Denice Murray Health Coaching

Well, that’s not entirely correct. You probably KNOW you’re in it, you’re just not sure what to do about it or how to get OUT of it. Let me explain. In this article I talked about five top health issues we face as busy moms: weight loss, stress management, sleep deprivation, dealing with mom guilt, and struggling with life balance. And the truth is, all of these health issues can be interconnected in ways we aren’t even aware of. You’re a busy mom. You’re going to have a hectic schedule. That can lead to sleep deprivation, which can lead to stress or weight gain (or both), which can lead to more sleep deprivation, which circles back to mom guilt for being tired and cranky and stressed out, and you’re trying to find a way to balance it all…. Sound familiar? In the article , I mentioned that an easy first step is to just Start Small . Have one glass of water. Take a 5-minute walk. Do 5 squats while you’re waiting for the microwave. Eat one piece of fruit. Just one little thing...

We all have them. We’re busy moms, holding life together by a thread. You’ve had a series of THINGS happen. And by the way, it’s a BIG misconception, that it just came out of nowhere. No, it didn’t. This meltdown has been building up over time, like lava beneath the earth’s surface. The “things” can be big or small, it really doesn’t matter. It’s just a bunch of issues over time that build and build. You may have had moments where you thought you had dealt with them. But in reality, you were probably just dealing with PIECES of the issue, and the rest was getting shoved aside to be handled another time. Only, you’re a BUSY MOM! “Another Time” rarely comes. You’re pushing ahead through the next thing and the next. I’m just going to use my example really quickly because I know EVERYONE’S situation is different. Perimenopause is causing a plethora of physical issues including night sweats, fatigue, sleep disruption, mood swings, weight gain, and others. Big Issue . Crazy sc...

I’ve blogged about this before , but I feel like it needs another moment in the spotlight. If you’re a busy mom and you try something new or different – a new haircut, a different shade of lipstick, wanting a new career, or starting a health/weight loss journey – you may not have the support you THINK you will. It might be a co-worker, your spouse, your children, a sibling, or a friend who makes a comment. “Why did you order the salad? Are you trying to lose weight, or something?” “What did you do to your hair?” “I don’t like that color on you. You should change it back.” “What do you mean, you want to try photography? You already have a full-time job. How are you going to do both?” Most of the time, these comments aren’t meant to be hurtful. They’re coming from a place of confusion because not everyone understands you’re looking for something deeper, more meaningful, or you’re simply not happy with the status quo. Sometimes the people in our lives, especially those close...

Don’t get me wrong. I’m a HUGE fan of Meal PLANNING .  But there is a difference between Meal Planning and FOLLOWING a Meal Plan.  Also, full disclosure, I actually HAVE a sample meal plan that I created . And the entire time I was making the meal plan part, I felt awkward for all the reasons I’m writing about in this blog post. The first drawback (for me) with a Meal Plan is people thinking it must be followed TO THE LETTER . Like, there’s no wiggle room for personal preferences. If you don’t like broccoli, but the recipes in the plan call for a steamed broccoli side dish or adding broccoli to a casserole then you’re just stuck eating broccoli. Now, realistically, we all know that’s not true. Just switch out the broccoli for another veggie you like, and you’re done. But in reality, people who are following a meal plan want that plan to be tailored specifically to their tastes (and those of their family), and when they aren’t, when there are substitutions that need...

While this might seem obvious, it’s been coming up more and more in my life lately and I feel like it’s something I should talk about again. My son is trying to do more cooking at home, and I’ve been getting a few calls lately about how to do things in the kitchen. None of my kids really had much interest in cooking growing up, although I made sure they were capable of feeding themselves the basics and were able to follow directions on a box mix of whatever. But, apparently this is more common than I realized, and I’ve heard people my age and older say they really don’t like cooking, aren’t interested, or don’t know how to make things that taste good. I’ll be the first to admit, my cooking skills developed because 1.) I was a picky eater; 2.) we were broke and couldn’t eat out all the time; 3.) there were foods I wanted to try that my family had zero interest in eating. My mom taught me the basics as a teenager, and I learned to follow recipes and watche...

I usually write posts for ALL busy moms because I know no matter what phase of motherhood we’re going through, there is a universal acknowledgement that we are all working on our own health and wellness while also dealing with everyday life struggles. But today’s post is specifically about dealing with the difficulties of perimenopause while also trying to handle everyday life. I have never been this out of control with my emotions or my body in my life! I’ve gone over the list of symptoms, and I swear, it’s the weirdest collection of nonsense ever. EVERYTHING is a symptom! Fatigue, brain fog, muscle aches, joint pain, heart palpitations, night sweats, headaches, insomnia, mood swings ( SEVERE! ), inconsistent menstrual cycles, cramps, weight gain, water retention, itchy ears! Like, what?! No lie, I am in some kind of pain every single day. There is no such thing as a good night’s sleep anymore. My emotions are fluctuating all over the place and I’m bouncing from anxiety to ...