Healthy Chicks

This afternoon, while flipping through some old books, I discovered a little folded up piece of white-lined paper. When I began to open it, I got shivers because I immediately knew what it was: My “Vision Board” from when I was 19 or 20. While it was five or six years ago, I still remember quite vividly writing out my first ever Vision Board (which I titled My Visionary Board) while spending some QT on Fisher’s Island with my family.

If you can’t see it well, I’ll paint you a little picture for you:

Top Left: Photos of magazines, books, money, pens and paper with my name written in the byline of said books/magazines

Top Right: Me behind a table that says “Health Co.” I wrote above “Office in Boston.”

Middle: Me with Tall, Handsome Stranger with the words “happy & loving” over myself and “funny, handsome, sweet & spontaneous” over tall man

Bottom Left: Photo of me in a pony tail running with a water bottle, in which I wrote “Me at 140 lbs. calm, happy, healthy & in shape.”

Bottom Right: Photo of me with an apple, banana and women around me with the words “helping others achieve goals/be healthy

Mind you, I wrote this in my late teenage years/early twenties when I was OVERWEIGHT & SINGLE. It was crafted BEFORE I MOVED TO BOSTON and WITHOUT any degree in health coaching or a health-related field for that matter. But THIS was my vision and I wrote it down loud and clear.

I now have various writing pieces published (as well as a self-published cookbook), my own health coaching business, a relationship with the love of my life (aka The Boy), a healthy weight for my body type (which actually happens to be less than I wrote on the paper) and a blog that supports a healthy, happy community for twenty-somethings.

Pretty spot on, don’t ya think?

Now get out a piece of paper and a pen and write down your visions. Don’t hold back in asking for everything you want out of life because you deserve it all. Big things can happen to you…you just have to dream it and believe it for it to come true!

Have you ever created a vision board? How have your visions changed over the years?

Happy Labor Day to all of you Healthy Chicks out there! Hope you are all having a wonderful day, whether you are out getting your last drop of white clothing in (which frankly I don’t believe in), chugging beers, or BBQ-ing away. Whatever you choose to do, it’s your day off to do whatever you so please! Gosh, don’t you just looooveee days off? 

Anyway, while back in college I’d probably be chugging boxed wine out of the bag and running around in the sun, this Labor Day I took as a personal day and did everything I wanted to do (ya gotta be selfish sometimes). 

I started my day cleaning and organizing the kitchen. It was way overdue. When you can’t find your favorite coffee flavor, and it takes 10 minutes to dig up the Cuisinart, you know you have a problem. Alas, the problem is fixed due to my master organization skills. 

Once the kitchen was sparkly clean, I made a delicious breakfast: an egg white omelet with mushrooms, spinach, onion, tomato and fresh mozzarella cheese with a side of Cinnamon Raisin Ezekiel toast (mmm mmm good). Oh I also brewed two cups of fresh coffee with my new cinnamon hazelnut blend. 

After breakfast, I put on a cute workout outfit and headed out with my roommate for an hour-long walk to the local reservoir. Sure, I didn’t run five miles today nor kick butt at the gym, but it felt amazing to walk briskly through the fresh air and simply take the day in. It was incredible how many people were outside today (I don’t blame ‘em). It’s absolutely gorgeous out!

After my delicious lunch (fresh greens with avocado, spinach, and feta cheese drizzled in lemon and olive oil), I showered up (definitely worked up a sweat on our walk)!

After a bit of writing, I’m now off to visit my friend who recently moved to the North End, when she used to be a two-minute walk away. While I’m sad she’s not my neighbor anymore, I’m so excited to see her new place, and enjoy some good vino and cheese! 

I must say, my day has surely been productive, healthy and enjoyable. Off I go! Hope all of you are having a wonderful day off. Feel free to share what you did today (or plan to do this evening).

In a world where rude comments are tossed around daily, it’s definitely a breath of fresh air to hear something nice once in a while. An old coworker and I once discussed that if it was someone’s job to simply go around and compliment people, the world would be a much brighter place. It’s amazing how the simplest compliments can completely turn someone’s day around. And if that’s the case, why aren’t we tossing out these compliments more often? I’ve always been one to follow the motto: be careful of what you say and do because you never know what kind of day someone is having. That’s why (for the most part) I choose to be bright, happy and well…nice. There have been times where I’ve been told I’m even “too happy” or “too nice,” but I don’t think there is such a thing, and well…that’s just who I am.

That’s why I am 100% absolutely obsessed with these “Happy Notes” my sister got me for my birthday: “101 sticky note surprises to make you smile.” Now doesn’t that just sound lovely? Not only are sticky notes cool as is, but these little colorful gems actually have inspirational, “feel good” quotes on each one. From “Being With You is Having the Time of My Life” to “Most Problems Don’t Look so Bad After a Glass of LEMONADE,” these little puppies are sure to brighten anyone’s day, or get someone to smile at the very least. The best part? You can tear them out and stick them onto a friend’s desk, door, mirror or shirt to make their blah day a little bit brighter.

So go ahead, toss out a compliment…every one could use a little more love.