Has your life shifted lately? I’ve found with the recession that I’m spending a lot more time at home, meeting with friends in parks and living rooms, and foregoing fancy restaurants and theater shows.

My pace of life isn’t slower, though; if anything it seems faster than it’s ever been. Looming to-do lists, family obligations, the busy-ness of daily life can easily overwhelm any downtime I’m hoping to find.

One of the New Year’s Resolutions that I was able to keep was eliminating products containing petroleum or PABA from touching my skin. There was a bit of trial and error as I tried out shampoos, conditioners and makeup but I came up with a combination that works for me. Did you know that the average woman leaves the house after applying up to 100 different chemicals to her skin? After I read that statistic I had to change my ways and I’m glad I did.

I’m a fitness pro, I’ve been training clients almost daily since 1997. I’ve learned a few things along the way and I try to pass them on to you. I had a big epiphany moment recently when I realized how much I’ve learned from my clients … here are some secrets I’ve learned …

Win a workout outfit from Thriv NP! Contest rules here.

The paper decorations are torn. The champagne sits on a dirty table utterly flat. The frosting is crusty and stale. You feel guilty, fat and flabby. The holiday is over and now it’s back to reality. Where do you start?

We get so caught up in the whirl of our lives. I’m one of the worst, so many balls to juggle, so little time to get stuff done. We’re behind, behind, behind … Enough.

We’ve been hearing about it for years, if we’re stressed out we’ll reach for the fatty, sugary foods and gain weight. But why exactly does that happen? How does stress, a far too common affliction, effect our bodies?

A great chart on how your body reacts to stress.