Healthy Chicks

Good afternoon ladies and welcome to this week’s feature for Friday Flashbacks, where I share with you personal life lessons from my past.

Do you remember in highschool when everyone would drive the same car, wear the same clothes and eat the same lunch because it was cool? It was “the thing” to do/eat/drink/be. I swear my lunch table was like an ad for Abercombie & Fitch (and bagels with cream cheese).

I remember one day, one of the girls in our class plucked her eyebrows super thin, and then everyone started doing it including myself. Soon it was trending like wildfire. Only problem was it completely backfired and I ended up over-plucking to the extent where I just looked plain scary. Not to mention the fact that I used to pile on two pounds of makeup…because that’s what all the girls were doing after all.

This continued in college with oversized designer sunglasses, blonde highlights, fad diets and Vera Bradley bags. Whatever was “in” at the moment all the girls would buy, making us look and act like one big clone. There was the day Junior year of college where a chunk of the girls were doing the Celebrity Lemonade Detox so I just had to do it too. Then there were the days I’d force myself to go out and take one too many shots, even when deep down I knew I really needed a night in with a good book and some hot tea. But they were doing it and I didn’t want to miss out.

Fortunately, I’ve come to learn that I can’t nor want be like everyone else (or I guess you could just call that the process of growing up.) However, nowadays I do still notice these tendencies to follow the latest fads, particularly for twenty-somethings.

Whether it’s the diet that all your friends are doing, the juicing that all your coworkers are raving about or the yoga pants all your yogi idols are wearing, we’re naturally drawn toward what’s popular and current.

However, throughout all of this, I think it’s important to remember to stay true to you, as cliché as that sounds. We are all so unique and beautiful in our own ways, and it’d be a shame to sacrifice that in order to be like someone else.

Just because a diet worked for your best friend doesn’t mean it’s going to work for you and heck, who even said you had to go on a diet any way? Newsflash: you don’t. Yes, juicing and green smoothies are the latest fad at the moment, but maybe you hate the taste and that’s totally OK; eat a colorful salad or some fresh sautéed greens. Or maybe you LOVE, LOVE, LOVE juicing, and that’s OK too…juice up girlfriend!

If you’re starting your own business as I am, dare to be different and make it your own. You’ll get nowhere (and find no satisfaction) if you spend your time trying to be like everyone else, and trying to serve everyone. Trust me I’ve been there, and it’s just not fun. It’s exhausting, really. Or maybe you hate running & simply can’t find the joy in it for the life of you but all the magazines are all telling you to run. Don’t…well unless you want to and are up for a challenge. Stick to your thing.

The point is we all have a tendency to want be like others and that’s totally OK from time to time. I think it’s important to have role models and people whom you look up to. However, there comes a point when you need to draw the line between admiration and impersonation, between doing what you love and doing what you think you should love, between being true to yourself and being someone else.

But there is one thing I believe to be certain: Be true to you and everything else will fall into place & you will begin to find true happiness.

Are you constantly comparing yourself to others? Do you find it hard to lead a happy, healthy lifestyle that you can feel good about? Are you itching to find a program designed for Y-O-U? I’m here for you! Please feel free to email me or schedule a FREE 15-minute info session to learn more about my health coaching programs/ to see if we’d work well together. My programs are designed to help women like you (and me) live to their fullest potential, break free of diet-obsessed living, and learn to use REAL food & self-care as n.o.u.i.s.h.m.e.n.t.

[Now is the time to stand up on your two feet and make things happen]

Good aftenoon chickies!  Sorry I haven’t posted in quite some time, but I’ve been super busy living the life, which is what it’s all about after all right? From working (and attending) some pretty amazing events like the Top Chef Tour of Boston and the Boston Organics Food Festival (recap on the blog coming soon!) to writing and publishing my little heart away, growing my business and planning my first workshop, I’ve been one busy lady.

Now that summer is just around the corner, I’m dedicating these next few months to making it happen. More specifically, that is putting my “wants”, “needs” and dreams into effect.

