Since moving to the U.S. from Canada eight years ago, I gained 22 pounds. On my small five-foot frame, that is a significant and noticeable weight gain.

The weight gain was insidious and it wreaked havoc on my physical and mental health – not to mention my wallet – as I needed to buy a new wardrobe to accommodate my changing sizes from what had always been a petite frame!

And, while I do maintain an active lifestyle and don’t drink alcohol, coffee, or sugary drinks like fruit juices and sodas, I now believe that the weight gain was primarily due to the extreme stress I endured, which included: moving to a new country in mid-life, a new marriage that subsequently didn’t work out, extensive business travel, COVID, and the death of a beloved dog. 

Stress affects cortisol levels (leading to weight gain) and mine seemed to be skyrocketing. The result:

• Mindless eating, snacking, and overeating
• Cravings for sweets, fatty and salty foods
• Increased blood sugar...

Pre-pandemic, I was an avid yogi, practicing five times a week at my local studio, Village Yoga, which is a more athletic vinyasa studio. I completed a 200-hour Yoga Alliance-accredited instructor training program just before the pandemic hit.

But then, everything changed.

For the first few months during lockdown, I tried doing some online yoga classes, because I was being super COVID-cautious. Before long, though, I dropped out of yoga completely.

Two months ago, I tried virtual yoga classes again but it just wasn’t working for me. Why?

I wasn’t being honest with myself.

I struggled to be fully present at home: I was too busy multi-tasking, checking text messages and emails, and taking breaks during the practice.

It would take me several hours to do a one-hour class – I’d do 30 minutes, get distracted by another task, and tell myself I’d resume the second half of the class later. But it never happened.

I became complacent. And I wasn’t...

You may remember my e-newsletter back in February, ‘When the wellness expert becomes the patient’ – I shared that I’d recently been diagnosed with a rare thyroid disorder, plus I had sleep apnea. One good thing that came from being so sick and exhausted? I lost 10 pounds!

You might guess what happened next: I re-gained the 10 pounds that I’d lost. Not exactly part of my wellness plan!

But here’s something interesting: After a three-day home sleep study I did two weeks ago, my sleep doctor said I no longer have sleep apnea! I’m sure my condition improved thanks to practicing yoga. Research from the National Institutes of Health has shown that yoga breathing exercises can alleviate sleep apnea, because they strengthen, tone and open your upper airway muscles – breathing to help your breathing!

Today, I no longer need that ugly CPAP machine – which was a giant pain to use. And now that I’m fully vaccinated, I’m living...