Hump Day Lesson of the Day: Keep Breathing

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Good morning ladies! Congrats; it’s Wednesday and you are half way through the week. Lately, I’ve been trying to remind myself of the importance in  breathing. Whether that’s taking a deep breath to put yourself back into place when your mind takes over, practicing yoga for peace of mind, or controlling your breathing during a long, sweaty run, it’s no lie that breathing is important in our day to day life. It keeps us sane. It keeps us in tact. Heck, it keeps us alive.

My favorite artist of the month – Ingird Michaelson – says it perfectly. And how could you not feel a little more relaxed after listening to that voice?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fORAPkfVV_A

Go ahead, take a long deep breath right now. Ahhh…now doesn’t that feel better? And if Ingrid doesn’t help, there is nothing so relaxing to me than lavender. Take a peak at this Lavender Blossom Bath & Body Oil from Naturopathica, blended with Lavandin to soothe the mind, body and spirit. Talk about an at-home Aromatherapy sesh.


Happy Breathing,

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Tuesday Talk: Acceptance

7 Comments / Health & Wellness /

Good afternoon chickies! Hope you’re all having an amazing day. Believe it or not, I slept in until 10:30 a.m. today. Normally I’d beat myself up over sleeping in as I have a lot to get done today, but instead I chose to accept it. I accepted it as my body’s way of telling me it needed sleep, as it most definitely did.

Acceptance is a tricky thing for many of us. We try so hard to reach perfection, when sometimes we just need to accept and embrace the “what is”, the now. Of course it’s important to have goals and want the best for yourself, and I 100% urge you to continue striving for those goals. But it’s when we get too hard on ourselves that we need to take a step back and accept things for what they are.

The other day, I got to thinking about how much I’ve changed in the past year, in a positive way that is. I guess I grew up…a little bit. But the number one change I see in myself is that I’ve gotten better at accepting things for what they are, and embracing my imperfections.

I’ve accepted the fact … Read More!

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Quotable Sunday: On Surrounding Yourself with Good People

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Well, the day has arrived. It’s finally time for my parents to meet The Boy’s parents in a little less than an hour now. I’m excited to spend the day surrounded by family, shrimp cocktail, BBQing and boat rides. Life doesn’t get much better than that, and I couldn’t have asked for a more beautiful day.

Anyway, this morning I got to thinking how lucky I am to have so many wonderful people in my life. After all, I truly believe that the people we spend our time with greatly affect who we are, and how we carry ourselves through this crazy little thing called life. It’s like we take a little piece of every person we build a relationship with, making us a better person in the end. That’s why I choose to surround myself with amazing people, amazing people who are going to make me a better person.

I think Oprah sums it up perfectly:

Enjoy your Sunday ladies!

XoXo,

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Meet the Parents and Friday Favorites

3 Comments / Health & Wellness, Lifestyle /

Good afternoon ladies, and happy Friday to you all. Currently, I’m on a bus heading back to my teeny-tiny hometown, fully equipped with one stop light and a Dunkin’ Donuts, in CT. Yes really, it’s that small. Quite the transition from Boston if I do say so myself. I’m excited for a weekend of shopping with my sister, relaxing, catching up with old friends, going to a graduation party and MEETING THE PARENTS (dun dun dun). Or shall I say, my parents are meeting The Boy’s parents for the first time this Sunday! So I guess it’s more like Meet the Fockers really, except for that none of our father’s really fill the De Niro role.  I’m praying it all works out well, although I’m sure I’ll have some funny stories. Wish me luck!

Anyway, it’s Friday and that means it’s time for my weekly Friday Favorites. Here’s what made the cut this week:

1. Copley Farmer’s Market: As you know, I am obsessed with attending farmer’s markets of all kinds. If it were up to me, I’d do all of my shopping at the market, though that would require a much large paycheck. So instead I go to browse, … Read More!

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Healthy Spring Recipe: Veggie Quinoa with Asparagus and Garlic Basil Goat Cheese

8 Comments / Food & Recipes /

[it’s even more delicious than it looks]

Quiona, quinoa, quinoa. Oh how I love cooking with this delicious protein-packed grain like substance. With the versatility of rice with a rich, nutty flavor, quinoa makes for the perfect base to any dish. You can pair it with chicken, dress up a salad, or substitute it for rice in your favorite stir-fry.

Or you could make this Veggie Quinoa with Asparagus and Garlic & Basil Goat Cheese, as I did the other night. When I came across a garlic & basil goat cheese from Crystal Brook Farm at the Copley Square Farmer’s Market the other day, I knew just what I wanted to do with it. My dinner for the night was envisioned in seconds.

What Ya Need

*Serves About 4

-1 c. quinoa, prepared with 2 c. water

-1 small yellow onion, diced

-1 c. spinach, chopped

-1/2 c. portobello mushrooms, chopped

-handful fresh or frozen asparagus, chopped

-1 tsp. basil

-1 tsp. of your favorite seasoning blend (I chose onion, garlic & herb)

-1 to 2 cloves garlic, crushed

-goat cheese (I bought a garlic & basil blend from the Farmer’s Market)

-handful of walnuts, crushed (optional)

-salt … Read More!

