Peptides: The Secret To Youthful Skin?

/
Peptides: The Secret To Youthful Skin?

Peptides are the latest trend in skincare – walk down any aisle of products and you’ll see them prominently displayed. Peptides, or polypeptides, are short chains of amino acids that naturally occur in the skin, and now they’re being added as an active ingredient to serums, moisturizers, lotions, and creams to give your skin a boost.

In general, I’d say I’m wary of evidence-less skincare marketing and I’ll be the first to tell you that not every product and ingredient is worth the hype.

But when it comes to peptides, as of now, I’m on board – so if you’re wondering what all the chatter is about, keep reading!

Read More

The 6-Step Routine I Swear By For Healthy, Radiant Skin

/
The 6-Step Routine I Swear By For Healthy, Radiant Skin

Skincare is something I value a lot, and it’s not because of the fancy products or anti-aging aesthetics. Our skin is the outermost layer of our body and our largest organ, if and if we’re not taking care of it, who will? Taking care of my skin health is as important to me as caring for my body with exercise and nutrition. When I talk about whole-body health, I include skin. 

So, this week I’m sharing my tried-and-true skincare routine – the one I swear by for healthy, radiant skin. If you want to take better care of your skin but aren’t sure where to start, this framework is for you.

Read More

Our 10 Most Popular Recipes of 2024

/
Our 10 Most Popular Recipes of 2024

Anyone who knows me knows I’m a foodie! When I come across a healthy recipe that sounds too good to pass up, I immediately add the ingredients to my next grocery list and get to work making it. This year, I discovered some of my all-time favorite recipes – from savory proteins and soups, to healthier versions of sweet treats.

Below, I’ve listed out our top 10 recipes from this year – I encourage you to try one whichever one (or two) calls your name! These recipes are well worth the effort, trust me. 

Read More

Our 10 Most Popular Blog Posts Of 2024

/
Our 10 Most Popular Blog Posts Of 2024

As it’s been tradition for us to do since 2021, from now until the end of the year we’ll be sharing our “Best Of” series, starting with our Best Of Pure Joy Wellness Blog Posts 2024! 

You will find our 10 most popular blog posts from this year – based on your engagement and feedback.

As you’ll see, 2024 was a pretty transformative year for our content. We interviewed numerous experts, covered a wide range of topics, and did some serious self-reflection.

I hope you enjoy this roundup, and that you learn something new, interesting, and valuable from these 10 posts. 

I

Read More

10 Ingredients I Keep On Hand For Healthy Meals

/
10 Ingredients I Keep On Hand For Healthy Meals

Leading up to Thanksgiving, I shared a list of shelf-stable ingredients I keep on hand for all of my winter holiday cooking and baking. This week, I’m dishing on the 10 ingredients I always (always) have in my kitchen that make throwing together a healthy meal easy, cost effective, and delicious! 

Whether you’re a cooking beginner or you cook all the time, these ingredients (and categories of ingredients) are worth adding to your shopping cart on your next trip. I’ve even included recipes for each one that I hope you’ll try!

Read More

The Unexpected Risks of Being Too Thin After 50

/
The Unexpected Risks of Being Too Thin After 50

When I was growing up, women were taught that they could never be too thin and that “nothing tastes as good as skinny feels.” This “thin is best” viewpoint has dominated for decades, and it certainly made a lasting impact during my childhood and teenage years. But as I got older and learned more about fitness and longevity, I realized just how damaging this belief really is. 

Aside from the serious psychological issues that arise from society expecting all women to be stick thin (think eating disorders, body dysmorphia, and more), the long-term physical effects can be debilitating.

Read More

How To Stock Your Wellness Pantry For Thanksgiving

/
How To Stock Your Wellness Pantry For Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is a time for gathering with friends and family, expressing gratitude, and of course, eating delicious food. It’s also the kickoff to a very indulgent holiday season, which can leave us feeling…let’s just say not our best.

This year, I’m encouraging everyone to incorporate wellness-forward ingredients into their traditional Thanksgiving meals, and to do that, you need a well-stocked pantry. This way, we can all reap the benefits of supporting our health without sacrificing flavor and tradition. 

Read More

68 Lessons I've Learned in 68 Years

/
68 Lessons I've Learned in 68 Years

This week, I joyfully celebrate turning 68 years old!

I can hardly believe it. How did time fly by so quickly?! It feels like just last week I was jumping double dutch on Grey Avenue in Evanston, Illinois, surrounded by my neighborhood girlfriends.

It seems like only yesterday that I was practicing scales on the piano, diving into "Charlotte's Web" for the first time, and participating in an integration program as one of a handful of Black kids, being bused miles from my home to attend Dawes School, an all-Jewish elementary school.

Read More

Stressed About The Election? Here’s How to Manage Your Anxiety

/
Stressed About The Election? Here’s How to Manage Your Anxiety

If you’re reading this on November 3, election day is just two days away! The race to the finish line has been anything but predictable, with Kamala Harris and Donald Trump dominating the social discourse. Even though all votes will be cast on Tuesday, we likely won’t know the outcome until several days later, which means until then, we’re stuck with election stress. 

If, like me, you’re not sure how to best handle your election stress and anxiety, and want an outlet for your pent up energy, you’ve come to the right place

Read More

5 Effective Exercises to Target Your Lower Abs

/
5 Effective Exercises to Target Your Lower Abs

I’ve written before about the menopausal middle and how belly fat (aka visceral fat) can lead to various health issues. I’ve also covered the importance of core strength for overall mobility and wellbeing – including avoiding injury and falls.

So, this week, I asked our resident PJW Pilates Expert Jenavieve Adams to share a few movements with us to target our lower abdominal muscles.

These five exercises only take a few minutes to do, and they can make a huge difference in our core strength!

