The Balancing Act

As I am still on the post high from my trip to Tuscany and coming back to reality, I have been exploring the concept of “balance.” And here is a news flash – it is hard and I am not doing the greatest job. I set out to improve my health, wellness, sense of adventure, prosperity and I have realized that juggling all these balls, a few are dropping. Good news though… it’s been a productive year full of new experiences, better eating, changing my fitness routine, interesting work, spirituality and then incredible amount of time sitting on my ass and watch YouTube (guilty pleasure). If anyone would take a peek at my playlist – I would be mortified. As my content includes tarot card readers, mediums, fashion, health and travel tips. I have very eclectic interests and revealing my You Tube history seems very vulnerable and exposing my dark side – haha.

Speaking about my health front, it has been moving forward as I continue to follow the nutritarian lifestyle – nutritionally dense eating with moderate calories. The focus revolves around (GBOMBS) greens, beans, onions, mushrooms, berries and seeds/nuts. It has been tough trying to toe the line and socialize which I am working on at the moment. I intentionally made an agreement with myself that I would enjoy the food of Italy and I do not regret it. Well I do a little as I finally got on the scale and my freedom (as well as a few previous months) showed weight moving to the north direction. I am on track now but definitely paying for some of my sins.

On an interesting note, I took a functional health test (online 100 blood panel with clinical note analysis – which is really interesting). Most of my blood work was in range with the exception of the thyroid, heart and autoimmune needing some help still. Although. I was very happy to see that my biological age came in at “46 years old” (which is exactly my age – just kidding). I did have some stuff that surprised me that I must work on. It is always something… and I did get a small scolding from my endocrinologist who rechecked my thyroid and it was totally fine. She suggested testing for no reason may cause more problems than it solves – and I think she is correct. However, that did not stop me from buying a glucose monitor to measure my body’s response to various foods. So ….. guess what raised my glucose scores and it was not food???? It was the multiple calls with customer service from Sears Home Repairs – stress rates went nuts – public service announcement – do not use them as it will raise your insulin level – yikes.

Back to exercise, I grew up in the era prioritizing cardio, going hard, burning calories and of course, it is all wrong for us post menopause women. Doesn’t that figure, now I am trying to lift heavy weights, sprint and high intensity training which are all the areas I cannot stand (well I am now starting to secretly enjoy). On top of doing the right thing, you second guess the experts and try to exercise the old way and incorporate the new direction which turns into a sabotage mentality. So if I follow modern protocol, I feel guilty not putting in the cardio hours and when I do the traditional workout I feel bad that I am not doing the optimal workout for myself. I have noticed that I am stronger and my endurance is better. I have been jumping a lot too and enjoy a good rope spurt well to try to strengthen the bones. I am getting overwhelmed even writing about all this stuff. Oy….

Then comes spirituality and trying to improve my practice which involves discipline around getting quiet, meditating and tapping into my inner being. We have been studying our shadow. In common speak, getting in tune with those things that trigger or annoy you. I am a girl that likes light and love – I DON’T WANT TO WORK ON THE SHADOW – but I must. Therefore, lots of nightmares and sitting with it. I actually feel a little forward movement although there have been a few sleepless nights of strange and wacked-out dreams. I guess it is the price you pay to ascend spirituality.

As we head into the last quarter of 2025 (can you believe it) , I feel that I have knocked off a lot this year and am proud of myself. Maybe not totally proud – I mean I ate myself through Tuscany, Rome and a few incidents in Michigan. In defense of me, I had to go for it ( the best food and hot chocolate). Even if my pants are a slight bit snugger (it’s going to be an oversized clothes situation for a good month). I guess it is time to hunker down and put my focus on healthy living and you know what – I am looking forward to doing it. I actually did miss a big green salad, beans and all my usual menu items. That is progress right?

