Dear Diary, I've been noticing a pattern lately with these blogs. Hormones seem to be the word of the day. Or the year. Perimenopause. Weight gain. Night sweats. Mood swings. Interrupted sleep. The whole glam pack. But based on some of the messages I've received, it turns out it's not just women who are resonating with these words. Some of you male readers have reached out too, and I love that because at the end of the day, this isn't really about hormones. It's about being

Dear Diary, Last time I wrote, I talked about hormones, perimenopause, interrupted sleep, night sweats, body changes, weight gain and my goal to lose 25 pounds in 10 weeks. Since then, I’ve learned that I’m not alone in this journey. Cheers to each and every one of you who reached out, who resonated and who shared your stories. I love love love hearing them. I see you! I hear you! I love you! Ok, back to me lol … I’ve written down my goals, visualized myself feeling s

Dear Diary, The last time I wrote, I was packing up my condo life, stepping into my married Jeep Wrangler era, and emotionally trying to detach from tenants from hell. Well … This week, I stepped on the scale at the doctor’s office and almost spiritually left my body. 170 pounds. One. Seven. Zero. I literally froze. “Who’s weight is that?” Because last week I weighed 165. The two weeks before that, 160. And now suddenly I’m gaining weight faster than ducks are appear

Dear Diary, The last time I left you, I was packing up boxes from my condo Toronto life … and then I took a couple of weeks off from writing. It's not you, it's me. Just life. Thank you for always being patient with me. For my readers; when I say Dear Diary, it’s always felt like coming home. “Diary” to me isn’t just a pen and paper (or laptop). It's a friend. The universe. Something that’s always by my side. I truly believe that. Even when I feel lost at times, I know de

Dear Diary, After writing last week’s blog about the condo situation (aka my tenants from hell), a lot of you reached out saying, “wow, I had no idea Debb.” And the truth is …I’m actually pretty good at hiding stress. Especially at the studio. You're getting positive Deb, grounded Deb, “we’re fine, everything’s fine” Deb. And that’s not fake. It’s just not the full picture because the studio isn’t the place for me to unload my life. This is. This is where I say the thi

Dear Diary, I don’t really know where to start, so here goes! It’s Friday. Good Friday, apparently. Was it good? … debatable. Let me rewind to 2009. Big year. I was in my late 20s. Single, independent, and somehow; when I think about it now; kind of badass. Jus sayin’ … I bought a condo in Toronto. On my own. That condo wasn’t just property. It was my life. Single-girl era. Figuring-it-out era. Wine-on-the-couch, dream-big, cry-a-little, grow-a-lot era. That same ye

Dear Diary, I’m officially back in Canada. My car said -8°C this morning. The radio said “feels like -15.” Feels like … book me a flight back to Mexico . Jus sayin’. Not to be dramatic (but also very dramatic), has this been the longest winter ever? Because every conversation I’ve had lately says: YES. YES IT HAS. Winter Blues Are Real Vitamin D is a real thing. Seasonal depression? Also very real. On gloomy days, I feel it. I know you do too. Low energy. Low vibe.

Dear Diary, Last time I left you, I was about to get a coconut from a Tuk Tuk on the side of the road in Puerto Escondido, Mexico. Turns out, he wasn’t selling anything. It was just … his car. His way of getting around. So no coconut. No mangoes. Just me, standing there, confused yet humbled, and still coconut-less. Back in Canada As I’m writing this, I’m back in Canada. Obviously, I love going away. Who doesn’t? But there’s something special about coming home. Sleep

Dear Diary I’m currently writing to you from Mexico. Yes, I heard about the “craziness” in the news. And yes, I also know the media loves to amplify things. I have friends who were recently in Puerto Vallarta and were totally safe. I’m in a place called Puerto Escondido, which literally means Hidden Port . The name fits perfectly. It’s quiet here. Right now I’m sitting in a palapa. Basically a rooftop patio covered with beautiful palm leaves. There’s a warm breeze, the su

Debrief with Debb: Things I Learned This Week (That No One Asked For) Quick warning . This post includes sweaty armpits, push-up honesty, a mini body-image meltdown during a photoshoot, and a facial that turned into life advice. You’re welcome. First things first. Thank you! After the Push-Up Challenge and Blog Challenge, some of you messaged (or told me in person) that you really enjoyed reading my thoughts and looked forward to more (which is super exciting and super

