure and reclaiming good health to learning to knit and getting a dog.

Last Monday I was deep in procrastination mode. By 9:45 I had already checked Facebook 11 times, answered every possible email, folded some random laundry, checked all my favorite blogs and researched the health benefits of hemp seeds. So I started cleaning out my desk. I began sorting through the tons of important stuff (aka 'crap') that gets stuck in there. Among the artifacts inside: 4 old wallets, an ancient asthma inhaler, a 1st generation iphone, expired coupons to the hardware store and an old list I'd written on a piece of notebook paper. Remarkably the paper had survived major moves through 3 cities and 25 years. It was a list of all the things I hoped for when I "grew up".

There is no "one size fits all" when it comes to diet.

I am in the middle of training to be a Certified Health Coach at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition (IIN) and one of the key concepts is something called Bio Individuality. This is the idea that every person is unique and has highly individualized nutritional requirements.

Depending on our age, genetics, beliefs and tastes, we get to decide what works for us. You probably know some people who are allergic to shellfish, some who can't be near a peanut and some who won't discuss eating anything that resembles an animal. And then there are the folks who are gluten-free, dairy-free, kosher, Paleo or just can't tolerate onions.

When I was pregnant with my first child, it was kind of a miracle. There was a lot of counting, waiting, praying and modern medical technique involved. But it also felt like I had, at last, been accepted into an exclusive club. I thought I would finally be "complete." I would be the woman I already was - only better. I was going to kick ass at this mothering gig.

I was wrong.

There are lots of things I've learned from having been around the sun a few times.

I know to avoid big movies on opening weekend. I know I catch more flies with honey than with vinegar.

I know to look both ways before I cross. I know which jeans make my ass look like the state of Texas (no offense Texans) and I know that if I drink red wine too late into the night I will get no sleep and act like a total bitch in the morning. Whatever the situation these days, I can usually say “no thanks” and feel just fine about it

What is it about being in a car that inspires meaningful conversation?

People tend to open up and spill when they are in a car. Some of the most interesting conversations I can remember have happened in cars. Like the time when my son was 4 years old asked me, "Mom, what's the name of that grown-up in the sky again"?  "You mean God?  "Yes! Is Mother Nature God's wife?"

Then there was the time in the car when he was in 3rd grade. He and his friend were talking about a kid in their class who told them that if they googled the "f word" they could see pictures…. (silent scream, mad dash from the driveway to check the parental controls on the computer).  

Did you know that you can't feel depressed or bummed out when you're feeling grateful? Literally. How awesome is that?

Apparently when you are feeling gratitude it triggers the same part of your brain that releases dopamine - aka the "feel-good" hormone - and who in the world doesn't want more feel-good hormones swirling around? And - get this- if you practice being grateful - like taking 5 minutes at the end of the day or simply writing down a few things that you are grateful for in a journal every night - you get better at it. I'm serious! Once you start seeing things to be grateful for your brain starts looking for more things to be grateful for.

I don’t know about you, but when I was a kid I often had teachers and other grown-ups tell me to stop whatever it was that I was doing in order to “pay attention."

It’s always been a challenge. But these days I am finding that it was good advice – although maybe not in the exact way they meant it at the time. Paying Attention (aka Noticing or Being Mindful) has changed my life. Paying Attentionseems so easy. Paying Attention is taught in Kindergarten. And Paying Attention is actually free. But “easy” is a subjective word. A cook might think that it's “easy” to whip up a pot of vegetable soup from memory but until you start doing it and then doing it some more it might not be so “easy.”

I was recently talking with a group of people about Wellness and it was revealed that several of them did not have a clear understanding of what Wellness was "supposed" to mean. They had many varying opinions. Some seemed to think that Wellness was a vague and over-generalized concept, some felt it was strictly about being in good health and others felt that it referred to how healthy they were or if they exercised and ate a "healthy" diet.I choose to go with The National Wellness Institute's definition of Wellness as "a conscious, self-directed and evolving process of achieving full potential."

Last month I got to perform in a local community theater production of Guys and Dolls. Performing in musical theater again had been on my "wish" list for about 25 years and I am so freaking glad that I got to do it! Musical theater was a big part of my identity when I was younger. I was in everything from Bye Bye Birdie to Oliver and I loved singing and performing. Up until my sophomore year at college I was often in plays until I got way too cool and spent all my free time listening to music, dying my hair black, wearing armloads of silver bangle bracelets, going to clubs at 11:00 pm to hear bands and obsessing over cute British bass players- but that's a story for some other blog post…

In getting back to the business of living my life these past couple of weeks, the practice of gratitude has been a very effective tool for moving out of the fear of an unknown future and into the present moment where all things are possible. So, in the spirit of giving thanks, I'd like to share with you my current gratitude list.

