Health & Wellness

I’ve Got Sunshine: 5 Ways to Break Out of That Rut & Add More Sunshine Into Your Life

9 Comments / Health & Wellness, Lifestyle /

Do you ever feel like you’re lacking that glow? In a funk? Tired of the plain old mundane routine? Need some extra spark? Want to shake things up? Like you’re living in a giant cloud, and it seems like you’ve been waiting for the weather to clear for too darn long?

Well, do not fear my lovely lady. I’m here to tell you that first of all, you are 100% utterly & completely normal. In fact you are more than normal. I’ve been there, and I can guarantee any girl you talk to has been there too. And secondly, this little rut you’re going through is reversible; you can transform your life (more importantly your mindset) after all! Perhaps you don’t need anything spectacular, shiny or crazy expensive. Perhaps all you need is a little extra sunshine. Start now with these 5 simple tips and you’ll be feeling rejuvenated, hot and maybe even a little sun-kissed in no time!

1. Take a Special Someone Out On a Date (and Treat Them): I know, I know, you’re the one that’s in a funk, so shouldn’t you be the one who’s getting treated like a Princess? While it’s always nice to get … Read More!

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Friday Flashbacks: Creating a Food/Mood Journal & the universe knows

74 Comments / Health & Wellness, Lifestyle /

It’s no lie I love writing. I love sharing my thoughts with the world, note-taking, blogging and quite possibly my favorite form: journaling. Unfortunately, the only type of journaling I did in college (i.e. my years of dieting) was counting calories in Calculus class while pretending to take notes. Not very comforting or journal-esque if I do say so myself. Food consumed my thoughts, actions and overall social life and, well, I let it.

All I could think about was my next meal, the calories in my lunch, where we were going to go out to eat, what I would order at dinner, or what would happen if I “cheated” and fell off the “band-waggon.” My thoughts were filled with guilt, shame and defeat and I had no one to share these thoughts with (or so I thought) and therefore I filled the void with dieting and self hate…my form of control.

After I quit dieting once and for all, I threw away the rusty scale, my calorie-counting notebook and any negative restrictive thoughts I had about myself. I decided it was finally time to wake up and live! For Real. Because what I was doing…was not living. It … Read More!

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“The Bowl Of Goodness” {Warm Vegan Quinoa Bowl with Greens & Creamy Ginger Garlic Sauce}

8 Comments / Food & Recipes, Health & Wellness /

It’s no surprise that The Boy and I like to make our own creations in our tiny box kitchen! We’re always playing with different greens, oils, herbs, meat, seasonal produce and garlic (lots and lots of garlic) to tantalize our taste buds.

Then we have our classic dishes, our staples if you will. The Boy’s include soup (particularly his heart-warming Potato Corn Chowder), Breakfast Frittatas and his famous meatloaf (which he literally won’t stop talking about…he keeps telling all my friends and family to “Ask Rach about my meatloaf!”)

Classic Rachel dishes include Almond-Crusted Coconut Chicken with Sweet Potato Fries/Mashed Sweet Potatoes, fancy salads, and an apartment favorite: Warm Quinoa & Veggie Bowls which The Boy just dubbed “The Bowl of Goodness.”

The original inspiration came from our favorite local organic cafe Live Alive, as we are absolutely addicted to their warm grain bowls. That’s when I decided to get my experimenting — and my apron — on!

I never make one bowl exactly the same, but all are vegan and free from gluten and dairy ingredients. Sometimes I add in raisins or curry powder, while other times I load up on the garlic and create a more … Read More!

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Spring Cleaning for Your Mind, Body & Soul {An Interactive Wellness Workshop}

4 Comments / Health & Wellness /

Ladies! Hope you are having a lovely, bright & beautiful week. It definitely doesn’t hurt that the sunshine is finally out, at least here in Boston. On that note, I am finally starting to feel a bit like myself again…every day is a new day for healing!

Anyway, I wanted to fill in all my Boston loves on a super sweet wellness workshop I’m hosting next week at The Breathing Room Yoga Studio in Cambridge, MA. We’ll chat anything and everything SPRING CLEANING, going much deeper than simply cleaning out the closet.

Far too many women are talking about the next diet to go on for spring break or how to lose weight fast, and I’m here to tell you that you don’t need to go on a diet. You just need a shift in perspective! And as a special treat to my beautiful readers, I’d like to honor 50% off your ticket. Just use promo code HealthyChicks50.

Here’s the deets:

WHO: YOU! All you lovely ladies are invited for an interactive ladies’ night out (I mean, Wellness Workshop!)

WHAT: “Detox & Declutter Your Mind & Body This Spring (Without Dieting)”

Tickets include:

  • A 60-minute interactive wellness discussion (covering
… Read More!

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I’ve Got an Announcement: My Big Hairy Audacious One-Year Goal

11 Comments / Health & Wellness, Lifestyle /

If you know me or have been reading my blog for a while, it’s plain to see I’m big on goals. I love creating goals for myself (both big and small), holding others accountable for their goals via health coaching, and am a sucker for vision boards (even as a teenager apparently). I’m a “Goal Junkie” if you will.

And this past year, I’ve come a long way with many of these goals. I’ve landed a part-time job of my dreams with sweetgreen (and have been loving every minute of it), I launched my innovative health coaching programs (including my Healthy Supermarket Tours), I greatly expanded my freelance writing, and I made big strides in my relationship and even moved in with The Boy (my very first living-with-a-man experience).

But, while I’m a pretty avid goal-setter, sometimes I get ahead of myself by creating too many goals at the same time, turning my dreams & visions from inspirations to one, big overwhelming mess.

