Breastfeeding Basics: A Google Hangout Hosted by Parenting Magazine and Me!

Recently I had the amazing opportunity to host a live Pregnancy Magazine Google Hangout about breastfeeding alongside other experts like Leslie Schilling, MA, RD, LDN and Margarita Marasigan, RN, CCE.  We talked about why breastfeeding is so important, why you should breastfeed and guidelines for how long to keep at it. We also shared challenges and successes that we as moms experienced in order to better prepare and support other new moms that are looking to breastfeed. See below to watch the full video:

Check Back Weekly for More Episodes

You can catch this weekly show on www.PregnancyMagazine.com, as well on Pregnancy’s Google + page, as well as www.YouTube.com/PregnancyMag , where you’ll also find archives of other hangouts related to your pregnancy. The next topic will cover those important first few days of breastfeeding, so you won’t want to miss it! It’s LIVE at 1 p.m. ET on Wednesday May 8!

Share Your Story

Leave a comment below and share an experience you had while trying to decide to breastfeed.

Reviving the Family Meal: It’s Good For Your Health

Time is a precious commodity nowadays. Our schedules aren’t getting any less crammed, anytime soon, and many times one of the things that gets bumped to the bottom of the priority list is the family meal.

In my recent US News “Eat + Run” blog I talked about the importance of family mealtime, and the many benefits that result from more meals eaten together. Benefits like improved grades in school, healthier eating patterns and greater emotional well-being have all been reported. Who wouldn’t want those things, right?

If you’re looking to make family meals a priority in your home, here are a few of my ideas to help make the “revival” a little easier:

1. Talk to your “significant other.” This means talking to whoever else shares in the decision-making and must agree that this is an important and necessary change. Decide together that you want to make family meals a priority.

2. Come up with a realistic plan. How often can you sit down together? And how can the family divide responsibility between planning, shopping, prep and clean up? This should not all fall on mom’s to-do list.

3. Make “the food” the easy part. There are plenty of ways to get quick, healthy meals on the table. Not everything has to be made from scratch, so don’t feel like you need to chain yourself to your stove all day if you simply don’t have that kind of time. Here a few fast meal tips and ideas that you can try:

• Keep your “tried and true” recipes on hand, along with the necessary ingredients. That way you’ve always got a reliable, easy recipe that you’re confident about at your fingertips.
• Boil some pasta and serve it with jarred marinara and a bagged salad. You can even add fresh or frozen veggies to your jarred sauce to jazz it up a little.
• Heat frozen, pre-seasoned fish or frozen pre-cooked shrimp and serve with steamed frozen veggies.
• Order your favorite take-out, but make it “half-plate healthy” by adding a bagged salad or veggies that are fresh, frozen or canned.

For more ideas, and to read the full article, click here.

What changes have you made to your family dynamic?

What other things have you done to try and improve the quality of your family togetherness time? Leave a comment below to share your stories and ideas.

Being Stressed Out! Bad for You and Your Health

A full 43 percent of U.S. adults suffer adverse health effects from stress, according to an American Psychological Association (APA) study. Jobs, money and health are cited as the “top three” sources of stress.

A little stress can be okay, but with the crazy time schedules we keep to these days, chronic stress can wreak havoc on our bodies. Stress can hit us an external force, like a big project at work, or a self induced internal force like doubting yourself.

When your body feels stressed or threatened, your nervous system kicks into overdrive.

“Fight or Flight”

Hormones including adrenaline and cortisol tell your body to get going to either fight, or run from the stressor. Adrenaline causes the body to increase energy supplies while cortisol lets your brain use glucose more effectively. It also tells your digestion to stop, and refocus the energy to external limbs (run away!).

Body Responses to Stress

Here’s what happens during your stress response:

• Heart rate increases
• Muscles tighten
• Blood pressure increases
• Rate of breathing increases
• Senses sharpen

A Little is OK, More is Not Better

But what happens when you’re stressed all the time? Your body ceases to respond to each incident in the above ways and begins to affect not only your mood, but decreases your health as a whole.

