Author: Alyssa
-
From Cardio Queen to Strength Advocate
Growing up in the ‘70s, ‘80s, and ‘90s, I was all about cardio—Jane Fonda, Kathy Smith, aerobics, leotards, step aerobics, the ThighMaster, the StairMaster, Buns of Steel! Back then, the focus was always on being thin, staying slim, and doing as much high-energy cardio as possible. Strength training wasn’t even on my radar, nor was…
-
Listening to My Body: Menopause as a Teacher
I remember when I first started experiencing hot flashes, night sweats, and brain fog. At that time, I didn’t really understand what was happening to my body. My mind felt cloudy, my body burned as if it were on fire, and I wandered through a foggy state for nearly four years. Strange sensations and emotions…
-
Ditching Pods: My Journey to Less Plastic in the Laundry Room
As a human being living on the planet, I think the climate crisis seems an insurmountable problem to tackle on one’s own. Sometimes, I want to bury my head in the sand and let the scientists deal with it. But time and time again, I come across a gut-wrenching statistic or image that really opens…
-
Lost in the Fog: My Darkest Days in Menopause
Reflecting on my journal while transitioning into menopause, I realized how deeply profound my struggle was. This was coupled with complicated grief issues in the loss of my late husband; my emotions were raw and all over the place, and the exhaustion was overwhelming. I felt I was lost in my own body and suffocating.…