When we want to show someone we care, we often use food to do so – by making a romantic dinner, or buying chocolates, right? It’s easy to see why. Food and love are two of our basic needs as humans. Preparing food and eating together creates intimacy. And traditions like sweet goodies connect us to cultural reinforcements. But have you ever wondered how to express love, appreciation, or a sense of celebration in ways that don’t involve food or drink? We did! So, we put some t

It’s almost time for Valentine’s Day, and that can only mean one thing: CHOCOLATE! Okay, it can mean other things too. Like romance, teddy bears, flowers, and more. But… CHOCOLATE! If you love it as much as we do, then you’re always interested in healthy ways to enjoy your favorite comfort treat. Too often, chocolate comes bogged down in too much sugar, additives, or other ingredients that can actually be more troublesome to our eating plans. That’s why we’re delighted to bri

At the end of every year, we can’t help but look back on the good, the bad, and everything in between...and self-reflection is great. But don’t stop there. Pay it forward into each new year by being deliberately, mindfully grateful about all your blessings. We all shared some of the difficulties of 2021 in this past month. And we’re sure we each suffered our own individual losses and challenges. Neither reflection nor gratitude is meant to diminish any of those. But when we l

You Are Not Alone We’re all special. Unique. Wonderful, complicated, and sometimes challenging. That’s true. But our challenges around living a healthy lifestyle are not so unique to each of us. Many times we tell ourselves that no one else has the same problem we have with weight, so no one can relate or help. Or that no one else knows how hard it is to exercise. Or that we just can’t find time to manage stress, even while other people tell us that they manage to do s

Which of these sounds like you when starting a new challenge or program? “I’ve got this! I’m 100% in!!” Or: “I’m terrible at this. I always quit anyway.” Surprisingly, that kind of all-or-nothing thinking is super-common in all kinds of activities, including exercise and eating right. We convince ourselves that we must be the 100% on point, and if we’re not, then we might as well not even try. “I win or I lose – that’s all there is to it.” But this is really a no-win proposit