The Finale (Calm Down Deb, It Was 24 Days) Dear Diary, Well … here we are. The end of an era. A 24-day era. And honestly, I’m pretty proud of myself. Jus’ sayin’. Over the course of this challenge, I did 2,000 reps. Not all push-ups, but mostly. Some days when I felt blah, I swapped in sit-ups or squats. We adapt. We survive. And my triceps. Stronger. My mind. Stronger. My discipline muscle. Also stronger. Today’s Target is 150 and I hit it. And I did 11 push-up

One More To Go! Imperfect, Consistent, and 200 Push-Ups! Dear Diary, It’s Day 22 of the push-up challenge and it ends tomorrow. WHAT?! Crazy. Part of my personal challenge was to write and share every day (Sundays off because I’m human). I missed three days. Now let’s do math because that’s how my brain works. Challenge = 24 days. 3 Sundays off = 21 writing days. I wrote 18 of those 21 days. 18 ÷ 21 = 85.7% (Details Deb here). And honestly? I’m shocked. Not in an “I’

Day 18 & 19: Balance, Brains & The One Friend Rule Dear Diary, Yes I know, I didn’t write yesterday. Not because I didn’t care. Simply because I had Monday brain. You know the kind… “Manic Monday. 6 o’clock already I was just in the middle of a dream.” Too many thoughts, not many useful ones. Also, yesterday’s stat was about social media, and honestly, I already wrote about that in a previous blog post. But yes, it is relevant, so here it is. “53 push-ups = 53% of you

Day 16 (and 17 because life happens): Push-Ups, Friendships & The Power of Showing Up Dear Diary, Confession time. I didn’t write yesterday. Not because I forgot. Not because I quit. Simply because I had one of those days. Teaching, gym, practicing yoga, meetings, admin, life … and I decided I wasn’t going to write just to check a box. Yes, part of my challenge is writing a

70 Push-Ups & The Power of the Story (My story) Dear Diary, Today’s push-up goal is 70, representing the 70% of people with mental health conditions who believe the media contributes to stigma and discrimination. That means most people living with mental health challenges feel that the way these topics are talked about in the world makes things harder, not easier. And honestly … when you think about it, that makes sense. The media is powerful. It shapes what we believe, wha

1,052 Push-Ups Done + The Sleep Effect Dear Diary, Woop woop! We are officially over 1,000 push-ups in this challenge. 1,052 to date, and today was the day I finally caught up on all my missing ones. And honestly, I think the reason is simple. I finally had a good night’s sleep. Last night I was lights out at 10:30pm, alarm at 5:45am, so just over 7 hours of straight sleep. No coughing fits. No waking up to blow my nose. Didn’t even get up to pee. Miracle right the

64 Push-Ups + The Social Media Reality Check Dear Diary, It’s Day 13 of the push-up for mental health challenge. Today’s push-up target is 64, representing the 64% of people worldwide who use social media. According to the Canadian Mental Health Association, “Social media can be a powerful tool for connection, creativity and support. It allows people to share experiences, express themselves, and access valuable resources across the globe. While social media can have benefi

The Gratitude Reset: A Small Practice That Changes Everything Yesterday was Day 11. Rest day. Today is officially Day 12 of the challenge. Full transparency: I’m behind. This congestion situation is kicking my ass. During the day I’m fine-ish , but mornings and nights. Stuffed. Raspy voice. Sounding like Marge Simpson. Hubby Rui says it’s sexy. I’m choosing to believe him. At least stuff is coming out of me. Progress. Yesterday was full on Sofa Sunday mode. We basically

120 Minutes to Feel Human Again Dear Diary, Today’s push-up goal is 120, representing the research showing that spending 120 minutes in nature each week is linked to better health and wellbeing. Two hours. That’s it. Science confirming what most of us already feel in our bones. That being outside equals better mood, better brain, better human. Canadian Mental Health Association says, “Being surrounded by greenery calms the nervous system, lowers stress, and lifts mood.

From Crazy Train to Stepping Off the Train Dear Diary Today’s push-up goal is 89, representing the 89% of girls and young women who report feeling worried or anxious. Eighty. Nine. Percent. That stat sounds crazy. But honestly? It also makes me (and probably you) feel less crazy. We’re not alone. How could we not feel anxious? Young girls are being targeted constantly. Makeup. The right makeup. The “clean” makeup. Skincare routines. Eyelash extensions. My 9-year-