My word for 2026 is alignment.

I love this definition of the word alignment from Merriam-Webster: to be in or come into precise adjustment or correct relative position

Correct.

I understand that collectively, the world has not been in a great place since 2020, and we all know why. Personally, I haven’t been having a great time at all: I lost myself in religion, I lost my mother unexpectedly, and I lost myself.

When I think about what my life has become, the word I’ve come up with is: mayonnaise.

Mayonnaise is bland, boring, dull, and unexciting.

If anyone thinks that I am hating on mayonnaise, I’m not, because it’s probably my favorite condiment, and I don’t like mixing it with any other condiments on sandwiches. To be clear, I am not a hater of the condiment mayonnaise.

I am a hater when my life becomes mayonnaise.

A mayonnaise life is out of alignment with who I am. I am not mayonnaise. I am chocolate with sparkles, a touch of spiciness, and a hint of leopard. It’s time to get back into alignment in all areas of my life.

Alive at 45

This year, I turn 45, and since the first four years of my forties absolutely SUCKED, I am declaring this the turning point. I am coming alive at 45.

Back in the day, my health and wellness goals would have included something about losing weight or some other cosmetic goal, but after watching my mother deteriorate so quickly before she passed away, and hearing about so many people dying what I consider to be premature deaths, I know that doing my best to stay healthy is the main priority.

So many chronic diseases are best mitigated with good nutrition, exercise, stress management, and healthy relationships. Most people don’t realize how important healthy relationships are to our health. Being isolated and terminally online is destroying mental health, which will lead to ramifications in physical health. When we are lonely, isolated, and in poor mental health, we will cope by eating too much, drinking alcohol excessively, taking drugs, or we become so hopeless that we may engage in self-harm.

People help me feel alive, which is why I am focused on reconnecting with my favorite people and looking forward to meeting new ones. I miss being around people who inspire me to elevate my thinking about what’s possible or who expose me to new ideas and new ways of thinking. I miss being around people who are FUN and know how to have a good time.

In addition to my word for the year being alignment, my theme for the year is, Be outside in the world. Over the past six years, my world constricted to the point where all I was left with was mayonnaise.

I am focused on changing my environment, not doing the same old things over and over, and not looking at the same people all the time.

Reconnecting with my body

I have listened to a podcast for ten years, mainly because I find the hosts humorous, and listening to their banter is like an anthropological study of the male species. I’ve never been interested in listening to their guest interviews because they tend to interview meathead guys who are not very attractive or engaging. One day last fall, I looked up as they were introducing their guest, and I said, “Oh, hey now!” After further research on YouTube of their very attractive and engaging Nigerian guest, I realized I’d been blaming perimenopause and hormones for my lack of attraction to men—but that wasn’t it.

This false self-diagnosis was further confirmed while watching Sex and the City, where Blair Underwood guest-starred as Dr. Robert Leeds.

I just haven’t been exposed to men I am attracted to in a long time.

The problem was not my hormonal level.

The problem is my life is like mayonnaise.

I’m going to say this as nicely as I can. I spent the last five years immersed in church.

Churches have a lot of women.

Churches don’t have very many men.

Churches have few attractive men

Churches have even fewer attractive, straight, non-passive men.

As one Christian YouTube couple says, women in church are stuck with a sad inventory of prospects. What ends up happening is that women begin to spiritualize dating to the point of minimizing attraction, compatibility, and disconnecting from their own bodies to convince themselves that it is God’s will for them to settle for a man because these choices are all that is available for them.

No bueno.

Feel Again

This year, I am reconnecting with my body again. Before I left that church, I remember journaling that I wanted my body to FEEL AGAIN. I had spent so much time trying to conform to who I thought I should be and going through the motions that I was numb. At church, being authentic was implicitly frowned upon; we were all supposed to put on a happy and jolly act all the time, and so, with that, you learn to start acting and stop feeling.

I’ve wondered if that was why church people struggle with overeating. When you overeat, you at least get the sensation of fullness.

This year, I set a goal of reconnecting with my body. I’m attending a workshop next month about stoking our inner fire. I have also developed an inner mantra which includes statements such as:

I am vibrant

I radiate vitality

Nutrition and Exercise are life

Chronic inflammation is the cause of many chronic illnesses, including cancer. I have a mild form of Crohn’s disease, so I have be careful because my gut can get inflamed and then I get into trouble. It was a sad day when I had to give up raw nuts. As long as I don’t have to give up my nut butters, then I’ll live.

As I get older, I know that I’ll have to be vigilant so that I do not develop Type 2 Diabetes and Hypertension. As of now, my numbers are all good, and I plan to keep it that way.

