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Showing posts from August 8, 2019

Menopause: Beyond the Stereotypes

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Disclaimer: I have not gone through menopause. I am, however, turning 40 this year. Statistically speaking, this is the decade in which I’m likely to enter perimenopause, so I have a vested interest in understanding what might be in store for me.  I’m all too familiar with the stereotype of the belligerent, out-of-control menopausal lady plagued by hot flashes and mood swings, bewildering her poor, beleaguered partner. [Note that for convenience I am going to use “menopause” to include the perimenopausal period as well.] Frankly, this narrative doesn’t suit me at all. I know very well that hot flashes and mood swings can be a part of menopause, but obviously there’s a lot more to it than that.  Of course, I want realistic view of what lies ahead so I might prepare mentally, emotionally, and physically. However, I also want the nuances. Plus, as an optimist I want to know the good , not just the bad and the ugly. To my mind, any major life transition is a chance at a reawakening o

Updates: Beauty + Birch

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Birch is 9 months old and I’ve been using Beautycounter for 4 months. Here are some updates! Beauty Here’s my favorite photo from little Birch’s first day of life! I had just taken a shower. My hair was still damp and I had just a touch of makeup on. I can’t remember if I put any CC cream on my face, but if I did it wasn’t covering up much. My eye goes right to the sweet baby in the photo, and my complexion was the last thing on my mind. Melasma But if you zoom in on me, you’ll see my complexion was super splotchy. All that brown is called melasma, and it’s a side effect of pregnancy hormones. It’s the same reason many women (myself included) get the linea nigra line down the middle of their stomach. Pigments over the whole body get darker. It can take a really long time to fade as hormones regulate after birth. After Mazen I had the same melasma and I used an over the counter product with hydroquinone to help fade all the dark spots. I cringed when I looked it up on Skin Deep

“Close Enough” Macros + What I Ate [Timestamps]

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Good morning! “Close enough” macros? I’ll tell ya all about it in a second! 🙂 We got back from Stowe yesterday afternoon – and, my gosh, we had a GREAT time!! The Lodge at Spruce Peak (formally Stowe Mountain Lodge ) is truly one of our favorite places to visit. We look forward to this trip all year long, and I can’t wait to tell you guys all about it! I’m hoping to have a review on the blog (and Instagram) very soon. I decided to “timestamp” our final morning in Stowe as well as our travels home to show you some of my eats for the day. As you’ll see, they’re definitely not perfect – far from actually. I like to call them: “Close enough macros.” I didn’t plan well and we had like zero fresh food when we got home. But this also demonstrates, that your eating, especially macro-wise doesn’t need to be on-point to live a healthy life or achieve your goals. If anything, consistency with your overall calorie goal and food choices (whole, high-quality, minimally processed) are even more