I like my coffee black, plain and simple. Don’t get me wrong, I like all coffee and espresso, including milk-based drinks like lattes and cappuccinos, but my morning go-to is a black cup of brewed coffee. For the longest time, I was an overall supplement skeptic. I was confident in my balanced diet and didn’t think that I was missing anything nutritionally. In the fall of 2019, this changed.

It began with my gastroenterologist pointing out that I probably wasn’t getting enough fibre. As I started my fibre-related research, I learned that many people, whether they had a balanced diet…

I went on my first “winter” run the other day. I say “winter” because it is technically fall still, and this much snow and ice is more of a spring surprise than the average winter day where I live in Ontario, Canada. It was also only -8 degrees celsius with the windchill. Usually, I’d look outside, see these conditions, and head for the treadmill. But I figured, it can’t be that bad, and if I want to run all winter, I’ll run outside eventually.

It was actually great. It was so great I didn’t want the run to end and…

How I Found Restorative Yoga

It’s March 13th, 2020. I’m sitting on the couch in my childhood home. I’m now unemployed, and there are no more in-person classes. I’ve moved back home, which was never the plan. I could sleep all day if I wanted to. I could sleep right through to the next month, and it wouldn’t matter. Until my new job started in May, there was nothing to do.

May came and went, with June, July, and August. I continued to have no responsibilities through September and October. My work reassured me that yes, I had a job, but they didn’t know when…

In November, I injured my knee. That first week of lying immobile on the couch felt like it would never end. I was discouraged after months of running and doing yoga three to four times a week. My first thought, ashamedly, was ‘I’m going to gain weight.’ Then I realized, I also had the best grip I’d ever had on my health and energy levels. I had been doing so well.

Eventually, I caved into my couch-bound lifestyle. Limping around my house was embarrassing enough without having to limp around in public. Besides, my other knee and hip had started…

Last month, I read 14 books bringing my total for the year up to 36 books. I borrow a majority of the books from my local library. I don’t like buying books unless I know I’ll re-read them or I’m supporting a Canadian or Indigenous author or bookstore. (Sometimes, I’ll admit, the Kindle deals do convince me to break these rules or I *need* to read something the library doesn’t have, but I’m trying to resist.)

This month some of my choices are based on Book Riot’s 2021 Spring Review, while bookstagram inspired the rest. Here is my April to-be-read…

March is a long month and the time change left me feeling like a zombie for much of its second half. I somehow managed to read 14 books this month, which brought me to 36 books this year. I’m well on my way to achieving my 100 book goal. If you’d like to see all the books I’ve read, here’s my Goodreads page. You can also find updates on my bookstagram.

This is what I read in March:

• Butter Honey Pig Bread by Francesca Ekwuyasi
• Autopsy of a Boring Wife by Marie-Renée Lavoie
• Dearly by Margaret Atwood
• Two Trees Make a Forest by Jessica J. Lee
• Wine…

It’s hard to choose a good book. How do you know if a book is worthwhile before reading it? You can’t know if the writing or story is for you unless you give the book a chance. The title, author, or cover may give you a clue. You could be drawn to words like adventure, love, or change your life. You might trust an author you’ve read before. But throw a couple of cars or birds on a cover, and you don’t know if that book is good. Lately, read the synopsis, and you may be disappointed too.

You’ve resigned…

I attempted to keep a diary or journal for many years. I promised myself I’d write daily, then weekly, then at least once a month. Time and time again, I failed. Then, I discovered the world of guided journals and finally, I was writing every day. Guided journals have helped me express my feelings, maintain a positive outlook, and log something memorable that happened during the day. More than that, my daily journaling practice, as “in the box” as it is, has encouraged me to be creative and think deeply in the morning or before going to bed.

If you’re…