Health & Wellness Archives - Page 38 of 45

Great News on the Healthy Chicks Front: The Books Have Arrived!

1 Comment / Health & Wellness / Rachel @Healthy Chicks

Happy Christmas Eve all! Besides the fact that this Christmas season has already brought me much joy (a boy I’m dating whom I kinda sorta really like, wonderful family reunions, SNOW, sisterly chats, more SNOW, and tasty eats, it’s also brought me a very special package that arrived just in time. What is this mystery package, you ask? Why, it was a big, big cardboard box filled with 25 of my very own “Healthy Chicks in the Kitchen” recipe books.

For those of you who don’t know, I’ve been working on these recipe books for some time now – from writing the intro and table of contents to coming up with fun titles and descriptions of each recipe. Oh, and I’ve also been busy cooking…gotta test ’em out, right?

Anyway, they finally came in the mail late Wednesday night, and after my mom and I ripped open the package, stared at the front cover, and flipped through the book (multiple times), I think it was safe to say I was oozing with happiness. I couldn’t – and still can’t – believe that I designed these babies all by myself, I came up with every single recipe in the book (all … Read More!

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Personal Records are the Best Kind of Records

2 Comments / Health & Wellness / Rachel @Healthy Chicks

[Morgan & I pre-race]

Confession: I take my personal records very seriously (in all parts of life), so much that I nearly knocked down ten Santa Clauses and a few men in Speedos to beat mine at yesterday’s Jingle Bell 5K Run. I had my arms flailing, my legs moving faster than ever and I think I even boxed out a few Santas (oops). According to the timer on my iPod, I beat my PR of a previous 27:11 with a record-breaking 27:05. However, according to the online race results, I got 27:15, but I’m going to trust my iPod and celebrate anyway. If I had a clear pathway at the end (sans reindeer, Santas and fat men in Speedos), I totally could have broke 27 minutes. That’s all I’m sayin’. I was on a roll, baby!

But whether my time was 27:05 or 27:15, I am more than proud of myself. I am also ecstatic for my best friend who completed her first ever 5K! She hasn’t ran 3 miles straight in ages, yet finished the entire race like a champ just a little over 30 minutes. (Good job Morgs!) You see, her goal was simply to finish

Friday Recap: 4 Things I Learned This Week

Leave a Comment / Health & Wellness / Rachel @Healthy Chicks

[source]

TGIF fellow Healthy Chicks! You’ve finally made it to Friday, and can officially enjoy the week being over. However, instead of celebrating the weekend, I’m going to do a little recap on this week as I’ve learned a lot these past few days…

# 1. Fake Christmas Trees Just Don’t Cut it (And Never Will): The other day I witnessed my first real Christmas tree of the season. I walked into my friend’s apartment and the second I stepped foot inside I could just smell it, fresh pine needles mixed with Christmas that is. I immediately felt warm and happy inside. You see, since we live in a teeny tiny apartment, we decided to settle with decorating our fake palm tree with ornaments and a little tinsel. While it looks pretty, it’s simply not the same. I will never understand fake Christmas trees, and you can ensure I will never have one once I can afford my own place. I already have a whole box of ornaments stored away for when I finally have my first tree (my mom gives my sister and I a few each year for Christmas)!

#2 A Restaurant Serving of Pad

7 Healthy Ways to Get into the Holiday Spirit (& Burn Some Cals)

2 Comments / Health & Wellness, Lifestyle / Rachel @Healthy Chicks

The other day, I went to the Prudential Center to tackle some Christmas shopping. When I came out with nothing but some makeup for myself and a couple trinkets for my family, I was a little bummed. Of course, I was happy with my new Sephora goodies, but for all the efforts I went through in the mall, you’d think I’d at least get to cross off half of my Christmas list. Yes, I said efforts…my trip to the mall was more of a workout than a shopping spree. From dodging moms with strollers to running around like a mad woman (I was sweating after just 20 minutes of shopping), my annual Christmas shopping felt like 60 minutes on the treadmill. “Welp, guess I don’t have to work out today,” I said joking to a friend. But really, maybe I was right. With a little research and a little help from Health Discovery’s calorie calculator, I learned that many of our holiday activities are actually burning lotsa calories. So what I’m sayin’ is if you’ve been slaving away in the kitchen all day baking double-fudge brownies, skip that cardio and do a little butt toning instead ; ).

The Secret (To Getting What You Want in Life)

14 Comments / Health & Wellness / Rachel @Healthy Chicks

So a few years ago, I was roaming through some old books in my grandma’s church “Rummage Sale” and came across a book that caught my attention: The Secret. “The Secret. The Secret to what?” I thought to myself as I read the inside cover. The book quickly intrigued me, so I bought it. Heck, I’ll buy anything at a bargained price, but there was something about this book that got me.

