Healthy Chicks

Good afternoon ladies and Happy Valentine’s Day! You can check out my thoughts on Valentine’s Day & 40 Days of Gratitude Project here. But in the meantime, I’ve got this week’s spotlight for Healthy Chicks in the Community, a sweet Southern gal who hearts yoga and sweaty workouts. I’ll let Sara take it from here…

NAME/AGE: Sara, 26

BLOG/TWITTER (If Applicable): fitfunfemme.com / SaraWiles on twitter

CURRENT CITY: Atlanta, GA

PHOTO TAKEN: Maui, Hawaii

WHAT YOU DO FOR WORK: Corporate Event Planning

NUMBER ONE PASSION: Spreading love and happiness

I FEEL MY HEALTHIEST SELF WHEN I AM: Sweating lots and eating good, clean foods.

BUT I AM ALSO A REAL GIRL & SOMETIMES: I eat copious amounts of cheese. I.LOVE.CHEESE.

TOP THREE KITCHEN STAPLES: Spinach (I throw it in everything…eggs, salads, sandwiches), Olive Oil, Dark Chocolate.

NUMBER ONE GUILTY PLEASURE: Macaroni and Cheese

EXERCISE THAT MAKES YOU SHINE: Yoga

FAVORITE COMFORT FOOD: My mom’s creamed spinach topped with Vermont sharp white cheddar.

MESSAGE YOU’D LIKE TO SHARE WITH OTHER HEALTHY CHICKS: Know that Rome wasn’t built in a day, and neither was a happy, healthy lifestyle. Read wellness blogs, learn healthy recipes, and try new workouts. Slowly, you’ll find what clicks for you and when you do, it will become part of who you are.

If you’d like to be featured as one of my Healthy Chicks in the Community, or know someone who you want to make blush, email me for more deets. And remember, if you aren’t feeling your healthiest self or are struggling to make positive changes, shoot me an email anytime to schedule your FREE 15-minute info session / sign up for one of my health coaching programs.

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?

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“All around the hair is healthier, I’m healthier and my clients are healthier.”

Yesterday, I had the pleasure of meeting with Marcus Sederstrom, the face behind My Stylist Marcus, at Salon Red on Newbury Street. With his impeccable style and witty charm, Marcus may seem like an ordinary Boston stylist at first glance.

However, once the conversation begins to flow, one realizes that there is quite the story behind that charm. While Marcus has been in the hair industry for 15 years, he just recently came back from a five-year leave while battling Lymphoma (cancer of the lymphatic system).

During recovery, Marcus realized that he desperately missed his days as a stylist and interacting with clients, but didn’t want to work in an environment filled with toxins and chemicals all day long. Right then and there, he decided he needed to make some changes for his health, and his clients’ health.

Now Marcus proudly provides his clients with natural, certified organic cleansing, styling, color and even keratin treatments. “It’s the cleanest of the greenest products available,” he said with a smile. “All around the hair is healthier, I’m healthier and my clients are healthier.”

While describing the products to me, Marcus had me hold out my hand and poured a little bit of shine serum, prompting me to rub my hands together. Within seconds, the residue was gone and my  hands felt silkier than ever.

That right there is the difference between certified organic products with real ingredients versus the kind of products we find at most salons and stores today. Think, when was the last time you saw ingredients like almond oil, olive oil, wheat protein, coconut or aloe in your hair products? Real, pure ingredients that you can feel good about putting onto your hair, scalp and hands?

Heck, even the organic lightener (alternative option for bleach) that Marcus uses smelt like fresh flowers comparatively. It was absolutely mind-boggling and fascinating!

Sound too good to be true? Here’s the skinny on the products Marcus uses:

• Certified Eco-Friendly
• Certified Organic by the United Kingdom Soil Association
• 100% Ammonia free
• non-carcinogenic
• no plastics or parabens
• PETA recognized as vegan
• No Volatile organic compounds
• No Phthalates, mercury or Resorcinol
• GMO (Genetically Modified Organisms) free

Yes, these products really are just THAT pure. I’ll let Marcus take it over from here to share everything from why he got into the hair industry to his personal specialty…

RC: How long have you been in the hair care industry and what made you choose that route?

MS: 15 years. I kind of fell into it. I was working as an auditor at the time,and my friend who was in hair dressing school told me I should give it a try, so I did. I love it. It’s my passion now!

RC: I know organic is what you pride yourself on. Why organic? Can you explain your background?

MS: I was in the business for 10 years and took five years off because I had lymphoma. I wanted to work in the business but not with the dangerous products. So I spent three months researching online, particularly on Great Britain’s products which are the cleanest and the greenest. I wanted something healthier for me that would give a healthy option to people, and be nice to the earth. So I went green, offering certified organic cleansing, styling, coloring and keratin treatment.

