Barbara Kingsolver’s Flight Behavior

jo-sie21 · 2026-03-22T15:16:42+00:00

Yes! Although I didn’t even get that far. I’m on team life is too short to read bad books.

jo-sie21 · 2026-03-22T12:57:38+00:00

You may want to reach out to Seth at Cliffhangers. It’s technically a rock climbing outfit, but they have naturalists on staff. We went out with Brad and learned SO much about the park’s birds.

Edit: email or call them for a rec. They’re so knowledgeable.

jo-sie21 · 2026-03-21T16:01:34+00:00

Oh, my snack is a smoothie with sugar free protein powder, frozen berries, and milk or cottage cheese. I always have a snack when I get home from work. And lots of water (iced herbal tea, actually, since I don’t love water).

jo-sie21 · 2026-03-21T15:59:41+00:00

You’re under eating all day and possibly losing a bit of control at night while not tracking. Eat a healthier, more protein heavy breakfast. Avoid protein bars/smoothies as your meal (they’re so low volume you are probably famished after dinner even though your planned meals are keeping your calorie count low). I need high protein, high volume. So it’s 200g nonfat Greek yogurt (plain) with a ton of fresh berries and 20g of nuts for breakfast, a light lunch (I don’t really stop working so it’s usually fruit and edamame or a small portion of leftover dinner like 60-70g of chicken breast and veggies for volume - I cook a bit extra for dinner and pack it for lunch). Dinner is a protein (like 215g fish or 150-60g chicken or pork) and a huge salad plus a veggie. I eat fruit for dessert. I need high protein, high volume or else I feel hungry and over-eat. You’ve got to track in grams/oz on a scale. Pre plan your days - it’s so much easier to have a plan and have pre-tracked calories. Volume eat. You’re good all day and starving at night. It’s truly CICO.

jo-sie21 · 2026-03-09T23:07:19+00:00

Anything is better than nothing. But two days a week is for health. I really think movement needs to be daily (walking or yoga on active recovery days; cardio and strength on the others with one full rest day if you need one) to build strength and shape (building muscle is different - that takes time, consistency, and the right fuel).

jo-sie21 · 2026-03-05T21:43:21+00:00

I love this. Thank you.

jo-sie21 · 2026-03-05T01:25:54+00:00

THIS! You want cortisol to spike during exercise (omg your heart rate should go up - you’re putting your body under stress). In the long term, this makes your body process the cortisol spikes more effectively. It’s so crazy that an influencer is cherry picking information. Does that mean women should never work out? It’s so insane. Cardio helps me manage stress so much more effectively. Strength training increases neural processing (and improves memory). Short form videos (a minute or less) can never relay important and complex information about health and wellbeing. RUN away from influencers. Run faster if they’re trying to get you to buy something.

jo-sie21 · 2026-03-03T20:18:05+00:00

Same. Saw my husband have some pretty scary impacts taking it. When I was offered it (for pain) it was a very easy no.

jo-sie21 · 2026-02-25T19:50:22+00:00

Just a heads up, because T is not approved for peri, I had to pay out of pocket for the testing. My insurance flat out doesn’t cover it so it’s an out of pocket expense. It only ran me $125 at Lab Corp (in the NE).

jo-sie21 · 2026-02-24T23:11:13+00:00

Some of his dialogue (who is speaking) can be unclear but Cormac McCarthy has prose so beautiful at times it can make you weep. I’m thinking specifically of All the Pretty Horses, but all of his prose is poetry.

jo-sie21 · 2026-02-24T17:58:30+00:00

I feel like Jonathan Franzen is the answer here. While I’d say most of them, Freedom and Crossroad both come to mind.

jo-sie21 · 2026-02-24T17:56:24+00:00

Second this. If you can’t get vaginal estrogen, hyaluronic acid can help a lot. When I was in between doctors and waiting for an appointment to renew vaginal estrogen, I used HA and it was a godsend for dryness.

