Why your choice of language matters — August 1st is International Childfree Day. It may seem like one of those made-up holidays that get added to calendars purely for the benefit of marketing companies, but for me, it’s an important day and I celebrate it as such. Unlike those who celebrate Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, and Grandparents…

Please consider choosing another hill to die on — I began following politics closely during the 2000 election. I was 13 and precocious and in Catholic school, where I clearly didn’t belong and where we were made to watch each presidential debate. I’ll be honest, I found this very boring and tedious at first. However, I enjoy any problem…

Finding things to love about life in a pandemic — A few nights ago I was feeling particularly down about, you know, this whole global pandemic, national social distancing, economic collapse thing. I lamented to my partner that this felt oddly like grief, like the way it feels to mourn a loved one. …

TL;DR: If gaining a few pounds is the worst thing that happens to you in the coming months, consider yourself so lucky — Last week, when my boss explained our new work from home policy, and it became clear that I’d be spending a lot of time in my Brooklyn railroad apartment, I had a brief moment of panic that was completely unrelated to any real-life problems my family or I would soon…

Training for and running long-distance races like half marathons, marathons, and ultra-marathons, is inherently challenging. It can be stressful, expensive, frustrating, and painful. Shin splints, missing toenails, sore muscles, and smelly workout gear are just part of the deal. But, as runners, we sign up for races, pay high entry…

The insidiousness of the wellness re-brand — I did my first round of Weight Watchers (now WW) the summer after I graduated high school, and by the end of that year, I had developed a full-blown eating disorder. …

When you have a history of disordered eating — Every November, for most of my life, I’ve spent the first Sunday of the month watching the runners of the New York City marathon as they breeze through my Brooklyn neighborhood. …

How to stop sabotaging your health goals — The absolute worst health habit I engage in these days is the occasional lapse in judgment that leads me into the comments section of articles I read online. Frequently, this ends with me angrily venting to my partner, but from time to time I get a little inspiration. Recently, in…

Why adding, not eliminating, food is key to a healthy diet — 45 Million. That’s the number of people in the United States who go on a diet each year. $33 Billion. That’s the amount of money Americans spend each year on weight loss products and services. 70%. That’s the proportion of adults in the United States that are overweight or obese…