Healthy Chicks

29.

Yesterday was my 29th birthday. The final year of my 20s. Almost 30. True adulthood.

Like all of my past birthdays, a bajillion feelings come sneaking their way to the surface, and I get a little self-judgy. It’s a time where I reflect back on where I am now, and where I think I “should” be.

When I was 22, I thought I had it allll figured out. I was ripe out of college, and had just moved to Boston with my best friend to start our lives in the city. I had super high expectations for myself of where I’d be at certain milestones in life — career, personal successes, love life and more. I would nail my dream job, find a husband, and make it big.

By 29, I’d be established in my career, own a big house with a backyard and grill, have a puppy and maybe a kid on the way. Put simply, I’d have my “shit together,” you know as adults should.

While things certainly didn’t map out as “planned,” I wouldn’t want it any other way.

We struggle, we change, we make decisions we don’t know are “right” but they feel right so … Read More!

This past Monday officially marked the first day of summer, and I was lucky enough to ring it in with a few other bloggers for a night of fitness, shopping & dining in Chestnut Hill Square.

We started the night off with a sweaty spin sesh at SoulCycle, followed by some shopping at Athleta (where I just had to buy these crops in Tahitian Teal, don’t they just scream summer?!?) After some shopping, it was time for dinner at Seasons52, where we were wined + dined galore.

We started off with a Peach Bourbon Smash cocktail (a sneak peek from their new summer menu!), and our lovely waitress brought us a couple different flatbreads to try: Blacked Steak & Blue Cheese and Lobster & Fresh Mozzarella. Both were absolutely delicious, but the lobster one was the favorite; I think it was the lobster sour cream that really put me over the edge 😉

After the flatbreads, we moved onto a watermelon feta & heirloom tomato salad, which was oh so refreshing! Our waitress then brought out another strawberry cocktail to try, with fresh strawberries that were infused in vodka…oh my! (Time to start pacing myself!)

For my … Read More!

Yesterday, I was given the opportunity to attend “Playmaker 101” at the Life is Good Headquarters in Boston. The 3-hour workshop revolved around their kid’s foundation, and spreading the power of optimism to children who need it most.

While the morning was geared toward children, we also talked about optimism in our own lives, and how we can impact one another more positively on the day-to-day. I left feeling incredibly inspired and humbled by the experience, and wanted to share some key takeaways with you. While I took quite a bit away with me, most of all it simply made me realize that Hey, life is good.

THINK ABOUT HOW YOU SHOW UP

How do you show up when you enter a room? When we walked into the Life is Good office, Chief Playmaker, Steve Gross, immediately welcomed our group with jokes, laughter and even a fist pump. Bam. Instant comfort level, and you bet I was much more open and happy to be there than if he was cranky, rude and didn’t say hello. How do you show up? Are you warm and inviting? Are you closed off and negative? How can you focus on bringing joy when … Read More!

Note: This post is sponsored by Vocalpoint and True Runner, but as always all opinions are my own.

It’s been in the high 80s in Boston this week, and summer is on my mind: roof-top bars, crop-tops, BBQing, beach days, and all the good stuff that comes with my favorite season. As the weather starts to warm up — along with my mood — I also begin thinking about fitness and how I move my body.

If you’ve been reading my blog for a while, you know that running has always been one of those exercises that makes me shine. Unfortunately, these past few months have got the best of me and I’ve been kind o’ putting my weekly fitness on the back burner. However, a mind-clearing run last week up Summit Avenue hill (for those of you who don’t know, it’s a monster hill in the heart of Brookline) got running back on my mind.

And what better way to inspire a gal to keep it going than new workout clothes + gear? (If you know me, my wardrobe is like 90% fitness, 10% regular person!) That’s why I was delighted when I got the opportunity from the lovely … Read More!

Good morning, darlings.

You’ve got this. You can do this.

You are enough. You are doing enough, in fact much more than you may even realize. But I see it, and she sees it; now it’s your turn.

You’re super beautiful, yes on the outside, but I’m especially talking about your soul. It sparkles.

You truly do have a lot to be grateful for, even if things seem to be falling apart right now. Look within.

There is no need to make any big changes; rather change your perspective. You’ll see things differently — more clearly, in a more positive light.

Let yourself shine. Don’t hold back. Stay humble, but radiate confidence.

Do you. Do only what you want to do. If it feels right, follow that. If it feels off, dig deeper and ask “why.” When it feels really good and juicy, you are listening to your soul.

Stop. Slow down. Breathe. Take a minute. You are only one person, ya gotta take care of yourself.

Rock it out, take time to laugh, make time for play.

You’ve got this.

xoxo,

Rachel… Read More!

I’m a planner.

A thinker.

A future-tripper.

A dreamer.

I love to craft up grand plans for my future, and yes sometimes I let the what if’s and the worries get to me. Will we have enough money? Will we be able to buy a nice house to raise kids? Who am I going to be? What will my life look like in 5, 10 years?

This can be scary sh*t, huh?

Well, a couple weeks ago I made a decision to completely let go of my control/stability/certainty/comfort zone and start from scratch (more on this another time). I knew in my gut my current lifestyle was not serving me, so I  l e t  i t  a l l  g o. OK, I didn’t let it all go (hubby and I are still happily married!) but you know what I mean.

Part of me was scared out of my mind, but the other half of me was excited beyond my wildest dreams. There was something about this notion of not knowing that fascinated me — knowing I can craft my life the way I want it, paint the canvas a different color, change gears.

Nonetheless, my inner worrywart still … Read More!

Let me set the scene for you. It’s 9:00pm, I’m finishing up my emails and tell my husband “just 5 more minutes” until I can log off for the day and watch the latest episode of Blacklist. 9:30pm rolls around, and I say “just one minute,” this time not so convincingly. He knows one minute really means another 30, so he goes back to reading or catches up on Mad Money.

Suddenly, I get a text from a coworker, a brainstorm session strikes my mind and I’m at it again. Work. Work. Work. I wish I could say this little scene is fantasy, but in complete transparency this has been the typical evening of late at our humble abode.

I recently spoke with my dad about my work-hard, go-go-go mentality & the challenges I face maintaining a work life balance and he said “It’s partly my fault, you have my genes. You’re an over achiever”

“But, how did YOU do it then?” I asked with anticipation. After all, if anyone knows my dad he’s pretty much definition of “Father of the Year” award, so if he could work, and play, and be there for our family 24/7, then so … Read More!

Something I really struggle with, which I’ve talked about on the blog before, is unplugging. I have a tendency to want to go-go-go all the time, and often put pressure on myself to get it all done. In a world of technology overload, I find it incredibly challenging to just pause and be (without checking my iPhone two minutes later).

So when I was given the opportunity to join one of my Boston bestie’s — Cara Gilam’s — “Revive, Refresh, Retreat” day-long yoga getaway last weekend, I knew it my heart I had to sign up. I needed to do this for myself, for my soul. And so I did…I cleared my weekend plans and make a big decision to make myself a priority for the day. After all, I so deserved it.

We met early in the morning at lululemon chestnut hill, where we immediately went into a 60-minute vinyasa flow to get our blood flowing. After breakfast + much-needed coffee (no shame!), we were given gift bags with little goodies and all the deets on our secret destination. Our gift bags were adorable + personalized with our names on them! They included:

• a japa mala bag for holding