Last night while at the Dave Mathews Band concert with The Boy, the lyrics to one of their new songs Gaucho really struck a chord with me:

“We gotta do much more than believe if we really wanna change things
We gotta do much more than believe if we wanna see the world change…

I know its hard to imagine

But we could do anything

Under the stars.”

I know it’s easier said than done, but what I took away from these meaningul words is that if you want something badly enough, you need to go out there and make it happen. No one ever accomplished their biggest dreams and aspirations by sitting in an office (or behind a computer) waiting, wishing and hoping. And I’ve also come to realize that complaining, stressing, or whining about a particular situation does no good either.

If you know me well or read my blog often, you can tell that I’m a woman of many wonderful ideas but that sometimes I struggle with following through and making it really happen. But now is the time to stop all that contemplating and thinking and just do it.

While I’m not ready to fully announce what’s in store, some of my plans include starting a walking/running club for women in Boston featuring healthy snacks and weekly wellness meetings to build confidence, vent about life, and most importantly: laugh. I’m also taking part in an island yoga retreat series, where I’ll be assisting my good friend and business partner Kelley in cooking holistic, nutritious meals for the group.

So what’s a gal to do when she’s not clear on her dreams, or simply needs a little push? How will I (and you too) go about getting exactly what you want effectively? Whether you’re looking to make a big career change or have a personal goal of running a half marathon, here are my personal “words of wisdom” that have worked in the past:

1. Check in with yourself every now and then. Ask questions like, “Am I happy?” “Are there any changes I need to make?” “What do I want to change?” “What’s holding me back?” “What am I missing?”

2. Once you’re clear on exactly what’s going on internally, it’s time to Set some clear goals. Write down exactly what you want on a sheet of paper, and post it to your bulliten board. Or post some inspirational photos to your fridge of places, people you admire or even pictures of yourself at your happiest time. Better yet, create a vision board of all things you want in life and post it somewhere you’ll see it every day to remind yourself what it is you’re working toward.

Try not to be too vague about your goals, but rather create real landmarks that are easy to envision. For example, on my vision board you can see that I posted a picture of Natural Health magazine and wrote “Be published in a women’s health magazine featuring an article on holistic health & wellness…a dream come true to have my own byline!” instead of just “Get published.” And instead of writing, “Make more money,” I wrote down exactly how much I want to be making and what I’d want to use that money for. “Have enough money to be able to treat myself to monthly massages, gym memberships, yoga retreats and other wellness activities”

3. Take Action. Vision boards and lists are a great way to visualize what it is you want, but it’s up to you to make that happen. So get out there and take action! At Nutrition School, the teachers always remind us that we’re not going to get any clients sitting behind a computer all day, or hiding inside. Rather we need to step outside our comfort zone, get outside and begin talking/networking/building relationships if we want things to start changing.

This has forced me to get outside and attend networking events, talk to people who are older or in higher positions than me whom I’d normally be too shy to do so, and build confidence in my work.

4. Give it Time. Learn to be patient, and understand that the greatest things in life don’t transpire overnight. If we all got what we wanted as easy as that, we’d be a big bunch of bored women. Work hard at it, want it, and I can assure you it will happen for you.

In the meantime, pamper yourself with love. Take yoga classes, go on long, thought-provoking walks, meet up with friends who make you feel good inside. Little things like such can sometimes be just as important as the big things.

Alright, I’m out. About to go step away from my Mac and make it happen, reallllly happen.

XoXo,

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As you can tell from the title of my post, today I will be talking about all of my favorite things. However, I now also have that song from  the classic The Sound of Music stuck in my head (and I’m sorry if you now do as well). Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens…OK I’ll stop now. Those most definitely are not a few of my favorite things. I hate cats. But I do have a BUNCH of my very own favorite things and that’s what I’d like to share with you today. Enjoy!

My Favorite Perfume: Asteria by Marina de Bourbon – not only is it in a pretty purple bottle, but I fell in love with the scent the very first day I discovered it. It’s feminine, sexy and sweet all at the same time. 