Women…o…pause

You can’t go anywhere these days without hearing about menopause and I vowed not to get sucked in… and guess what?… I did. It started with a casual podcast, then an audio book and I have recently been following Dr. Stacy Sims. She is an exercise physiologist and nutrition scientist who has specialized in women’s health and works with athletes (and was one as well). Now I am totally in and trying to make sense of this new world. Let’s just say I am completely overwhelmed but will not go as far as to say stressed because that would mean that I am releasing extra cortisol into my body producing belly fat. So, I have anxiety over maybe feeling anxious … oh life is getting complicated. I kind of feel sorry for us older women trying to process all this new information and hope that we did not already “shit” the bed. Oh, that is a thing too… actually it would be pee in our pants due to a weak pelvic floor. Luckily I don’t have that but knowing all this does not make me feel all that “sexy” or eager to drink jugs of water either – ha-ha.

As many of you know, I have been on a wellness journey and want to be the best version of myself. This is going to involve rethinking my exercise regime that had been strongly rooted in cardio – aerobics, step classes, leg warmers and the thought that I could go all day with high intensity and that is not at all what I should be doing – ugh, ugh, ugh… I guess it is back to the old drawing board.

The first step is to realize you have a problem (like Alcohol Anonymous), a quote I tend to use in every blog. I have been doing workouts completely wrong for about 10 years. What does not kill me makes me stronger (Kanye – he is an a-hole but I did like that song). Here is what I have learned in a nut shell, women in post menopause need to focus on three areas of working out. 1. Lift heavy-shit (that is what Stacy says) meaning wimpy 2,3, 5 pounders do nothing for us now. We need to get into it gradually but really go for serious weights and barbells such as dead-lifts, squats, overhead presses, power moves to build and maintain muscle mass. We do less repetitions but heavier to the point of exhaustion and she suggests 3 -4 times a week. It is important for us to focus on this because with the changes in estrogen in our body we lose muscle at a very quick rate which is dangerous and bad for us. The one positive note is that she suggests shorter workouts with lots of recovery and rest (I can get behind that!!!)

The second area she stresses is HIIT – High Intensity Interval Training which should also happen 1-2 times a week. This requires movements like jumping jacks, power squats, burpees and high knees. Of course, everything I can’t stand doing and side note – I am pretty bad at right now. These activities are great to build and strengthen bone density which of course we have lost as well (she notes if you have osteoporosis or osteopenia talk to your doctor). Basically, you go through a series of these exercises for 30 seconds and rest for one minute. I have been doing 45 seconds on 15 seconds off (maybe I am doing it wrong). This one is unclear to me – still working out the details. With warm up and cool down – the sessions should last about 20 -30 minutes. I have been doing a routine of 6 exercises 45 seconds on and 15 seconds off and then I rest 5 minutes and do the circuit 5 times. I am pretty exhausted by the time I am done.

The third training to happen is 1 -2 times a week of Sprint Interval Training (which can be interchanged with HIIT). This is a short burst of an all out effort (30 seconds or less) and then recovery time. I have been doing 45 seconds all out with 2 minute recovery – 10 times. In addition to the obvious benefits, (SIT) improves insulin sensitivity which helps manage blood sugar levels, increase energy and mental clarity.

The last component is recovery days with easy walking and movement that does not get your heart rate up. See, I told you it is super confusing and I am still sorting out the kinks cause the math does not add up to me. Apparently, if you work out at a level of Zone 2 – which is sort of higher than leisurely walking ( ok let’s take a moment of honesty here- this is what we all do in workout routines – we are kind of pushing ourselves but not really – I SEE YOU (including me), MY GIRLFRIENDS– WE ARE DIALING IN OUR EXERCISE EXERSION). This is not good for post menopause women as it contributes to stress on our body to release cortisol which causes new fat distribution (muffin top, pudgy arms, back fat as we try to camouflage it with tunic tops, jackets and better bras). ☹

There is also a whole eating philosophy that was too much for me to process. Generally, women are supposed to eat a lot of protein (like double what we knew to be true) and balance it around workouts and earlier in the day. I am proud to say that I maybe low on the protein (will work on that) but my other eating protocols such as having my last meal before 5:00 p.m. is spot on. As women (I think men too), we need to allow our food to digest before we go to bed and that is where the magic happens for weight loss, maintenance and better sleep. I need everyone to jump on my bandwagon of Linner (lunch/dinner earlier) and then morning movies – it is a thing!!!

