Self Care Simplified

It’s no surprise that spending hours sitting at your desk can wreak havoc on your body. Back pain, hip discomfort, tight hamstrings, aching shoulders, neck pain - it can really make your daily life miserable. Listener Carolyn has this very problem: Hi, Megan. I’m having some lower back issues and hip problems. What you would recommend for those of us stuck at a desk most of the day? Are there any...

It’s that time of year again! Winter is officially over, Easter is behind us, and we naturally start thinking about summer. The vacations! The adventures! The longer days and time outdoors! However, those warm summer days can also bring up some dread. “Where’s my body at? Am I in as great of shape as I could be going into summer? Will I be able to do everything I want to do and feel really great d...

When it comes to working out, doing too much or too little is often tricky line to walk. How do you know when to push yourself? When should you take things easy? That line becomes even more challenging when you’re dealing with an ongoing medical condition. Listener Wendy asks: “Hey, Megan. I have a question regarding health conditions. I have been diagnosed with isotinomia, and my mom also has a m...

See if this sounds familiar? You make pretty good food choices, and eat healthy-ish on and off, but don’t really focus on your nutrition. And then one day you wake up and realize things have changed, and suddenly your body is different. It holds weight differently, and in different places, and you’re battling new things like brain fog. Julie spent years treating her food choices as an afterthought...

Protein. The nutritional powerhouse that helps build muscle, stabilize blood sugar and keep you feeling full between meals. But sometimes getting the recommended amount of protein into your daily diet can feel challenging. Enter protein powders - a seemingly simple quick fix to help fill the protein gap when you just can’t seem to get enough from food. But which ones should you choose? Are some be...

As we get older, and especially a we enter midlife, it can feel like our metabolism is decreasing while our mid-section is increasing. But that’s just what happens when we hit middle age - it’s inevitable, right? What if I were to tell you that it doesn’t have to be that way. And the solution is so much simpler than you might think! Meet my friend Emily, who at 49-years-old was starting to see the...

Have you ever started an exercise and realized pretty quickly that things were a little wobbly? What do you do when your balance won’t let you execute a movement the way you should? Podcast listener Laura found herself in this very situation: “My question has to do with balance exercises. When your balance is not as good as it should be, is it best to try to keep muddling through? I’d love any rec...

Menopause . Just the word can strike dread in the hearts of women of any age. It’s the beginning of the end! The time when things go haywire and your body starts to fall apart! But it doesn’t have to be that way. Meet Donna Klassen, the CEO and co-founder of Let’s Talk Menopause , a national nonprofit organization that is invested in helping women get the information they need and the healthcare t...

About 38 million Americans have diabetes - that’s about 1 in 10 - and approximately 90-95% of them have type 2 diabetes. Listener Andrea is one of them, and asks: “I was wondering if you have any podcasts on nutrition and diabetes. I have type two, and I'm really struggling. Thanks.” Let me preface this by saying that Type 2 diabetes is a medical condition that certainly requires working close...

We’ve all been there. Whether it’s January’s “new year, new me” excitement, or in the spring as we’re staring down swimsuit season, we’ve all reached the point where we’re ready to make BIG CHANGES. We’re going to workout 30 minutes a day. We’re going to track our calories or macros and skip the splurges. And all our best intentions usually last a week, maybe 10 days, and then life happens: The ki...

It is so easy to look at our choices and see all the things we wish we were doing better. So how do we celebrate the things we’re actually doing well? Listener Lisa had this same question: “Can you give some examples of celebrating victories, and how to stay in a positive mindset, especially with nutrition? I feel like anytime I slip up and eat something between meals, I’m failing.” Lisa, I’m so g...

You probably don’t think twice about your feet - until they’re in pain and preventing you from going about your daily life. The reality is foot pain - whether from bunions, planter fasciitis, neuromas, shin splints, or any one of dozens of other issues - prevents millions of women from enjoying adventures and major life events. And surprisingly, just getting a better shoe won’t solve your problem....

“Hi, Megan. I love your podcast. Thank you so much for the good advice that you always communicate in such a clear way. I'm wondering if you can tell me how much time you recommend spending in each of the cardio zones each week. Thanks so much for your help with this.” Cardio zones - what are they, how do you reach them, and should we even be worried about them? In this shortie episode, we’ll...