Long term stress can affect you in the following ways:

• Raises blood pressure
• Suppresses the immune system
• Increases the risk of heart attack and stroke
• Contributes to infertility
• Ages the body
• Increases risk of depression
• Causes sleep problems
• Digestive problems like increased stomach acid (ulcers)
• Increases risk of obesity
• Memory problems
• Difficulty concentrating
• Pessimism
• Anxiety
• Constant worrying
• Aches and Pains
• Increasing food consumption or decreasing it

With all the “down sides” to chronic stress, why do we put up with it? I have no idea, that’s a good question. One guess is that it’s that feeling of trying to “dig out” of all the “things” that seem to pile up on us.

We can’t do it all… so how does TRYING to do it all help us? Maybe it’s better to look at our 24 hours and spend it wisely. Then… Let it go.

How Do You Chill Out?

De-stress by reaching out to a friend for a great chat. Go for a walk or get some exercise in by going for a swim! Pause for a few minutes of deep breathing — or even better hit up a yoga or meditation class. You’ve got to take a little time for yourself to reduce stress before it affects health.

Remember, small changes for big results: stopping the stress before it becomes long term can keep the long list of problems I mentioned earlier at bay.

http://helpguide.org/mental/stress_signs.htm

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/stress/

“Accident”

I don’t do much with guest bloggers, but when people are willing to share their story, I want to give them a platform. Let’s all support Adele and thank her for her insight and courage.

Guest blog By: Adele Schroder

It’s funny how perspective is everything. Looking back now I see how completely ridiculous what I believed to be true then actually was, but at the time it made so much sense, I was doing what was right, what was healthy. There was nothing wrong with eating about 500 calories per day – so many diets out there suggest it – smart people, famous people, doctors even, all support the idea that the best way to lose weight was to reduce what you eat and some even go so far to suggest that those who are lower calorie diets live longer. Skinny at any cost is the healthy thing to do.

The truth at the time, I was over weight. I know I was, but I was healthy, I ate fairly balanced, exercised, my cholesterol, blood pressure and blood sugar I dowere all fine, but my doctor was still pushing me to lose weight. Truth is, she made me feel horrible about myself and at one point even said that if I couldn’t control what I was eating myself, then she would give me a prescription for appetite suppressants. It was that comment that began the slippery slope that would eventually become a case of accidental anorexia.

I started restricting what I ate – I went from eating balanced to eating one thing per meal – one yogurt, one piece of skinless chicken, one piece of cucumber. There was nothing balanced or healthy about it, but the weight started to come off and my doctor, family, friends, and anyone else who saw me started praising me for “looking so good”. I read about all the latest fad diets – it didn’t seem like anything I was doing was wrong – so many people ate like this, limiting there intake to a few select “safe” foods to make yourself healthy again. It was great – I was getting skinny and everyone was proud of how much “will-power” I had to stick with it.

A year, and almost 90lbs later, things started to change. I was always tired, my hair was falling out, I had passed out a couple times – but I was skinny, “beautiful” and “healthy”. Staying that way was all that I could think about – an Ana brain inside of me had taken over – nothing was more important than self-control and skinniness – skinniness at any cost. I was working at a place that insisted everyone eat lunch in the lunchroom. Didn’t take long before people started to talk and I remember that day that I got pulled into the meeting room. All of upper management was standing there and they simply said, “we want you to see a dietitian, you don’t look well”. I was royally pissed off – some of these people were the same people who just months before had been telling me how great I looked….they must be jealous, that was it, I was convinced! They were just jealous at the self control I had.

I sat in the waiting room of the dietitian’s office going over what I was going to say – figured it would be easy – just tell her what diet I was following, what my doctor had said when I was fat – how I was just being healthy…she would just sign that stupid thing for work and I could put this whole embarrassing “you need help” crap behind me. It’s not like I wasn’t doing something that so many other people weren’t doing – and I wasn’t one of those skinny-little-nut-jobs you see on those reality help shows – I was a well off business person who just took control of a problem (being over weight) and fixed it. Nothing was wrong with that.

