When I was younger, I used to ask what was the point of decaf. Sadly, I am older now, and I am acutely aware of the point. And I hate it. However, I wish more places had it.

HealthMeredith LyonsMarch 1, 2024healing, healthComment

The one where Cloud has emergency surgery.

PSA: Those cute pictures of kittens playing with balls of yarn are false. Cats and string can make a deadly combination.

Friends and Family, Health, PetsMeredith LyonsDecember 29, 2023cats, petsComment

Running around the world.

People often express amazement (or shake their heads at how insane I am) when I get up early before whatever events are happening to squeeze in a run, but for me the run is part of the trip. I find such amazing things on early morning runs.

Fitness, Health, Motivation, RunningMeredith LyonsNovember 17, 2023running, health, MotivationComment

I wish I spoke “cat.”

We do not like the cone of shame.

Health, PetsMeredith LyonsOctober 13, 2023pets, healingComment

I love the season that everyone hates.

When I was a kid, this was a no-brainer. Everyone said summer was their favorite season. No school! Freedom! Water parks and family vacations! This attitude started to turn around for some people around high school or college

Health, HumorMeredith LyonsJuly 21, 2023health, humor, summer Comments

How our reading habits change in response to stress.

There is a reason that we dive for our old favorites when we’re stressed or depressed.

Health, Mental Training, MotivationMeredith LyonsJuly 14, 2023health, mental training, reading, CreativityComment

Good Health is a Privilege

This is a topic I’ve been meaning to blog about for a while, as I get really impassioned when I talk about how healthy food is not available to every community equally, but I like things to be current when possible. So here we are. The pendulum has swung again, and I am again having to look at my finances when I prioritize my health.

Fitness, Health, WomenMeredith LyonsJuly 7, 2023health, physical therapyComment

Seven things to know about working on a treadmill desk.

If you’ve watched any of my social media content in the past few years, you’ve likely seen a couple videos from my treadmill desk. Depending on how long we’ve been connected, you may or may not know that I was a full time personal trainer and fitness instructor for a decade before the pandemic. I still get lots of health and fitness questions and several about my treadmill desk, so I thought I’d extoll the virtues and answer most frequent questions here.

Fitness, Health, MotivationMeredith LyonsJune 9, 2023fitness, health, moving, MotivationComment

Continually derailed? Five ways to keep moving forward.

We all go through those stretches of time where life seems to have decided to toss challenges at us faster than we can gracefully deal with them. The temptation to just lay down in the middle of the dodgeball court and take the hits until they stop coming is real, but that wouldn’t be productive.

Health, Mental Training, MotivationMeredith LyonsApril 21, 2023Motivation, mental trainingComment

Should you force yourself to write?

When should you force yourself to write when you’re not feeling like it and when are you doing more harm than good?

Health, Mental Training, Motivation, WritingMeredith LyonsApril 14, 2023writing, health, MotivationComment

Let's talk about our changing bodies.

As a society, I think we’re getting better at openly discussing these things unapologetically, but I think it’s still important, maybe even more important, to shine a light on these personal experiences as we move through them. I’m in my mid-forties, which is almost like a second puberty. Just when I had my body figured out, it’s changing on me again.

Fitness, Friends and Family, Health, Kindness, Mental Training, Relationships, Resilience, WomenMeredith LyonsApril 7, 2023women, health, mental trainingComment

How to survive stomach flu.

My body is apparently making up for years of not being sick by trying to catch everything possible in the first quarter of this year. This week it was stomach flu, and I’ve only just been able to sit at a computer long enough to write. While the topic is fresh on my mind, here are my tips on surviving it!

Health, PetsMeredith LyonsFebruary 24, 2023health Comments

Scoliosis

It never occurred to me not to do things because I had scoliosis. No one ever told me that there was anything I might be unable to participate in. I’m still not quite convinced that I’ve done anything impressive, other than absorb the realization of “Anything can and WILL happen to you,” as a twelve-year-old, but just in case, I thought I’d throw this out there.

Health, ResilienceMeredith LyonsFebruary 10, 2023 Comments

Are You A Dave?

We all feel ‘like idiots’ when we feel we’ve been taken in in some way, but there is a special kind of shame that women feel when they thought they’d made a friend and ‘once again’ he was only interested in objectification and sex.

Kindness, Health, Mental Training, Relationships, WomenMeredith LyonsOctober 21, 2022women, Relationships Comments

Achilles Tenonitis - light at the end of the tunnel

I searched all over the internet for information on this injury. Yes, I wanted answers and medically backed references that what I was doing in therapy was correct. But I also wanted to know that it was going to work. I wanted hope. I joined Facebook groups, I watched TikTok videos, I was insane and obsessed, y’all. But I’m putting this out there because I know someone else is probably doing the same right now and I’ll put this out there in case it helps. A lot of getting past this injury is mental.

Diet, Fitness, Health, Mental Training, Motivation, Resilience, RunningMeredith LyonsSeptember 23, 2022running, injury, coming back from injury, physical therapy, recovery, ResilienceComment

It takes a year.

Learning to take time in an instant gratification world.

Fitness, Health, Mental Training, ResilienceMeredith LyonsSeptember 9, 2022ResilienceComment

Living Car-less

Our car broke down. And we got to see both how much we’ve come to rely on having a car in three years, and how much we’re actually able to do without one.

Fitness, Friends and Family, HealthMeredith LyonsSeptember 2, 2022change, healthComment

Learning Your Window of Tolerance

Everyone has a window. If you’re within your window, you’re calm, focused, you can handle things, you’re your best self. Some people have nice wide windows. Some people are dealing with things, like depression, ADHD, or a myriad of other issues—though no fault of their own—which narrows their window. It’s easier to push them off balance. If you know where the boundaries of your window are, it’s helpful.

Diet, Fitness, Health, Loss, Mental Training, Running, resilianceMeredith LyonsAugust 19, 2022running, recovery, injury, lossComment

In which Dean has a seizure and I'm not there.

Dean has epilepsy. I’ve known this as long as I’ve known Dean.

Share your joys, share your sorrows

Find people in your life who will lift you up, no matter how high or low you already are. Don’t be afraid to share your joys and sorrows.