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Every year we all swear we won’t do it. We won’t rack up huge bills buying presents for our loved ones and then suffer with gigantic bills in January. Especially in times of tightening our belts we all need to be concious of this effort, not only because its the best thing to do for ourselves, everyone is suffering in these times and no one likes to receive a $200 gift when they can only give in return a small token $20 gift.

I thought I would share a very simple intervention that I used several years back with a young adolescent, who we will call Carly.  Carly was on the Autistic Spectrum and diagnosed with Pervasive Developmental Disorder.  Carly was about 11 years old and although verbal, would not engage when she felt a strong “rush” of any emotion or even when she was feeling calm or relaxed.  When calm or relaxed, her behaviors and non verbal’s almost indicated withdrawal – so Carly would get pretty upset when folks kept asking, “why so sad?”

Oh my – the holidays are here! This can only mean gaining those eight nasty pounds back. If you are anything like me, you are the happiest person when you start your day three pounds lighter than usual, or you notice your cheeks are less pudgy. It’s going to be a great day when your jeans are fitting a little looser around the waist and no love handles are showing. Bring on the stress and drama, you can tackle anything when you’re three pounds lighter.
 

It seems like we just said goodbye to summer, but now the holidays are quickly approaching and with that comes a good deal of stress.  As a parent of a toddler, you are still dealing with the daily struggles of tantrums, setting boundaries, potty training and the list goes on and on and on.  But now, we’re adding a whole new level of stress….the holidays.  UGH.  There’s gift giving (how do we stay in budget??), dealing with family (where will we spend the holidays?), multiple obligations (who’s having a party??) and we need to squeeze in holiday

Here is an intriguing challenge if you are looking to be able to perform an incredible feat. It is called the 100 Push-Up Challenge, and the goal behind it is to be able to do 100 push-ups in a row, without fail. I personally took up this challenge just for the fun of it, and to be able to say "I can do 100 in a row"! There are some really great programs out there that will help you achieve this goal, but this is what I have been doing, and I've seen my own results. It is relatively easy to start, but it takes some discipline to maintain (like any good workout should).

Stand with your feet shoulder width apart, now drop down into a squat, place your hands on the outside of your feet and thrust your legs behind you so you are in the upper position of a push-up, then pull your feet back into a squat and from the squat quickly stand up using your  momentum to jump as high as you can, land and repeat! Congratulations, you have completed a Burpee.
 

If you are a health and fitness nut like myself you will appreciate the following insight. I constantly am thinking of nutrition and fitness tips I receive, and comparing them to other advice and tips to trying to be sure they are legit. I have been focusing on shaping up a lot lately. I’m in great health, and am not overweight, but I want to be “toned”. You always hear that females must add strength training to their cardio in order to see true results (firm arms, stomach, legs).

Lots of people I know dream of traveling the world, but they never seem to get around to it.  They wait until they think it’s the perfect time, they try to coordinate their schedules with a friend, or they think they’ll have time to travel later in life.  Me?  I say forget about all that – travel alone!  I’ve done exactly that many times over the years, and I can’t recommend it enough.

Last weekend I was able to visit Muir Woods, located just outside of San Francisco.  I have to say, it’s one of the most peaceful places I’ve ever visited.  It takes some patience (and nerve) to get there, as the narrow roads wind round and around as you creep your way up the mountain and back down into the valley.  The journey, however, is well worth it.
 

My name is Christene and I have a problem with anger.  I admit it. I will fly off the handle at a moment’s notice. I always thought it was a byproduct of my anxiety - being so high-strung all the time will kind of cause you to snap easily - but even if I am not anxious I will jump the gun and act on my anger.
 

If you have considered running a marathon, or are a runner considering the Kansas City Marathon, I am here to tell you to do it! Let me share my first marathon experience, and what I learned along the way.

Most people in my life don’t know this, but I have bipolar II. It’s a life-long disorder, so I’ve had it since birth. Looking at me now, I doubt that many would guess I have the disorder—long gone are tell-tale wild mood swings and erratic manic episodes (although I still get depressed from time to time).
 

It is definitely that time of year. The cold weather is moving in, it’s getting darker much earlier, and the push to eat right and exercise is hitting the floor. At least this is where I’ve been finding myself lately. The culprit behind my lack of motivation: Winter! I have noticed over the past week that my desire to eat filling comfort foods instead of healthy alternatives,  and to just curl up with a good book and a cup of coffee as opposed to my 30 minutes of exercise a night, has gotten much stronger.

You feel the cold snap in the air, big sweaters, warm comfort food and the holidays are almost here. What is usually included in that is clothes a size bigger as we all indulge in hot chocolate, pie and turkey!

I talk to so many people who say they tried yoga and hated it! “It just was not for me,” they say. I am here to say there is no such thing. There are so many styles of yoga that it is impossible to make such a blanket statement. Let me tell you the story of my first yoga class…

If you have stayed at a Westin Hotel, you're likely to have enjoyed a wonderful night's sleep. Years ago, Westin decided that they wanted to have a bed that stood out from all of the rest (no pun intended). Making your stay with them as comfortable (or more so) than sleeping at home, you would want to stay at a Westin during every trip. While the beds cost significantly more than those at most other hotels, the decision has certainly paid off for them.

