Lifestyle

Boston Bloggers Meetup at Scampo: A Blogger Roundup

13 Comments / Lifestyle /

Last night, I attended a Boston Bloggers Meetup hosted by the lovely Alison and Kate through Eventbrite. (Big thanks to Sara from Boston Eventbrite for taking part!) The event was held at Scampo, a tasty upscale Italian-inspired restaurant inside the Liberty Hotel.

While the wine was lovely (I changed it up with a refreshing Pinot Grigio as opposed to my usual red), the food was delectable (um, can you say sausage-stuffed bacon wrapped dates and mini Endive salads?) the best part of the night hands down was mingling with other positive, fun, like-minded bloggers!

What I love most about these kinds of events is you get the chance to meet people in all different walks of life, with many different passions! Being a healthy living blogger, I find it fascinating to meet fashion, travel, lifestyle, arts & crafts, and even beer bloggers. It completely blows my mind how many talented, created people there are out there with one big thing in common: writing it out & sharing stories.

READER ROUNDUP

Here’s a little snippet from some of the fascinating people I mingled with last night…

Abigail, The Fabulous Life of a Natural Disaster: Spunky, adorable and sweet … Read More!

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A Special Valentine’s Day Tea Tasting With Flowering Rock Tea

4 Comments / Food & Recipes, Lifestyle /

This Valentine’s Day, we celebrated with love letters, sushi lunchboxes, Pad Thai takeout, red wine, Cacao Covered Strawberries, and most special of all: a private tea tasting with Flowering Rock Tea.

A former boss and professional colleague of mine introduced me to this Boston-based startup, as he knows how much I adore speciality, all natural products. And if you read my blog, follow me on Instagram or have looked inside my kitchen cabinets, you know how much I’m in love with tea.

Flowering Rock Tea is not your everyday household tea, as they produce all-natural herbal Botanical collections inspired (and sourced) in Greece. After our lovely sushi lunch in Brookline, The Boy and I head on over to their pop-up location at 70 Charles Street in Beacon Hill (where they’ll be until the end of the month) to check it out for ourselves!

When we walked in, we were greeted by the lovely couple and Founders of the company, Natasha and Konrad Makowski. Immediately, we were drawn in, not only by the fresh herbal aromas but also by their warm, welcoming nature. Seriously, we could have stayed all evening chatting with these two. (In fact, we pretty much … Read More!

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Please Send this Healthy Chick to B-School with Marie Forleo

2 Comments / Lifestyle /

Good afternoon ladies! As most of you know, this year has been a whirlwind of excitement growing my blog, expanding my health coaching services and narrowing down my niche. It’s been fun, tiring, enlightening, crazy, wild, and life-changing all at once!

While I live and  breathe my Healthy Chicks brand, I want to share my story with the world, and help as many young women struggling with body image issues, dieting and finding their inner zest for life! But I can’t do this all alone, at least not just yet.

That’s why I’ve entered to win a scholarship to Marie Forleo’s B-School, to help take my business to the next level…with a bang! This is something I’ve been working long and hard on, and I 100% believe Marie can give me just the kick-start I need.

It’d mean the world to me for you to view, like or comment on my entry video on Youtube. Your support means everything to me! Also I owe a HUGE thank you to The Boy for putting up with me for hours last night and this morning during filming, while keeping his cool and utmost patience. I’m one lucky, thankful Chick!

XoXo,… Read More!

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10 Takeaways From My Day Trip to Kripalu Center For Yoga & Health

104 Comments / Health & Wellness, Lifestyle /

On this past Wednesday morning, I woke up to my alarm at 5:45 a.m. as happy as a clam. That is, because I was headed off to the mountains to embark on a journey to Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health in the Berkshires.

If you haven’t heard of Kripalu, it’s quite difficult to put into words but I’ll try. It’s pretty much a hidden escape in the middle of the mountains filled with lots of yoga, meditation, wellness workshops/lectures, nutritious food, spa treatments, and R & R. Pretty much my Happy Place to a T.

My aunt had introduced me years ago, when we took a trip with my sister and mom after I graduated from college. But my aunt and I were back again for round two, this time being much different as I now have a greater appreciation for good food and wellness for the mind, body and soul, which are both important themes at Kripalu. As we drove up through the beautiful mountains, I was just itching to fuel my body with flavorsome meals, and soak up all the information I could in one day!

Upon checking in, the receptionist kindly reminded us that, … Read More!

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I’ve Been There: A Flashback On Why I Quit Dieting & Started Living Once and For All

31 Comments / Health & Wellness, Lifestyle /

[May ’09 – counting calories & deprivation]    [Summer ’12 – living my life – happy & carefree!]

note: I was not my heaviest here but still unhappy

One of the reasons I decided to pursue a career in holistic health counseling is because I’ve been there.

