September is Self-Care Awareness month and also happens to be my FAVORITE month of the year! Here in West Virginia, the sky is a certain kind of blue and the weather seems perfect. When I sit in the warm air and see that perfect September sky, I feel a sense of peace and calm like no other. I look forward to September every year, but am always sad to see it go. With self-care, I’m finally learning how to experience that September feeling all throughout the year. Self-care

Hot summer days call for a refreshing beverage, but instead of going for the typical milkshake or fruit smoothie that can be loaded with sugar and other artificial or inflammatory ingredients, why not try a nutrient-packed green smoothie? I absolutely love green smoothies and have one for breakfast every day. It's a simple way to add in nutrients you may not routinely consume plus it can taste like dessert without much effort! I often hear that my green smoothie recipes hav

I love adding fruit to salad! In this recipe, I threw in some pomegranate, which is a powerful little piece of nature! Loads of nutrition and the flavor is a fabulous addition. Ingredients: 1 head bibb lettuce 2 cups spinach 2 cups mixed lettuce 2 (15oz) cans black beans, rinsed and drained 1 onion, chopped 1 roma tomato, sliced 6 mini peppers, chopped 2 carrots, chopped 1 kohlrabi, chopped 2 Tbsp hemp seeds 1 avocado, sliced 1 pomegranate For the dressing: 1/2 cup olive oi

March is National Nutrition Month and this year the theme is “Eat Right. Live Right. Feel Right.” That really sums it up for me. The foods we put into our bodies affect the way we feel physically and psychologically. Do you notice that you feel sleepy after eating? Do you get bloated, feel nauseous, or have heartburn? Do your joints ache? Do you get headaches frequently? What about sinus infections? Do you suffer from fatigue, depression, anxiety, or brain fog? How a

We took the dogs for a nice, muddy hike today. The sun is shining and the temperature is finally warming up, so we decided to get out there and enjoy nature. I'm a protective dog mom, so having the dogs off the leash in unfamiliar territory makes me nervous. But, walking muddy trails is a challenge and being dragged by a dog on a leash makes it almost impossible to stay upright, so OFF THE LEASH they went! Bailey, Coach and Lilly - our three labs. Once we unhooked thos

We are obsessed with calories. Hey, I’m as guilty as the next guy. I spent years thinking and worrying about calories. I would slowly turn a box of food-like substance over to find the dreaded Nutrition Facts panel and cry a little inside when I saw the calorie content of my favorite foods. I spent who knows how many hours of my life entering my food intake into MyFitnessPal hoping to keep my calorie intake to a certain level every day. It…was…EXHAUSTING. And unnecessar

I get a lot of requests for simple, healthy dinner ideas. Most of us have breakfast and lunch covered, but dinner seems to be in a league of its own. There's no shortage of recipes online, but sometimes it's overwhelming to search. And trying to determine what's healthy and what's not so healthy can be so confusing. So, I've compiled a list of ten of my favorite recipes that anyone can make. They're simple, quick, and cost efficient. If you make any of these, post a pic

We're more than halfway through 2019! I sent these tips out at the beginning of the year and they are still relevant today! It's never too late to make lifestyle changes that will improve your health and quality of life. 2019 can still be your best year yet, especially if you focus on making some healthy changes to your nutrition habits. In order to be the best athlete you can be, prevent or reverse chronic disease, or set yourself up for a life free of disease, you must

I sometimes think about what things I might like to change about my life to this point. It’s not really all that productive to think about the past or dwell on the ‘what if’s’, but if I had the ability to go back in time and change anything, what would it be? In thinking about all the situations I’ve been in and obstacles I’ve faced over the years, I have to say lack of self-confidence has been key to all the things I might want to go back and change. Having more self-c