People often comment on the name of my business, Audacious Wellness, maybe because audacious is one of those words that can mean several different things. Personally, I love the idea of audacity when making life choices. Women I admire from Eleanor Roosevelt and Margaret Sanger to Alice Waters and Debbie Harry, have all been considered bold, daring and gutsy, or in other words, audacious, for going against the so-called grain to ultimately change perceptions and create new norms.

I've been going through some stressful things of late and haven't been paying as much attention as I normally do to the way I've been eating. As a result I've gained a few pounds, my clothes are tight and I'm generally dragging. It made me think about what I'm feeling (or avoiding feeling) when I don't eat mindfully. It made me question what I am really hungry for right now. 

It's the middle of August and the middle of an "extreme heat warning" here in Seattle. Super hot summers are a relatively new thing in this town so lots of old houses like mine do not have central AC.  It's usually right around now that I start daydreaming about the cooler temps of fall and that fresh-start, back-to-school feeling I love. So, in the spirit of September's approach, I put together 5 easy ways to get ready for fall that I think you will love - even though they do not include having a pumpkin spice latte! 

Here's a fun fact about turning 50 (or 43 or 47 or any age after 40 really…): stuff you have done all your life can suddenly stop working the way it always has. That's right - you think you've got something wired and just like that it either explodes or just starts fizzling out. Then you're like, "WTF? I'm waking up at 3 AM? I've always slept a solid 8 hours a night", or " Hello? I've gained 10 pounds and I have not done one single thing different in the past 6 months."  Welcome to the wonderful world of aging and perimenopause.

As a coach I am always looking for good metaphors to help make sense of things we humans keep tripping over or bumping into. One of my favorites comes courtesy of the airline industry. We all know that in case of an emergency, we need to secure our own oxygen masks before we try and help others. If we can't breathe then we are useless to everyone - including ourselves. This is a great metaphor for real life! Daily living in the 21st century can feel relentless and stressful and often keeps our adrenals running as if we are in a constant state of emergency.

(or how I lost 50 pounds, turned 50 and then told age 50 to fuck off).

When you get into the world of Personal Growth and Self Help, you hear the word "intention" a lot. 

Like all the time. 

One of my favorite things to do on December 31 is to go on Facebook and Instagram and read everyone's goals and resolutions. It's the one time of year where people's enthusiasm and general positivity practically vibrate off the screen. There's talk of everything from finding adventure and reclaiming good health to learning to knit and getting a dog.

Last Monday I was deep in procrastination mode. By 9:45 I had already checked Facebook 11 times, answered every possible email, folded some random laundry, checked all my favorite blogs and researched the health benefits of hemp seeds. So I started cleaning out my desk. I began sorting through the tons of important stuff (aka 'crap') that gets stuck in there. Among the artifacts inside: 4 old wallets, an ancient asthma inhaler, a 1st generation iphone, expired coupons to the hardware store and an old list I'd written on a piece of notebook paper. Remarkably the paper had survived major moves through 3 cities and 25 years. It was a list of all the things I hoped for when I "grew up".

There is no "one size fits all" when it comes to diet.

I am in the middle of training to be a Certified Health Coach at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition (IIN) and one of the key concepts is something called Bio Individuality. This is the idea that every person is unique and has highly individualized nutritional requirements.

Depending on our age, genetics, beliefs and tastes, we get to decide what works for us. You probably know some people who are allergic to shellfish, some who can't be near a peanut and some who won't discuss eating anything that resembles an animal. And then there are the folks who are gluten-free, dairy-free, kosher, Paleo or just can't tolerate onions.

When I was pregnant with my first child, it was kind of a miracle. There was a lot of counting, waiting, praying and modern medical technique involved. But it also felt like I had, at last, been accepted into an exclusive club. I thought I would finally be "complete." I would be the woman I already was - only better. I was going to kick ass at this mothering gig.

I was wrong.