Without a doubt, the most common questions I get asked are about nutrition. The women I talk to usually have a pretty good grasp on the things they SHOULD be eating. The challenge comes with getting a handle on what they “ SHOULDN’T ” be eating - you know, the snacking and splurging that can sabotage the best laid plans! This week we’re doing something a little different. I’ve gone back into the a...

Trying to fit exercise into our busy schedules can be challenging. But should we be considering the best time of day to workout? Listener Martha asks: “Hi, Megan. I'm wondering if there's a preferred time of day to workout. Should I be working out first thing in the morning? Is there a time of day I should avoid? Is there a certain time of day specifically to do cardio or lift weights? I&#...

When we start thinking about weight loss, what we’re really wanting is FAT LOSS. But so often our pursuit of fat loss is filled with frustration, confusion and defeat. How do I lose fat but maintain muscle mass? Why do the things I did in my 20s not work in my 40s, 50s and beyond? Why is the number on the scale just not moving? Meet my friend Philip Pape - he’s a nutrition coach and the host of th...

You’ve heard me rave about the short-term and long-term benefits of strength training. And maybe I’ve convinced you that this is the direction to go with your fitness. But what do you do if the desire to strength train runs into underlying bone health issues? Listener Lex has this very question: “I am a 50-year-old woman who has never strength trained - so I'd be starting from scratch. And I&#...

Do you feel like with each passing year your body is beginning to fall apart and become less mobile? Movements feel stiff and actions that used to be effortless are now uncomfortable? I’m often asked, “What can I do to maintain and improve my mobility as I age?” I think the underlying question is, “What can I do to not feel like I’m moving like an old person!” And the answer is: MOBILITY. And more...

Ask any woman over 40, and they’ll know exactly what you’re talking about. You wake up in the middle of the night feeling like you just dunked yourself in a pool - literally dripping with sweat. But you’re not necessarily hot, you’re actually clammy and can’t get warm. What the heck is going on here?! Listener Dawn asks: “Night sweats. Good Lord, woman. I know there are many women that suffer from...

So often we measure our success by decrease - Is the number on the scale going down? Are my clothing sizes getting smaller? But what would it look like to shift our focus to increase ? How much weight could I lift? How strong could I get? Meet Alyssa Ages, who asked herself this very question. She wanted to know how physically strong she could become. And that question led her on a journey of buil...

We’ve all been there - you get to mid-afternoon or the end of the day and you find yourself STARVING! And suddenly you want to snack on anything you can find. Listener Jennifer has been there, too: “I was wondering what strategies you suggest for when I get ravenously hungry, especially in the evenings. When my stomach is absolutely growling I have a really hard time not eating just anything in si...

It’s no surprise that as we get older our bodies start to change. Maybe the most obvious changes can happen around your midsection. It can feel like you wake up one day and suddenly your clothes don’t fit quite the same way. And all the ways you’ve tackled weight gain in the past aren’t working. While those changes to your midsection can be frustrating, they can also be dangerous. In this week’s e...

After listening to all my episodes touting the benefits of strength training, you’ve added weights to your exercise routine. Maybe you’ve been lifting the same weights for weeks now, and are starting to realize that those lunges and chest presses don’t feel quite as challenging as they did when you started. But how do you really know when to grab some heavier weights? Listener Kristi had this very...

Sometimes, despite all our knowledge, coaching and best efforts, we still find ourselves sidelined with injuries or pain. And suddenly our well-crafted plans and best intentions are out the window as we wrestle with this new reality. That’s where today’s guest, Brad Williams, found himself. Brad is a long-time personal trainer with more than 14 years of experience who specializes in training the o...

“Hi Megan, my name's Terry. I'm 60 years old and I'm trying to get fit. Mostly strength. Where do I even begin?” The process sounds so daunting - wanting to get started with a new health and fitness focus, but having no clue how to do it. The reality is, many women in their 50’s, 60’s or 70’s feel like it’s too late to get fit and build strength. But I’m here to tell you it’s NOT too l...