I gave up dieting years ago because diets eventually fail, and it was just another way to feel bad about myself and engage in self-loathing. Now my focus is on health and vitality. The main barrier to eating healthy for me is not being prepared with a plan for success.

For example, after the holidays, I didn’t go to the grocery store because we were still eating leftovers. I figured we had enough food to last until my next trip to the market, but when I went to warm up dinner, I realized we didn’t have any vegetables. I didn’t even have my stash of frozen broccoli that I use for emergencies. I felt so bad about our dinner’s lack of fiber that we had Asian Pears for dessert.

The next day, I went to the local produce market to buy Swiss chard.

If I had prepared my menu ahead of time, then I would have realized that I was out of vegetables. To prevent decision fatigue around menu planning, I keep a notepad on the side of the refrigerator with possible meal ideas. know what to shop for and keep on hand for meals, and I come home with a plan that makes it easier to get started instead of trying to figure out what to have for dinner.

I can even get the meal started the night before, and it makes life easier.

It’s all in the planning!

I’m also sticking to a routine of eating fish on Wednesdays, since there is a market across the street from where I work that sells fresh, local, sustainable fish. The fish is always so good, and it’s always a good idea to support neighborhood businesses!

Dry 6 Weeks

I love wine.

I love good wine.

However, I think it’s healthy to take a break from time to time, so I decided to be dry until Valentine’s Day.

Exercise

The squat rack was empty at the gym, and out of curiosity, I decided to see if I could still get under the bar and squat. I did a few warm-up sets, then put 25 lb plates on either side. I thought if I could just get to five reps, then I was doing well. I was able to get to ten. I was so pleased with myself that I did another set. I have a goal to get back to squatting 135 pounds like it is lightweight, baby. Now that I am older, I wear a weight belt to support my lower back and to remind me to keep my abs activated and to focus on loading my glutes.

My goal is to keep lifting at least 3 days per week.

I am planning to run at least three races this year. I’ve already signed up for my first 5K of the year, and of course, I am still into my stretching.

I am radiating vitality!!

My sister and I went to a Golden State Warriors basketball game, and my favorite entertainment segment was the Hardwood Classics. They are the Warriors Older Adult Dance Team. The team is composed of women and men aged 55 or older. This is not some sad two-step dance team. They are high-energy and do a lot of booty shaking in sparkly outfits. These dancers go HARD, and they were killing it.

During their routine, my sister said, “This is you.”

She’s not wrong. Those are my people and my role models.

In my former mayonnaise era, the possibility of being on a dance team like the Hardwood Classics would not even have been on my radar. This constricted world that I confined myself to is slowly disappearing in favor of the big, beautiful, expansive world that aligns with who I am. I included a video about the team at the end of this post about a woman who had no prior dance experience but joined the team at 68 and is living her dream as a dancer.

I love the fact that she’s 68 and still has dreams. Her story is a great reminder that my 40s aren’t for buying into the nonsense narrative that I am cooked and it’s time to give up.

I am getting the party started for real in my 40s!!!

No More Mayonnaise Mindset

There has been a constant mantra and theme I have been hearing in my life over the past few months: “Change your environment.”

My environment has been the land of mayonnaise, and I’m leaving.

What does this have to do with health and wellness goals? I’m glad you asked.

Every single goal, whether health and wellness, financial, career, relationship, or performance, all start in the same place: The Mind.

Years ago, I completed a certification through the Mindset Performance Institute to become a better coach, and the phrase we heard over and over again was “Mindset Matters Most.”

My mindset can no longer be in the land of mayonnaise, where mediocre is good enough, being boxed in and limited to one rigid system is preferred, and passivity is preferred to taking on risks and challenges. I turn 45 this year, and I believe this year marks my chance to turn my ship around. It isn’t too late for a new crack at life, and to do this, I need to prioritize my health, which starts between my ears with personal growth and by eliminating the limits I’ve placed on myself over the last few years.

Here’s to a year of vitality and new life!

My Health and Wellness Goals for 2026

Prioritizing Healthy Relationships: Reconnecting with my favorite people and meeting new favorite people
Reconnecting with my body: Allowing myself to feel again.
Living my inner mantra: I am vibrant, and I radiate vitality
Continue to menu plan and prepare meals to avoid coming home and not knowing what to do.
Fresh Fish on Wednesdays
Squat 135 easy for 10 reps
Lift at least 3 days per week
Complete at least three races this year
No more Mayonnaise: chocolate, sparkles, a hint of spiciness, and a touch of leopard.