I just came back from a bucket list trip to Southern France, celebrating “SIXTY” with college friends for a week, and then “THIRTY-FIVE” years of marriage with my husband Mark.

Both momentous occasions, and so worthy of celebration. So grateful for my friends who got the ball rolling, which enabled me to step right into one of the best trips of my life.

Turning “60” … “50” … “40” or sometimes even “30” can come with some trepidation.

I think I’ve always felt that trepidation with every new decade.

When I look back at the past decades, each was defined by many different wonderful things, as well as challenges … all kind of unique to that state of age … but what was promising was the realization that life was continuing to deliver the goods.

When we think about getting older, many of us think of life as a bell curve. We are walking up to a precipice, and at some point, probably in mid-life, we reach the peak, and start walking down the other side.

This lentil salad, obviously has as its shining ingredient - lentils.

Lentils pack in 18 grams of protein per cup. I'm always looking for ways to add more protein to my diet, since the amount we eat is so critical for muscle synthesis. They are also a great source of soluble fiber which helps decrease LDL and total cholesterol.

Lentils also provide iron, although plant sources of iron are harder for us to absorb. This is where lemon enters the picture. The Vitamin C in lemon helps us absorb iron in plant foods.

On a recent day of pouring rain, my extended family both mourned and celebrated a life well lived.

A cousin-in-law of mine, a Brit by birth, who adopted New England as his home in adulthood, was the type of person who lived large and always seized the day, had an insatiable curiosity, and could easily drop a Shakespeare quote into an otherwise mundane conversation.

He was definitely one of those people who didn’t waste a minute of life.

So as a throng of people celebrated and toasted his remarkable life, one mentioned a quote that was his favorite.

We’re headed into the heart of summer, and with that comes an abundance of fresh produce. The peak of freshness equates to the most remarkable tastes. And there is nothing better than local.

But sometimes we can get a little stuck figuring out what to do with it all…

Most of us have experienced a glimmer of worry as it relates to ensuring we stay mentally sharp as we age. And, most of us have known older family members who have struggled with various forms of dementia.

Some tend to think that dementia is just par for the course when it comes to aging.

And yes, some of our outcomes in life are definitely tied to genetics … but the good news is, like so many things related to our health, A LOT is in our control.

If we do the right things … can we maintain our mental stability, alertness, and acuity as we age?

Well, I'm not sure even the top neuroscientists can absolutely and definitively answer this question. But there is an abundance of documented evidence that shows that there are things that we can do to hold off and/or prevent forms of dementia in our older years.

So yes, being mindful of good habits that support brain health is the best way to get started.

And one of the best strategies to think through is, SURPRISE - what we eat, and thereby how we nourish our brain.

I recently I had this wonderful little conversation with a couple of friends over a cup of cappuccino.

As we were sitting there catching up, my friend asked, what is your “word” for the year?   

Ironically, I had been thinking about “my word.”  

If this is unfamiliar territory, sometimes thinking of one word which represents you and your aspirations for the year can be useful.  It’s a word that can be grounding and purposeful, and keep you on track - in spaces that you've identified as important.

The word I chose for this year is INSPIRE.  

Let's reverse engineer this a bit. Rather than give you a list of questions to ponder to help you set your goals, I thought I’d provide some guideposts to help ensure your success in what you set out to achieve.

But I will tee up a starter exercise to get you thinking about what’s important … since things just don’t happen without some careful thought and intention.

He attributed his success to lifestyle medicine. Although those words didn’t exactly come out of his mouth.

What he did say was most pivotal to his success was thinking about the way he ate.

Staying away from things he knew were not good. Adding in a lot more of what he knew was nourishing for his body.

For him, that was the most important.

But routine exercise played a role too. And getting enough sleep … and making sure he was tuned in to how he was feeling … and when he felt stressed, he had strategies to address it.

I love the way celebrity chef Seamus Mullen looks at the notion of health.

As a person struggling with Rheumatoid Arthritis who almost died in his thirties, he had to push away the perception that he was doomed by this disease.

He knew he could manage his illness better than what he was doing.

The starting point for him, in his words, was this:

“The first step to becoming a healthy person is believing you can be healthy.”

When breathing through our nose, our lungs are able to extract 20% more oxygen than if we breathed through our mouth. This can make a profound difference in our life, our health - and is a clear marker for longevity.

Mouth breathing, on the other hand, is tied to chronic ailments - like asthma, allergies, and anxiety. It increases inflammation in the body. It makes us more susceptible to periodontal disease and sleep apnea.

Fall welcomes in the brisker weather … and there is no better time to put a warming soup on the stove. Try this bright, flavorful and most delicious curry vegetable soup. It promises to be the highlight of your day!

A recent interview with The Band of Sisters, a group of former PepsiCo executives and authors of the new book, You Should Smile More, brought into focus the power of reflection. When you give yourself time to think about the advice that you would give to your younger self, you may be surprised by the wisdom that is revealed … and the power that advice still has to illuminate your future.

This week’s Food for Thought focuses on ensuring that this first meal provides a foundational level of protein, vitamins and nutrients that will set us up for a day of energy and focus, with stable blood sugar working in our favor, and stopping cravings in their tracks. Hopefully this meal can hold us steady a good 4-5 hours without thinking about food.

Bottomline, the healthier our muscle mass, the greater our likelihood of survivability across all disease states. Body armor is the key to longevity, according to Dr. Lyon.

When we strength train, our goal is to increase and grow the muscle cells, and maybe repair some cells as well. This process is called hypertrophy.

And what do we need to do to ensure our muscles are activated for that growth? We have to get enough protein.

Before you dismiss a particular goal as “too big,” or unachievable, think about:

How important is this goal to me and why?

What would it feel like to accomplish this goal?

If those answers are enough to get you curious and open-minded about the goal in front of you, take the next step…and start figuring out what the doing is going to look like.

Tackling that huge hurdle, like all the big goals in life, is figuring out how to break it down.

One step at a time, one day at a time.

Exercise. You may love it or hate it. It may seem elusive or addictive. The need to do it may be haunting you, as finding the time never happens.

Regardless of where you fall on the spectrum, it’s worth thinking about carefully, especially if finding the time to exercise or move doesn't happen regularly.

The beauty of our “arrival” at the next station, no matter good (I just got a promotion!) or bad (I just lost my job), is that it creates a pivot point - an opportunity to assess, reflect, and maybe change direction as we move forward.

Leaving the station, we can lay down a new path, or maybe walk a little further down the same road, but keep a lookout for things that we may not have noticed in the past … perhaps because we were just so dang busy and overwhelmed.

We maximize the variety of nutrients we get from our food when we maximize the number of different things we eat. Seeking out all sorts of colors of vegetables, fruit, nuts and seeds is the name of the game.

Who knew that a simple walk first thing in the morning could deliver so many benefits?

It's kind of like habit-stacking on steroids.