I know that was a lot and now I am going to transition to my new routine and I must admit it is too early to tell if it is working for me. I did start the beginning of this year with strength training but if I am being honest, I was not pushing myself with the weights. I now am up 12 – 20 pounds depending on the exercise which is progress as I was stuck at 8 – 10 pounds. My arms, back, legs and abs are stronger and there is a bit of muscle poking out (I can sort of see it with the right light – ha-ha). The HIIT training has been a challenge as this white girl can’t jump. I bought a stopwatch and am jumping up and down in my driveway (I have been caught a few times by walkers in my neighborhood). It is generally uncomfortable but I am keeping it going because the idea I can’t get air between me and the concrete is mentally troublesome on all levels. The Sprint Interval Training has been a breeze and I can crank up the treadmill a lot faster than I thought I was capable of which inspires me to keep it going.

Well, I hope I did not bum you out as I am sure I did because learning all this stuff made me want to scream. It did answer a lot of challenges I faced about ten years ago and this information would have been helpful. I had been diagnosed with breast cancer and unfortunately had to go through chemotherapy. I had been experiencing lingering side effects like foggy brain, hot flashes, “the stink – no explanation needed”, dry mouth, itchy skin and many other yucky things. I thought it was from the treatment and all that poison in my body and now I think it was menopause. I would share this with doctors and they would give me a weird look like I was strange and said it was not usually something associated with chemotherapy. I literally thought I lost major brain cells. I am happy to report, I am probably less smart than I was in my prime but it is a relief that I was just going thru the change. I must admit, I feel better than I ever have in my life but this phase makes us women have to pause (a little play on words – why is it called menopause?). Hang in there gals – I hope this was helpful.

P.S. Disclaimer – I am not a doctor or at all qualified to give medical advice. This blog is mostly for entertainment and to whine… See your physician if you want to make changes – the world according to Risa is not always correct. 😊

New Year and New Dreams

Well, it is hard to believe that it is a new year again and time to define how I want to spend my efforts in 2025. Last year, I was focused on health and wellness which has placed me in a much better position than January 2024. I am really happy that I achieved my goals although if I were truly honest, which is part of my personal brand, I slid most of my positive results in the last two months of the year. If you recall, I had vowed to lose the remaining five pounds and move into weight maintenance mode. What can I say, sometimes getting to the end goals can be sloppy – form over function 😊. Anyways, let us keep the past in the past and as they say … only forward. As 2025 unfolds I am expanding my efforts in the health arena by developing a lifestyle focused on consistency with my habits around eating, strength training, personal and spiritual development. I also made a commitment to travel and explore my sense of adventure… Woo Hoo. So needless to say, I am tackling a lot of stuff this year and am excited to get moving and grooving.

In the last few weeks, I have breathed new life into my home gym. For the past 11 years, it turned into the dogs’ bedroom without much exercise action from me. The typical story of about 98% of everyone who has workout equipment. I must say, I am really happy with the room’s transformation. My treadmill and elliptical are ready for the challenge of being used again. I also set up my audio visual, lighting as well as all my covid weights, bands and dusted off the trampoline. These are the moments when I rejoice over my addiction to shopping – ha-ha. It is that closet that has not been opened for years but holds many treasures for the fitness enthusiast. So, over the past month with tremendous help from YouTube, I have been able to create a lot of variety in my workouts. I can dance a little hip hop, rebounder workout with some gal in front of a barn, weight training and the power plate (which is really cool and helps with your circulation) to mention a few. Also, I am trying to improve my running speed on the treadmill (so when people see me outside, they won’t tell me that they saw me walking 😊). Needless to say, I have look forward to my daily visit to the home gym – you cannot beat the commute and there are no annoying members to fight over equipment.

