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carol@inkwellcoaching.com

Crown Point, IN

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October 2, 2025

A Star Ingredient for Flavorful Meals

In last week’s blog, I wrote about a variety of spices that add warmth to fall dishes. I had a question from a reader about how to use star anise. S

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Food, Health
September 25, 2025

Fall Spices That Warm the Season

As the air turns crisp and leaves begin to scatter the sidewalks, many of us automatically think of pumpkin spice. It seems to be in everything from l

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Food, Health
September 18, 2025

When Healthy Habits Don’t Add Up

You exercise regularly. Your plate is full of colorful fruits and vegetables. You’ve swapped fried foods for lean protein, cut back on sugar, and ev

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Health, Hope
September 11, 2025

How to Eat Healthier at Any Restaurant

Eating out doesn’t have to derail your health goals. Whether you’re grabbing a bite at your favorite local diner or trying a new international bis

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Food, Health, Hope
September 4, 2025

Mr. Corn Visits Indiana

It’s that time of year again when my dear cousin, Roger, visits from Florida. He visits now because the sweet corn is amazing here in Indiana. For y

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Blog
August 28, 2025

7 Late Summer Wellness Tips

The nights and days are cooler. Darkness comes earlier. The sky looks like fall. I even saw some leaves in Michigan that had turned brilliant red. How

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Blog
August 21, 2025

What to Do with All That Zucchini

Yesterday, my friend Lisa presented me with a zucchini that looked as though it had taken growth hormones. It was gigantic! She told me that she grate

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Food, Fun, Health
August 14, 2025

Echoes of Summer

Can you feel the shift? The days are steamy–yet the calendar is getting a bit crowded with commitments that pair better with the cooler days of

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Food, Fun, Health
August 7, 2025

August Anxiety. Sunscreen vs. School Bells

This time of year, I feel a mixture of emotions. On the one hand, summer is in full swing. The flowers are thriving, temperatures still soar, and ther

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Family, Health, Personal Development
July 30, 2025

Recharging After Your Vacation

Have you ever returned home from a vacation and thought to yourself, “Gee, I could use a vacation.”? I know I have. It seems wrong. We have such a

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Food, Health

Did You Know?

September 15, 2022
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Food, Fun, Health

DID YOU KNOW that September is Classical Music Month?

If classical isn’t your thing, keep in mind that if not for Bach, Mozart, and Beethoven, we’d not enjoy the music of Paul McCartney, Elvis, Elton John, and Hans Zimmer.

I typically listen to classical music when I write, since songs with words are a distraction.

Classical for Studying is one of my favorites. You may like to give it a try next time you have to focus on a project, and you can’t be tempted to sing along. 

At least this month anyway.

You may also discover that it helps reduce your stress level. It’s calming. Could be helpful for Self-Improvement Month—also in September. (See last week’s blog if you missed it.)

A piece that you may recognize is “Eine Kleine Nachtmusik” by W.A Mozart. Also known as “A Little Night Music” and “Serenade No. 13.”

A September activity: Play classical music in the background during dinner one evening. You might even like it. Choose Classical for Relaxation to help slow down your eating.

Speaking of Eating

DID YOU KNOW that sometimes migraines, headaches, anxiety, hives, rashes, acne, depression, digestive disturbances, brain fog, and much more can be caused be a food sensitivity?

The trick is determining WHAT food group could be guilty of causing trouble.

Of course, serious illness should be ruled out by a doctor. However, if there seems to be no organic cause, consider what you’re eating.

Common foods that people are sensitive to include cow’s milk, gluten, eggs, yeast, MSG, food colorings, preservatives, corn, soy, caffeine, alcohol, and fermented foods. 

And this list isn’t complete.

Add stress, lack of sleep, hormonal changes, environmental allergens such as fragrance and chemicals, and it’s tough to know where to begin.

If this is you or someone you love, I’d like to help. It may be simpler than you think.

We’ll begin the process of figuring out the puzzle together.