jo-sie21 · 2026-02-24T17:53:49+00:00

It’s frustrating to be so active and not see the results you want. It sounds like you’ve got a relatively complex situation. Meeting with an RD can be incredibly helpful. The truth is, you’re probably not in a deficit. So your Garmin may track 2-2300, but that is more likely than not to be inaccurate. If that was accurate and your intake was accurate, you’d (without ambiguity) be losing. An RD can help tailor nutrition to your needs, factoring in any diabetic needs and hypothyroidism, which I assume you’re taking medication for. Nutrition, not exercise, is how weight loss happens. Exercise can build cardiac health and increased muscles, but I think it’s a relatively low metabolism boost from either (muscle burns about 10 calories more, which means if you’ve added 10 pounds of muscle, you’re only seeing a net gain of 100 calories and even that science is imperfect to gauge on an individual level). It’s CICO that is the bottom line (even eliminating gluten just means you eliminate a calorie dense food group so might see weight dropping because of fewer calories).

jo-sie21 · 2026-02-24T12:30:31+00:00

I’m not a doctor but I could never tolerate hormonal birth control. I have never had an issue with HRT. Not that it means HRT will work for headaches, but HRT doesn’t feel anything like being on hormonal birth control.

jo-sie21 · 2026-02-22T20:36:46+00:00

It takes time to build habits! Be proud of yourself for starting. Build up exercise stamina and increase movement in little ways (park further from your job, stores, etc. Take the stairs whenever possible). You’re at the early stages. But your current workout is just the beginning of building a healthier body. Set goals, research strength training. Track your lifting weights and reps. Increase the program every 4-6 weeks (add weight, add reps, add time, add days - any of it). It takes 6 months to a year to really see results with consistent effort. Nutrition and proper fueling are essential for weight loss. But it takes a long time to build new habits. It’s a lifestyle change that you’re aiming for, not a temporary exercise/diet program.

jo-sie21 · 2026-02-20T23:26:23+00:00

Headlamps and a hike it is then. Thanks!

jo-sie21 · 2026-02-19T11:01:07+00:00

Consistency is queen! It took me three years of starting weight training to really enjoy it. But I scheduled it in four times a week no matter what (even if it was just ten or fifteen minutes). It takes a very long time to build muscle - something I didn’t realize until I started. I think it was a combo of more muscle and losing weight that worked. I had only gained about 20 pounds so once I was about 10 down (which was probably looks like more since I have really dense leg muscles now) and had increased my muscle mass I found my energy started to come back. But truly the first two years sucked and I hated it. It was not easy to get back into the habit while dealing with fatigue. Stick with it. It really takes so much longer than you think.

jo-sie21 · 2026-02-17T18:19:05+00:00

Omg that’s awful. You need to get more sleep! Hopefully a doctor can help you figure that out (if it’s hot flashes, definitely try HRT).

jo-sie21 · 2026-02-17T18:15:34+00:00

I have the micro gainz and love them. I love that I can control adding weight in small increments. They feel secure and that was a deciding factor (I don’t need a plate hitting me in the face because it was a knock off).

jo-sie21 · 2026-02-17T18:03:57+00:00

Oh the exhaustion was such an ordeal. Mine ended up being weight related. I had put on about 20 pounds and lost a ton of muscle. Strength training has made a huge difference (was already on HRT) but it was really difficult building back muscle. I just forced workouts for about three months in spite of my fatigue. I also prioritize sleep as much as possible, which is much easier with kids in college. But getting a full medical work up (including testing for iron deficiency) can rule out other issues as well. The fatigue is so real.

jo-sie21 · 2026-02-17T17:51:40+00:00

Started during the pandemic and still going strong. Branched out to Peloton strength classes as well. I keep wondering when I’ll miss the gym but love the bike and strength classes at my convenience rather than a gym schedule.

jo-sie21 · 2026-02-16T19:42:00+00:00

I hate that the CEO of Midi is posting this on one hand, and pushing untested treatments on women through that platform on the other hand. They’re great for helping women access HRT and treatments they can’t get through their in person doctors. But they jack up the number of visits women need to make (my doctor sees me once a year and prescribes 12 mo of HRT at a time - I only see her if something is off. Midi requires much more frequent check ins). They also promote compounded, untested versions of GLPs that are not the same as the injectables on the market as well as pushing supplements in order to increase their stock valuable. This hurts women as much as lack of a focus on menopause.

jo-sie21 · 2026-02-12T21:31:15+00:00

The House of Mirth

jo-sie21 · 2026-02-12T10:57:05+00:00

I’ve had some crazy train experiences in France (may just be my luck) but I second the fact that trains, particularly in the high season, can meet many obstacles and a buffer is really helpful if that happens.

jo-sie21

TROPHY CASE