I must say, to this day, I’ve never read a book quite like The Secret. To sum it up, it basically tells you that you can have anything you want in life (yes, anything) as long as you believe it’s yours…and I mean,really believe it. That’s the “secret” after all to changing every aspect in your life to lead to ultimate happiness.

At first, I thought the book was kind of a whole bunch of bologna. HA. I can just want something so bad and I’ll have it? Yeah right. If that’s the case I’d be in a relationship with a bangin’ body and a phenomenal job. [negative, doubtful talk]

But when I let myself open up to the idea that this philosophy may actually work,

Spice Up Your Kitchen (& Your Taste buds)

2 Comments / Health & Wellness / Rachel @Healthy Chicks

Yesterday, my roommate came home from a long day at work, and asked me to the usual question, “What should I have for dinner?” As I listed off a bunch of foods, she continued to say she either didn’t have the ingredients or was simply sick of that concoction. After all, she always sticks with the same exact thing: sweet potato with salad, pasta with toast or a turkey burger. After a long day of work, it’s hard to get creative in the kitchen; I hear you. I too sometimes find myself getting into the routine of eating the same exact thing every day…simply because it works. Eggs or oatmeal for breakfast, big salad for lunch, chicken and veggies for dinner. While it’s easy to get caught up in a comfortable routine in the kitchen, it’s way more fun to spice it up. And with the right tips, you can spice up your fridge and pantry pain-free!

Try At Least One New Item Every Week: The other day, I bought spaghetti squash (something I never buy) to make “Spaghetti & Meatballs.” It was so refreshing to enjoy an out-of-the-norm, nutritious meal for a change, and it came out absolutely delicious. … Read More!

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Beat that Negativity With Happy Thoughts

3 Comments / Health & Wellness / Rachel @Healthy Chicks

[my dog Sunny…how can he NOT make you smile?]

I woke up this morning feeling gooooooood. You know, just one of those mornings you wake up on the right side of the bed, and you just know it’s going to be a good day. Naturally, I hopped out of bed and made my favorite breakfast (an egg white veggie omelet with feta cheese, side of toast and coffee…lots of coffee). Then I headed to my ~~office~~ (ahem, room) for some tweeting, blogging and article writing. It was only fitting to blast some Christmas tunes as well to go with my joyous mood.

Then my mood was quickly taken down…about ten notches. For some reason, everyone I’ve talked to so far today were being Negative Nacys to the max. Complaining, being grouchy, being bitter, being mean. At first, I let it get to me and began to feel bad/guilty/sad/frustrated too then I realized I am my own person and am not going to let other people’s moods effect my own. So today I am dedicating this post to “happy” things to hopefully help brush off all that negativity, and make you smile. Life is far too short not to…

Things … Read More!

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Tame Holiday Stress the Healthy Way

2 Comments / Health & Wellness / Rachel @Healthy Chicks

[don’t be a Grinch!]

As I’m sitting here in my cozy apartment with a “Warm Baked Apple” candle lit listening to Christmas tunes, I couldn’t agree more with Andy Williams when he said, “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year.” I’m absolutely obsessed with the season, and kind of turn into an overly happy, overly energized, overly joyous Santa’s elf around this time. I’m one of those girls who wants to listen to Christmas music 24/7, decorate the apartment with snowflakes and pretty tinsel, and glitter-ize everything!

So I guess I don’t understand that when I go to the mall I see so many grinches out there. Mothers screaming at their children, people fighting with sales clerks and billions of people walking around with the most scary looks on their faces. What gives? It’s the holiday season, after all! SMILE! But I get it…I really do. While the holiday season brings lots of joy to many, it can also be quite stressful. After a trip to the mall, it’s very tempting to want to pound a few spiked ciders or vodka on the rocks. But let me tell you: that’s not the answer.

That’s why I went out and … Read More!

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5-Year High School Reunion, Oh My!

5 Comments / Health & Wellness / Rachel @Healthy Chicks

[me (second on the left) at a friend’s high school grad party-guess a lot has changed]

So tonight I am going to my 5-year high school reunion and I have absolutely no idea what to expect. I feel like many of my friends still keep and touch (at least the ones I want to keep in touch with) and that’s who I’ll be carpooling with on the way there. However, I still have no idea what will come of it. While five years does seem like kind of a long time, I feel like nothing has changed, really.

I’m still the same old me, and nothing that drastic has happened in my life worth sharing. It’s not like I chopped off all my hair, gained 50 pounds, had a baby or got married (although I’m sure there will be some of those). But then when I really do think about it, I guess I did change a lot…for the better.

-I gained a boatload of confidence in who I am and what I see myself as.

-I went through four years of college and made some of the best friends I’ll ever have there.

-I studied abroad in Italy and

Have a Non-Guilty Post-Thanksgiving Day

7 Comments / Health & Wellness / Rachel @Healthy Chicks

[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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