The Diet Diaries

Anyone else have a lot of anxiety around Halloween candy? Today's episode is breaking down how to finally address this (and struggles around all trigger foods). I'm diving into:  -How can you have Halloween candy around and not feel totally mentally consumed by it?  -How can you not end up sitting on the floor of your office eating an entire bag of mini Twix bars while everyone else is o...

Today I’m talking with nutrition & strength coach and bodybuilder Kristin Miles. This conversation shows a really different side of fitness and nutrition as Kristin shares her experience over the last 20 years as a competitive bodybuilder.   I learned a lot about what it takes to compete at an elite level of fitness and build an incredible level of strength and Kristin’s approach is really ref...

I’ve been talking a lot with clients and on social media lately about this idea of your future self-and how to think about that person now, event though it feels so much easier to default to whatever you’re used to in the moment. Your future self is what creates the change you’re after. Its how we start to shift the habits and behaviors and beliefs that have been blocking us from where we want to...

Today I’m talking with athletic trainer and movement educator Anna Hartman who specializes in working with professional athletes to help them optimize their performance.  You’ll be amazed at how relevant Anna’s work is to everyone. So much of what we talk about is that even the most basic of self care practices around food, movement and knowledge of how our bodies actually function is what it all...

Today I’m talking about what to do when life is getting “lifey” and it feels like sticking to the goals you have feels impossible.  The reality is that we need to show up for ourselves even when it feels inconvenient. The good news is there is always a way to do that, it just may mean relooking at what is actually doable for you right now.  Sometimes things sound good on paper or in conversation,...

Today I’m talking with Christa Gurka, owner of Pilates in the Grove, physical therapist and business coach.  This episode is packed with so much great conversation including: Why shorter workouts are often better How to find a way to exercise that you actually like How to shift away from the all or nothing mindset around exercise COVID weight gain Body shaming in the fitness industry I think you’l...

Talking today about the scale. This one is going to make you a little uncomfortable, but that’s a good thing.  I’m sharing my thoughts around why the scale is such a battle for so many of us and what we can actually do about it. Spoiler alert, it's usually not throwing it away.  The reality is we can’t control the number on the scale. But what can we control? What we eat. How we eat. Why we e...

Today I’m talking with yoga teacher, birth doula and mom Samantha Harrison. I’m really excited to share this conversation with you because we talk about not only Samantha’s background as a yoga teacher (thanks to Starbucks!) but her own personal journey and relationship with exercise and body image.  Like many of us, Samantha came from a place of exercise as punishment and she shares how her yoga...

Today I’m talking about two big ideas that are at the center of a lot of the conversations around weight loss, disordered eating and body image. The first is that the processes of rebuilding trust with food and losing weight are not mutually exclusive. You can do both at the same time-and in fact, if you want to lose weight, rebuilding trust with food is the only sustainable way to do it.  The sec...

Back with a guest on episode 39 and I’m talking with online strength coach for women Mark Breedon.  Today we’re diving into approaching fitness and strength training from a weight neutral perspective and breaking down some of the big myths around lifting heavy weights.  This conversation is candid and packed with a lot of topics that may challenge your beliefs around what it means to get strong: ...

Today I’m sharing my story of how at 41 years old I’ve finally discovered what I want to do when I grow up. Going all the way back to elementary school when my fascination with science and the human body first started, through high school and college when my body image and battles with food began, I’m unpacking how all of that came together to shape my interest in teaching movement and now coachin...

Hope I grabbed your attention with today's episode title. This is such an important topic and I want to connect with as many of you as possible about it. I love Diet Coke. I drink it 4-5 days a week. And its one of the most important parts of how I approach a healthy diet.  Health is not just about eating nutritious food and tons of fruits and veggies.  That is only ONE part of what it means...

Getting really personal with today’s episode and sharing some intimate details around why Danny (my husband) and I made the choice to have one child.  For me, the reason was entirely selfish. In the best possible way. And I say that because being selfish is perceived as totally negative, while being selfless is revered and celebrated. And I think we have that backwards. And it shows up in every fa...