Read More

My 5 Secrets For Aging Well

/
My 5 Secrets For Aging Well

Come this November, I will have spent 68 years on this planet… I can hardly believe it! I feel lucky and proud to say that I feel better now than I did 30 years ago – and I want you to feel as good as I feel. That’s why, in the blog post below,

I am sharing a few of my secrets for aging healthfully. To do that, I’m providing in-depth answers to the questions I get asked all the time by my clients, friends, and members of the PJW Community.

So, let’s not waste any time… 

What are some of the daily habits that contribute to feeling better as you age?

Read More

5 Steps For Better Bone Health

/
5 Steps For Better Bone Health

Of all the possible health concerns that can arise as we age, I think loss of bone density is the most pressing. Bone density, also called bone mineral density (BMD), refers to the amount of minerals in a specific volume of bone.

In other words, it’s indicative of our bone strength – bones with higher mineral content are denser and stronger, while bones with less mineral content are more fragile and likely to break.

Bone density starts to decline when we turn 35, and in the first five years following menopause, women lose an average of 10 percent of bone density.

Read More

The Benefits of Walking Uphill and Downhill

/
The Benefits of Walking Uphill and Downhill

Today marks the start of the Pure Joy Wellness Fall Walking Challenge!! We’ll be walking 30 minutes every day for the next 30 days and I hope you'll join us!

Walking is one of my favorite activities because it’s low-impact and safe, making it accessible for everyone. You can walk almost anywhere, without needing to be especially athletic or coordinated, and there’s no special equipment required – just some supportive walking shoes.

As I’ve talked about on the blog before, walking briskly for 30 to 60 minutes, 3 to 5 days a week, offers a multitude of health benefits.

And if you’re already a seasoned walker, you can incorporate uphill and downhill walking into your routine to challenge your body in new ways.

Read More

5 Movements For Strengthening Your Feet with Jenavieve Adams

/
5 Movements For Strengthening Your Feet with Jenavieve Adams

I am SO excited to share this week’s blog post with you – featuring our resident Pilates expert and movement extraordinaire, Jenavieve Adams! I have been taking Pilates with Jenavieve for a long time and I can tell you there is no one better out there. She is a thoughtful and engaging teacher who has become a trusted and caring friend – and this week she’s giving us a tutorial on five of the best movements for strengthening your feet! 

But first, why does foot strength matter? 

Read More

How To Reinvent Your Mindset As You Age

/
How To Reinvent Your Mindset As You Age

I had a conversation with a client the other day and she expressed to me how hard aging has been for her. I asked her in what way and she said she felt less relevant and she no longer had a place in society. She said “I feel invisible” and “people used to look at me on the street, or pay attention when I talked. Now it feels like everyone ignores me, just because I’ve gotten older.”

Now, when I look at her, I see a highly successful, wonderful woman who women of any age would aspire to be like! I hear this sentiment from a lot of women. To help us all revamp our mindset towards aging, I brought in my new friend Jack Trama – host of the Mindset Reinvented Podcast.

Read More

Understanding Cholesterol: What's The Deal?

/
Understanding Cholesterol: What's The Deal?

There’s so much buzz (and misinformation) about cholesterol circulating right now – specifically about high cholesterol and how it can often sneak up on us without any apparent symptoms. While this can certainly be the case for some people, it’s not as black and white of a topic as the media can sometimes make it seem.

So, in the interest of keeping the PJW community happy and healthy, I wanted to explain cholesterol a bit and provide a primer for those who aren’t familiar with it. 

Read More

Does Your Health Routine Need A Reset?

/
Does Your Health Routine Need A Reset?

The season is a’changing and autumn will soon be here in New York City. Summer comes to an official end in less than a month, and in preparation for the change of season, I’m taking full inventory of my health, mindset, and routines. I’ve had a very enjoyable summer – I got to take a little time off to rest, and I made a lot of fun memories. However, I’d be lying if I said that I didn’t stray from my usual healthy path the past few months…have you?

Summer always ends up being my most indulgent season – probably because of how social it is – and now I’m ready to clock back in and do the work. 

Read More

Your Wellness Check: Annual Health Screenings For Women Over 50

/
Your Wellness Check: Annual Health Screenings For Women Over 50

If your goal is to prolong your life – and to live happily and healthily while you’re here – it’s going to take more than just healthy eating and exercise.

Don’t get me wrong, those are two major components, but another core piece of the puzzle is staying on top of your health from a medical perspective, including seeing doctors for regular check-ups. Right now, the only way we can truly investigate our symptoms and know if we’re living with a disease is by seeing a doctor and getting tested for it.

Once I hit 50, I made it a priority to get these regular health checks each year, to make sure if I did have anything going on, I could catch and treat it early.

So for this week’s blog post, I’m sharing a list of the most important health screenings and tests for women over 50.

Read More

Trips To Recharge, Featuring Travel Expert Roman Sacke

/
Trips To Recharge, Featuring Travel Expert Roman Sacke

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – finding time to unwind and recharge is an essential part of a healthy lifestyle. Whether it’s a weekend getaway or an extended vacation, spending time away from home can be a welcomed respite – a moment to relax, rejuvenate, and come back stronger.

In this week’s blog post, Roman Sacke, a seasoned luxury travel advisor, offers invaluable insights into the best places to relax and rejuvenate, drawn from his extensive travel experience!

Read More

10 Books For Your Summer Reading List

/
10 Books For Your Summer Reading List

Summer is here, it’s the season of reading! I like to have my nose in a book all year round, but there’s something about summer – maybe the slower pace of life, or the warm glow of the sun – that makes reading all the more appealing to me.

Whether I’m in Central Park or by the ocean, you can bet I’m bringing one of these books with me everywhere this summer. If you’re a reader, grab a pen and add these titles to your list!

Read More