Unfortunately my appointment didn’t go that way – instead I was bluntly told that how I was eating was dangerous, completely unacceptable, and that if I didn’t stop I would die. I told the dietitian she was crazy, rolled my eyes and must have told her I was fine at least 20 times. But the hardest part came at the end of the appointment – all she asked me to do was have an extra yogurt at lunch – one 80-calorie yogurt – and I lost it. There were tears, begging, saying I wouldn’t do it and that she wasn’t listening to me – I wasn’t doing anything wrong I was just doing what Dr X said to do and following Y diet – I didn’t have a problem, I was just trying to be healthy and why was she trying to make me fat again.

She stayed calm through all of it – repeated that what I was doing was not ok, not healthy and that I was going to die if I didn’t stop – then told me she would see me next week. I refused – she shrugged and said that it “wasn’t a suggestion” then walked with me to reception to make the next appointment.  I hated her – she didn’t know me – so how could she judge me. But I knew I at least had some saving grace – she was pregnant – so I figured that if I couldn’t fight her I would play her silly little game for 3 months and she would be gone. And being honest, I probably did at the time – but something else happened – I started to respect her, if for no other reason than she was consistent in what she said, “you can’t keep eating like this, it is not healthy, you will die”. Three very simple and blunt comments that stuck with me.

My eating did get a little better when she was away on maternity leave that year – not because I wanted to get healthy but because I was told that if I lost more weight then a hospital stay would no longer be up to me (I had mandatory monthly check ins with an ED psychologist that year, I played along with the stupid game) – I wasn’t better by any stretch of the imagination – I still thought that barely eating was the right thing to do – I just wasn’t willing to give up everything I had accomplished and end up in the hospital – so I ate the bare minimum I had to to avoid that consequence.

It was a year later that I ended up getting a new family doctor – and with that change came the routine “base-line” blood work workup. I got a call I never expected, “the doctor wants to see you back in her office today regarding your blood tests, how soon can you be here?”. I sat in her office looking at line after line of abnormalities – high cholesterol, high liver enzymes, poor kidney function, a large amount of ketones in my urine, and electrolytes that were all over the place. She was questioning me on how I felt, if I had been on any medications etc etc and I sat there thinking, “the dietitian was right, I’m hurting myself…” I felt so confused – why were there so many diets out there saying what I did was right? Why did my old doctor praise me? Why was my blood work normal when I was fat but so abnormal now that I was skinny…why wasn’t skinny healthy? I wasn’t “dangerously thin” – my BMI was fine – so why wasn’t I healthier than when I was over weight? Isn’t that what we are taught? Skinny is healthy…my whole world came crashing down that day. Everything that I had believed regarding what it was to be healthy – everything that I had read and seen in the media was wrong – and because I believed it, I was now sick.

The next day I swallowed my pride and sent a “you were right” email and asked for help. This time was different – I tried not to fight as much (hard to give up the fight completely) and I worked towards a goal – I wanted to be healthy – I wanted normal blood work. I wanted to learn to eat well and enjoy food again. I learned that I had to start putting my health first, my body first – it was all in my control to be healthy.

Today I can say that I am healthy – I eat well – and I eat anything and everything without worrying so much about if the food is “good” or “bad”. But there is one thing that still bothers me: how is it that even though I am well educated and a professional person I was able to believe that what I was doing was right? I accidently became anorexic, not because I was trying to gain control over my life or any of the other things that you hear about when you think of eating disorders – I became anorexic because I honestly did not know that what I was doing was harmful or wrong. And what was the worst part of this whole thing? Even if being anorexic was not your intent, once Ana brain sets in, there’s no escaping it, no controlling it, no seeing any other opinion. It is far easier to believe what you see every day than believing the truth: skinny does not always equal healthy.

Perspective is everything – and mine has now changed. I put me and my health first and realize that the number on the scale doesn’t always have anything to do with health.

*****

Thanks, Adele!

If you are intrigued by what you read here, you may want to check out the “Health at Every Size” principles and community.

