Grab a chair and use it to build simple, functional strength. These movements help build trust and confidence in your body and support you in everyday life. Keep building strength that lasts, and keep showing up for yourself.

January 1st gets a lot of attention. But for many of us, today feels like the real beginning of the year. The holidays are over. Kids are back at school. Work has started again. Life is moving. January 1st isn’t a magical day. I know that from experience. I tried more than once to quit drinking on January 1st. New year, fresh start, big intentions. The change that actually stuck didn’t happen on a meaningful date. It happened months later, on an ordinary day, when I was finally able to be honest with myself. Nothing special about the date. No new-year energy. No big declaration. Just a quiet moment where I decided to start showing up differently. So if January 1st felt meaningful to you, that’s great. It can be a good starting place. But if the year only really begins for you now, that’s just as valid. Because it’s not the date that creates change. It’s what you do, consistently, after today. This week’s focus: Change doesn’t come from big promises It comes from small actions repeated over time. We tend to think we need a full plan. A perfect routine. A complete overhaul. But real change usually starts much smaller than that. It starts with identity. With asking not “What should I do?” but “Who do I want to be?” And then choosing one small action that supports that identity. A few things to focus on this week: Forget changing everything. Choose one small thing you can do daily. Ask yourself: What actually matters to me right now? Let go of what you think you “should” want. Move your body in a way that feels supportive, not punishing. Focus on showing up, not getting it right. You don’t need intensity. You need consistency. Tiny actions, done daily, shape who you become. Something to reflect on. If January 1st came and went without everything changing, that’s okay. What matters is this: What is one small action you’re willing to repeat, even when motivation fades? Start there. That’s where real change begins.

My mom, age 85, is having sciatic pain. If anyone can share some gentle movements to improve her movement with less pain, we would both appreciate it! I am trying to encourage her to join our movement sessions--I let her know that she can also do these movements from a chair to start with--just 10 minutes! I think these sessions would help her (they sure help me!) I'm having trouble persuading her to just get started...any advice would be welcome! 😻

Recently, a new friend shared that he’s grateful he rarely remembers his dreams—when he does, they often arrive as unsettling nightmares. His quiet confession nudged me back into my research files from the Nutritional Sciences department at the University of Michigan School of Public Health, where scientists study the delicate relationship between what we eat, how we sleep, and how our health unfolds over a lifetime. Their work pays special attention to adolescence, while also examining how sleep’s rhythm—its length, timing, and depth—shapes our cardiometabolic well-being as the years go by. What emerges is a gentle truth: there is no single food or nighttime remedy that magically invites rest. Sleep, like health itself, responds best to steady, caring patterns. Nourishing the body throughout the day—especially by eating more fully earlier on—seems to support the body’s natural ability to settle, restore, and dream in peace. What you eat in the evening can quietly shape the quality of your sleep— and even the tone of your dreams. To encourage calmer, more pleasant dreams, focus on foods that support the body’s natural sleep chemistry. Nutrients such as tryptophan, melatonin, vitamin B6, and magnesium help regulate serotonin and melatonin, the hormones that guide sleep cycles and dreaming. Foods like almonds, walnuts, seeds, eggs, poultry, fatty fish, spinach, bananas, kiwi, and tart cherry juice can be especially supportive. A light pre-bed snack that combines whole grains, lean protein, and healthy fats— paired with chamomile tea—often promotes deeper rest and gentler dream recall. On the flip side, certain foods are notorious for disrupting sleep and triggering restless or disturbing dreams. Caffeine (including coffee, chocolate, and soda), alcohol, sugary desserts, spicy or greasy meals, and acidic foods can all interfere with digestion and blood sugar balance. These disruptions fragment sleep, shorten restorative REM cycles, and increase nighttime awakenings—conditions that often lead to vivid or unsettling dreams.

Today is simple strength. A reminder that we don’t need a gym or complicated plans. Strength and mobility come from showing up consistently and moving our bodies, whether it’s ten focused minutes or movement spread throughout the day. Stay energized, stay consistent, and keep moving.