My Favorite Lip Balm: C.O. Bigelow My Favorite Lip Balm, Bath & Body Works – this one is easy as it’s actually called “My Favorite Lip Balm.” My sister got it for me as part of a Christmas gift last year, and I’ve been in love with it ever since. It makes my lips perfectly smooth and shiny, and has a nice shea butter/almond taste to it. 

My Favorite Workout DVD: Exhale: Core Fusion -Body Sculpt with Fred DeVito and Elisabeth Halfpapp – this DVD will seriously whip your ass into shape in no time. I felt toned, sexy, and confident within the first TWO WEEKS. Amazing, really. I urge everyone to try it at least once. 

My Favorite Hummus: It’s a toss up between Sabra’s Roasted Pine Nut and Trader Joe’s Three Layer (Traditional, Cilantro and Roasted Red Pepper). Can you say yum? 

My Favorite Guilty Pleasures: Peanut Butter & Chocolate or Wine & Cheese. Hands down. No question about it. 

My Favorite Turn On: A funny guy who doesn’t take himself too seriously….and is tall…and dark and handsome (hehe just kidding, kinda). Funny and tall will do (with a nice smile, of course). 

My Favorite Undies: Victoria’s Secret Lacie Thongs in pretty colors 

My Favorite Cuisine: Italian, Mexican & Asian (I’m a sucker for sushi) 

My Favorite Travel Destination: Italy. I studied abroad in Reggio Calabria one summer, and would go back in a heartbeat. I’ve never been so happy than what I was in Italy. The country is beautiful, the people are lovely, and the culture is refreshing. Oh, and the food is to-die-for. 

My Favorite Ice Cream Flavor: Chocolate. Always, chocolate…topped with hot fudge, preferably. 

My Favorite Healthy Snacks: Veggies and hummus, raw almonds, unsalted popcorn, sliced tomatoes with salt & pepper, apple slices & peanut butter, Light Laughing Cow cheese wedges (Garlic & Herb is my fave) with celery, and string cheese. 

My Favorite Wellness Book: “Naturally Thin” by Bethenny Frankel – It’s a great read for anyone who has ever struggled with counting calories, thinking food is the enemy or thinking they are FAT. A must read in my mind. 

My Favorite City: Boston (because I live there) but NYC for visiting. 

My Favorite Board Games: Apples to Apples, Cranium, and my newest favorite Balderdash 

My Favorite Accent: English

My Favorite Workout: A long, sweaty run with phenomenal music on my iPod 

My Favorite Caffeine Fix: Black Coffee with a splash of vanilla soy milk in the a.m. I also can’t say no to a well-made cappuccino, especially from the North End. 

My Favorite Birthday Dinner: Chicken Parmesan with a side of Fettuccine Alfredo – quite the combo, I know. 

My Favorite Holiday: Christmas & The Fourth of July (Because my birthday is July 5th)

My Favorite Nutrition Bar: Toss up between Luna Bars & Lara Bars : ) Get a variety pack of Luna Bars from Amazon.com on sale here now! 

My Favorite Hobbies: People watching & writing away in adorable little cafes 

My Favorite Addictions: Coffee, peanut butter, my blackberry & my pink Mac 

My Favorite Band: The Beatles- Favorite song by them? Toss up between this one & this one, oh & this one ; )  

What are a few of your favorite things? I’d love to hear! 

Happy Friday fellow healthy chicks, and hooray for the glorious weekend ahead! Since it’s Friday and I know you’re all just itching to get out of work and get your hands on a martini, I’ll keep this post short ‘n’ sweet. Today we’re going to play a little game over at Healthy Chicks so that you all can get to know me better, and I too can hopefully get to know YOU better along the way. 

What’s on My…? 

iPod: Newly downloaded songs= Katy Perry’s “Firework” (totally motivating and great for an energy boost, plus she totally rocked it at the VS Fashion Show), One Republic’s “Secrets” (also gets me going in the morning along with my coffee), Paramore’s “The Only Exception” (how can you not love this song?), Sad Brad Smith’s “Help Yourself” (have been obsessed since watching the movie “Up in the Air“), George Harrison’s “What is Life” (an oldie but a goodie).

