A ‘Fresh Start’ But It’s Just Influencers Telling You Everything You Eat Is Going To Kill You
How’s your January so far?
What’s On My Mind
It’s 1:49pm as I drowsily begin to type this newsletter under dark skies (and and what feels like the darkest future for our planet), it has me thinking about this post I saw earlier in the week. It is the exact oscillation I have had going on in my head every day this week around this time.
Source unknown I couldn't write today without acknowledging the deep sadness and despair I feel for our brothers and sisters, animals and earth, structures and sanctuaries in Southern California. There are many places to donate, but if you feel moved to support animals the way I do, here is my chosen destination. The company is called Pawprint Oxygen and you can order lifesaving masks for animals suffering from smoke inhalation. You just place your order and have it shipped to the Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation at 1700 Stadium Way, Suite 100, Los Angeles, CA 90012. Code SAVE10 takes $10 off.
What’s Everywhere
Comfort food recipes and I am into it. So far this year I’ve made chicken and dumplings, countless batches and varieties of chili, meatballs, stuffed sweet potatoes, baked oats and so much more. If you’re interested in seeing the recipes I save, you can check out my Pinterest boards! (Is this weird? Do other people still use this?!)
ALSO
Why do I suddenly feel inundated with non-experts telling me safe, well-studied ingredients are going to kill me? Not at all into this MAHA movement that is completely missing the forest through the trees. Maybe we focus on making America more walkable, more fresh food accessible, more educated on fiber, more compassionate before freaking out about seed oils that actually aren’t the devils work. We have a problem with the entire system and in my opinion red dye, which while objectively is not awesome, isn’t even close to the lowest hanging fruit.
What’s Bringing Me Joy
Readjust your eyes (or ahem, perhaps your algorithm) from all the diet culture hot takes in January, and maybe you see this too: Turns out being in shape is far more crucial for a long, healthy life than being slim. Research showed thin people with low aerobic fitness were twice as likely to die prematurely as those with obesity who were aerobically fit. Going for walks and getting strong reign supreme no matter what your BMI (an outdated metric anyway). Source:. Cardiorespiratory fitness, body mass index and mortality: a systematic review and meta-analysis | British Journal of Sports Medicine
Of course, fitness is far more nuanced and scaled than this, and most people reading here are well beyond baseline aerobic fitness, inching toward individual optimization. But I still found great pleasure in seeing this study and what I hope it can do to expand awareness within our desperately fatphobic culture. If you see someone new in your gym this month, maybe give them a smile or even a check in. Perhaps they are inching toward greatness for themselves too.
What’s Coming Up
*I’m embarrassingly excited about Valentine’s Day. I think it’s because I found the cutest valentines EVER and I might just have to get them for Elle’s classmates (or myself).
*Now that I’ve finally done it once (I was SO intimidated), I cannot WAIT to feed my starter and begin my next batch of sourdough! Tell me all your sourdough lore, I want all the tips and anything you wish you knew when you started! Please and thank you!
*This movie. I can’t get enough of Amy Schumer. I watched I Feel Pretty over Christmas break and she’s just so good. Also, have you seen her in Beth in Real Life on Hulu? Loved that too.
*Even though I feel like I have absolutely perfected my brownie recipe, I must try making this version. Broma Bakery never lets me down.
*Lots of soft foods and chewing on the left side of my mouth for two weeks. I did the scary thing and went to the dentist to get the crown I needed. I’ve got a temporary one which means hot/cold sensitivity and an uncomfortable ZING if I accidentally put any food or pressure on it. BUT I must report back that my experience in the chair wasn’t nearly as bad as I anticipated (isn’t it always that way with anxiety?). Thanks to all the kind people in dental health who encouraged me! Also if you need a great dentist in Madison, let me know. I’ve got the best.
What I’m Loving Lately:
I’ve really been loving seeing everyone’s IN’S and OUT’S for the new year so I made a list of my own to share.
IN’S
Sourdough bread. I made my first batch last week and it wasn’t the prettiest but it was delicious. I’m ALL IN. It’s all I want to do now in an effort to master it. No one in my house is complaining about the multiple loaves that come around every week or so. I’m in danger of it becoming my entire personality.
Twinkle lighting. After Christmas came down I instantly missed the soft white lights. While they don’t twinkle, these soft white, dimming, dawn-to-dusk plug in lights do add an extra dimension of cozy to our living spaces that I missed. I will definitely leave them in year round. My kids love them too so I have plugged them into their upstairs hallway outlets too; they’re the perfect nighttime glow.
Volleyball. Learning it, watching it, living it (with a broken living room lamp to prove it), especially on the weekends now that two of my girls play for club teams that have us fully invested through June. Now that the college season is over, we gather to watch the women’s pro teams on TV many nights. It’s the best. My favorite part is how the teams all come together for a quick connect after every play, good or bad. The SAME show of support comes no matter the outcome of the point. These women get it and they are exactly who I want my girls watching.
