Thanksgiving

Start with Gratitude this Holiday Season

Leave a Comment / Lifestyle /

The holiday season is full of joy, peppermint mochas and first snowfalls, but it may also bring up anxiety and difficult feelings for some.

One of my favorite “tricks” to stay in a positive mindset is practicing gratitude. And no, it’s not just reserved for Thanksgiving time.

Personally, I keep a gratitude journal, writing down a few things I’m grateful for each morning. It sounds super simple but this practice has been monumental in my life, and consistently keeps me in check when I’m feeling low or “not enough.”

Want to give it a try yourself? Here are some other ways to incorporate gratitude this holiday season:

  • Grab an old mason jar, and create a gratitude jar by dropping in a post-it note each night. Feel free to get the family involved too!
  • Before diving into the feast, go around the table at Thanksgiving to share what you’re grateful for
  • Start your day with positive affirmations
  • Tell a friend or coworker how much you appreciate them, and why
  • Pay it forward

Want more? I’m co-teaching a Gratitude Workshop at The Barre CT on 11/30. Enjoy a yoga flow followed by a guided meditation and affirmation workshop with me!

Wishing … Read More!

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6 Healthy Ways to Ditch The Food Fear & Navigate Eating at Holiday Parties Like a Champ

Leave a Comment / Food & Recipes, Health & Wellness /

It’s the most wonderful time of the year! However, unfortunately holiday parties can bring on quite a bit of anxiety…especially around food. It’s common to feel anxious, guilty or even fearful over what you’re going to eat at your next social gathering. Sound familiar? No worries! Here are 6 healthy ways to navigate eating at holiday parties like a champ (without giving up apple pie).

1. Bring a Homemade Dish

Consider bringing a homemade dish to your next holiday gathering! Rather than focusing on the calories or fat content, focus on the beautiful, nourishing ingredients that go into your meal. Follow Mother Nature’s lead by cooking with seasonal produce like winter squash, apples, pears, sweet potatoes, beets, and of course — an extra dose of love!

2. Slow Down

The holidays only come once a year, and so does grandma’s famous mashed potatoes. Why race through them? Instead, take a deep breath before your meal, slow down and enjoy yourself. Relish in the flavors, the smell and the texture, and thoroughly soak in every last bite.

3. Celebrate the Experience

If eating at holiday parties brings you a lot of anxiety (trust me, I’ve been there), try shifting the focus … Read More!

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I am grateful for…

1 Comment / Health & Wellness, Lifestyle /

With Thanksgiving Day coming tomorrow, I’ve been thinking a lot about gratitude lately. I’m a firm believer that expressing your gratitude & feeling thankful is the #1 key to a happy, love-filled life. Next time you’re feeling down or particularly un-grateful (like “HOW COULD THIS EVER HAPPEN TO ME???!), I encourage you to get cozy & jot down everything you are grateful for right now.

Here’s my list:

  1. My family
  2. Having a sister
  3. My lovely fiancé Jason (even though the word still sounds kinda silly to me)
  4. My writing
  5. My blog
  6. Love
  7. My cozy apartment
  8. Cuddling
  9. Hot tea
  10. Heat
  11. My college girls
  12. My best friends
  13. Child’s Pose
  14. Fresh-brewed coffee
  15. My job
  16. Good food
  17. Our New Hampshire condo
  18. sweetgreen salads
  19. Fuzzy socks
  20. Fuzzy blankets (especially “Pinky”)
  21. My in-the-works e-book
  22. My health coaching
  23. Making people smile
  24. Helping people see themselves in a more beautiful light
  25. Helping people ween off dieting, deprivation & self-hatred
  26. Real food
  27. My future wedding – 10/24/14
  28. Mom’s chicken noodle soup
  29. Mom’s chicken divan
  30. Dad’s Thanksgiving Day turkey
  31. Thanksgiving
  32. Grandma’s homemade…everything!
  33. Running
  34. Yoga
  35. Meditation
  36. Essential oils
  37. Savasana
  38. Vision Boards
  39. #BostonStrong
  40. My mac
  41. My dog Sunny (who we had to put down last year but who was my “brother” growing
… Read More!

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Have a Non-Guilty Post-Thanksgiving Day

7 Comments / Health & Wellness /

[my sister and I dressed up as Santa’s elves for the Turkey trot]

Welp, Happy Day-After-Thanksgiving everyone! Hope you all had a wonderful day with your family and friends, and stuffed yourself as much as I did. I have to say the one thing I love most about Thanksgiving (other than being surrounded with my family for the entire day) is enjoying food I only get to eat once a year. Some of my favorites include my aunt Terry’s broccoli casserole (so cheesy & savory), my dad’s turkey (always perfectly moist & flavorful) and the assortment of desserts (think: massive chocolate chip cookies, carrot cake with cream cheese frosting, and pumpkin pie galore). Food as good as this only comes by once a year, so you bet your healthy butt I am going to indulge, and indulge I did. 

So don’t you dare feel guilty about eating a pound of mashed potatoes, three servings of grandma’s stuffing and one too many pieces of apple pie. Don’t feel ashamed if you had to unzip your jeans before dinner was over (I wore leggings to avoid that) or change into sweatpants while guests were still over (totally did that). It’s Thanksgiving and … Read More!

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Hump Day Lesson of the Day

2 Comments / Uncategorized /

Ladies, I am serious with this one so listen up. Last week, my roommate had to make a turkey for a work party, but she had the slightest idea how, so she asked roommate #2 to do all the work for her. Well all the sudden 2 a.m. rolls around (the time the turkey was supposed to be taken out of the oven) and I hear a bunch of Shit, Fu*k, Shit!s coming from the kitchen. I figured the turkey fell or got a little burnt, but then it happened. The fire alarm started going off and this heinous horn like sound followed shortly after. Indeed, we had set off the entire building’s alarm. I opened my door and couldn’t even see because our apartment was so smoky. Apparently, the grease had overflowed the pan getting into the oven, starting a mini fire and then smoking up our pint-sized apartment. 

Soon enough, the fire trucks were on their way. The best part? Five macho firemen come busting through our apartment doors expecting to save the day and come to the rescue…axes and gear in hand. Little did they know there was no fire at all, just a bunch of confused, … Read More!

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I am Thankful For…

5 Comments / Health & Wellness /

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Lately, I’ve seen a lot of people on Facebook doing an “I am thankful” countdown of sorts. I’ve been amazed and touched by how creative and inspiring people are getting with these things. Therefore, I’ve decided to dedicate a post for myself on things I am thankful for in my life. I thought it was only fitting that Thanksgiving is just two days away, and it’s been one of the only things on my mind for the past month. I guess you could say I am in the Thanksgiving mode, and have decided to treat my neighbor for lunch today because of it. He’s one of the millions of things (er, people) I am thankful for and I think it’s nice to give back sometimes and give a little “thank you” of my own. So here goes…

I am thankful for…

1. My wonderful friends who live all over the place (as far as Virginia) and the fact that whenever I see them it’s like old times again…like time hasn’t even passed.

2. My goofy, caring, and sometimes crazy family for loving me for me, and being there for support no matter what. 

3. Peanut butter, and … Read More!

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Thanksgiving is Just Around the Corner…

6 Comments / Health & Wellness /

[source]

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, … Read More!

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