Refrigerator Shelves: Honestly, I’m embarrassed ’cause there isn’t much right now- definitely time to hit up Trader Joe’s. Currently I have eggs (I heart making egg white omelets), a bunch of veggies (including spinach, cucumber, carrots and zucchini), marinara sauce (leftover from when I made “Spaghetti (squash) & Meatballs”, light string cheese, fresh mozzarella cheese (I’m a sucker for the real thing), apples, an orange and brown rice wraps. 

Workout Sched: This afternoon I’m going for a 2ish mile run with my best friend (she’s running her first 5K in a couple of weeks, yay her!) followed by some Core Fusion Body Sculpt in the apartment. I’m going to try to squeeze in a long run this weekend (5 to 6 miles I hope) as well as some yoga/weights at the gym!

To-Do List: It’s a little scary, but it includes interviewing a salon owner for my PT job, buy Christmas presents for mom, dad, sister, friends, etc., edit recipe book & place orders [will probably order 50 to 100 and sell holiday specials], buy a scarf for a special girl who deserves it, pit-stop to Sephora for some makeup, pit stop at CVS for all the essentials, browse Victoria’s Secret for Christmas goodies, grocery shopping, buy mini things for Florida trip so I won’t have to check my bag (gotta follow the 3.4 oz. rule), and the list goes on and on…

Mind: “I can’t wait for Florida…”, “What’s for lunch?…”, “Wow, that dude next to me has crazy hair…”, “This cappuccino is delish…”, “Seriously, what do you get dads for Christmas?…”

Lips: Vaseline (so good for winter chapped lips) & Bath and Body Works’ “My Favorite Lip Balm” with shea butter and almond oil. (It really is my favorite lip balm-I swear by this stuff)

Cool Bookmarked Pages: Hallmarkcontests.com, OMG Facts, PostSecret, Etsy

Calendar next two weeks: Comedy show, Sunday Funday with my friend Megan, a few meetings, two work holiday parties, Ugly Sweater Party (debating whether to go or not), 4 day road trip to Florida, 5K Jingle Run!

If you have the time, fill in the blanks on some of the above questions…I’d love to learn more about you too!! 

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This morning a side of me I don’t like came out: impatience. Blah. Impatience. It’s both unnecessary and unhealthy. It even sounds unhealthy. I would say in the grand scheme of life I’m a pretty patient girl, but this morning I was far from patient, and I don’t like to be that way. I don’t know if I woke up on the wrong side of the bed or what, but something was up. It may have been the fact that my mother woke me up at 7:30 a.m. and tried to have a conversation with me while I was half asleep (sorry mom, it wasn’t really me). Anyway, my not-so-patient mood increased when I was informed that UPS was indeed not going to redeliver my package I missed on Saturday, and that I had to go pick it up. Grrr, I don’t have a car. They expect me to walk? Why can’t they just bring it to me? (impatience getting the best of me in my head. They are busy too. I’m not entitled for royal treatment). 

Once I realized that I was not going to win this battle and that the package was not going to come to me from the sky, I put on some yoga pants, grabbed my umbrella and hiked about 2 miles to the post office in the rain. Usually when I go on long walks, I’m cheery and happy, but today I was not having it. I nearly knocked over these poor innocent people because they were “walking too slow.” Speed it up. I have places to be! (In reality, I didn’t. Why couldn’t I just slowww it down and take a deep breath? The package will be there in 5 minutes and in 55 minutes…no need to rush Rach). Once I finally got to the post office, there were two women working, and I was next in line but they acted like I wasn’t there. Suddenly, I started getting all jittery, like one of those rude people who look at their watch every minute or roll their eyes in long lines at the grocery store. Helloooo! Aren’t you going to help me? Hurry up already. (Yeesh, who was this bitchy girl speaking in my head? I can wait 2 minutes. It’s not the end of the world). 

