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A list for you today…things that maybe you knew, because you have a grandma and you’ve seen how hot she was on her wedding day and that she looks different now, but also those little things that sneak up on you until one day you’re standing in the hardware store with your dad and he hands you his cheaters… Chin hairs, keep a tweezers in your car, it’s the only place you have enough light to see them. Your hair gets thinner…and your hairline changes. Turkey neck…you’ll want to be way more careful with those camera angles. Your jaw line changes…is it jowls or do your bones just shift? Your gray hair is different than it used to be…could be curly, straight… Bat wings  and chicken legs…it’s because of loss of Progesterone, and you can’t fill that skin back up. Beer belly…male pattern fatness…seriously, #SupportYourCycle to keep this BS at bay. You suddenly can’t read menu’s in dimly lit restaurants…or...Read More

Dear Denise– Week 1, week 2, week 3…WTH? Why can’t I just eat and exercise however I want to, whenever I want to?  This breaking it up weekly is so hard. –Over it in Oslo Dear Over it— You’re right!  It is challenging.  It’s new.  And you can totally eat and exercise however you want to.  However some weeks will be hard, draining and well, just hard– like rolling a boulder up hill, and others will be easy like skateboarding downhill–a thrill, super easy and full of energy! But hey! You do YOU.  Maybe you enjoy the struggle or have a belief that life has to be hard. As for me, when someone shows me a shortcut to a month of weight loss wonderland, full of sleep, sex, productivity, strength gains and fat loss…I’m going to check it out. When I first learned about my hormones I was 11.  I just didn’t want stained pants or a baby.  And I...Read More

HABIT: A settled or regular tendency or practice especially one that is hard to give up. RITUAL: A religious or solemn ceremony consisting of a series of actions performed according to a prescribed order. Life is a series of habits, some firmly ingrained through frequent practice, some that come and go with life or the seasonal phases. Reflection is one way to “wake up” from habit and review if it’s still working for you and for the reasons you started it.  IE: I started taking a baby aspirin a few years ago because I read it was good for something.  I can choose to blindly take it for the rest of my life or regularly check in to see if it’s still necessary or if the science has changed.  On this one I noticed I was starting to bleed profusely with the smallest of scratches so I discontinued. Reflection is also a way to recognize early that something needs to...Read More

Dear Denise, I’ve done all the projects, deep cleaned my house and closets.  I’ve binged on netflix for 3 days straight.  I’m over this stress reduction. Now what? –Done in Duluth Dear Done, Actually what I see is you’ve been keeping yourself very busy with all the tasks and to-dos and shoulds.  Then instead of taking care of yourself you swung the other way to numbing with tv. What about YOU? Just like not enough exercise or food isn’t healthy, so is too much exercise or food. Numbing, also no good, even though it feels like relaxing, it’s really pushing aside feelings that need to be expressed or conversations that need to be had.  And those suppressed things can also cause stress. As you’ve heard me say, stress raises cortisol and that increases weight, disrupts sleep and energy, increases brain fog and midsections. My first recommendation is to feel the feels.  Cry when you feel the urge, laugh or even...Read More

Dear Denise, First, I am only 36, I just got married a few years ago and my kiddos are small!  I am too young for menopause. AND, would these short workouts and seed cycling, carb cycling and fasting etc work for me?  They seem very doable in my crazy life. –Pondering in Peoria Dear Pondering, I am so glad you asked!! YES! Many of the protocols I talk about work for all women…it’s about the hormone cycle.  In fact the earlier you start supporting your hormones, the less impact you’ll notice as your periods stop (menopause).  One of my first teachers says, “if you will not deal with your hormones when you are young, you will be forced to deal with them as you get older.” (Dr Sara Gottfried) Recently I surveyed my followers, asking what they wish they’d known in their 30s to better prepare them for the menopause roller coaster… Things I wish I’d known in my 30s...Read More