I am also expanding my spiritual work by offering chakra balancing in a more official way now. It is so rewarding to help people feel better, relaxed and in flow and I am hanging up my side-gig shingle. Let’s just say I am diversifying with HR Unwrapped (my business) and now I can add additional services beyond business consultation to more holistic support. I also have been gravitating towards Tarot Cards and been learning and growing in this area too, which is a nice extension. I have this great journal, stickers that have kept me engaged. I always loved a nicely laid out workbook with fun accessories. It takes me back to those lazy days when we played with Colorforms. I will keep you informed on my progress or as they say – it is written in the cards.

And then lastly my third focus is travel and adventure. I have booked a trip to Italy and looking forward to a relaxing retreat and exploration. My boyfriend just mentioned going on a dog sled ride up north – that is kind of intriguing too. Who knows, I am pretty open to expanding my horizons before I succumb to another pug or two. I am still obsessively watching videos and I think my vow of no more dogs may fall to the side as a dream of a new puppy named Daisy.

Well, in all fairness, I really thought I was going to stop writing as it was starting to feel like a chore and according to my analytics, there may be 10 people reading this blog, so much for the advertisers and side cash. But in fairness, I do like to commit to paper and then I know I have to tackle my next set of goals. So, congratulations, there may be another long winded blog series from me or at least until my subscription ends. Let us see how it goes…

Where is my blanket?

Featured

Hello again and happy June. I know everyone has been anxiously awaiting my monthly blog on the topic of wellness. I am extremely excited about this one – which is … drum roll please…….SLEEP. I have always loved to do it and find as I get older, it does not love me like I love it. My relationship with sleep has been complicated over the years but I am optimistic that we will be back to where we used to be… at least I hope 😊. Just to refresh everyone’s memory (including my own), I started writing about my journey to health and wellness that I embarked on over a year ago and am still uncovering each and every day. I thought discussing components of that lead us down the healthy path made a ton of sense. So… I have explored eating (always a fan favorite and very confusing), exercise, relationships with others and the last being a sense of purpose. With summer upon us nothing is a better follow-up than snoozy time which is more of a palatable goal to improve.

When I was young, I had no problem sleeping and looked forward to my bedtime. Oh, those days when nothing was significant enough on my mind that I could just succumb to rest. I remember saying, I wish I could be a professional sleeper. Had I chosen that path as a career, I would have been fired and unemployed at about 35 years of age. I long for the days of being a blank slate again, shallow, not a deep thinker to enjoy REM (rapid eye movement) – ha-ha. As I have become a serial pod cast/audio book listener I am noticing sleep is having its moment. Research has been conducted in this area and there is a strong link between good sleep improving our brain performance, mood, and health. It recharges our cognitive abilities and alertness. And it really makes sense, we are like electronic devices and the OG needs to be recharged. Our battery life is limited and a daily plug in is required.

Several years back, my good friend Laura introduced me to the Oura Ring. She is always an early adopter and keeps me informed on the “must” have technology. I had not heard of it but her endorsement was good enough for me. I quickly bought the ring and membership (it is not cheap as I find with my dear friend’s recommendations usually – she has expensive taste). It is a band you wear on your first finger otherwise known as your “forefinger” (had to look that up). It has a bunch of sensors in it and has a vast number of capabilities to measure variables of sleep. I also learned just recently that Oura employees can monitor other things too. There was some functionality that was not working on my ring and when I sent in a complaint, they fired back that my hands are colder than normal and I should consider wearing gloves (not a practical solution for me especially in the summer 😊). You know what they say – cold hands, warm heart, ok maybe that is not a thing but it is hard to be told you have frosty appendages . Anyways, back to the storyline, Oura has gamified sleep and simplified it by breaking it down into categories such as readiness, sleep, activity, and resilience. A future feature being introduced is cardio health/ age (coming soon – although I had a sneak peek and I am -1 year from my actual age.) My heart is pumping like a 57 year old – not totally inspiring but everything is an opportunity 😊.