My Maine “Babymoon” and Dinner at Primo

For this month’s “Recipe Redux” we’re sharing stories of our favorite summer meal and our recipe for making it healthier. There is one meal that stood out for me above the others. It was at Primo in Rockland, Maine.

Chef Melissa Kelly calls a Primo a “Full Circle Kitchen,” the ultimate farm to table experience.

What started with a garden, a few hens and a couple of pigs has now become an evolution of food; an endless pursuit to accomplish more. Primo is much more than a restaurant, it is about love and respect for food. It is also about creativity. Produce is grown & harvested here and the animals are raised on the property. Nothing is wasted – everything has its place. It is a continuous cycle that occurs throughout the restaurant with, the kitchen, the animals and the gardens. The kitchen uses and savors every little piece. Seasonal to the moment, it is actually the farm and the garden that make the incredible ever-changing menu.

With two greenhouses and acres of produce, each day harvests: honey, fruits, veggies, eggs, edible flowers, micro-greens, fresh chicken and house cured & smoked meats. What is not grown at the restaurant comes from other local and sustainable farms that Chef Melissa Kelly and Price Kushner are proud to support.

While at Primo, I dined on grilled halibut that sat atop fried zucchini. Every bite we had there was delicious. But I could not stop thinking about the zucchini. For me, my favorite way of eating zucchini was with chocolate bread. I love veggies, but zucchini never really reached the top of my list. Lo and behold – all you need to do is FRY IT to make it taste better! Who knew?

If you know me well, you know I don’t think there is anything wrong with enjoying some fried foods once in awhile. But wouldn’t it be great if we could produce the “fried” taste by baking the zucchini? That’s what I set out to do.

Baked Zucchini “Fries” with Tzatziki

Yield: 4 servings, about 14 zucchini fries each and ¼ cup yogurt dip
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 20-25 minutes

Ingredients 2 medium large zucchinis, cut into fry shape (see instructions) 3 tablespoons Mazola® Corn Oil 1 cup panko breadcrumbs (Japanese style) 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese, grated ¼ teaspoon garlic powder 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper, ground ¼ teaspoon dried oregano

InstructionsPreheat oven to 425 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with foil and place a wire rack on top.Cut zucchini into “fries”. Slice the top and bottom off the zucchini. Quarter the zucchini by cutting in half length-wise and width wise.  Cut each quarter into ½ inch “fries”. Layer between paper towel, blot and set aside.In a pie plate, combine panko breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, and oregano. Toss with fingers to combine ingredients.Place the Mazola® Corn Oil into a small shallow dish.Brush batches of zucchini (about five at a time) with the Mazola® Corn Oil until lightly coated. Transfer the zucchini to the pie plate and press into breadcrumb mixture. Use hands to coat. Gently toss between your hands to allow extra breadcrumbs to fall away. Place the lightly breaded zucchini on the wire rack and baking sheet. Repeat until all zucchini is coated. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the “fries” are golden brown and crisp. Remove from oven and serve immediately with creamy yogurt dip. Alternative dip idea: ¼ cup marinara sauce

Yield: 4 servings, about ¼ cup yogurt dip per serving
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Chill Time: 0-20 minutes

Ingredients – list in order they are used ¾ cup plain fat free Greek yogurt ¼ cup English cucumber, grated and peeled 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill 2 teaspoons red wine vinegar ¼ teaspoon garlic powder

InstructionsIn a medium bowl, combine Greek yogurt, grated cucumber, dill, red wine vinegar, and garlic powder.Stir to combine.Serve immediately or refrigerate until needed.

Visit Maine for Beautiful Nature and Fresh Air

We went to Maine to hopefully get a break from the heat and humidity of D.C. in August. We were celebrating 7 years of marriage and anticipating the arrival of our first baby due Thanksgiving — or sometime around November 22nd.

While it was still hot in Maine, we definitely enjoyed the natural surroundings, hiking, and the peace. We had plenty of time to talk about our future as parents. It was perfect for us.

Here are a few pics that sum up our three short days in Maine

Sailing and learning all about lobstering.