Sending you some classical love,
Health Coach Carol

“Where words fail, music speaks.”– Hans Christian Andersen

September Fun and a Harvest Moon

September 8, 2022
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Food, Fun, Health, Personal Development

Contrary to several emails and notices I’ve received regarding the end of summer (NOT), the start of fall does not officially happen until 9:04 P.M. EDT on Thursday, September 22, 2022.

That is the date of the Autumnal Equinox and there are approximately equal hours of daylight and darkness.

Until then, and beyond, you have my permission to continue enjoying summer shenanigans. 

And you “pumpkin spice everything” people can just hold on a minute until later this month.

(Although I read that Starbucks is offering Pumpkin Spice Lattes as I write.)

September’s full moon, the Harvest Moon, reaches peak illumination on Saturday, September 10, at 5:58 A.M. EDT. The full Moon that happens nearest to the fall equinox (September 22 or 23) always takes on the name “Harvest Moon.”

Unlike other full Moons, this full Moon rises at nearly the same time—around sunset—for several evenings in a row, giving farmers several extra evenings of moonlight and allowing them to finish their harvests before the frosts of fall arrive.

It’s Apple Time in Indiana

September begins apple harvesting season in Indiana. This gives the pumpkin lovers something else to focus on until October.

Of course, we can usually find apples year-round as they are shipped here from other states. Apples are one of the fruits that can be high in pesticides, so organic are best whenever possible.

My favorite is Honeycrisp, grown in Michigan, Minnesota, New England, Wisconsin, California, and Washington State. These apples are known for their “sweet and subtly tart, tangy flavor with subtle fruity nuances.” They are good for baking as well as eating.

Apples are best stored in the refrigerator, in your fruit drawer if you have one.

More tasty apples for eating raw: Braeburn, Macoun, Cortland, Fuji, Granny Smith, Jonagold, and any others that you find appealing.

Those good for baking are Granny Smith, Braeburn, Cortland, Jonagold, Pink Lady. They hold their shape and don’t turn to mush.

Toss apples into your Greek yogurt, salads, oatmeal, muffins. Slather them with nut butter or serve with your favorite cheeses.

September is Self-Improvement Month

We all have some area of our life that could use a bit of improvement—or lots of improvement.

This is a good time to reflect on something you’d like to do more of or be better at. Rather than waiting until January, you can begin today.

Perhaps you’d like to read more books, take music lessons, increase your exercise, volunteer, focus on gratitude, spend less at Starbucks, get more sleep, cut back on social media, clean out your fridge, donate clothes you don’t wear, drink less alcohol, plan your next vacation and start saving for it, have lunch with friends, eat less fast food.

If figuring out how to eat, move, and live healthier is on your list, let’s talk. I’d love to help you envision what’s possible so that you’re well ahead of the game come January 2023.

Wishing you a sensational September,
Health Coach Carol

“And suddenly, you just know it’s time to start something new and trust the magic of beginnings.” — Meister Eckhart

Acai What?

September 1, 2022
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Food, Health

Acai. Pronounced ah-sigh-ee, this berry comes from palm trees located along the riverbanks of the Brazilian Amazon Rainforest.

If you figured that acai berries are healthy, since I’m writing about them, you are correct.

They’re bluish-purple, similar in size and shape to large blueberries, yet they contain more antioxidants than other berries.

Fruits and vegetables high in antioxidants have the potential to prevent heart disease, diabetes, and various conditions related to the aging process.

I’ve seen acai berries in the candy aisle coated with dark chocolate, and I may have even tried a few at one time. As I recall, they were pretty tasty…

I digress.

Acai berries contain healthy omega fats—like we find in fish oil, avocados, and olive oil.

They have a slightly bitter taste, similar to blackberries. 

I found Sambazon Acai Superfruit Packs in the frozen food section that are perfect for making smoothies. They come 4 packets to a package. Each packet contains 10 grams of protein.

Yesterday’s smoothie contained one frozen acai packet, oat milk, one-half of a frozen banana, a handful of cilantro, another scoop each of protein and collagen powder, about a teaspoonful of monk fruit, and a couple ice cubes.

