Blog.

Have you ever noticed how much more energy-efficient Europe is compared to the US? The cars are smaller (and usually manual transmission), the restaurants and stores are rarely air conditioned, the washing machines are tiny and energy-efficient, the clothes dryers are…basically non-existent (let the sun and air dry your clothes). The bathroom lights and stairwell lights in apartment buildings are motion sensored, and the hotel room electricity is controlled by the key (when you leave, you turn off all the lights and A/C). The elevators are tiny. Even the garbage collection infrastructure is more energy-efficient (people carry their trash to centralized depositories, so there are fewer stops for the garbage trucks). Getting back to the states and being greeted by our enormous washer/dryers, our bloated SUV’s, and the fact that every store has its A/C blasting, even with the doors wide open to the street…it makes me realize more than ever that we could easily live like Europeans and it would hardly impact our quality of life. Except that I wouldn’t have to pack a wool sweater in order to sit comfortably in a restaurant or office building, and I would be a terror on the road driving stick… 

What other energy efficiencies have you noticed in other parts of the world?

I just got back from spending 2 weeks living and working in Portugal. I have too many reflections to list, but let me focus on one for now:

In the U.S., we have a growing niche of weirdos like myself who obsess over health and wellness. It’s unlike anywhere in the world. Do you know why the U.S. is leading the charge on health and wellness? Because we have the biggest problem to fix. Our agriculture, food traditions, medical practices, and the pharmaceutical domination over our population, have driven us to such a state of imbalanced health that we’ve reached a tipping point. Now people orient their lives around healthy eating and wellness practices just to stay well. In the U.S. I work so hard to be well. I shop at farmers markets, I filter my tap water, I soak in epsom salt baths, I avoid the pizza at my daughter’s classmate’s birthday parties (that last one is by far the biggest sacrifice). Do I do this to torture myself, or because I hope to avoid my own mortality? No. I do this because when I don’t, I get acne, bloating, constipation, irregular periods, my mood plummets and I can’t focus. Believe me, I have tested this theory about a thousand times. When I’m in Portugal, I just eat. Whatever looks good. I listen for what my body needs, and I reach for the food that’s around. I eat the pizza, and the pasta, I drink the cappuccino, and the beer. And my body stays in a state of balance. The produce is not sprayed with RoundUp, the cows are not a strange Holstein breed producing more inflammatory milk, the farms are small and the soil is rich in nutrients. The reason there isn’t a billion dollar wellness industry in Portugal is that you can be well just living your life. Is there any hope for us in the U.S.? RoundUp legislation alone would get us part of the way there. I believe it’s possible…

Seeing everyone returning from burning man has got me reflecting on lessons I learned from that magical experience.  

1. The most important thing any of us can ever do is connect with other humans.
2. Removing phones, computers, and commerce help set the stage for us to connect in real life.
3. The burning man principle of “radical inclusivity” should just be the philosophy all the time. In junior high, we’re effectively taught how to carry out radical exclusivity in order to pin down friendships and establish our place in the hierarchy of “cool.” It’s the literal worst. When we practice radical inclusivity, we move past the cool hierarchy and just show up open-hearted for everyone. It also makes us more comfortable approaching others. 
4. Gifting takes us out of our scarcity mindset. When you’re surrounded by generosity, it becomes easier to be generous. And we’re all happier when we’re giving to others. 
5. Radical self-expression. Full stop. Aren’t we all just here to be as authentically ourselves as we could possibly be? If you haven’t already dropped the need to look/act/pose/speak/work/earn a certain way to please others, I invite you to begin this very second. 
6. Everyone looks good when coated in a layer of fine dust. 

Originally published in People

I’m honored to be quoted in this week’s People magazine article “Eating For Your Brain” featuring Max Lugavere.

Max is helping us understand that there are things you can do with diet and lifestyle that slow cognitive decline…and also help with heart disease, cancer prevention and mental health.

You can purchase the issue and read the full article wherever you buy magazines. 

Originally published in mindbodygreen

To help support your digestion, there’s nothing more important than starting the day with a tall glass of filtered or spring water before you eat anything. This is the best way to prompt your body to have a thorough bowel movement and start the day with a calm stomach.

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Originally published in mindbodygreen

Sometimes family dinner is simply impossible. Life happens. But when you can manage to prioritize family dinner, it can do a lot of good. It slows us down. It makes us calmer parents, which makes for calmer kids. And it helps us model mindful eating for our kids. It also creates a communal cap to the day, which is a very grounding ritual.

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Originally published in Well + Good

We’re in an epidemic of burnout. And there’s a silent shame to this. We think to ourselves: Everyone is under a lot of stress, but everyone else seems to be coping. If I’m burned out, maybe I’m worse than other people.

To the contrary, so many of us are burning through our capacity to cope, and many people are silently and secretly burned out. Rather than suffer in silence, we should all be talking about this.

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Originally published in mindbodygreen

My tip is actually to spend money on a TaskRabbit. In our household we are two working parents with a toddler and a Tetris game of logistics. By spending money on hiring a TaskRabbit to help us chop and cook, we end up saving money in the long term. This is because it saves so much time we actually have time to cook, and this enables us to eat home-cooked food all week. So we don’t order takeout anymore. Spending ~$30 a week on a TaskRabbit actually saves us money and allows us to eat healthy home-cooked food.

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Originally published in Well + Good

Fertility represents a lot more than just being able to have kids. Fertility is part of how many people define themselves as women. Indeed, having one’s period is often considered to be a crucial passage into womanhood; once that starts to go away, some people might struggle with what it means to be feminine.

Similarly, many people go into perimenopause at the same time that their children are getting older and moving out, which is its own adjustment. The combination leads many to think about what their purpose is in life, which can shift as their children don’t need them as much.

Western culture doesn’t celebrate aging, which can further complicate a person’s relationship with perimenopause. Fertility is also linked to sex and libido… Our culture has this weird way of only celebrating young, nubile femininity, and it does not celebrate or empower women of all life stages.

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