Relaxing at Island View Inn by the sea

Scritchy resting at Pebble Beach after a long hike

Hiking on Monehegan island – population 78!

Kinda what Maine is Known For…

More “Vacation Memories” Posts!
Live vicariously through these other recipe redux posters and enjoy their summer vacays too!

ShareCare Releases The Top 10 Nutrition Influencers Online

I don’t think anything could happen to take me off this cloud I’m on. I’m elated to know that I have the reach, impact, and knowledge to be ranked as one of ShareCare’s top ten nutrition influencers online. I’m among a group of some pretty big names. Dr. Andrew Weil (pioneer of integrative medicine!), Michael Pollan (NYT bestselling author!), Jaime Oliver (celebrity chef and TV host!) and Hungry Girl (author, entrepreneur, and Food Network show!) to name a few. Considering I have not been published as an author (yet) and I don’t have my own TV show, it’s amazing to realize that through my online presence (blogs, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest), I made the list.

So many people ask if social media is worth their time. I answer with a resounding YES! All I ever wanted to do with myself was help people. While there are a bagillion ways to do that, I definitely landed in the right place after my early-midlife “What am I doing with myself?” crisis in 2001. I LOVE my job doing nutrition and wellness counseling in D.C. , speaking and TV/print media work. There is plenty of motivation, encouragement, and care to give to the world and the more positivity out there, the better! Social media takes your voice to the world and levels the playing field so those who aren’t yet well-known (like moi) can still reach people and have an impact to help them change their lives!

How ShareCare Compiled the List

In order to be included in the SharecareNow 10 — Nutrition list, influencers must have demonstrated a consistent impact on nutrition-specific conversations online over the past year. An individual’s influence is measured and quantified through a proprietary algorithm based on more than 40 individual metrics, including nutrition relevance, syndication, presence and reach. These influencers are then ranked from most to least influential based on a unique scoring structure.

The Top 10 Nutrition Influencers

Check out their infographic here: http://www.sharecare.com/static/sharecare-now-nutrition-top-ten-infographic

1. Andrew Weil, MD – http://www.drweil.com/ 2. Jamie Oliver – http://jamieoliver.com/ 3. Nanci Hellmich – http://yourlife.usatoday.com/ 4. Tara Parker-Pope – http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/ 5. Mitzi Dulan, RD – http://nutritionexpert.com/blog/ 6. Nicole German, RD - http://www.diet-blog.com/ 7. Lisa Lillien – http://www.hungry-girl.com/ 8. Rebecca Scritchfield, RD – http://rebeccascritchfield.wordpress.com/ (me!!!) 9. Michael Pollan – http://michaelpollan.com/ 10. William Davis, MD – http://www.wheatbellyblog.com/

(Go fellow RDs who made the list too!)

About ShareCare

Launched in 2010 and based in Atlanta, GA, Sharecare is an interactive, social Q & A platform that allows people to ask, learn and act upon questions of health and wellness. Created by Jeff Arnold and Dr. Mehmet Oz, in partnership with Harpo Studios, Remark Media, Sony Pictures Television, and Discovery Communications, the company’s innovative approach provides the consumer access to a wide array of health and wellness experts ranging from hospitals to doctors, specialists to non-profits, to healthcare companies and active health consumers, creating a thriving community where healthcare knowledge is built, shared and put into practice.

See my ShareCare profile and ask me a question – I’ll answer!

Who’s on Your Top 10?

We all know there are thousands of people helping others every day! Who is on your “top 10 nutrition influencer” list and why?

Reliving My New York City Marathon – In Pictures

The ING New York City Marathon is one of the world’s great road races, drawing more than 100,000 applicants annually. The 2011 race had 46,795 finishers — and I was one of them with a time of 4:36:44. Check out my race recap – and apply for the NYC marathon lottery. You won’t regret it. (Good luck getting in. It took me three years.)

Even though I have finished 7 previous marathons and ultra marathons I have never done the “red recovery routine” before. As a “powered by red” team member for NYC marathon, I had the perfect opportunity to try it out on myself.