RC: How do your clients respond to this?

[note: while asking this question, I also learned Marcus has nothing lower than 5 stars on Yelp and on his website; that says something!]

MS: People love the products. My clients are organic farmers, personal trainers and their wives, restaurant owners, mothers, people who live an organic life, or pregnant women. People who are looking for an option. You know, people go out and eat organic and then get their hair dyed!

RC: What’s your favorite product or styling technique?

MS: Hair color is my forte. The {organic} line has such beautiful reds, beautiful browns, and the health of the hair is better. People think because it’s organic they won’t get results but you get amazing results and the shine is better.

[Marcus takes out his color flip book to show me the variety of shades, including everything from golden browns to plum. He then points to a beautiful golden honey shade. "I love these for Jennifer Lopez highlights!"]

—

Visiting with Marcus really opened my eyes to the importance of living a healthy lifestyle, not just by how many times you exercise or what you eat, but also what you are putting in and on your body. We often don’t realize that many of our favorite products – from our perfume to our makeup –  are filled with harmful toxins and parabens, and I myself have been a victim!

Of course, we all can’t be perfect 100% of the time, but being aware and cautious of the kinds of products we use is a first step! And it’s great to see that people and businesses are catching on to this trend.

Interested in learning more? You can visit My Stylist Marcus here and book an appointment right online!

XoXo,

[don't be a Grinch!]

As I’m sitting here in my cozy apartment with a “Warm Baked Apple” candle lit listening to Christmas tunes, I couldn’t agree more with Andy Williams when he said, “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year.” I’m absolutely obsessed with the season, and kind of turn into an overly happy, overly energized, overly joyous Santa’s elf around this time. I’m one of those girls who wants to listen to Christmas music 24/7, decorate the apartment with snowflakes and pretty tinsel, and glitter-ize everything! 

So I guess I don’t understand that when I go to the mall I see so many grinches out there. Mothers screaming at their children, people fighting with sales clerks and billions of people walking around with the most scary looks on their faces. What gives? It’s the holiday season, after all! SMILE! But I get it…I really do. While the holiday season brings lots of joy to many, it can also be quite stressful. After a trip to the mall, it’s very tempting to want to pound a few spiked ciders or vodka on the rocks. But let me tell you: that’s not the answer. 

That’s why I went out and asked my friends (Twitter & real life) how they handle holiday stress, and many people got back to me with some great answers that don’t include screaming at your husband or punching a hole through the wall. So I’ve taken what other people have said to me and thought up a few ideas of my own to help YOU handle holiday stress this year…and make it through the season alive. 

Sip On Tea Throughout the Day: Seriously, never doubt the power a cup of tea can do for your stress levels and inner balance. Head on over to your local supermarket or specialty tea & coffee shop and pick up some caffeine-free teas of choice. I love chamomile, peppermint and ginger this time of year, but the flavors are endless! Oh, and tea is calorie-free so you can enjoy it absolutely guilt-free all day, every day if you so wish.

Make Lists: You’d laugh if you saw how many lists I make, but there is a reason to it. And that is they help me organize my days and my life in general. I make all kinds of lists from goals & dreams to groceries and to-do lists. They are all over my apartment, so that I can visually see what it is I need to get done. Make lists for upcoming events, items you need for the sweater you’re knitting, who’s left to buy presents for, and the ingredients for that new recipe you’ve been dying to try for your best friend’s holiday party. Trust me: lists solve all problems.

Fake It: Even if you’ve had the most stressful day ever, fake a smile and move on with it. After all, smiles are contagious, so smile and smile big. It’s so much more difficult (and much more effort) to be angry and mean to someone. If the line is long or the new coffeepot you purchased doesn’t work, take a deep breath and don’t yell at the cashier. She didn’t do anything to you, so don’t bring her good mood down in the dumps too! Instead, realize it’s not worth it to sweat over the little itty-bitty things in life. Instead, move on with it and you’ll be much happier in the long run! 

Make Your Own Gifts: If the mall stresses you out, make your own gifts to save time and money. Homemade gifts are also more special and will be a lot more fun to put together. Get creative this year with your gifts, even if you just design your own holiday cards. I’m planning on making homemade corn bags (heating pads) for my friends, and also printing a few more copies of my recipe book to give away to friends and family for the holidays. You also can’t go wrong with anything involving pictures, liquor or yummy food! 

Get Your Rest: Don’t stay up all night long to get things done. Our bodies and minds need a rest, and you need to give your body what it deserves. So even if you have to save some stuff for the morning or sacrifice your late-night TV watching, it’ll be worth it when you wake up bright ‘n’ energized. Hey, us women need our beauty sleep after all.

