Summers and the holiday season are times for spending time with family and friends, and traveling to fun places. But on those long car rides, or even plane rides, what should you eat to prevent gorging on high-sugar, low-nutrient foods? I’ll give you my personal go-to’s when I travel long distances to avoid reaching for the quick, convenient snacks we might normally turn to.

I’ve always been a planner, and planning what goes into my body is no exception. Two times a year, I pack up my suitcase with clothes, my cat, and an arsenal of healthy options and drive 13 plus hours from the state of Florida to my home state of Pennsylvania. Along the way, I stop at gas stations primarily for bathroom breaks and refuel for myself and my car. But if you’ve ever browsed the gas station snack selection, most of the options include high-sugar, enriched carbs, and unhealthy fats that will have you feeling bloated, sluggish, and down-right sick for the remainder of your trip. What you need instead is protein packed, high-quality, and snacks with healthy fats to get you through to your ultimate destination.

One night, I had an anxiety attack. I was in my apartment, with just my cat, Jinx. I had just indulged in one too many glasses of wine and a depressing amount of ice cream, trying to stuff down my sadness and quell my racing mind. I thought of reaching out to someone, a friend or my sister, but it was too late. I was inconsolable. I wailed and cried, and I couldn’t breathe through my nose. My shallow breaths caused me to panic even more. I heaved and wailed with my arms wrapped around my shaking shoulders, and tears stained the floor and soaked two dozen tissues. I couldn’t save myself from drowning in my own tears.

I kept chanting over and over, “Please come back to me, please come back. I promise to love you better. I promise I’ll love you right. Please just come back to me.” At that moment, there was nothing else in the world I wanted more than my husband to be in my arms.

After a few minutes of this, I had a sudden and uncontrollable urge to look at his picture. I hadn’t wanted to go back there since the day he asked for the divorce. It was too painful to see what we used to be. But for some reason, I wanted to see him on this night. I rummaged through my closet until I found what I was looking for: a mound of pictures of us in a Walmart photo envelope His was the first face I saw when I opened the pack. They were mostly on our wedding day, and again, I crumpled into tears, clutching the pictures close to my heart, promising I would love him better if he would come back to me.

There’s nothing I love more than a lazy Saturday when there’s nothing at all going on except for the opportunity to make my delicious protein pancakes. I’ve been tinkering with this recipe for the better part of the year and I think I’ve got it down to an art. Below you will find the recipe that I use to make a filling, high protein, healthy brekkie!

We all know by now that we should get some kind of physical activity each day. We all have seen the commercials for the gym memberships, the runners along the beach, the spin classes. But have we ever truly considered what kind of physical activity is right or us and our individual needs?

Some of us thrive on cardio: running, biking, swimming, or HIIT. Others feel more comfortable with low-impact workouts such as Pilates or yoga. Still others enjoy team sports like basketball, soccer, or football. Whatever our preference for physical activity is, it’s up to us to choose and not anyone else. Whether you’re a cardio queen or a weight lifting machine, read on to find out what works best for you. Then get up and do your newly found activity!

Do things happen for a reason, or do things happen and we find reasons for them? That question has been on my mind lately. I always thought the former was true, but now, I wonder if it’s not the latter. There are so many things that happen in life that have no logical explanation. Losing my mother at age six is an example. That single incident changed the trajectory of every aspect of my life and many other lives.

I asked why all of my life, but never really got a clear answer. I began speculating on reasons for such a tragic loss. To make me stronger, wiser, more appreciative of how fragile life is? To never take life for granted? To challenge me in some way? My mother’s death could not have been for nothing, could it? It couldn’t have been some cruel joke played by a God who claims love over revenge, or a horrible random occurrence set in motion by the universe. There has to be a reason somewhere.

I was lying on the floor, curled in a ball, crying another ocean. It was the third time that day I found myself in that position. Constant memories attacked me like BB pellets I couldn’t escape. The tears threatened to drown me.

The memories were of my former life, the one when I was married, had a house, a dog, a loving and caring husband. In those moments of uncontrollable sobs, I missed him terribly.

I thought about reaching out to my sister or my counselor, anyone to get the inundation of feelings out of me. I considered screaming and punching something, but since I work from home and my apartment is fairly small, I thought better of that. Then I thought of the one thing that I have always had throughout my life when I’m going through something that crushes me: writing.

For the better part of two decades, I struggled with body misperception and eating disorders. I looked in the mirror and saw only a fat girl staring back. The death of my mother when I was six had a profound effect on my life and the decisions and directions I took from there on. I learned to play the victim, the poor little girl whose mommy died. I got attention from other members of my family when I cried, threw a tantrum, or lost weight. 

My feelings were more than just physical. They were emotional and mental. I felt fat, a weight in my belly and in my mind, and so therefore, I thought I was fat.