The LIFT

Happy Easter Sunday! I hope you’re finding a nice way to enjoy some downtime today. We are hanging out with our family + having some fun. I’m so excited to see the sun out today because my spring fever is in high gear - which brings me to today’s LIFT. It’s the perfect time to share a little health tip that will help you feel better during this season of change + it’s something you can do very easily today! ** By the way - I am 100% going to be doing this today.

Look, it has been a rough few years. All of us are carrying around some trauma + our bodies tend to store fat during times of stress. Think of those extra pounds as protection. Survival. How lucky are we to have made it to this point? Seriously. With all that is going on in our world - here we are. You + me. If you have a few extra pounds to lose or you have picked up some not-so-healthy habits in an effort to get through it all, you are not alone.

This week, five planets will align across the night sky. We might even be lucky enough to see it if the clouds can steer clear long enough. That seems to be a big IF these days with what seems like a never-ending winter. As I read about this planetary parade, it got me thinking about that common idiom - when the stars align. That magic moment when all the pieces come together, when everything lines up, when the stars align. Is it luck? Good timing? I actually think it might be something else entirely.

I don’t know what the weather is like where you are. For us in San Diego, winter continues. It’s been cold, wet + gloomy for quite some time. Something we aren’t used to in these parts. I find myself caught between the urge to ‘spring forth’ + the urge to ‘curl up by the fireplace’. Do you feel that? Is that spring fever? I saw a post on Instagram this week using the analogy of a kitchen clean out to describe her menopause transition.

I hate to start with bad news, but if you were here last week, you remember the bald eagle nest. Ya’ll. I was obsessed! I couldn’t wait to see those eggs hatch. The cameras were down for a few days during those storms last week, but once the snow cleared + the cameras were back online, it became clear the two eggs in the nest were never going to hatch. The eagles started spending less + less time in the nest. Eventually, the ravens came + cleared it out. I’m not gonna lie - I mourned. Still am.

We have been having some weather here in San Diego this winter! How about you? This morning, I had to do my six-mile run on the treadmill. I can’t even tell you the last time I ran that kind of distance on a treadmill. I am NOT a fan of running in place - literally or figuratively. Treading water. Running in place. Sitting still. All of these are challenges for me. I much prefer moving forward. Progress. Momentum. We rarely think about the weather here in San Diego.

I just completed a five-month certification program in Environmental Health. Over the last several years, I have been learning more + more about the ties between health issues, chronic illness + everyday exposures to environmental toxicants. This course allowed me to take a deep dive into the topic of toxins - from the turn of the century to modern-day public policy, potential exposures in our everyday life, epigenetics, toxicology + detoxification protocols.

If you’ve been reading The LIFT for a while, you know about my obsession with menopause. So many things to talk about when it comes to this stage of life from social stigma to health implications to workplace equality. It’s fascinating. But, WOW! Did you happen to catch the 30-second commercial on menopause during the Super Bowl last week? I’ll admit, I’m not much of a football fan, but I do enjoy watching the Super Bowl - especially the commercials + half-time show.

This story won’t make much sense if you didn’t read last week’s LIFT, so you might want to take a quick peek at that before you dive in here. I had a funny exchange with my husband this past week that I had to share. I always send him a copy of The LIFT to read before I publish it. He does a great job of catching typos + any phrases that need editing. His response after reading last week’s post: That last phrase stopped me in my tracks. “Your art moves me.” Wow. I had no idea. Really? He was moved? Art?

A few months ago, I was at a local brewery where my husband + I were meeting our ‘kids’ on a sunny Sunday afternoon. Anyone with grown children can attest to the joy you feel on those days when you all get to be together at the same time. It’s such a treat! It was a warm day. The location was close enough that we rode our tandem bike. So, I had on my favorite athletic shorts, t-shirt + tennies. Total casual. Borderline slob.