Every morning, I wake up and quickly look at my scores – similar to anticipation of the new Connections hint. I wait as the screen calculates my data to inform me on sleep quality– I mean you would think I could figure out based on how I feel but noooo…. I must let an app tell me – kind of lame. I instantly scroll through the results like total sleep, efficiency, REM, and breathing regularity. The last one I especially pay attention to as I have caught myself in an open mouth snore that sounds a little like sleep apnea – yikes. It is a horrifying revelation and knocks me down to the reality that I am an old person. Breathing regularity is my biggest opportunity to improve and I am committed to moving out of the good category to optimal. I hope this is feasible in the near future. Now in regard to the readiness category, I typically have higher scores as it reflects your resting heart rate and recovery from the proceeding day. However, if I choose to exercise or do other naughty things close to bedtime the night before – it messes up my next day score. I have weighed my options and actions knowing that my ratings will plummet. This is a real Sophie’s choice (not really ) – pay now or pay later as they say. I am little embarrassed by this but need to be honest with my people.

In the quest to improve my sleep, I have incorporated day naps which was something in the past that I would NEVER do. I was actually very judgy of people who did. I have completely changed my tune and I love them now. I take a 30 minute nap with my favorite side kick pug, Ella, a few times a week. I especially like using the Calm app and tune into the take a nap series. I am instantly whisked away by the soothing voice of the narrator to different settings like enjoying a siesta in Mexico, refreshing nap on the couch or painting with Bob Ross. It starts out with a relaxing opener; nature sounds and then finally being awoken by birds chirping – it is really nice. It is just the right amount of time and I can honestly say I am recharged and ready to go. It also registers on my Oura Ring and improves my sleep score which is an added bonus and keeps me in the game (my competitive side coming out😊).

For all the positives I have mentioned previously, there are negative aspects you need to be cautious of with the Oura Community. I was in a meeting with a group of colleagues who also wear the ring. I was not feeling all that great as I did not sleep well the night before. I was asked in the meeting what my sleep score was. When I mentioned 70 which is low for me, I received an unsympathetic response and an obvious eye roll. I WAS A VICTIM OF SLEEP SHAMING and it did not feel fabulous. Well, I guess there is always a downside to joining the Oura cult. Overall, it is fun seeing others wearing the ring and sharing their experiences too.

Well back to the big wrap-up. I have been working hard to improve the quality of my sleep which has been a bit of a yoyo ride. I have been making progress doing the generic advice given. That is powering down devices about an hour before bed, writing to-do lists so you do not worry about things during the night, eliminating food close to bedtime that gives me indigestion (that is tomato products or anything heavy). Also, I have been using nice lotion, making sure my bed is made well, temperature is cool and it is dark in the room and I have I have a humidifier with aromatherapy. As I lay out this ritual, it is quite involved – did not consciously realize how much work it takes to set the stage – but worth it. A good night’s sleep helps me think and operate better. I am sharper, more efficient with workouts and daily tasks. I am. re focused, strategic, feel younger and vibrant. For so many years, sleep was considered for the weak and functioning on minimal sleep was a badge of honor. Let me just say, it is so out of style and not good for your health, performance, your family, or employer. Making sleep a priority helps you excel at what you do, just ask Arianna Huffington, Jeff Bezos, Oprah Winfrey, Jennifer Lopez, and Albert Einstein (kind of dead). I strive to be part of this crew mentioned. Ok. time for me to power down and get ready for bed – sweet dreams to everyone 😊. P.S. – not a paid sponsor for Oura or Calm – but open to it if offered 😊

The Secret Sauce

I really appreciate the nice response I received to my first blog post. I was nervous to expose myself and talk about this personal topic. Weird… since I have previously shared with the world my bout with cancer and my innermost feelings when my husband died. What can I say, I am strange! Well moving on, health and wellness should theoretically be easy to manage – just eat high quality whole food, move daily and be mindful in heart, body, and soul. However, there is so much information and opinions that contradict one another. When you think you are on the right track, a new study is published warning of imminent danger if you continue with your adjusted lifestyle. It can make you crazy, want to throw in the towel and hightail it to your local Krispy Kreme establishment STAT.

As I shared in the last blog, I started my weight loss journey on January 28, 2023. I had been thinking about doing it so many times and now I was finally ready. I needed to do something drastic to get things moving. I was in such denial and shame that I could not even get on the scale to know my starting point. It took me about 4 months before I could face the music. Now you may ask, how do you know how much you actually lost? The answer, I conservatively reversed engineered the average weight loss and time on the program.😊 Funny, I was never great at math in school but I have acquired statistician skills when it comes to probability of volume of pounds off my body.

