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This past month, the lovely people from Sports Club/LA Chestnut Hill gifted me with a club membership. Since I had an amazing experience when visiting their space downtown, I was ecstatic to give their new club a try.

Chestnut Hill is totally blowing up lately with healthy offerings! Plus it’s close enough to my Brookline apartment for me to easily commute via public transportation.

The Amenities

Upon walking in, as expected, I was in awe of how beautiful the space was. The locker rooms alone deserve a separate post in itself! They have everything you could possibly need post-workout from lotion to hair dryers to deodorant. Their showers have all the essentials including razors, shaving cream, and high-end yummy smelling shampoos & conditioners. I absolutely adore the brand of beauty care they use by (MALIN + GOETZ) utilizing natural ingredients that are good for your skin.

Not to mention the roomy sauna and eucalyptus-infused steam room that totally blew my mind! I won’t lie: one day I took the trip just to give myself a mini “spa day” at the Sports Club/LA women’s locker room that is. In my defense, I was feeling a little stuffed up … Read More!

Good morning ladies! Now I know it’s been a while since I’ve posted a feature for Healthy Chicks in the Community, but I’m excited to get it going again this week with a very special lady.

As a past client of mine, this Healthy Chick always wows me with her strength, guts and drive to go after what she wants. Not only did she just start her own biz, but she also works full time at Harvard Business School. Talk about gettin’ stuff done! I’ll let Erica take it from here…I’m sure you’ll fall in love with her mission as I have.

[second to the right]

Name/Age: Erica Zendell, 23

Blog/Twitter: http://erica-zendell.blogspot.com, @ezendell

Current City: Boston, MA

Photo: I traveled to China on a recent work trip and met the lovely founders of the organization ‘Gluten-free Shanghai,’ whose resources made my time in a land of soy sauce and wheat buns so much easier!

What I do for work: I am balancing work as a research associate at Harvard Business School and starting a healthy snack food business, Zen Cookery!

Number one passion: Building my business, which seeks to help those with special diets in their desire to feel … Read More!

Oh, jealousy. As much as we try to avoid it, sometimes it creeps up when we least expect it. And no matter what, it’s always downright ugly.

For some reason, jealousy always reminds me of Ursula in The Little Mermaid. Envious of Arial, the evil sea witch attempts to steal Arial’s voice & transform into a beautiful human being in order to win over Prince Eric. And while Ursula manages to pull it off for some time, eventually her true colors shine through. In the end, jealously never wins.

They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, but when it stems from jealousy, comparison and negative thinking, it aint pretty.

A few months ago, one of my clients shared a quote with me that really stuck:

“The reason we struggle with insecurity is because we compare our behind-the-scenes with everyone else’s highlight reel.” —Steve Furtick

After all, we truly don’t know their story; we have no clue what’s going on behind the scenes. And while we all struggle with insecurities and “off days” from time to time, the absolute worst thing you can do is compare your lows to someone else’s highs. Trust me, I’ve definitely been there and … Read More!

The other day, one of my clients asked me if I ever slip. “You know, do you ever cheat? Mess up? Eat emotionally? Are you ever bad?” First and foremost, I don’t believe in being “bad” but I totally knew what she was getting at.

The truth? Of course I do! The #1 thing I want you all to know is that I am by no means perfect, nor do I preach anyone should strive to be perfect. In fact, I don’t really believe in perfection. To me, true beauty lies in our imperfections.

In college, I thought being bad was skipping the gym, eating a slice of pizza, cheating on my diet, going over 1,200 calories, drinking too many margaritas, and having too much fun. Because of this, I’d punish my self by over-exercising, starving myself (followed by bingeing), trying a new diet, cutting back even more on calories, and staying in when all my best friends were out living their fabulous, young lives.

Does that sound like perfect to you? Hell no! To me, someone who lives a fun, free, balanced life full of imperfections is much more beautiful.

So you want the truth on my totally perfectly … Read More!

As I mentioned in yesterday’s newsletter I’ve been doing a lot of soul-searching lately in order to explore my spirituality (especially when it comes to those old money fears that tend to creep up every so often).

I was recently recommended the book “Leveraging the Universe” by Mike Dooley and since I’m always up for a good read I ordered it on Amazon right away. I’ve been reading a few pages every day before bed/whenever I get some down time so I can truly savor it without rushing through.

This morning at the coffee shop I read through the chapter on “Charting your course” and the author had us answer the question, “What do I want?” Not what should you want. Not what should you do. Not what should you be when you grow up. Just what you want / what you truly want to do. Pure and simple.

I honestly had never thought of that question in such a simple way. Instead, I always clog it up with dozens of questions like “But how will I get there?” “But what do you mean?” “Like in real life or fantasy life?” “By when?” In reality, when you push … Read More!

As you know, I’m a huge advocate for taking simple, small steps toward living a healthier lifestyle. (There isn’t anything wrong with taking baby steps. In fact, I encourage it!) I’m especially a fan when there’s sweet prizes involved! That’s why UnitedHealthCare’s new Source4Women campaign–“We Dare You”— totally caught my eye.

Every month, from now until January 2014, the team will be crafting a new challenge, “daring” participants to share a related photo of how they’re staying healthy. While their initiative launched in July, this month’s dare is to “Add More Fruits and Vegetables to Your Diet.”

To enter the challenge (and get your chance to win a brand new KitchenAid Mixer), all you need to do is share a photo of a fruit or veggie you’ve added to your diet! Did I enter too? You bet I did! I shared a pic of my favorite summer vegetable of late…

You guessed it…KALE!

This crisp leafy green is a nutritional powerhouse! It’s packed with disease-fighting antioxidants, Vitamins A, C & K, fiber and iron. Leafy greens like kale have also been known to naturally reduce inflammation, act as a decongestant, boost heart health, and detox the body. Talk … Read More!

… Read More!

I try to live a pretty balanced life (as much as I can). I eat clean foods that make my body feel really good, but also indulge in the occasional burger and the more-than-occasional glass of red wine with dark chocolate. I love running & signing  up for local races, but I also enjoy going on long walks with The Boy or my girlfriends just to catch up. I’m known to ask a million questions and “talk too much,” but I’m also a really great friend and a darn god listener. I’m not a “vegetarian” nor am I a “meat-eater.” I adore the fast-paced, buzzing city-living in Boston, but my roots are back home on our family’s lake-house in CT. I’m a little bit of everything… the best of both worlds.

sweetgreen, the super-sweet company I work for here in Boston (if you don’t know of ’em yet you need to visit their site ASAP), believes in this concept of balance but also takes it one step further. They say that true greatness happens when passion and purpose intersect. Passion x Purpose. Passion meets purpose.  My list includes writing x inspiring others, connecting x making people feel better, eating … Read More!