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August 29, 2026

Lili Kazemi

How to ghost sugar overload this Halloween (updated)

It’s Halloween already, and we are officially sanctioned to go back to trick-or-treating and Halloween parties. The drugstores and grocery stores are teeming with bags of fun-size candy bars and candy corn pumpkins. Offices and schools have candy bowls and homemade cookies EVERYWHERE. You may be going to one or a few Halloween parties this weekend. This is NOT the time to white knuckle. There is a better answer.

Three things I swear by #14

Three Things I Swear By – September Edition Welcome to the DAOFitLife wellness series that delivers one diet hack, one fitness trick, and one life upgrade you can actually stick with. These tips are served Dr. Seuss-style — because why not have fun while building better habits? Three Things I Swear By This Week: Craving Control, Closet Purge, Calm Focus 🍽️ Thing 1: Apple Cider Vinegar Supplements Every Day Why I’m Obsessed:They’re the perfect bridge between health and habit. A couple of ACV gummies can help curb appetite, boost metabolism, balance blood sugar, and even reduce bloating. Bonus: they taste…

Lady doing yoga pose on Beach

The DAO – Decision. Action. Outlook.

The “DAO” of being a “fit professioanl is a three-part framework that gives professional women a customizable plan of action for fitness success while balancing their career and relationships. Do you want to get fit, but don’t have time to figure it out? My personal blog, DAOFitlife, and the upcoming book, is here for busy professionals who don’t have time to figure it out. I give you my insights on making fitness – physical AND spirtal – a sustainable part of your life. If you are like me, you DON’T HAVE TIME to waste on spending hours in the gym…

Woman hiking with dog

Weekend Logoff: Simple Rituals That Ripple Into Monday

It’s Friday – yay! Weekends aren’t just for collapsing. They’re a chance to plant small rituals that ripple forward into the week ahead. This edition of Weekend Vibes gives you three resets — one for your meals, one for your body, and one for your senses — that make Monday feel more like momentum than a restart. 💧 Hydration Reset Most of us think we’re hydrated, but coffee, wine, and flavored lattes don’t count. Aim for 90% of your liquid intake to come from still or sparkling water. Add citrus or cucumber slices if you want to make it feel…

Three things I swear by #13

Three Things I Swear By – September Edition Welcome to the DAOFitLife wellness series that delivers one diet hack, one fitness trick, and one life upgrade you can actually stick with. These tips are served Dr. Seuss-style — because why not have fun while building better habits? Three Things I Swear By This Week: Balance, Structure, Systems 🍽️ Thing 1: The 80/20 Rule Why I’m Obsessed:Balance is the true diet hack. You don’t need to ban carbs or swear off dessert. The 80/20 rule keeps eating sustainable: 80% whole, nourishing foods, 20% whatever brings you joy. The Flow: Pro Tip:Save…

Woman hiking with dog

🌱 Weekend Vibes: Simple Rituals That Ripple Into Monday

Weekends aren’t just for collapsing. They’re a chance to plant small rituals that ripple forward into the week ahead. This edition of Weekend Vibes gives you three resets — one for your meals, one for your body, and one for your senses — that make Monday feel more like momentum than a restart. 🥗 One-Pan Prep Why I’m obsessed:Cooking once and eating multiple times is the ultimate busy-professional hack. A single sheet pan transforms into lunches, dinners, and snacks that save time and money. How to do it / The flow: Pro Tip:Getting frozen chicken and veggies is totally ok….

Woman using AI on smartphone for gym workout.