It tasted like a very berry shake, with a hint of cilantro. Kind of weird with the cilantro, but I really am trying to like it.

If you missed the cilantro blog post, explaining why it is so good for us, here’s the link: https://inkwellcoaching.com/2022/08/11/an-herb-that-helps-reduce-anxiety-induce-sleep-and-more/

When you’re feeling adventurous, give the acai superfruit packs a whirl. If you like berries, you’ll enjoy including them in your breakfast/snack rotations.

I Need Your Help!

Each year from pre-Thanksgiving to Christmas, there are Holiday guide inserts in our local newspaper.

These guides have a variety of topics written by a number of contributing editors, including yours truly. I, obviously, write articles relating to food, health and how to not gain 10 or 20 pounds in this time frame.

I have one article a week for 6 weeks. Since this is my 5th year of writing them, I’ve covered many typical holiday food issues, such as how to eat smart and not gain weight, how to handle food sensitivities when serving guests, what to do with all those Christmas cookies that are screaming at you to eat them, etc.

What would YOU like to know if you were reading these holiday guides? 

If you have a topic that you think may be of interest, PLEASE email me your idea. I may have already written about it, however there may be another angle I could address, or it may spark a new thought that I could expand upon.

 Thanks in advance for your help! I appreciate all of you who take the time to read my blogs, whether it’s weekly, or once in a blue moon, when you have a couple extra minutes.

Oh, and thanks for sharing them with the people you love. Most of my clients come by way of referrals.

With gratitude, love, and a little acai,
Health Coach Carol

 “September days have the warmth of summer in their briefer hours, but in their lengthening evenings a prophetic breath of autumn.”― Rowland E. Robinson

The Art of Doing Nothing

August 25, 2022
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Family, Health

A friend of mine recently mentioned that she wastes lots of time.

While wasting time is a real thing, there is also the art of doing nothing.

There’s a BIG difference.

It’s all in the perspective, intention, and result.

This week, I practiced the art of doing nothing for part of a day. I found it to be refreshing, restorative, and very necessary.

I sat with toes dangling in a cool lake looking at lots of water and blue sky. I did absolutely nothing, while my “To Do” list for the week sat idle.

Nothing was happening or getting checked off.     

This concept may send some of you into a frenzy. The more frenzied you become, the more you would probably benefit.

Doing nothing and enjoying it gave me the fuel to tackle the “To Do’s” with better focus and drive.

We all have challenges that tend to be energy zapping. Stuff happens and our response is, “Really?”

Big hairy stuff, little annoying stuff, and everything in between.

Choosing to enjoy doing nothing may bring a bit of peace and calm into your world. It can be meditative in nature, or not.

Wasting time happens when you spend an hour or more thinking about what you “should” be doing and finding yourself in a frenzy because you didn’t do the thing and didn’t enjoy the time you spent thinking about it.

Perhaps that is the art of procrastination, which I am also very good at some days.

This week may be a good one to spend a little time intentionally doing nothing. Five minutes or a day. You get to choose. If you’ve recently sent children and young adults off to school, you may need a day.

Doing nothing can happen anywhere. And it’s free unless you play hooky from work and lose on your paycheck.

 Watch a movie, sit on your porch, dangle your toes in a lake. Do nothing.

A Special Note to Empty Nesters

If you and your partner find yourself in this category and need help figuring out a plan to get in better shape, better health, and enjoy a life that no longer revolves around sporting events, graduation parties, and lots of other hoopla, let’s talk.

It can feel weird when everyone leaves home and there’s no other chatter around the dinner table.

It’s a big adjustment.

Now is YOUR time.

Working with couples is one of my specialties. Together, we get stuff done and have fun in the process.

Keep in mind, I live with Mr. Non-Compliant. I get it if one of you is all in and the other is, well, a bit on the non-compliant side.

I’m here if you need me.

Wishing you a fabulous week as you practice the art of doing nothing.

Much love,
Health Coach Carol

“The hardest thing is to do nothing and do it well.”―Marty Rubin 

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