Basically, I added in 10 ounces of tart cherry juice a day the week leading up to the marathon and for a few days after the race.

I’m completely sold. I cannot believe the difference in my post marathon recovery. I had minimal pain and inflammation compared to other marathons. I thought I’d eventually feel it 1-2 days post-race (due to DOMS) but I didn’t. Watch my full video experience here.

I seriously hope you consider trying the red recovery routine yourself. If you are curious about what is “special” about tart cherry juice, it’s the anthocyanins. Tart cherry juice has anthocyanins I and II in large amounts and they have been found to help reduce pain and inflammation in endurance athletes.

Race Preparation

I do so much to get ready physically and mentally for a race. One major thing I need is sleep. I was lucky because it was “fall back” time. I also got good sleep 2 nights before race day. I absolutely LOVED this from my race packet – a door sign for the hotel. Ha! It reminded me I needed to get that shut eye. It was lights out by 9:30 p.m. I woke at 3:30 a.m. for a minute but then got good rest/relaxation until 6:45 when I had to get out of bed to catch a cab by 7 a.m.

Getting to the Start

It was basically a race in itself. I took a cab to a ferry to a bus and walked to the start. But check out some of the cool sites along the way!

Leaving Manhattan – We had an escort with a machine gun! Don’t mess w/ marathoners!

She is so beautiful in the morning sun. Thanks to the People of France for this gift – Libertas – the Roman Goddess of Freedom!

Pre-Race at Staten Island

Here I am with an 87 year old woman who has completed over 20 New York marathons! You go girl…

I made a friend on the bus from the State Island ferry to the start line. I can’t tell you how excited I was to be invited to start the race with them. They were doing a 4 min run, 1 min walk pace for a 4:45 finish. That was in the zone of my time so I figured, what the heck! It was great to have some tempo buddies. And… I got someone to draw cherries on my face to help me “rock the red”!

 

Random Race Photos

It’s not easy to run and tweet, let alone grab pics, but I managed to do it. Here are a few things I captured that weren’t completely blurry

Mile 1-2

I think this was the prettiest bridge. Verrazano-Narrows Bridge from Staten Island to Brooklyn

I took more pics but they were very blurry so I didn’t include them here. It was basically crowd shots — awesome spectators — and shots of bands. There were 130 bands total. THANK YOU for keeping it fun! There were great signs. My fave “Because 26.3 would be just crazy”. I also enjoyed the kids passing out oranges and suckers. So cute!

Bridge Queens to Manhattan – Right before mile 16 – Hubby is waiting for me at 63rd St

Mile 18 – Have U Hugged a Firefighter?

(don’t know this guy at all, but things like that happen when you’re that far into a race!)

Mile 22 – Wow, more firefighters!

Mile 25 – Central Park – Just capturing the last mile!

Post-Race in Central Park

We got a goodie bag that included an apple (of course) so I took a pic of me getting my own “bite” out of this BIG apple.

The Bling

And of course, it’s all about that BLING so here’s mine….

How 9-11 Changed My Life

Everyone has a story. Here’s mine.

I was living in Washington, D.C. It had been two years since I left college. I was doing some personal training and I was trying to create a career in IT. I had zero passion for IT. I was trying to figure out what I was “supposed” to do to make money and secure a good future. At that time, IT seemed to be “it”. I got training and that led to a job I had at the time.

Morning of 9-11

That morning I had finished training a client at a gym and was about to leave for my IT job in Arlington. I caught a glimpse of the TV and I could not believe it. Matt Lauer and Katie Couric were showing the North Tower in smoke. I could not step away from the TV. I was convinced it was an accident just like they were until I watched the second one hit.

I remember being so confused. WTF?! is happening? Frozen, the only thing I could think to myself is “Do your job. Go to work and do your job.” So I headed in to the Arlington office and just as I was walking in the door a co-worker came in and yelled “I just saw a plane hit a building and now there is smoke.” Frozen again, the only thing I could think is “tell people.” So I walked around the office telling everyone I knew. One consultant’s dad worked at the Pentagon in a high level position. She was inconsolable. The office was complete chaos. Parents left to go pick up their kids from school. I had nobody to go home to and there was a TV at work so I just stayed and watched the day unfold.

