Inspirational Tidbit: On Creating Change
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Lifestyle
Rethink Your Snacking: Energize Yourself with Chunks of Energy Superfood Snacks
I was recently approached by one of the lovely gals from Chunks of Energy to see if I’d be interested in sampling their products. I’m always up for trying new healthy foods on the market, so of course I said yes!
One bite of the rich, tasty chunk of heaven and I was sold! Made with nutritious ingredients your body knows & can trust, Chunks of Energy makes healthy snacking delicious, fun and convenient. Even better, most of their products are raw, vegan & organic, and made with very little sodium and fat.
I especially like that the company uses superfoods, like cacao, goji berries and spirulina, to add an extra boost to the already healthified bites! My all-time favorite? The Raw Cacao Gogi which, not surprisingly, is also their best seller!
While I could rave about these delicious bite-size chunks of goodness all day long, I figured I’d go directly to the source for expert advice and insights. The other day, I spoke with the Founder Michael to get the 411 on how the company transpired, the health benefits of superfoods, and his personal philosophy for living & being well.
Not only is he knowledgeable about nutrition, but he’s … Read More!
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Live Healthier, Win Sweet Prizes: Enter Source 4 Women’s “We Dare You” Summer Sweepstakes
As you know, I’m a huge advocate for taking simple, small steps toward living a healthier lifestyle. (There isn’t anything wrong with taking baby steps. In fact, I encourage it!) I’m especially a fan when there’s sweet prizes involved! That’s why UnitedHealthCare’s new Source4Women campaign–“We Dare You”— totally caught my eye.
Every month, from now until January 2014, the team will be crafting a new challenge, “daring” participants to share a related photo of how they’re staying healthy. While their initiative launched in July, this month’s dare is to “Add More Fruits and Vegetables to Your Diet.”
To enter the challenge (and get your chance to win a brand new KitchenAid Mixer), all you need to do is share a photo of a fruit or veggie you’ve added to your diet! Did I enter too? You bet I did! I shared a pic of my favorite summer vegetable of late…
You guessed it…KALE!
This crisp leafy green is a nutritional powerhouse! It’s packed with disease-fighting antioxidants, Vitamins A, C & K, fiber and iron. Leafy greens like kale have also been known to naturally reduce inflammation, act as a decongestant, boost heart health, and detox the body. Talk … Read More!
10 Ways to Make More Time for YOU
You’ve heard me say it before and I’ll say it again: self-care is essential for living a well-rounded, healthy lifestyle. When we put ourself on the back burner, suddenly little pieces of our life begin to fall apart: our relationship, our job stress, our social life, our bank account. Sound familiar? Everything and I mean everything is related and you know what they say: How we do one thing is how we do everything.
Fortunately, making time for yourself is one thing that’s actually under our control. Here are 10 little ways to make more time for YOU starting now:
1. Develop a morning wellness ritual and actually stick to it. This is your sacred time to be alone with yourself and your thoughts.
2. Buy a giant calendar and start scheduling time in the day for “me time” or down time. Suddenly that jam-packed schedule full of appointments, errands and chaos doesn’t seem so daunting anymore, now does it?
3. Repeat this affirmation: “I have all the time in the world to do the things I love. I am in control.”
4. Make yourself a priority by saying “No” to people when you truly don’t want to do something. … Read More!
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5 Must-Have Affirmations for Falling Back in Love with Your Body
As you know by now, I spent years bashing and hating on my body. I’m talking total mean girl. Ironically enough, it was during the times I was most strict on myself, counting calories, exercising twice a day to burn off indulgences, and eating food that tasted like cardboard that I hated my body most.
I would tell myself horrible things when I looked in the mirror like:
I am not good enough.
I will never be thin enough.
My friends are more beautiful than I am.
I need to cut back more in order to lose the weight.
My thighs are fat.
I am a failure for “over-indulging” last night.
If I lose more weight, maybe then I can finally get a boyfriend.
In due time, I began to believe these horrible thoughts. They became a part of who I was. That’s the funny thing about our mind; it’s a powerful, powerful tool and we must be careful what we tell ourselves (especially when it’s hurtful).
Practicing positive affirmations can be an amazing way to turn negative thoughts into loving thoughts as you make the transition over to self-love! And no, they don’t need to be reserved … Read More!