So now I come to the title of this post, The Secret Sauce… what did I do to achieve my results? First of all, many people just assumed I was on Ozempic or a weight loss drug… which I was not. I recognize this is a great tool but I avoid taking unnecessary medicine. However, I do like their commercials and find the tune catchy, O..o… o … Ozempic, and get a lot of pleasure singing on repeat, especially to annoy friends and family. I actually followed the program called Optavia. It involves portion control food (fuelings) and one lean and green meal daily. I am not an enthusiastic fan of eating from a packet and generally am opposed to processed food. When I raised this concern with my doctor, she said that being obese is more dangerous than anything else. As I write these words, I am kind of embarrassed about my healthier than though stance when I clearly was not taking care of myself. Needless to say, although this approach is a bit controversial, the core science and supplemental tools provided to us are excellent.

The philosophy of Dr. Anderson, the creator of this eating regime, is that the typical western diet consists of foods that raise your blood glucose (sugar) which elevates insulin. As insulin rises, blood sugar falls below normal and sets off the brain to send messages to your body causing cravings. You reach for unhealthy options such as sweets, salty food and never feel full. You basically embark on a roller coaster of bad eating. There is a larger explanation of what else happens with your body. Let’s just say, I was on that scary ride of binge eating and had not gotten off in over a decade resulting in packing on the pounds.

The plan is structured for participants to eat smaller meals every three hours stabilizing blood sugar and insulin. And I must say there is something to this concept, it really works as I am eating less and feeling more satiated. I always thought I had a self-control problem which brought me a lot of embarrassment when in fact it had more to do with a chemical response from the food I chose to eat and how my body tried to stabilize.

Now in the spirit of being transparent, Optavia gets negative reviews because it promotes limited calories during the weight loss phase which is considered not sustainable long-term. Also, Optavia relies on coaches to sell and guide participants and lets just say some are better than others (my coach Sherri – also big sister in the sorority was awesome and adjusted to my needs). However, there are great resources included, helping you understand science, your body and making healthy habit changes. Most people never read these two very large books (I did). There is a lot of time and effort spent on aligning mindset for behavior modification. It is too bad, as there is really useful information and nicely organized material to help people through a long-term shift. Ok, enough of the preaching – people asked so I am telling them… By the way, I am not a coach or involved in earning any money to promote this program. I am only sharing my experiences and observations .

On the downside, the food packets were rough on my stomach (I will not go into great detail on this one), but I still have PTSD from vegetarian chili and the pancakes. To solve this problem, I transitioned to real food mimicking the fueling protocol from a nutritional standpoint as I still have about 10 pounds to go (which by the way are coming off slower now – like ounce by ounce). I eat 5 fueling equating to 120 calories each – consisting of higher protein, lower carbs/sugars. I then eat a big salad (low glycemic index) with protein for dinner and lots of water. Once I lose the rest – there is a transition plan to incorporate more calories and foods to stabilize – which I have not started yet – stay tune to a February launch. AND THAT FOLKS IS…. The Secret Sauce.

In addition to my new eating lifestyle, I have continued to exercise which includes walking/jogging, Zumba (shout out to Cely) and long strolls around the subdivision carrying my 20 pound pug, Ella. In 2024, I am going to focus on lifting weights, building core strength and balance as these activities are important and I need to improve on them.

So here is the big wrap-up – I have lost over 75 pounds and did not use Ozempic, but fondly sing the tune. I feel better, not dominated with thoughts of food, mostly feeling satisfied, nervous not to fall off the wagon and have more pep in my step. I recognize wellness constitutes more than weight loss and I will explore all aspects but you asked and therefore I am sharing … how I did it. Not glamorous, a bit boring as it always goes back to calories in and out. One thing I can say, this program yielded results and I am all about that …. Wishing everyone a very happy and healthy holiday season. I am off to unplug with Isabelle and slide into the New Year – refreshed and relax. Peace to all!