I finally lost the extra "baby weight" that I couldn't seem to shake for years. That old adage "it will just fall off when you are nursing" thing didn’t work for me. A few years ago I hit a wall. My babies were nearly teenagers. I was not getting any younger. And to be honest, I was sick of feeling like crap about myself.

I knew that if I really wanted things to change then I was going to have to do something different.

There are lots of things I've learned from having been around the sun a few times.

I know to avoid big movies on opening weekend. I know I catch more flies with honey than with vinegar.

I know to look both ways before I cross. I know which jeans make my ass look like the state of Texas (no offense Texans) and I know that if I drink red wine too late into the night I will get no sleep and act like a total bitch in the morning. Whatever the situation these days, I can usually say “no thanks” and feel just fine about it

As picky as I am about my morning coffee (locally roasted, fair trade, made in a French press with plenty of organic half & half) the ritual of drinking it in my quiet kitchen is something I look forward to every day.

In fact, I kind of have a crush on creating little rituals, fun traditions and regular routines. I like knowing that there are certain things I can depend on no matter what's happening in my world. I have no idea what the calendar year will bring but every May for the last 19 years I have a potluck birthday party at Golden Gardens beach. My week may be bonkers but I know that every Friday afternoon I will remember how to breathe again at my favorite Restorative yoga class. Routine feels like an anchor in a shifting sea. The waves will come but I can find some steadiness in their midst.

What is it about being in a car that inspires meaningful conversation?

People tend to open up and spill when they are in a car. Some of the most interesting conversations I can remember have happened in cars. Like the time when my son was 4 years old asked me, "Mom, what's the name of that grown-up in the sky again"?  "You mean God?  "Yes! Is Mother Nature God's wife?"

Then there was the time in the car when he was in 3rd grade. He and his friend were talking about a kid in their class who told them that if they googled the "f word" they could see pictures…. (silent scream, mad dash from the driveway to check the parental controls on the computer).  

Did you know that you can't feel depressed or bummed out when you're feeling grateful? Literally. How awesome is that?

Apparently when you are feeling gratitude it triggers the same part of your brain that releases dopamine - aka the "feel-good" hormone - and who in the world doesn't want more feel-good hormones swirling around? And - get this- if you practice being grateful - like taking 5 minutes at the end of the day or simply writing down a few things that you are grateful for in a journal every night - you get better at it. I'm serious! Once you start seeing things to be grateful for your brain starts looking for more things to be grateful for.

Yoga and Me (a love story)

I am trying to get more into yoga. I mean, I live in Seattle where it’s practically in the by-laws that every able-bodied woman do yoga have a yoga practice.

People who do practice yoga seem so together. There’s almost a smugness in their faces when I see them walking to class with their rolled up mats tucked under their well-toned arms. Like they are in on some giant secret. Yoga taunts me. One of the best yoga studios in Seattle is 2 blocks away from my house.  Plus some of my very best friends swear by yoga.

Happy September! It's back to school season (insert Happy Dance gif here)! This is my favorite time of year for all kinds of reasons. Back to school means fall is coming!! If you know me then you know that fall is my season. Boots & sweaters, lower temperatures, dense issues of Vogue magazine and best of all, soups, stews and fall produce! After all these years I still have a hot crush on butternut squash, brussels sprouts & chanterelle mushrooms. Being in the kitchen makes me happy and cooking fall foods makes me even happier.

I've been on a bit of a chia pudding kick again lately - probably due to the abundance of fresh berries in the summertime. I'm all about anything that can be a vehicle for those berries! We can easily go through a couple of half-flats per week at our house. This morning I had vanilla chia pudding with a heap of gorgeous blueberries and some cacao nibs and as I was taking a picture for Instagram (as one does) I realized that while I have shared some recipes for chia pudding in my newsletter, I have never shared one on my blog.

My friend Lisa C. turned me on to this delicious quinoa salad that is fast becoming a staple at my house. She makes it a little differently each time depending on what's in her garden and in her fridge. Her rule of thumb is to use a mix of colors and textures with "a punch of sweet and a little bit of crunch." After cooking the quinoa in veggie or chicken broth she'll add things like small cubed/steamed beets, slivers of kale, diced cucumber and bell pepper along with currants or golden raisins and then pistachios, almond slices or toasted pine nuts. You can also add feta or goat cheese or some grilled chicken to make it even heartier. The final ingredient is a whole mess of finely chopped herbs like flat leaf parsley or mint or dill.  Don't be afraid to experiment using whatever is available to you. This salad is really versatile!