Healthy Chicks

Last night, I was reading the latest issue of Boston’s Natural Awakenings magazine and stumbled upon this quote by author Melody Beattie: “Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend.”

What a beautiful reminder to be thankful for what we have, and stretch yourself to find the beauty in the little things. I think we can all work on finding a little more gratitude, no matter what the circumstance.

This past week, I had been bumming out about money. While it would have been pretty sweet to have won the powerball, I reminded myself that money does not buy love. It does not bring happiness, peace or even success. It’s just a thing.

While there are many wealthy people out there who are successful and brilliant, there are an equal number of people who are are living by the week who are just as successful and brilliant.

So today, I want to express my gratitude for those things I am forever grateful for:

• My supportive family who never judge, and always encourage me
• The fact that I just celebrated two years with an amazing man who taught me what love is supposed to feel like
• Access to healthy food, even if that means I blow my paychecks at Whole Foods or farmer’s markets
• My knowledge in the field of nutrition & ability to help and change lives of so many people
• An apartment, that even though has the smallest kitchen I’ve ever seen, keeps me cozy and safe, and creates new memories each and every day
• My strength, that gets me through a tough day, a half marathon, a yoga practice
• Laughter

How do you feel about gratitude? What do you appreciate in life, that you already have?

It’s summertime and the sunshine is beaming, but that doesn’t necessarily mean you’re feeling so sun-shiny inside. Even the cheeriest of us have those days where we could use a little extra boost. Here are 21 little ways to brighten up your mood this summer. Feel free to add your own in the comments section!

1. Squeezing in a little extra time with those friends that make you extra cheery
2. Reading booklets, magazines and articles packed with inspirational quotes like the one above which is from an IIN magazine
3. Escaping to the beach for a sun-kissed afternoon
4. Getting out of the house/apartment & going for a long walk
5. Shutting down all sources of technology (yes, that includes your iPhone!)
6. Avoiding Facebook & twitter stalking for a day, and living your life rather than comparing it to others (think: I’m so jealous all my friends are at this party except me! I can’t believe she’s engaged! Her job is my dream job! Life is so unfair!) Try to remember there’s always another side to every person’s story…
7. Reading a steamy summer romance novel
8. Signing up for a 5K, 10K or half marathon in your area like the UnitedHealthcare Half in the beautiful Newport, RI.
9. Indulging in that late-night cucumber martini + life discussions with a good friend (thanks Meg!)
10. Organizing your closet by colors or seasons & making room for new must-have summer items
11. Checking those “big” projects off your list once & for all. For me, this entailed organizing my group wellness program Mindful Steps, hosting another workshop on Controlling Your Cravings, and setting up a Corporate Wellness program on my website, specializing in company newsletter support. You all know how good it feels to check things off the list, especially those big things.
12. Taking a blissful day 100% to yourself
13. Painting, drawing, sketching or writing a letter to someone special
14. Treating yourself to a kinda expensive dinner from your favorite restaurant
15. Whole Foods salad bar. Enough said.
16. Leaving work early on a Friday to get away for a long weekend of camping
17. Next time you’re worried about something, attempting to envision your life in 5 years, 10 years, 15 years and asking, “Will this be an issue in the future?” 9 times out of 10, this helps me snap out of it and realize I’ll be just fine.
18. Doing something completely spontaneous and out of the ordinary for you, even if that just means wearing red to work when usually you’re a black-and-white-kinda-gal.
19. Painting your nails an ultra bright color like this hot orange Capri by Essie.
20. Giving yourself a mini oatmeal facial or trying some of these other at-home beauty remedies to make your skin glow
21. Embracing the now. Life is too short to be bumming, after all.

What would you add to this list? What are your top tricks for snapping out of a bad mood?

XoXo,

I used to be one of those girls who would flow through life settling. I settled on a long-term toxic “relationship” in college that was going no where because I was too afraid to say what I really wanted: a real relationship. I settled on a few entry level jobs after college, until I I realized I had much more potential than sitting at a desk in a position I loathed.

Worst part? Not only did I settle, but I’d complain about it. I want a boyfriend. Why isn’t he calling me back? I hate my job. I need more money. Why am I not making more money? Why is life so hard for me? Why am I having the worst luck? Wah. Wah. Wah.

And then I realized, while it may be difficult at times, things are really pretty simple. We are all in control of our own lives, and ultimately play a huge part in our own destiny. Therefore if you are unhappy in one area of your life (be it financial, personal, etc) then make a change. Maybe that means letting go of a relationship that isn’t working, or asking your boss for a raise or promotion you’re well deserving of.