Summer is officially over and I’m sad and anxious about the coming winter months. Now don’t get me wrong, I love fall. The cooler weather and no air conditioning is awesome. But I have a 16 month old daughter and she’s very rambunctious. Our summer ritual has fit her personality very well. After dinner, my husband, daughter and I (along with our dog) would head outside for the rest of the evening. We’d play in the yard, on the swingset and go for walks. Now it’s getting colder and darker each night. The evenings in the backyard are quickly coming to an end.

Before my brother was old enough to decorate his own room, there was always an old framed crosstitched picture that my mom had hung on his wall. It was the first part of The Serenity Prayer, by Reinhold Niebuhr.

There are nuances to understanding mental health, for sure – but there are also technicalities when diagnosing a mental health disorder as well. If you are diagnosed with Bipolar, you deserve to know which side of the “spectrum” you fall on. It will help you and your loved ones better understand the disorder as well as target the appropriate interventions needed. Often times we hear, “she has ADHD;” maybe, but what type? ADHD Inattentive Type, ADHD Hyperactive Type or ADHD combined type? “He has Schizophrenia;” is it catatonia? Paranoia?

Once you have received the diagnosis of Autism (or a disorder on the spectrum) for your child, you probably think – what’s next? You left the doctor’s office with a mile long recommendation list and “suggested” therapies and home interventions to try.

When it comes to pain management I know firsthand the pain part – it’s the managing it I’ve had difficulty with the last 15 years or so. As a kid and a teenager I was always active, dancing school, dance competitions, softball, and cheerleading kept me in shape, yet as I was a clumsy ballerina, often hurt. I would always bounce back (usually jumping back in before the doctors thought I should with torn ligaments and fractured ankles) and the pain would eventually go away.

When I found out I was pregnant, my mother told me to cherish each moment because they grow up so fast. It didn’t seem very fast when I brought my new bundle of joy home from the hospital. There were feedings every 2 hours, crying fits for unknown reasons and a million things to do. My new baby girl needed me for everything. Then yesterday, I finally understood what my mother was saying. My 15 month old toddler climbed up on the couch next to me, crossed her feet, put her hands in her lap, looked up at me and very clearly said “Hi”.

We’ve all done it. Succumbed to the allure of saving 25% off our purchase by signing up for yet another credit card ( and of course since you are getting 25% off you buy more) saying I’ll charge it now and pay off the whole bill when it comes but might as well get that discount now. Or you are someone with poor impulse control and have to have those jeans or that bag or (my personal kryptonite) the latest gadget that just came out and you don’t have the cash on you when you are in the store per se so you will just charge it and worry about it later.

Hey everybody, I wanted to share with you a Cardio routine I’ve been using that is yielding some pretty awesome results. It is called Interval Training. Yes, I know, it’s kind of a fad right now, but it has really been helping me. The basics of it are very simple, you alternate “intervals” of high intensity sprinting with intervals of medium intensity running.

Conflict" has always been a scary thing in my mind. It evokes feelings of fear and uncertainty, and wreaks of power struggles and hurt feelings. The word is like fingernails on chalkboard to my noncombative, why-can't-we-all-just-get-along attitude. But it's unavoidable. I work closely with several people in a corporate environment. I'm married. I'm a parent - to a toddler! In my life, avoiding conflict would be like Edward avoiding Bella. Or wine avoiding the cork (or me avoiding the wine).

I am often asked by youth I work with to explain the diagnosis of Bipolar Disorder. It is such a complex disorder with many symptoms and varying degrees of severity; how do I fit this all in? As a grad student, I was asked this question by a youth. So, on the spot I came up with a drawing to try and help him understand. I found that not only did it help to explain the disorder, but track how he was from day to day. Bipolar is major shift in mood that can happen quickly or over a period of time.

You hear about these disorders, the buzz words, the catchy symptoms that go along with them, this “Spectrum;” and you think, “This is my child…but am I sure?” For the most part you sort of knew what Autism was, but recently started to think, “These descriptions are sounding a little familiar.” Then you think to your child, “They always seem a little quiet, but then again those fits of anger…?

It is a form of treatment that sends electric currents to the brain that actually induces a seizure. It was used way back in the day for people who were deemed "crazy," and was used pretty widespread.

First let me begin by thanking all of you who’ve congratulated us on our upcoming baby girl. We consider ourselves truly blessed to add a healthy new addition to our happy family.

I see it sitting all innocent on the counter with the rest of the bills. The pretty lavender envelope with its fancy pants writing on it. It’s an invitation to yet another wedding-christening-engagement-shower-what have you. Now I have to come up with yet another excuse while trying to make sure I haven't used it before with that person. Will they believe I can't get a babysitter for my dog? hmmm that's a new one...

Having social anxiety is seriously exhausting.