Healthy Chicks

As you know by now, I spent years bashing and hating on my body. I’m talking total mean girl. Ironically enough, it was during the times I was most strict on myself, counting calories, exercising twice a day to burn off indulgences, and eating food that tasted like cardboard that I hated my body most.

I would tell myself horrible things when I looked in the mirror like:

I am not good enough.

I will never be thin enough.

My friends are more beautiful than I am.

I need to cut back more in order to lose the weight.

My thighs are fat.

I am a failure for “over-indulging” last night.

If I lose more weight, maybe then I can finally get a boyfriend.

In due time, I began to believe these horrible thoughts. They became a part of who I was. That’s the funny thing about our mind; it’s a powerful, powerful tool and we must be careful what we tell ourselves (especially when it’s hurtful).

Practicing positive affirmations can be an amazing way to turn negative thoughts into loving thoughts as you make the transition over to self-love! And no, they don’t need to be reserved … Read More!

The thoughts we tell ourselves become a part of who we are. Therefore when we say mean, hurtful things to ourselves like “I’m fat,” “My thighs are too big,” “I’ll never look as pretty as she does,” or “I’m not good enough” we start to believe these thoughts. Doesn’t do much for our confidence, now does it?

As women, we constantly beat ourselves up and push ourselves to be better, faster, stronger, prettier, sexier. We are our #1 critic after all. We say things to ourselves that we would never dare say to a best friend!

This weekend, I encourage you to be a little easier on yourself. Look into the areas where you aren’t being so nice to your body, and ask yourself where those beliefs are coming from. Then think about how you want to feel when you look in the mirror and start to embody those feelings.

Do you want to feel beautiful, strong, confident? Start telling yourself I am beautiful, I am strong, I am confident. Watch as your mood lifts as you begin to see you already are all of those things. Self-love at its best, baby!

Fill in the blank. I want to feel________when … Read More!

Many of us live on a schedule, and make choices based on habits. Most of the time, our decisions are based on what’s right or in the norm versus how we’re feeling.

We eat the boring iceberg salad with fat-free dressing because we’re trying to slim down, even though we may really want the juicy, grass-fed burger. We sign up for 5 cardio classes in one work-week to stay in shape, even though we may really need some yoga (or heck, even a nap.) We do what’s right and punish ourselves for being “bad” when we do what we presume to be wrong.

How is this behavior showing up in your life?

This week, I’ve been lacking on the fitness front and old me would have beat myself up about it. New me realizes my body needed rest, nourishment and replenishing. Instead of ignoring my body’s signals by forcing myself to run it off on the treadmill for hours (old me), I now understand the beauty of looking within and taking a break. And this morning’s 7 a.m. Vinyasa flow at Back Bay Yoga with the lovely Cara Gilman totally hit the spot.

After all, our bodies are smart, and … Read More!

If you’re new to my blog, each and every Friday I post a Friday Flashback, taking you on a journey back into my past life. Why? Well, because I’ve been there and can totally relate to body image issues, dieting struggles and all the other things in between.

This week, I want to touch upon how we treat our bodies. During my prime time of diet-obsessed living and calorie counting, I completely disrespected my body.

I filled up on toxic, chemicalized “diet” foods that promised to make me skinny (at least, according to all the magazines and advertisements) and ate or drank my feelings away. I abused myself in the mirror (telling myself I am fat, I am not pretty enough, I am not good enough) and abused myself in the gym by overworking it and forcing myself to exercise (even when I didn’t want to or when my body was saying “No! Enough!”) I listened to what the number on the scale said, instead of what my body was telling me loud and clear.

I remember being so hungry: for real food, for love, for the answers. Unfortunately, I was starving myself by loading up on … Read More!

Good evening ladies! Hope you all had a great day, and are now taking some time to shut down and relax. You deserve it, after all. Be sure to check out my post from earlier today recapping a fun sports bra fitting event I attended last night at New Balance. But tonight I’m here to bring you this week’s feature for Healthy Chicks in the Community, who’s actually a cousin of The Boy, and someone I admire greatly for her dedication to inner happiness and wellness. I’ll let Marybeth take it from here…

NAME/AGE: Marybeth Ferreira… Soon to be 30 🙂

CURRENT CITY: outside of Worcester

WHAT YOU DO FOR WORK: Outpatient Mental Health Clinician, specializing in children and adults with developmental and intellectual disabilities

NUMBER ONE PASSION: Do I have to choose one? 🙂

I FEEL MY HEALTHIEST SELF WHEN I AM: Active, eating well, GETTING ENOUGH SLEEP, and finding balance in all of my roles

BUT I AM ALSO A REAL GIRL & SOMETIMES: I like to bake fresh homemade chocolate chip cookies and sample the batter!… and skip parts of workouts I don’t prefer… on occasion

TOP THREE KITCHEN STAPLES: olive oil, quinoa, and organic chicken … Read More!

Goodmorning lovely ladies and Happy Valentine’s Day! Today I will be celebrating my THIRD Valentine’s Day with The Boy which is quite hard to believe. In fact, last night while laying in bed together, I reminded him of our very first Valentine’s Day together. The day started off lovely, as he surprised me with my first ever roses, cards, gifts and all the mushy gushy things V Day is set out to be.

Then at night, things took a turn. We were laying in bed (same sides of the bed as we do now!) in his 16th-floor apartment in Revere overlooking the ocean and I was definitely starting to feel loving feelings. Mind you, this was only about 3 months into our relationship. He then threw a little curve ball, and somehow mentioned his fear of commitment and how it takes him a while to express himself. I was completely taken aback but held in my frustration (or so I thought I did) because I knew he was worth fighting for…taking a chance on. It’s crazy to see how far we’ve come since then!

This year, whether you are single or coupled off, the best advice I can give you … Read More!