Can’t make a change? Then learn to adjust your attitude and the way you view things so that you can at the very least feel more in control of your life.

I’ve come a long way in learning to adjust my perspective and follow my heart to live the life I want to be living. Now, whenever I catch myself complaining or worrying, I try to remember where I came from, how much I’ve achieved, and where it is that I am going: that is forward.

{words to live by when you’re feeling ‘blah’ via Pinterest}

How many of you tend to let your dreams and envisions for your “ideal life” get the best of you at times? Well, trust me you are not alone. You know what they say, we all want what we don’t have. But what about stopping to think once in a while what you do have. And not in the cliche kind of way. Of course, we are all grateful to have food on our plates, some sort of family and a roof over our home.

I’m talking about the things we have that we don’t realize we have; the things that were once merely on our “want” list.

I personally tend to think about the “what ifs” and the “dont’s” from time to time, primarily when it comes to the oh so scary future, financial issues and career opportunities. However, whenever I find myself getting like this I try to remember that many of the things I now have (a loving boyfriend I wouldn’t trade for the world, a happy & healthy relationship with my body, a super cute North End apartment) were once on my “want” lists.

You see, many of those hopes and dreams from months/years/decades ago are now a reality for many of us, even though we may not realize this now. When you think of it this way, those doubts slip away as you can see clearly that many of our little worries and doubts are most likely to come true. Maybe not now. But they will, eventually. That is, if we keep on dreamin’ them.

So I encourage you to always keep dreaming. Never stop. I know I won’t.

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I found this quotable image today on Pinterest, and thought it was absolutely fitting for today. After all, it is the Sunday before Valentine’s Day, you know that day of love. It was interesting reading how other people filled in the blank “Love is…”

Such as…

“Like heaven but it hurts like hell”

“a moment that lasts forever”

“that condition in which the happiness of another person is essential to your own”

“hard work”

I’m sure all of us embody different definitions of what that four letter word means. Whether we are single or taken, a college senior or a senior citizen, heartbroken or passionate, love is a powerful thing and has a certain meaning to each and every one of us. So I challenge you to go ahead and fill in the blank. Love is________.

I shall start. Love is….

“a crazy, passionate, wild beautiful journey that makes each day a little more ‘worth it.’ It adds a lil extra spice to a bland day.”

OK, your turn. Love is…

You know how sometimes when you’re down, nothing can pick you up quite like a bowl of homemade chicken soup or some homemade bread? There is a reason for that! We equate food with emotions, as many times eating is more of an experience than just something we do.

And just as food can lift us up to our cheeriest selves, so can love. This week, practice sharing your love and gratitude with food. Bake some homemade, healthy muffins for a loved one, or surprise your sweetie with a cup of hot cocoa made with extra love.

Food and love are one in the same my friend, so start spreading the cheer!

XoXo,

Good evening ladies! I hope you all had splendid, little Thanksgiving weekends stuffing your face with delicious bites, spending time with family & friends, and shopping your little hearts out. Oh, and the most important part: giving thanks. I, like many of you, sometimes to forget just how much I have to be thankful for. As humans, we tend to forget what it is that we have, instead dwelling on the negatives, the “don’ts” and the “cant’s.”

Whenever I find myself stressing (most of the time over nothing), or feeling down in the dumps, I sit back and remember all I have to be grateful for in life. From our boyfriends and spouses who love us oh so very much and friends and family who are there for us in any crisis to all our wonderful accomplishments and the food on our table, we all have many things to be thankful for every. single. day. Yes, that’s you too!

I suggest you make a list of things you are so lucky to have, so that next time you find yourself getting all Negative Nancy you have something to pick you right back up!

Cheers,

The other day, I wrote this post regarding a lesson that I learned from my yoga teacher on worrying less – something we should all strive to do. This post led to a great discussion on how all of you feel about worrying, and letting the little things go. I encourage you to leave a comment & get involved if you have not done so yet.

Anyway, since today is Quotable Sunday and all, I share with you this quote which I whole-heartedly agree with. Now whip out that chicken stock and some root vegetables, and get the ball rolling (er, the wooden spoon stirring)!

What’s your favorite worry-free remedy?

XoXo,

This weekend I was lucky enough to attend Institute for Integrative Nutrition’s Live Fall IINto Action Event in NYC. The event was absolutely amazing, with inspiring speakers like founder Joshua Rosenthal and mind-body expert Deepak Chopra. Throughout the weekend, we discussed everything from leadership and marketing to raw food, going vegan and the obesity epidemic in America.

One of the discussions on spirituality and faith really stood out to  me, and I’d like to share one of the quotes with you that really struck a chord.