Get Away: Sometimes it can be stressful when you get wrapped up in your daily routine. So go on a mini vacay even if you just take a day trip to go ice skating or wine tasting. Little things like this get us through the holidays easy and breezy. I’m taking a four-day road trip to Florida in a couple weeks with a pit stop to Disney World and couldn’t be more excited! I urge you to do the same…even if it’s just a mini getaway. Anything helps. 

What do you do to cope with holiday stress? Any suggestions and ideas to add? 

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Thanksgiving is just around the corner, but let’s be honest: I’ve been thinking about it since early October, and I’m already thinking about Christmas. Hey, it’s the malls fault for being all decorated and pretty with lights and Christmas trees. But when it’s all said and done, Thanksgiving is and always has been my absolute favorite holiday. The delicious smells, the wonderful feeling of family and the fact that I go into a turkey coma every year (no matter how much I tell myself to slow down) is all part of the joy of Thanksgiving. 

But even though I almost always have to unbutton my pants come dessert, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t try to keep my Thanksgiving just a bit healthier. After all, I’m not trying to gain 10 pounds in one sitting and feel like absolute crap the next day. That would be doing my body no good. So this year in particular, I’m working on adding a little extra healthy oomph to my favorite holiday, and that I will share with you…

#1 I’m running my first ever Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving Day: I’ll be running the 5-mile Manchester Road Race, but these types of Turkey Trots are all over the place, so I suggest you sign up to0! They are fun, packed with people and it takes the edge of the actual running part of it. To make it even more exciting, my sister and I are dressing up as elves with green tights, elf hats and all! To prep for the race, I’ve been running 3 miles a day with Core Fusion Body Sculpt twice a week, so it’s keeping me in shape before Turkey Day as well. 

#2 I’ll be making a side dish that actually tastes good: Last year I tried to go all, “healthy, healthy” on everyone and ended up making the most disgusting side dishes…ever. My family of course ate them to be nice, but even I could see they had little to no flavor. My gluten free stuffing I tried to invent tasted like dog food. It was that bad. This year, I’m going to concentrate on making wholesome, nutritious food instead of low-cal, “healthy” crap. I’m definitely going to trim down the classic sweet potato pie that everyone knows and loves, and am definitely going to dabble in concocting some gluten free savory cupcakes from the BabyCakes Cookbook I got last year as a gift. Red Velvet cupcakes [see above] are at the top of my list to try this year! 

#3 Or Fake it if you can’t bake it: Not everyone loves to cook, and there is no shame in that. Lots of places allow you to pre-order Thanksgiving sides and desserts so you don’t have to touch a pan. For instance, Healthy Habits Kitchen in Wellesley, MA is running an “Everything But the Turkey” Package, which includes 3 appetizers, 3 side dishes and 2 desserts. How’s that for easy and efficient? Pick ‘n’ choose between tasty apps like Goat Cheese, Sundried Tomato & Olive Spread, Spinach & Feta Triangles and Pumpkin Chipotle Hummus. Side dishes include a Butternut Squash Casserole, Parmesan Mashed Potatoes, and Traditional Stuffing. Oh, and you can’t forget dessert, with favorites like Chocolate Bark and Gingerbread Spiked Pumpkin Pie. View their full menu here. Small servings for 4 cost $59 and full servings for 8 is $99, extremely affordable in my book for the amount of food you’re getting. 

#4 Eat Slowly: Sometimes I forget that the food is not going to fly away on me. I think we all could use a few deep breaths and short breaks throughout the feast. Enjoy your food, chat with aunt Sally who you haven’t seen all year and savor every bite. This meal only comes once a year, after all. Why rush it? 

What are your healthy Turkey Day tips? 

           What? That’s NOT spaghetti??!

This healthy dish is a wonderful substitute for your traditional spaghetti ‘n’ meatballs. Eat one of the all-time favorite comfort foods with absolutely no guilt at all. Serve with a side salad or small piece of homemade garlic bread! Trust me: it’s so darn good that your guests won’t even know it’s not real spaghetti. Note: this recipe is GF- gluten free AND guilt free! 

*serves 4

The other day, I decided I want to dedicate one day a week to cleansing my body. No, this doesn’t mean I’m going to fast or go on one of those crazy cabbage soup/grapefruit diets. I don’t do diets (anymore). Every day I hear/see/read of young women who “have to go on a diet” and it makes me go crazy. No, you don’t have to go on a diet. Fueling with healthy foods? Yes. Devoting more time to exercising for the mind and the body? Sure. Cutting out carbs and sugary treats once a week? Fine. But saying you have to go on a diet sounds miserable.  