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Summertime Updates: Upcoming Happenings with Healthy Chicks
I know people say this all the time, but holy cow summer really is flying by! In the past month, I’ve turned 26, helped launch sweetgreen’s opening in Boston, celebrated my dad’s retirement (and my sister’s graduation), hiked up Welch & Dickey Mountains, ventured to Cape Cod for my college roomie’s Bachelorette, launched some fabulous new health coaching programs, took a impromptu trip to Fisher’s Island to visit my grandparents (and ate lots of tasty seafood), all while growing my business and writing my butt off each & every day.
Work hard, play hard baby! Whew, it’s time to catch my breath.
Here are some upcoming happenings going on over at Healthy Chicks:
Swimwear Tips & Body Image Talk at Cerulean Blu: I was asked to speak at Blog & Tweet Boston’s next event, hosted by the lovely co-founders Jen and Kerrie. The event is to be held at Cerulean Blu Swim & Resort Wear Boutique located right off Newbury St. in the Back Bay. I’ll be there talking body image & confidence tips to rock your swimsuit fearlessly, and you’ll also get to learn which bathing suits are best for you (all while munching on healthy … Read More!
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On Self Love: How Do You Want to Feel When You Look in the Mirror?
The thoughts we tell ourselves become a part of who we are. Therefore when we say mean, hurtful things to ourselves like “I’m fat,” “My thighs are too big,” “I’ll never look as pretty as she does,” or “I’m not good enough” we start to believe these thoughts. Doesn’t do much for our confidence, now does it?
As women, we constantly beat ourselves up and push ourselves to be better, faster, stronger, prettier, sexier. We are our #1 critic after all. We say things to ourselves that we would never dare say to a best friend!
This weekend, I encourage you to be a little easier on yourself. Look into the areas where you aren’t being so nice to your body, and ask yourself where those beliefs are coming from. Then think about how you want to feel when you look in the mirror and start to embody those feelings.
Do you want to feel beautiful, strong, confident? Start telling yourself I am beautiful, I am strong, I am confident. Watch as your mood lifts as you begin to see you already are all of those things. Self-love at its best, baby!
Fill in the blank. I want to feel________when … Read More!
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Reflection: On Taking Back Control When You Lose Control (& Your Mind)
I value my time more than anything. While often times I feel like I don’t have enough time to do everything I want in a day, I feel I do a pretty good job balancing my time between my relationship, my friendships and my career. Have I perfected it? No. Have I gotten better? Yes.
Then there’s my “me time,” something I’m still working on every day to create more of. I’m beginning to realize that me time is perhaps the most meaningful, precious time of all because without me time, well, time sort of just tick-tocks on by.
Yesterday I had an extremely busy, action-packed day where I barely had a minute to stop & breathe. I was OK with it because I knew I had my 6:30 p.m. roofdeck yoga to look forward to. Some Rachel time on the mat on a beautiful roofdeck overseeing Boston. That right there got me through a somewhat stressful afternoon.
I left myself a fair amount of time to get to yoga as I always do, and skipped off with my mat and water bottle to catch the T. “Sweet, it’s early! I LOVE when that happens,” I thought to … Read More!
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Raising The Bar (and Sweating it Out) at Boston’s Newest Spin Studio: The Handle Bar
Spinning has quickly become one of my favorite exercises of late. Why’s that, you ask? Well of course I love a good, sweat-inducing, body-sculpting workout, but that’s not the main reason why I’ve fallen in love with spin. What really put me head over heels is the way it makes me feel. There’s nothing like 45+ juicy minutes of straight-up adrenaline mixed with loud beats pumping through the speakers to get you motivated!
Thus far, I’ve been taking classes at Recycle Studio which I adore for their top-notch teachers and comfortable, boutique feel. (Take Christina’s class…she’ll make you sweat ’til the very end) But unfortunately there aren’t many other spin studios around the Boston area, especially for those who don’t live right in the city.
That’s why I was super excited for the opening of The Handle Bar, the city’s newest spin studio located in South Boston (right off Broadway Station on the Red Line.) And I was lucky enough to be invited to try the class with up to 10 of my friends (spin shoe rental included.) SCORE!
While The Handle Bar isn’t right in Downtown Boston, it’s just a quick 10 minute trip from Park Street Station, … Read More!
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