Word of the Year

I hope everyone had a great holiday week and is enjoying their weekend! Nick and I had so much fun being back in Colorado for the week with family. We spent the first half at my parent’s place and the second half at Nick’s. Although we didn’t get the white Christmas we were hoping for, we took advantage of the 65-70 degree weather and got outside for lots of activities. We went on our favorite runs, played pickleball, and even got out onto the par 3 for a short round of golf. Of course my favorite part is enjoying all of the tasty food and desserts that are part of our holiday traditions. I got to make cookies with my niece and get my fill of fancy cheeses and crackers for a while.

Our dog Charley got to reunite with my parent’s dog (a labradoodle named Murphy) and Nick’s parent’s dogs (a silver lab named Stella and a chocolate lab named Riva) who are her best buds. She played all day for a week straight, and will need to sleep for at least a week to recover.

For me, the week between Christmas and New Years is like a worm hole. I never know what day or time it is, and getting back into a routine can be hard. Just a quick reminder that you don’t have to set extreme New Years resolutions or go crazy this week as a last hoorah before “buckling down” for January. Your goals are much more likely to last beyond the first month of the year if they are small, achievable and sustainable. I’ll say more about New Years resolutions in today’s Weekly Tip section, but I just wanted to mention that in case you’re feeling the pressure to jump on the Whole30 bandwagon.

In Today’s newsletter:

• What’s for dinner? I’ve planned out your week in meals and snacks so you don’t have to! Check out my menu plan for the week, and some simple recipes to go with it.

• Weekly tip: This week, we’re talking New Year’s resolutions - a very hot topic of conversation around this time of year.

• Science corner: Cortisol has many functions in the body, but it’s best known for being the “stress hormone”. Today, we discuss what cortisol is, what it does in the body, and what athletes need to know about managing cortisol.

• Food for thought: As we approach the New Year, I feel like there is so much rhetoric around the idea of “new year, new me” or even just needing to wait until the New Year to make changes. I wanted to reflect on what I do for my New Years resolution instead of overwhelming myself with too many goals.

Do you have topics, recipes, or thoughts that you’d like to see in the next Sunday Brunch Club? Reply to this email and let me know!

Listen👇🏼: to the most recent episode of the Fueling Forward podcast where you can find interviews with athletes or listen to me answer questions submitted by listeners.