I’ll let you in on a little secret: diets don’t work. Seriously. Sure, you may lose a couple of quick pounds to look slightly better in your too-tight dress…for one night. But wouldn’t you rather live a healthy lifestyle where dieting isn’t a part of it, and you look and feel good all of the time? If you say no to this, then sorry I can’t help you, but if you are nodding your head yes, then stay tuned. 

I used to be one of those girls who “had to go on a diet.” I’d have to go on a diet to look stunning for sorority formals, to look like a knock-out on spring break in front of the frat guys, and to impress friends and family when I’d go home for Christmas break. Sure, I’d lose weight and fast…but it was all for the wrong reasons and the wrong way. I’d eat 1,000 calories or less per day, spend hours in the gym, and never treat myself to anything. It was straight up torture. And of course the weight would come back on eventually because a lifestyle of torture is simply not the way to live. A lifestyle of dieting was completely miserable. 

Now I don’t do diets. I hear the word diet and cringe. It just sounds God awful. Diets? Maybe for models and movie stars but helllll nooooo are diets for me (nor are they for you). Instead, I practice a lifestyle of healthy eating and living, where I eat well (not perfect) every day of the year, and diets never cross my mind. This kind of lifestyle allows for eating one too many brownies every once in a while and skipping the gym here and there. It allows for carbs and fat and wholesome food. There are no restrictions in this kind of lifestyle…you just live! 

Of course, there are still times where I want to crack down a bit (whether it’s for an upcoming vacation or big event) to look and feel my ultimate best. But instead of dieting for these types of occasions, I’ve learned that clean eating is the way to go! Of course I try to “eat clean” every day, but that doesn’t always happen. But let me tell you, when you do eat clean you see all the difference…in your hair, skin and body. When I went to New Zealand six months ago, I lost 4 pounds simply by eating clean: no preservatives, no packaged foods, no crazy dressings, no fried anything. Simply all-natural, fresh, local meals. And I didn’t even have to try! How’s that for a diet? HA! 

But I have to admit: I haven’t been eating so clean lately now that fall is here. I have an addiction to baking, and have been indulging in maybe a few too many pumpkin muffins. Then when I went home this past weekend, my mom bought some kind of apple fritter type donut. They were warm, they were freshly baked…I couldn’t resist. While I’m not going over board, all these little bites here and there are bound to add up, and a bloated tummy is no fun for anyone. 

So while eating clean may not be feasible all of the time, I’m going to try my best to do so throughout the week, with one day dedicated to cleansing. During my “cleansing day” (I have yet to decide what day it’ll be…perhaps Tuesday?), there will be no processed foods allowed. No coffee. No dressings. No dairy. No meat. No baked goods (not even a bite). Instead, I will load up on lots of water, caffeine-free tea, whole grains, nuts, veggies in olive oil, and fresh fruit. 

The Perfect Cleaning Day 

breakfast: 1/2 c. oatmeal or quinoa flakes with 1 TB all-natural nut butter; 1/2 grapefruit; water; herbal tea

snack: fresh fruit salad with flax seed oil, or sliced cucumber in olive oil, salt, pepper and lemon 

lunch: 1 c. spinach with cucumber, canned tuna (no salt added, plain),  avocado, olive oil and lemon juice 

dinner: lots of steamed veggies (spinach, broccoli, kale) with garlic, olive oil and lemon (w/ a side of brown rice-optional) 

*snack on frozen berries, fresh fruit, raw veggies, edamame, and raw nuts 

*avoid salt (causes bloating) 

*drink lots of water

*take yoga to relax the mind & body!

*take a bath/ looooong shower 

*treat yourself to a facial (I love mixing warm water with oatmeal, leave on for 10-15 minutes) 

*avoid caffeine, sip on herbal tea 

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If you remember Legally Blonde, Elle said “Exercise gives you endorphins. Endorphins make you happy.” While she may have been a tad ditzy, she was absolutely on point with this one! I think we can all attest to the feel-good high we get after a nice, long sweaty workout. If you like being happy (who doesn’t?) and love a good deal (um, hello) then this is the giveaway  for you!

The kind folks at CoupMe are giving away one of four fitness deals for…wait for it…free! 

Choose between these four fab Boston/Cambridge offers: 

* 4 belly dancing classes at Johara Snake Dance Productions in Brookline or Cambridge, MA ($60 value) 

*4 Zumba classes at Shape Up Personal Training in Cambridge, MA ($60 value)

*3 Pole dancing classes at Boston Pole Fitness in Boston, MA ($75 value) 

*3 weeks of boot camp PLUS nutrition plan at Durbrow Fitness Training in Cambridge, MA ($348 value) 

Just leave a comment on my blog (bonus points if you make me laugh) with which fitness deal you’d love to win and why! Also, tweet about the deal to friends on twitter & leave a comment here saying you did so for better chances in winning! Good luck : )