Healthy Chicks

Sometimes we need a hug, sometimes we need mental clarity, and sometimes we just need a good healthy dose of inspiration! While I can’t technically give you all a hug (though I totally would if I could…e-hug?) I’ve got just the Spotify playlist for you that should  clear your mind and ignite your creativity.

As someone who is constantly thinking (and writing) music is a great way for me to unwind, let loose and allow my thoughts to form naturally. Whether I’m writing at a local coffee shop, brainstorming in my bedroom or attempting to reach a deep meditation, music is always a blessing. I hope you enjoy this ultra-inspiring, thought-provoking playlist, including 10 hits that have been on my radar lately!

What do you do to clear your mind and ignite your creative juices? What are your go-to tracks or artists?

XoXo,

… Read More!

If you’re new to my blog, each and every Friday I post a Friday Flashback, taking you on a journey back into my past life. Why? Well, because I’ve been there and can totally relate to body image issues, dieting struggles and all the other things in between.

This week, I want to touch upon how we treat our bodies. During my prime time of diet-obsessed living and calorie counting, I completely disrespected my body.

I filled up on toxic, chemicalized “diet” foods that promised to make me skinny (at least, according to all the magazines and advertisements) and ate or drank my feelings away. I abused myself in the mirror (telling myself I am fat, I am not pretty enough, I am not good enough) and abused myself in the gym by overworking it and forcing myself to exercise (even when I didn’t want to or when my body was saying “No! Enough!”) I listened to what the number on the scale said, instead of what my body was telling me loud and clear.

I remember being so hungry: for real food, for love, for the answers. Unfortunately, I was starving myself by loading up on … Read More!

Growing up I didn’t pay too much attention to my looks, that is until I started dieting and well, my looks quickly became everything. I was consumed by my weight and how others, especially men, perceived me. Once I started getting attention from the guys, I became obsessed with my looks, in particular appearing “sexy.”

I remember one day quite vividly while loading on makeup for a friend’s graduation party, my sister (who was always the sportier one in the family) looked at me and said, “You changed.” I naturally got defensive, and she continued with “It’s great you’re getting all this attention and all, but all you care about is your looks.”  While I refused to admit it at the time, she was absolutely 100% right. Spot on.

And then there was college. Getting ready for a night out to the frat house was an event in itself. I’d change my outfit at least ten times, load layers of makeup over my face (including a dash of bronzer on my chest one of my best friends swore created the allusion of “cleavage”), and strive to wear the tightest or shortest thing I could possibly find paired with the highest … Read More!

Good evening ladies! Hope you all had a great day, and are now taking some time to shut down and relax. You deserve it, after all. Be sure to check out my post from earlier today recapping a fun sports bra fitting event I attended last night at New Balance. But tonight I’m here to bring you this week’s feature for Healthy Chicks in the Community, who’s actually a cousin of The Boy, and someone I admire greatly for her dedication to inner happiness and wellness. I’ll let Marybeth take it from here…

NAME/AGE: Marybeth Ferreira… Soon to be 30 🙂

CURRENT CITY: outside of Worcester

WHAT YOU DO FOR WORK: Outpatient Mental Health Clinician, specializing in children and adults with developmental and intellectual disabilities

NUMBER ONE PASSION: Do I have to choose one? 🙂

I FEEL MY HEALTHIEST SELF WHEN I AM: Active, eating well, GETTING ENOUGH SLEEP, and finding balance in all of my roles

BUT I AM ALSO A REAL GIRL & SOMETIMES: I like to bake fresh homemade chocolate chip cookies and sample the batter!… and skip parts of workouts I don’t prefer… on occasion

TOP THREE KITCHEN STAPLES: olive oil, quinoa, and organic chicken … Read More!

I am super excited to announce this week’s star of Healthy Chicks in the Community. Bre is one of those all around cool gals, who I always enjoy catching up with (especially over gourmet coffee). I truly admire her positive attitude towards life, love and all those good things! I’ll let Bre take it away from here…

NAME/AGE: Bre, 26

TWITTER: @brenourse

FACEBOOK: Bre Nourse Yoga

CURRENT CITY: Boston (North End)

‬‪​WHAT YOU DO FOR WORK: I teach yoga, dip my toe in the design and photography pool and from time to time I sling $100 yoga pants at that big yoga clothing store we all know and love.

‬‪​NUMBER ONE PASSION: Teaching people to connect with their bodies through movement and meditation.

‬‪​I FEEL MY HEALTHIEST SELF WHEN I AM: Being kind to my body, fueling myself with foods that make me feel good and doing the work during my meditation. Its not just about the physical body, without a healthy mind we’d have nothing.

‬‪​BUT I AM ALSO A REAL GIRL & SOMETIMES:
I like to eat dessert for breakfast and watch all the shows in my dvr!

‬‪​TOP THREE KITCHEN STAPLES:
Olive Oil, Pepper and my potato … Read More!

I’m a firm believer in horoscopes, karma, fortunes and having faith in general. That’s why I get giddy every time I unwrap a yogi tea bag before brewing. If you’re not familiar with yogi tea, each and every tea bag has some words of wisdom, a fortune if you will.

And this morning my fortune read: Empty yourself and let the universe fill you.

I must admit, I had to think about this one for a bit to see what this message truly meant for me, for my lifestyle. Empty myself and let the universe fill me?

For me, it means to empty yourself from all those negative thoughts that hold you back and bring you down, and let the universe fill you up with positive, feel-good energy. After all, if you put good energy out there, the universe will be on your side.

I think a lot of us struggle with negative, glass-is-half-empty thoughts every now and then. One way to “shush” these thoughts is by practicing positive affirmations on a daily basis, something I try to instill in my clients during my health coaching program.

The practice of positive affirmations is simply telling yourself positive, pick-me-up things, … Read More!

Every day, there’s usually something that stresses you out, be it the kids, money or your monotonous job. During the holiday season, it seems this stress goes completely haywire, creating Scrooges and Grinches left and right.

Yesterday, while having lunch at the Prudential Center, I noticed hundreds of businessmen, mothers, and sales clerks running around like a bunch of chickens with their heads cut off.

What is going on?

At a time where money, family and stress tend to get the best of us, let’s all take a step back and remember what the holiday season is all about. Here are 7 simply ways you can lead a happier, simpler lifestyle right now and get this…they are absolutely free (or at least cost less than your Starbuck’s latte).

1. Skip the workout you’re totally dreading, and instead go on a winter stroll with a loved one. Along the way, you can window shop, browse some new restaurants in the neighborhood and spend some quality time together. You’ll sweat it out, get some fresh air and simply feel better overall.

2. Save some money, and make homemade gifts for friends and family this year. Not only will your wallet be happier, … Read More!

This morning, I was catching up with an old friend about life. When we started talking about our careers, I told her how I’m juggling a good amount of jobs right now to make some extra money/pay the bills while I build my business.

“Money sucks, doesn’t it?” she asked. “I wish we could all just barter.”

“I know, sometimes I wish it didn’t matter,” I replied. “We’d all do what we love and the world would be a much happier place.”

That got me thinking about money, the history of currency, and what reality has come to. In this day and age, hundreds of people “do what they gotta do” to pay those bills, even if it means sacrificing their own happiness.

Business executives work 60, 70, even 80 hours a week to support their families, young woman pass on their “dream job” in order to take something more “safe” (i.e. higher salary) and hundreds suffer from stress, anger, and even depression all over one thing: M-O-N-E-Y.

Imagine if we lived in a world where money wasn’t a thing, where everyone simply did what they loved and bartered their way through life. Mind you, that may be living … Read More!