Hey there Mamas,

Throughout January we’ve supported a loose theme of “health” here at the blog. The baby weight, the self-care, the New Year’s resolutions…it’s all up for grabs.

Sometimes (especially in January) we take ourselves too seriously with all of this. We substitute kale. We sweat out our toxins. We carry our yoga mats around town like a boss.

As your doula, I have to say that a great deal of health can be found in a double chocolate cupcake and a warm cup of chai — sugar content so intense that it hurts your teeth to think about it and buttery goodness that makes your toes curl with pleasure. Add to that US Weekly (as long as you’re not comparing your postpartum body to the starlet who “bounces back” with the help of three trainers, a personal chef, two nannies, an unlimited Whole Foods budget and starvation). Reality TV is your guilty pleasure you say? Sure! Housewives, Survivor…do it up. If it turns off the crazy brain and whisks you off to Beverly Hills or a palm frond hut with filthy, backstabbing strangers, it’s an hour well spent.

We need sweet relief and melted cheese and celebrity gossip and lowbrow humor once in a while — and Jeff Probst! If, you know, that’s your thing.

Everything in moderation…blah blah blah…OK, don’t eat ten cupcakes (daily). But eat them. And when you do, for crying out loud ENJOY. What’s the use in following braised kale and brown rice with a chunk of dark chocolate hastily shoveled into the mouth regretfully while standing over the kitchen sink? Did you even stop to experience the taste?

The buzz word “balance” is often interpreted as a crammed schedule which reads:  chiro, meal prep, board meeting, yoga, booty boot camp, mammogram, closet organization, connect with spouse. If this is the case, you need to add a bit of “come what may” and “store bought guacamole” to your healthy way of life.

With love and permission from your doula,

Jen