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Yoga and Your Health: Stress Reduction, Sexuality and Other Hidden Benefits

4 Comments / Health & Wellness /

[source]

The other day, I came across this article “77 Surprising Health Benefits of Yoga” on NursingDegree.net. The author split the benefits up into seven categories: health benefits within, health benefits without, emotional health benefits, body chemistry, exercise health benefits, disease prevention and symptom reduction or alleviation. I was shocked at how many different ways yoga could improve your health. Sure, I knew it was good for you, but seventy-seven health benefits? That’s pretty darn incredible.

Coincidentally, lately I’ve been working on adding yoga back into my life, my intentions being mostly for the emotional benefits. As listed in the article, these include mood improvement, calmness, mind-body connection, stress reduction, and even self-acceptance among others. And during last night’s Vinyassa yoga class, it did just that for me. I left the studio feeling at ease, happy with myself, and extremely carefree. It felt amazing.

While the emotional aspect has been the main goal to take out of my personal yoga practice, after reading this article, I’m excited to explore and learn from all of the other benefits. Did you know yoga can help improve your metabolism, improve your posture or even improve your sexuality… Read More!

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Happy June 21: A Week of Bouncing Back and Doing ME

6 Comments / Health & Wellness, Lifestyle /

summer on a plate – fresh blueberries, sliced banana, & agave syrup topped waffles

Happy June 21st all, you know the first day of summer – the absolute best season in the world! Not only is it the season of loving, but it’s also the season of fireworks, my birthday (24 in two weeks – eek!), BBQs, the ocean, pretty flowers in your hair, clam bakes and lobster fests, blueberry pickin’, frozen yogurt and freshly squeezed margaritas (on the rocks).

With that unfortunately comes the season of mosquito bites, bad hair days, pit stains and even worse – smelling other people’s sweat while squished in between a random dude’s crotch on the train. Not fun.

However, I choose to think of the delightful things summer has to offer! I guess that’s just the kind of person I am. I always try to see the good in things, and tend to push aside the not-so-good. Call me annoying or “too happy,” but that’s how I am and have always been.

On that note, the other day I had a not-so-pleasant experience I thought it was time to share with you all: I had my first ever anxiety attack out of no … Read More!

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Monday Motivation: A Healthy Grocery Shopping Challenge

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[source]

Good morning; hope you all had a lovely weekend and that the Monday Blues aren’t hitting you too hard. If you need to get out of your funk I suggest you take a look at this post and this song to cheer you up a tad. Ahh, better, huh?

Anyway, yesterday while perusing the grocery aisles at Trader Joe’s, I got to thinking about the different food going into my cart, which would ultimately go into my body. More so, I started thinking about the importance of reading the INGREDIENTS, rather than just the label on the package. My number one food philosophy is that what you put into your body is what you will see, more so that real, whole, fresh ingredients is the key to finding your “happy weight.”

But my philosophy wasn’t always that way. You see, when I was in college, my number one goal was to lose weight and look good. It consumed my life, and I had the most terrible body image. I wanted to lose weight for all for all the wrong reasons (frat guys, to look “skinny”), and went about it entirely the wrong way. I counted calories like … Read More!

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Quotable Sunday: A Shout Out to Dad

5 Comments / Lifestyle /

Happy Father’s day to all you dad’s out there! Not that any dad’s beside my own read this blog, but you know what I mean. ‘Tis the day to celebrate everything our father’s do for us, and in my case that’s an awful lot.

So dad, here is a post dedicated just for you; yup, the #1 guy in my life who has been there from day one when I was a little puny 5-pound babe who you claimed look like E.T. (Ha, thanks dad.)

But in all seriousness, here are a few things I am particularly thankful for this Father’s Day:

1. That you attempted to make me a nasty basketball player when I was a little girl, despite the fact that I had zero patience when you tried to correct my “follow through,” and still loved me even though I (kinda) sucked.

2. That you put up with a family composed of all women. You should really get a gold medal for that.

3. That you motivated me to fall in love with running, and supported me through training for my first half marathon, even though I cried during the first 5K we ran together. You taught … Read More!

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Holy Jam Packed Weekend and Friday Faves

2 Comments / Lifestyle /

TGIF! I want to jump up and down and do cartwheels I’m so excited (though I don’t know how to do cartwheels). ‘Tis finally the start of my weekend, and I have lots planned. For starters, I’m going to watch The Boy’s softball game tonight. Last week they lost 26 to 4 but I’m hoping I’ll pull the goodluck charm thing on them and bring in their first win! I’ll at least bring out my best cheerleading skills. Then it’s ladies’ night by the waterfront, followed by a day of shopping and yapping away at my “Healthy Chicks” booth at Shop & Talk tomorrow.

My weekend comes to an end with going out to dinner with The Boy’s family, followed by watching his step sister swim at Harvard for the Special Olympics. Talk about a packed weekend…I hope I can fit everything in. I most definitely know I’ll need a few doses of caffeine aka extra large iced-coffees to keep me “on” all weekend.

Alright, enough about my weekend. It’s Friday and that means it’s time for my weekly Friday Faves. Here’s what’s got me giddy this week:

1. Arts ‘n’ Crafts: I was never really a fan of arts … Read More!

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