That’s why when I was invited to lululemon athletica Prudential Center’s “B.H.A.G. Yourself to Greatness” event yesterday evening, I gladly accepted in a hot second. What’s a B.H.A.G. you ask? Why it’s … Read More!

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Gratitude & Love: A Personal Reflection on Yesterday’s Events

13 Comments / Health & Wellness, Lifestyle /

This was the one photo I snapped during yesterday’s Boston Marathon.

It’s one of my favorite days in the city, a day that makes me proud to be a Bostonian, a day that makes me contemplate to run a Marathon one day myself. And for the past 4 years, I have gathered with friends and loved ones to watch at my go-to spot: the Finish Line. This year was extra-special as one of my friends was running her very first 26.2.

The Finish Line is a place you see strength, love, dedication, power, and victory. A place where families and loved ones come together to celebrate. A place where runners have their moment. A place where I always find myself tearing up seeing the faces of pure accomplishment.

Unfortunately, yesterday’s tears were tears of sadness, not joy; hugs of fear not celebration. As you can see in the above photo, I was right at mile 26 when the first bomb went off. Like most, I was startled at first but thought it may be a cannon or a celebratory gun shot. When the second bomb went off less than a block from where I was standing, I knew I … Read More!

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Make This: BBQ Chicken Sausage Pizza with Cauliflower “Crust” {Gluten & Dairy Free}

2 Comments / Food & Recipes, Health & Wellness /

The Boy & I have been trying to severely cut back and/or eliminate both gluten and dairy from our diets. While gluten is something I’ve learned to eliminate over the years (due to personal digestion issues and bloating), I occasionally indulge in a tasty snack or fresh-baked slice of bread made with real ingredients. I know my limits, and I’ve pretty much learned to live without it. I guess I’m lucky because I’ve never really had a sweet tooth so fresh bread is really my only temptation.

However, dairy is a completely different beast. You see, I love cheese. Nothing beats a slice of fresh mozzarella, hard cheese paired with fruit, or local feta from the farmer’s market. That being said, this past year I’ve also come to the conclusion that my love for cheese may have some sort of connection  to my skin issues. So I’ve been trying to cut back as much as I can to experiment. Again, this is just my own personal experiment and I’m not saying everyone should give up dairy for clear skin. After all, we are all different and what works for one may not work for another (see: bio-individuality).

I’m … Read More!

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“Get Happy & Healthy” Wellness Challenge Day 1: On Being Mindful

9 Comments / Health & Wellness, Lifestyle /

Good afternoon, ladies! Today I wanted to touch base on a topic that’s often not discussed in the health & wellness community: mindfulness. For those of you who are participating in my 7-Day “Get Happy & Healthy” Wellness Challenge, you should have already seen in your inbox that today’s challenge has to do with eating mindfully.

What the heck does mindfulness have to do with healthy living, you ask? Well it’s a whole lot more than one may think! It’s also a topic that I hold very close to my heart, as it’s one of the major steps that helped me get over diet-obsessed living once and for all.

You see, in college I ate (and lived, for that matter) completely mindlessly. I scarfed down food as quickly as I could so I wouldn’t have to deal with the guilt, and I rushed through all my meals like it was one big race. I was an emotional eater and an impulse eater at that, eating what would make me “feel better” (or so I thought) and then dealing with the guilt of the aftermath.

This then lead to extreme restriction, dieting and poor body image which, if you … Read More!

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TGIF: I’ve Got Some Inspiring Reads for You!

2 Comments / Health & Wellness, Lifestyle /

Good evening, ladies! I’m off for a weekend getaway at our family’s condo in N.H (a.k.a our vacation home), a time for relaxing, kicking back and living the laid back mountain life. Gotta love escaping the city every now and then! While I’ll likely be unplugging for most of the weekend, I wanted to share some of my latest freelance writing pieces with you all. Hopefully you’ll find a little inspiration!

Happy reading!

“Eating with the Seasons: 6 Foods to Nourish Your Body This Spring,” SpaFinder

“Spring Cleaning Dos & Don’ts: De-Cluttering Your Home, Kitchen, Body & Mind for the New Season,” Spa Finder

“Your Best Breakfast: 7 Steps to a More Mindful Breakfast,” SpaFinder

“Paleo Power: 5 Tips for Healthy Eating From ‘It Starts With Food‘,” SpaFinder

“Overcoming the Scale Obsession; Listening to Your Body,” Share It Fitness

“Let’s Get Real (About Our Food),” Share It Fitness

“Are You Being Honest with Yourself?,” Boston Fitness Magazine

“8 Healthy Spring Snacks + Superfoods for Active People,” Eastern Mountain Sports

XoXo,

… Read More!

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Happy April: 8 Things to Smile About Right Now

21 Comments / Health & Wellness /

Happy April friends! Hope you’re all off on a great start to your month. On the first of the month, I always head straight over to Susan Miller Astrology, as her monthly horoscope forecasts are always spot on for me. I’m telling you…it’s wild!

I know it’s April Fool’s Day and all, but I’ve got nothin’ but love for you over here on Healthy Chicks today. If you’re suffering from those painful Monday Blues (or are still recovering from a prank-gone-wrong) I’ve got 8 things that should bring a smile to your face!

1. It’s officially flip-flop season: I live in these little gems, and have all colors from black to pink to flower-patterned. Any temp over 50 degrees is flip-flop worthy to me. I wear them to yoga, around the house, grocery shopping and even on lunch breaks. Seriously jeans (or yoga pants), a tee and some cute flops are my spring “thing.”

2. Iced Coffee: I’ve cut waayyyyy back on the caffeine, but nothing beats an iced coffee with a dash of almond or coconut milk. I shall enjoy these on days I want a cool little treat and absolutely can’t wait. While The Boy is … Read More!

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