The more I heard about the loss of life. Each story of loved ones lost put a tear in my heart. But I really lost it when the towers crumbled. I don’t know why, but watching that scene shocked me like nothing I have experienced before.

Reflecting on Myself

I couldn’t help but be introspective that day. I felt lucky to be alive. But I also felt empty. Deep down I knew I wasn’t happy. I knew that if I lost my life, I would not have felt like I was living my best. I wasn’t really taking care of my health – that was one thing. But the big disconnect was that I was not doing something I loved. I felt like I was meant to connect with people, not code. (No offense to my peeps who love HTML but I could not give a rats ass about programming).

My head hit the pillow that night after hours of watching the news. I remember thinking

“You are not truly happy. You are not where you are meant to be. What are you going to do about it?”

I knew one thing. I was no longer going to think about what I “should” do. I was going to start searching for my passions. I always had an appreciation for life, but I didn’t want to waste it anymore.

9/12 Less than 24 hours later

I had training clients scheduled so I drove to downtown and on my passed the Pentagon. I could not believe that smoke was still coming out of the building at about 6 a.m. Even though my window was rolled up, the smell of burning smoke filled my car. I won’t ever forget that smell.

Weeks later

It really wasn’t that hard to take action and create change in my life. I started exercising again as a way to cope with all my feelings. It started with a one mile run, then a 5K and within about a year my first marathon.

As far as career choices, I always knew I liked nutrition. I thought I could help people eat healthy. I figured maybe it would finally teach me how to eat well. I mean, I knew things like “get fruits and veggies” but what I did was totally different. My daily breakfast was “muffins and mochas”.  I had a long way to go.

Within a few weeks of 9/11 I looked into nutrition programs in D.C. I learned about the RD credential, which you need to do individual counseling. It’s basically like RN and MD. You need to pass a board exam. I found out there was a program. I took my transcript to the University and got my answer. It would take me between 5-6 years part time to get a nutrition degree after all my chemistry degree transfers. Then an internship. Before I left the University that day I picked up an application.

I had one life. I was not going to waste it.

Starting to Feel Alive Again

About six weeks after 9/11 I met the man who would eventually become my husband. His first words to me as I walked by him and looked in his eyes was “why are you so smiley?” (I was flirting, Andy). I knew I had a connection to him. And let’s just say that I had something to focus on and get excited about. We got married about 4 years later. I can’t imagine my life without him. We tell each other “I love you” every single day.

10 Years later

Running challenged me like nothing else and even to this day it helps me push through mental barriers. Since 9/11 I have completed dozens of marathons, triathlons, and even ultra marathons.

This is me after JFK 50 miler. It took me 11.5 hours!

I’m not the fastest, but who cares about that. I have legs and the ability to move my body. I’m healthy and exercise contributes to my well-being.

I finished my nutrition degree while working. It ended up taking me 6 years. In my last year of nutrition classes, I decided that I wanted a master’s degree so I enrolled in a program at Johns Hopkins University for a masters in health communications. (It’s one thing to know the science, but you gotta be able to talk to people about it.)

During my educational journey I changed tremendously and changed a lot of lives. When I experienced the impact I could have by sharing knowledge in speaking, blogging, and counseling during my nutrition internship, I knew I would start a business where I could do what I wanted to help people live better.

This is me with Brain-Food an after school culinary program for inner city D.C. kids. I was showing them how to put together a balanced breakfast.

I started a nutrition counseling business and shortly after a speaking and consulting business in 2007. It wasn’t easy and there were lots of ups and downs along the way. Many days I cried from the pressure and stress and uncertainty during the classes, my graduate thesis, and rigorous internship. But I kept fighting through it.  I thought about 9/11 when I needed to answer “why” am I doing this? Images are forever burned into my head and heart.

These days, just a few years after starting my business I could not be more satisfied and grateful for my life. It is an honor to do my job. Every single day I work, I observe myself helping bring peace to someone else. I get “thank yous” and clients share their epiphany stories. More times than I can count, clients have (in one way or another) told me something that I will never tire hearing.