Roasted sweet potatoes. I don’t know if they were ever ‘out,’ but I’ve never had them on hand as a staple like I do now. I love them in my morning egg white scramble, mixed with grilled chicken and zucchini at lunch and in all the chili I’m making. Here’s a quick recipe: Peel and dice 2 medium sweet potatoes, spritz with oil (I love this mister) add 1/2 tsp each of salt, cumin, chili powder and garlic. Bake in a 400 degree oven for 20-30 minutes or until fork tender. Keep in the fridge all week; reheat and enjoy!
Hand me downs. For me! It’s really fun to be at the point where I can wear discarded clothing and shoes from my girls. Sets me up really nice for number 2 below…
OUT’S: (actually the first two are outs, plus 2 more bonus IN’s because I my brain is a circus - and I can‘t bring myself to adjust this!)
Finishing books I’m not into. I constantly have a stack of books on my nightstand that I want to read. Holds are coming up on my library app almost daily. So WHY do I feel like I NEED to finish every book I start? If you’re a reader too let’s be friends on Goodreads! (Not a user-friendly app in my opinion but I love it for helping me remember which books I’ve read and which books I want to put on hold next.)
Buying clothing for myself. I am not buying any new clothing in 2025. I said what I said. That is my goal, which I promised myself I will take very seriously. Candidly, I have nothing to wear if I am invited somewhere fancy but I don’t get invited anywhere fancy so that doesn’t matter. Of the TYPE of clothing I wear, I have a massive abundance, so it’s time to reel that in. I’ll keep you posted on this one.
Zone 2 cardio. Turns out for women, its greatest benefit is the JOY it brings if you love it. Many women LOVE going for long, slow miles for reasons that are fantastic - being in nature, solitude, the high from doing cardio for an hour+ to name a few. But the health benefits for perimenopausal women just don’t exist plus I don’t enjoy it AT ALL. So there will be walks and hikes at my own happy pace, plenty in fact. But you won’t find me in a jog or on a stair climber in the name of heart health. Or joy. (Is this new information for you? Read this.)
BONUS IN’s (send help)
Exercise snacks. Have you heard of these? They are exactly what they sound like…small, bite-sized bouts of exercise sprinkled in throughout the day. Ideal for people who tend to be sedentary (which is many of us after that hour in the gym each day). EVEN with a strong workout coupled with 10k steps all at once at the beginning of the day, you are still considered sedentary if you spend the rest of your day on a couch, in a car, at a desk. What I like to do is 3 sets of 20 jump squats (resting fully in between each set) when I throw the ball to the dogs, which happens 3-4 times a day. If my lower body is cooked from leg day, I’ll just do air squats or 10 push ups before I use the bathroom (hello habit stacking!). If I’m not home (like this weekend when I’ve been at volleyball games both days) I’ll do air squats every time use the restroom or escape during a break for laps around the parking lot. Even three times up and down a staircase would work if you wanted to set a timer every hour or every other hour. Research shows this assists with blood sugar regulation, mobility, cardio endurance and muscle strength. Sources here and here or simply google it and you’ll find tons of podcasts and articles!
Wireless chargers. It feels like we have every device in every series with every conceivable charger and until our household comes online with the newest versions (which thankfully all require the same one), these have been saving us.
The week in photos
Elle loves grapefruit suddenly
Costco’s best prepared foods option: the chicken tacos!
Still in cold and cozy mode so one more Christmas book
Brown butter toffee chocolate chip cookies by Handle the Heat!
Does the Amazon delivery driver ever catch your dogs in the photo??
Volleyball! Tess plays middle and it’s so fun to watch!
Sourdough in the morning light.
Redstone always with me. He sleeps a lot these days.
Impulse purchase couch from Costco (it’s AMAZING), and we needed it desperately! We bought our last one when I was pregnant with Elle 12 years ago!
What are your thoughts on this week’s newsletter? I am always excited to engage in conversation! ALSO 👉 Do you have any IN’s or OUT’s for 2024? What about a WORD for 2025? Please share in the comments, I’d love to chat about them!
Talk to you next week!
xo katie
Please remember you are reading my thoughts, not my advice. I am not a doctor or a therapist or a nutritionist or an expert of any kind, including my own life, which I mess up regularly. This is sort of like a diary and if you aren’t enjoying the updates please unsubscribe. You don’t even need to tell me why, isn’t it great? Have a great day!
Just love having you back!!
I can relate to so much in your newsletter. I love # 2 of your outs. I am going to try that but I do need a new swim suit for spring break :). I also love the idea of exercise snacks. I work out in the morning but sit at a desk at work the rest of the day. I am going to start doing some sort of exercise every time I go into the restroom. My word of the year is Consistency!