Once I finally signed for the package and the debacle was finally over, I headed to the cozy cafe next door for some blogging, time for myself and most importantly: coffee. Once I took the first sip of my large iced coffee with soy, I forget about my hectic morning and everything was OK (I tell ya the power of caffeine). That’s when I realized how silly and crazy I was being all morning. My mom was just calling to say hello. UPS was only doing their job. The post office people were busy. I was being an impatient psycho. 

It got me thinking about how much better the day goes by when you act patiently, when you live patiently. That’s why I’m going to start doing more yoga, taking more deep breaths and simply realizing it’s all going to be OK and my “problems” really aren’t anything but trivial in the grand scheme of things. To think what other people are going through in life (and have gone through in life) and I’m going to complain about a long line? Pathetic. But at the same time, sometimes you can’t stop that impatient bug from getting to you. 

Next time I get this way, I’m going to close my eyes, take a few deep breaths and try to see the bigger picture. I encourage you all to do the same, and maybe a few vinyassa flows and a childs pose or two. Hey, it can’t hurt. 

Do you ever get impatient over trivial things? What do you do to “snap out of it?” 

Today was a pretty random day, hence making for a pretty random blog post. I started my day off amazingly with a nice 3-mile run in the sun with my best friend, followed by an even more amazing breakfast that consisted of an egg white omelet with veggies and feta and two pieces of Ezekiel toast (I guess it was more like brunch since we ate at 11 a.m.) Anyway, I then threw on my cute, new sundress for a meeting at Panera, only to be graced by rain later this afternoon. (Go away Earl!) Now I’m sitting here on my couch half-soaked, hair a mess but still ready to write, write, write. Random, I know. Alas, five random thoughts on my mind this lovely, rainy Friday evening…

1. People Watching : Seriously, I think this is one of my favorite hobbies of all time. This afternoon I went to a cafe, ordered a large iced coffee, then parked myself on a window-side stool facing the busy streets of Boston. I not only got to write and enjoy my deliciously perfect coffee, but I also got to observe hundreds of interesting people walking by. From construction workers who stared at me through the windows and adorable elderly couples to families sprinting to get away from the rain (quite amusing) to little girls dressed in cute Little Mermaid outfits, I got a little glimpse of everything. I always find it interesting to observe other people’s habits, styles and conversations. Call me weird or a stalker, but I’m telling you it’s so much fun, especially when you’re writing and need some extra inspiration!

2. Vodka:I know, I know…I call myself a “Healthy Chick” but even us healthy chicks have to treat ourselves to a good drink once in a while. And this has been quite a long, stressful, hectic week so I think I deserve a drink…or three. Since I don’t drink beer (I’m weird and think it tastes like stale bread), I am planning on making some Vodka seltzers tonight (with maybe a splash of Crystal Light) to enjoy with friends before we head out to face the rain. Earl, you are not stopping us from having fun!

3. Dinner-In: Last week, I went out to dinner with my family nearly every night. Of course each meal was delicious, but my single, budgeting city-gal self couldn’t handle the HUMUNGOUS portions. Of course I cleared my plate most of the nights because hey, I’m going to take advantage of free food while I could. But, this week I’ve never been so happy to cook single portions at home for myself. I’ve had some delicious dinners this week, including fresh salads, vegetable stir-fry, and a yummy Thai-style Lime Rice with tofu (you have to take a peak!) What’s on the plate tonight? Homemade turkey burger topped with sauteed onions, mushrooms and mozzarella cheese. YUM! 

4. Boys: Honestly, is the entire city of Boston taken, married or just plain un-datable? Really, I could use a date or two…While I may have it together with health and fitness, dating may just not be my forte…Guess “it will happen when you’re not looking for it.” (I’ve been hearing that since I was 15.)

5. My Recipe Book: As some of you know, I’m in the process of publishing my very own healthy recipe book, filled with simple, nutritious dishes to make from home. Anyway, I put a lot of thought into it today and am so excited to get this baby going (still have some tweaks to figure out). Be sure to stay tuned for updates on this exciting project of mine!

TGIF!!