You have changed my life.

Every time I hear something like that, see it in their eyes, and in their smile it fills one of those tears in my heart from ten years ago.

My husband also went through a major career change. We had something in common in that we didn’t like our jobs – just each other   He had been trained in broadcast journalism, but like me, he was chasing security and not passion. He ended up losing his job in a re-organization and rather than get another dead end job he’d hate, he started doing videography and photography projects. Just as he was setting up a business, he got a call from a fellow WVU journalism alumnae that would change his life.

“Andy, we need to hire you for a few days to cover the Ford funeral. Can you do it?”

It was NBC News.

Andy is now a full time camera photographer for NBC News. He could not be more proud to do anything else and I could not be happier for him.

We can never forget, but we must go on. We must live more meaningful lives.

That’s what I was searching for after 9/11 – a more meaningful life. I have a lot more to do. I want to accomplish more in my career, start a family, and travel.

Share Your Story

Writing this has been my therapy for this day. I feel proud of how far I’ve come – not in dollars or career success, but in my commitment to myself to make a difference in the world. I’m not a soldier or a firefighter or a police officer, but I am so grateful for those who are. You guys are protecting me so I can do what I love.

My husband is covering the 9/11 memorial service at the Pentagon for NBC News. So he is doing his part in helping you remember.

We are all connected. What is your story? What do you have to say 10 years later?

iPod App Review: Food Network Nighttime

This app puts The Food Network at your fingertips! Now, night time shows like ‘Throwdown with Bobby Flay’ recipes and clips are compiled for your viewing and cooking needs.  The app has a recipe function which is set up like the website, including suggested links for seasonal foods and searching by show host.

Pros:

• Includes variety of recipes from a variety of chefs. You’ll rarely see the same thing twice!
• Has a favorites function to avoid a mass search through thousands of recipes
• Includes video clips of your favorite Food Network shows

Cons:

• Doesn’t focus on nutritional content.  If you are interested in lower calorie or specific diets you must dig a little deeper into each recipe to make suggest changes, or search through Ellie Krieger.
• Although it has access to recipes, this app focuses more on the television aspect.  Filled with video clips from shows, it could be more for someone that enjoys television, rather than eating healthy

Cushing’s Syndrome

Over-eating isn’t always to blame for people who struggle with extra weight. For some, the weight may come from health complications and disease.

Cushing’s syndrome is a health problem that affects 2-10 people per million. For those who are diagnosed, it is a serious issue for many of their organs and systems,and can cause weight gain.

Hypercortisolism is when levels of cortisol (the stress hormone) are elevated for a long period of time, which is the cause of Cushing’s syndrome. Cortisol is produced by the adrenal glands and is responsible for many mechanisms in the body, including blood pressure regulation, maintaining cardiovascular function, response to stress and metabolism regulation for fats, proteins and carbohydrates. Because of the vast array of responsibilities, excess cortisol can produce many complications in Cushing’s syndrome.

Signs and symptoms include: weight gain in the stomach, face (moon face) and back (buffalo hump), red or purple stretch-marks, muscle weakness, depression and anxiety, acne, decreased libido, headaches and possible glucose intolerance (diabetes).

From: http://www.wrongdiagnosis.com/bookimages/7/2195.1.png

There are two types of Cushing’s syndrome: exogenous and endogenous. Exogenous is caused by use of oral corticosteroid medication, which is prescribed for asthma, arthritis, irritable bowel disease, lupus, and patients who have received transplant organs. Endogenous is caused by tumors on or near the adrenal glands, or primary adrenal gland disease, both of which can interfere with cortisol production.

Though Cushing’s syndrome is quite rare, it usually affects women more so than men, ages 20-50 years. To get tested, it is best to call your primary healthcare doctor first. Generally they will do a physical examination to assess the signs and symptoms, and then will perform urine, blood or saliva tests. If you are not on any medications that could affect your cortisol levels, they may decide to do imaging tests to screen for tumors as well.