I am really excited about today’s episode because its all about what I see as one of the biggest blocks to creating a sustainable relationship with food and our bodies.  And that’s the “on track/off track” approach  we have been taught to use with nutrition, exercise and really any major habit or behavior we’re trying to create positive change with. Here’s the thing. If you feel like you need to a...

You’re not a snacker. You’re just not eating enough at meals. That’s the topic of today’s episode. There are a lot of implications to this in terms of your relationship with food, fat loss, body image and more.  When we eat, one of the goals is to get full. To satisfy the feeling of hunger. And by their very nature, snacks are not filling. Which means you’re walking around in a constant state of h...

Before and after photos are EVERYWHERE. And they are slowly but surely stripping away our confidence, self worth and happiness. Because an after photo tells you nothing. Nothing about how that person is feeling. How they’ve eaten and exercised to get to this place. Whether they’re happy or confident. Whether they can sustain what is is they’ve done to maintain this body.  All it does is make you f...

Today I’m talking with dance teacher Stephanie Penn-Virot about her experience transitioning from dancing during her childhood years into navigating the world of fitness and movement as an adult. This is truly one of my favorite episodes because of how easy the discussion flowed and connected into movement, food, body image, confidence and more.  Stephanie talks about the impact of her childhood d...

As someone who spent half of my life believing that a number on the scale or a certain clothing size would bring the happiness and confidence I could never find, I can tell you with complete certainty that is not how it works. Wanting to make a change in your body needs to come from within-from not feeling comfortable, not feeling confident, not feeling like YOU. But its often really hard to draw...

Episode 30 is a super special one because I’m talking with someone who really shaped the course of my career in movement. Jules Mitchell is a yoga educator focusing on biomechanics within the practice of yoga. She is a teacher’s teacher and her approach to movement is grounded in science but with space and permission to explore and get curious about what works for your own body.  Jules shares the...

Today I’m talking about the language and mindset we’ve grown up with and been conditioned to use around exercise. Words and feelings like brutal, killer, wrecked, exhausted. I am going on record to say I will NEVER use those words (or anything similar) in reference to exercise. Because there is NEVER a time when you need to use exercise to punish yourself. And last time I checked, all of those wor...

In today’s episode I’m talking with Pilates teacher and strength coach Nikki Naab-Levy. Nikki is a force in the fitness industry and I am honored to have her on The Movement Diaries. She holds nothing back and her brutal honesty is refreshing, inspiring and comforting.  We dive into everything from our personal struggles with body image, how and why strength training changed Nikki’s life and her i...

Today I’m talking about lowering the barrier to entry with exercise (and nutrition too). Basically this is just about making things easier on yourself.  Why does this matter?  Because we’re all so brainwashed to think that exercise has to be a certain amount of time, in a certain location, in certain clothes. And if any of those conditions aren’t met, then it doesn’t happen. Which means we miss ou...

Today I’m talking with my friend and colleague Michelle Farrell.  Michelle is a personal trainer and nutrition coach and I’m so thrilled to have her on because Michelle is a true champion for the health at every size movement and offering people a safe space to get support with exercise and food in a world where we’re always being told that being smaller is better. We both get really candid with o...

On today’s solo episode I’m finally sharing my story with how I came to love walking as my main form of exercise after 20+ years of a destructive relationship with working out.  I go all the way back to high school where it all began and talk about the turning point where I began to shift my thinking.  I don’t hold back anything today because when it comes to movement and taking care of yourself-w...

Episode 24 welcomes my friend  and colleague Brenda Kennedy. Brenda is a cancer survivor who teaches aerial yoga. Pretty amazing right?  Brenda's journey through cancer and recovery is a really powerful testament to what our bodies are capable of and why exercise and movement is NEVER one size fits all.  We start off talking about Brenda's "bionic" leg and then dive into how an...