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Bloggers Share How They Rediscovered Their Best Selves

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BlogHer '12

The BlogHer Annual Conference is heading back to New York City on August 2-4, 2012! Join thousands of other bloggers, writing on every topic under the sun, for 3 days of learning, networking, and fun. Register today!

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Pfizer's Return To You Program

There comes a time in a woman's life – often triggered by changing health and emotional needs – when  she stops to reflect on who she is…and who she could be.  For many of us, that time is now.  Women play a million different roles – mother, daughter, friend, coworker, chef, advisor, chauffer – and in the end, that leaves very little time for us. But when we take time to focus on our health and well-being , we can be better at everything else we need to be. Return to You is a rallying cry for women everywhere, encouraging us to stop what we’re doing, breathe, and start to discover who we want to be now and in the future, and how to get there. 

Pfizer is supporting this effort to help women live better, healthier lives by partnering with 15 bloggers and asking them to share their Return To You stories, the stories of the moment they realized they needed to make some changes in order to get back to being their best selves. Click on the links below if you want to laugh a little, cry a little, and most importantly be inspired to lead a better life!

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Back to You: If Momma Ain't Happy, Nobody's Happy

12/13/11 3:01pm by Kim
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Yoga mom (Shutterstock)

With 24 hours in a day and more to do than possible, it's easy to understand how it happens. We start our days running and we end them exhausted. And in the process we can feel like we are losing ourselves. Seeing myself in those photos at my heaviest weight reminded me of the passion that was lit inside me to commit to taking care of myself.  Read more

Overeating and the Pressures of Motherhood

11/30/11 4:03pm by Carmen
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"Fresh vegetables" via Shutterstock.

Carmen wanted to be the best mom possible and had set for herself some very high standards in order to achieve it. Having kids back to back was not easy, however, and soon, she was relieving her stress by reaching for the Ben & Jerry's. This is the story of how she made a choice to live healthy.  Read more

Seriously, what the heck is going on with my body?

11/30/11 3:06pm by Shauna
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Now I bake and attend soccer games and fight the lines at Target. I’m so un-party-like now that my teenage daughters think I’m lying when I tell stories from my college days. Whatever, I was TOO cool!  Read more

The worst thing we can do is to work ourselves into a tunnel of isolation

11/30/11 2:55pm by Susan
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More than ever, we need the support of peers, mentors, and other adults to help us keep perspective. But it's the path of least resistance to keep our noses to the grindstone and to believe the only way out of this tunnel of endless chores and demands is to work harder, straight through the end until we drop.  Read more

I vowed to take responsibility for my life.

11/30/11 2:50pm by Debbie
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But today I am thankful for Francis. She’s the little girl in my class who handed me a magic eraser today. “Here, Mrs. Patrick, use THIS eraser! It erases lines!! I used it on my forehead and look! No more lines!! You should use it-cause if you got rid of those lines, you would look JUST like a little kid!”  Read more

Always be your own advocate.

11/30/11 1:46pm by DeeDee
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As I look at the calendar, I am about to celebrate the day of my diagnosis. Yes, I say celebrate because of all this disease has done to enrich my life. I've had the privilege of being the mouthpiece of a disease that doesn't get talked about a lot. And because of that I know of several people that have sought testing for Lyme, were diagnosed, and are currently being treated.  Read more

My kids have flown the nest; but instead of crying, I feel like I'm flying with them.

11/30/11 1:36pm by Barbara
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I made my own health a priority, scheduling time every day for a workout. I began running again for the first time in years. Part of my motivation was ego, I admit, but I knew others still depended on me; I needed to be in the best shape possible so I could take care of them.  Read more

I readily accept challenges and opportunities I’d let slip by in the past.

11/30/11 1:29pm by Lisa
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Yet despite the stress associated with making ends meet, I feel less stressed than ever before. Sure, there's still that whole perimenopause thing going on, but by returning to being me, I feel younger, more vibrant, more vital, more healthy. I readily accept challenges and opportunities I’d let slip by in the past. I eat better, and I exercise more.  Read more

Take time for yourself.

11/30/11 1:08pm by Heather
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I know I can change my habits because I have watched my mom, who turns 72 next month, slim down with a heart-healthy diet. As she said to me recently, “I’m going to live to be a hundred and get on the Smucker’s jar with Willard Scott!”  Read more

Let’s all reach out!

11/30/11 1:01pm by Debra
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My husband will never forget the time I asked him to stop teasing the dog. The barking and growling were getting on my nerves, and I knew the dog would try to bite him.  When he didn’t stop, I exploded in a fit of anger, stomping and screaming my way upstairs.  I slammed the bedroom door shut and flung myself on the bed sobbing, all because he wouldn’t stop teasing the dog!  Read more