Designing a Winning Breakfast
Last year, I started going to the gym on a regular basis. At first I would go in the afternoon, but then I tried going to the gym in the morning and something really clicked. When I work out in the morning, I feeling of calm and relaxation lingers all day. But there was something missing — I haven’t really created a good pre-workout breakfast routine. Read more
Interviewed on Moms Talk Network
It’s been a busy week!
On Wednesday I was interviewed by the wonderful Kelly McCausey over at Moms Talk Network. You can find the interview on the Moms Resource Blog.
I talked about travel, my family and gave some advice for moms who are struggling with clutter and/or emotional eating. Go have a look! 
A New “Now” Picture
I’ve put this off a long time! The previous “now” picture you’ve seen here was from our first trip to Florence, Italy in December 2007. I have spent my whole life being afraid of the camera, because for most of that time I was never happy with the images it took.
Old habits die hard I had been planning to do new pictures ever since I began working on NurturingHope.com. But I always put it off. I need a haircut, I should wait until I have this or that new item of clothing — the perfectionistic excuses went on and on. Even though I’m happy with my size and how I look most of the time, I have good days and bad days like everyone does.
So finally today, thanks to encouragement from a wonderful new friend Andrea at www.TheJuicyWoman.com, I took the plunge and had my husband Martin snap a new picture for the site. Here it is!
(I love the tile wall behind me — this is taken on our front terrace in the lovely little home we have rented for our stay here in Tunisia.)
Celebrate Your Progress
It’s so easy to focus on our shortcomings and ignore the amazing progress we make on this journey. This is called discounting the positive, something a lot of perfectionists tend to do. Many of us who clutter and emotionally eat definitely have perfectionistic tendencies. I sure do!
It’s like a gift when I have a flash of insight that turns my perception of reality upsidedown. Most of the time, I love those moments of sudden clarity and today I had one of them.
It’s been just over a year since I walked away from diets and eating plans. A year of eating whatever I want. And I’ve still been slowly and steadily burning off the extra fat my body carries. Some people call this intuitive eating; my goal is to eat what I really want when I’m hungry and stop eating when I’m full. It sounds easy, but of course it isn’t. Read more
Tunisian Food — A Great Example of the Healthy Mediterranean Diet
Ever since we moved to the small North African country of Tunisia last summer, I have been thoroughly enjoying eating Tunisian food, both at restaurants and at home. I’ve also lost about 20 more pounds and I’m smaller than I have ever been since I was 21 years old! I don’t think this is a coincidence. Here’s why.
Tunisia has a long Mediterranean coastline and its cuisine is a fine example of the Mediterranean diet, rich in fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains and beans, fish and poultry, nuts and good oils. These foods are high in antioxidants and fiber and nutrient-rich so they are naturally satisfying and healthy. Read more
You Are Enough and You Have Enough!
If you subscribe to the free Nurturing Hope newsletter you may have noticed that I frequently remind readers, “You are enough and you have enough!” This is an affirmation that I was given by my wonderful life coach, Bill Baren.
“I am enough and I have enough,” immediately resonated with me. Many times in my life I had found myself trying to make up for a sense of inadequacy by putting other people’s needs before my own. In the workplace, I worked long hours and took on unreasonable responsibilities. I got into relationships with people whose addiction issues ensured that I’d be called upon to rescue them. Instead of taking the time to truly nurture myself and put my needs first, I ate as a shortcut way to comfort myself. I ate when I was tired, I ate when I was angry and I ate when I was sad or lonely. I tried to make up for my perceived inadequacy by spending money and buying stuff. Read more
What’s Your Dream?
Ever since I was a kid, I have dreamed of travel. I wanted to go to Europe, the Caribbean, Asia, South America. I read travel guidebooks and magazines nonstop.
Somewhere in the poverty and emotional struggle of my teen years and early adulthood the dream got buried under the clutter, the emotional eating, and my resulting obesity. Read more