The DAO AI Customizable Workout With Prompts and Context

Most workout plans online are either too long, too complicated, or don’t account for real life. What busy professionals need is something structured, efficient, and flexible enough to include walking, Pilates, or yoga without burning out. That’s why I designed the DAOFitLife AI Split. It’s built on the classic muscle split (chest/triceps, back/biceps, shoulders, quads/hamstrings, glutes/core). But here’s the twist: you can run it two different ways — as circuits (more dynamic, variety, finishers) or as supersets (straightforward pairs, no jumping). Each workout takes 30–45 minutes, fits into a busy schedule, and layers in 1 hour of walking per day…

Three things I swear by #12

Three Things I Swear By – September Edition Welcome to the DAOFitLife wellness series that delivers one diet hack, one fitness trick, and one life upgrade you can actually stick with. These tips are served Dr. Seuss-style — because why not have fun while building better habits? Three Things I Swear By This Week: Pumpkin Hacks, ChatGPT Workouts (Designed by Me), and Bags that Actually Carry Everything September is when pumpkin spice takes over the world. But you don’t have to give into every sugary marketing trap to enjoy the season. Here are three things I swear by this week…

Why AI Projects (and Diets) Really Fail: The 95% Fallacy

“95% of AI pilots fail.”“95% of diets fail.” Lately, the tech world has been gripped by panic, sparked by a report from MIT that claimed a staggering 95% of AI projects fail to make it past the pilot phase. The headlines that followed reflected fears that we were on the verge of another dot-com bust, spooking investors and causing a decline in tech stocks in part out of alarm over a possible “AI Bubble”. It’s a classic case of Chicken Little, but the sky isn’t falling for the reasons everyone thinks. The truth is, that number is as misleading as…

"A woman standing in front of a mirror that reflects not just her physical self but also glowing words, goals, and memories, symbolizing how AI captures personal growth and identity."

📚 AI as a Mirror — When ChatGPT Saves Your Memories, Who Are You Becoming?

There’s a hidden switch inside ChatGPT that changes everything about the way you interact with it. It’s called Memory. As the name suggests, Memory allows ChatGPT to remember things you tell it — your preferences, your goals, your quirks. Instead of starting from scratch in every conversation, you can build a thread of continuity, almost like you would with a coach, a mentor, or a close friend. The ChatGPT memory used to be so-so. It was like, didn’t I JUST say that? But earlier this year, OpenAI introduced a more advanced memory system, and it’s become much more powerful. If you’re using…

Woman walking into a gym at sunrise, carrying a water bottle and gym bag, with determination in her stride.

Stuck With a Gym You Don’t Use? Here’s Your Real Exit Strategy

Have you ever joined a gym on a high note—New Year’s motivation, summer goals, maybe a free trial—only to find yourself ghosting the facility and still paying the bill? That’s not just you. It’s systemic. ⚖️ The LA Fitness Lawsuit: Why It’s So Hard to Cancel Last week, the Federal Trade Commission sued LA Fitness and its parent companies for deliberately making cancellations nearly impossible. Highlights from the complaint: And this isn’t a one-off—this is the kind of fine-print trap the FTC calls a “dark pattern.” 🏋️‍♀️ My Take: Use the Trial, Honor the Commitment I’ve done a one-week trial…

Three things I swear by #9

Three Things I Swear By – August Edition Welcome to the DAOFitLife wellness series that delivers one diet hack, one fitness trick, and one life upgrade you can actually stick with. These tips are served Dr. Seuss-style — because why not have fun while building better habits? Intro: Why Small Habits Move the Needle The shift from summer to fall isn’t just a change in weather—it’s a shift in lifestyle. Schedules fill, movement patterns change, and our eating habits can go on autopilot. These transitions are prime opportunities to make subtle but powerful changes that improve energy balance and well-being….

Three things I swear by #8

Three Things I Swear By – August Edition Welcome to the DAOFitLife wellness series that delivers one diet hack, one fitness trick, and one life upgrade you can actually stick with. This month’s tips are served Dr. Seuss-style — because why not have fun while building better habits? 🥕 Thing One: Crudités & Watermelon Snacking Why I’m Obsessed: When the heat hits, cold crunch wins. A crudités plate with protein-packed dips + juicy watermelon slices gives you volume, hydration, and satisfaction without the bloat.The Flow: I prep grab-and-go crudités boxes on Sunday with hummus, tzatziki, and a new favorite: Greek…

🏐 The Labubu One-Click Workout

Part of this week’s “Three Things I Swear By” | DAOFitLife 💡 One-Click Fitness — No Excuses, Just Movement Inspired by Cloudflare’s dream of a “one-click internet,” this is my version of one-click wellness. No apps, no decisions, no scrolling. Just one tool — a Swiss ball — and one very expressive workout buddy: Labubu. 🐾 Meet Labubu: Your New Workout Mascot If you’ve noticed a spiky little creature popping up all over your feed lately, that’s Labubu — a weirdly cute collectible character from the POP MART universe. Labubu has become a viral sensation, especially on TikTok and YouTube,…

silhouette photography of person

The DAO guide to the Law of Attraction

“All you have to do is believe—even if you’re not convinced.” You may have come across the Law of Attraction in various ways—a meme, a LinkedIn post, a conversation. Maybe even while searching for clarity in a moment of doubt. But this isn’t just about “positive thinking” or manifesting your dream life overnight. It’s about focus—understanding that what you give energy to will grow.It’s about acting as if the life you want is already in motion.It’s about believing—even before you feel ready.And it’s about knowing when to stop staring in the rearview, so you don’t miss what’s ahead. Let me…

red liquid in clear drinking glass

How to Drink Less Without Feeling Like You’re Missing Out

Let’s talk about drinking—not the college kind or the corporate happy hour kind. The “it’s been a long day, I deserve this” kind. Maybe it’s a glass of wine while making dinner. A cocktail after a long travel day. A craft beer after a “successful” workout (yes, I’ve done that). These aren’t benders. They’re rituals—and that’s exactly why they’re so sticky. Inspired by Vox’s fantastic Even Better Guide to Drinking Less by Allie Volpe (highly recommend subscribing), I’ve been reflecting on how to change the habit without losing the reward. Here’s what I learned—and what’s actually been working. 🔥 Real…

Are You a Narcissist? Take the Psychology Today Quiz

 What I learned by answering like one—and then answering as myself. If the internet has a favorite personality accusation, it’s narcissist.It’s practically a dating app default. But what does it actually mean? So I decided to find out—for real. 🧠 Narcissism: Not Just About Mirrors The term comes from Narcissus, a character in Greek mythology who fell in love with his own reflection. It’s become shorthand for self-absorption, but narcissism is more about emotional manipulation, lack of empathy, and fragile ego than it is about selfies. 🧪 I Took the Quiz—Two Ways The quiz I used was the [Psychology Today…

What being a “Karen” Really Means in 2025

Why the “Karen” label is more complicated—and more revealing—than you think. Lately I have been doing a lot of self-reflection. I was at a conference this week, and sitting next to a friend at a luncheon. She couldn’t eat the salad because she had nut allergies (it had pesto dressing). I asked her, why don’t you ask the waiter for a no-nuts salad? She whispered under her breath, “I don’t want to come off as a Karen…” I asked for the substitution for her, because I could not believe we had gotten to the point where the fear of being…

The Psychology of Style: How Enclothed Cognition Can Help You Focus, Perform, and Feel Like a Boss

Dressed to Impress… Your Brain? You’ve probably heard the phrase “dress for the job you want.” But what if I told you that what you wear doesn’t just change how others perceive you—it actually changes how you think, feel, and perform? This isn’t fashion fluff. It’s backed by science. Wait, what is enclothed cognition? “Enclothed cognition” is a behavioral science concept that explains how our clothing influences our mental state. In one landmark study, participants performed better on attention-based tasks simply by wearing a lab coat described as a doctor’s coat. The catch? The improvement only happened when the coat…

Three things I swear by #7

Welcome to the late-July lull. It’s the time of year when the days blur, motivation dips, and it’s tempting to hit cruise control. But with just a few mindful tweaks, you can reset your rhythm, sharpen your habits, and set yourself up to actually enjoy the rest of summer—without losing momentum. Here are three small but mighty strategies I swear by this week.

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