There as in a place where I tried everything (I mean everything!) to make my body change when it wouldn’t budge. There as in frantically adding up my calories for the day during Psychology class, while pretending to take notes. There as in canceling Mexican night with my girlfriends because I feared a margarita and quesadilla would make me fatter. There as in feeling like a little kid on Christmas every time the scale went down a pound, while feeling like I wanted to crawl in a hole and die every time it went up .2 pounds.

There as in hooking up with boys to make me feel better about myself and my body, and feeling I wasn’t skinny enough, pretty enough or good enough. There as in calling a pile of rice cakes with fat-free peanut butter “dinner.” There as in having a mental breakdown every time I ate something “bad”  … Read More!

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Healthy ChickLit: Be Thankful

5 Comments / Health & Wellness, Lifestyle /

As hard as it may be to do so, I think it’s vital to focus on the feel-goods in your life every day. At the beginning and the end of the day, I try to find a few things that I’m thankful for or blessed to have. They can be the little things, like being able to run 3 miles bundled up in the cold (even when you’d rather stay in bed) or the big things: the life-changing things.

Often this comes up during health coaching, when women feel as though they aren’t “enough” or could be doing “better.” I try to re-shift their thoughts and remind them of all the wonderful achievements they already have, to focus on all of the good (that you showed up for yoga, your glorious family, the home-cooked, nutritious meal you made for your boyfriend) and let go of all of the “bad” (that you skipped the gym, that your thighs are too big, that you didn’t get what you wanted.)

Things I am thankful right now:

–That my dad survived a bad car crash the other night on the highway, even though the car was totaled: He spun out on ice … Read More!

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What FitFluential Means to Me: The Inside Scoop from a FitFluential Ambassador

8 Comments / Health & Wellness, Lifestyle /

As I’ve mentioned before here on Healthy Chicks (and as I’m sure you can tell by the badge on the right), I am a proud FitFluential Ambassador. If you haven’t checked out the FitFluential community before, which was founded by Fitness Rockstar Kelly Olexa, I strongly suggest you do so over here.

While FitFluential is packed with an amazing group of like-minded enthusiasts sharing their passion for wellness every hour on the hour, today I wanted to share with you what “FitFluential” means to me. More specifically, my very own definition of living a “healthy lifestyle.”

Discovering an Exercise Routine that Makes you Shine

[Move100 Campaign; Photo Cred: Move100.org]

Just like there is no Perfect Man for every woman, there is no perfect exercise that works for everyone. In fact, I don’t believe in rules or perfection at all.

Some live for CrossFit and Pilates, while others feel their best by doing yoga and running. Some spin 6 days a week, while others enjoy being one with nature and going for long hikes with loved ones.

The point is, it’s not going to work for you unless you enjoy it. Find the exercises that make you … Read More!

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I am… {A Lesson from Gabrielle Bernstein}

12 Comments / Health & Wellness, Lifestyle /

Yesterday, I was sitting at the coffee shop listening to Ingrid Michaelson, writing my little heart away and catching up on some work. I was feeling good…I was in a happy place.

However, I’m the first to admit that things aren’t always happy, sparkling and wonderful. While I like to think of myself as a very positive person (in fact my friend Meg referred to me as Her Sunshine) I too go through struggles, or “rough patches” I like to call them. In fact, I’ve been going through one of those rough patches for the past couple weeks and most of that comes from doubt.

I don’t like the Rachel I am when I’m negative and doubtful, but I’m also beginning to recognize that it’s OK to have bad days and not be sun-shiny, happy ALL. THE. TIME.

That’s why when the beautiful Heather* over at For the Love of Kale recommended the book May Cause Miracles: A Guidebook of Subtle Shifts for Radical Change and Unlimited Happiness by spiritual guru Gabrielle Bernstein, I jumped right on board. (*Note: Heather is also hosting a book club over on her blog if you’d like to jump in too!) I … Read More!

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Healthy ChickLit: Create Your Perfect 2013

4 Comments / Lifestyle /

Today’s ChickLit: YOU are in charge of your destiny. Choose to live the way you want to live, create the things you want to create, and make way for the 2013 of your dreams.

I think it’s safe to say that 2012 had its fair share of ups and downs for me. Some ups include getting my first client, moving in with my wonderful boyfriend, and choosing a career path that fills me up inside with fiery passion. Some downs include suffering from financial insecurities, struggling to help my boyfriend’s beautiful mother treat her Early Onset Alzheimer’s Disease, and going through some personal hardships.

I’m happy to end 2012, and start on a fresh slate this 2013, setting intentions for myself that will help make 2013 the best one yet. It will be a year of dreaming big, doing things that scare me and finding financial security & success.

Today, I spent a good amount of time talking with The Boy about our intentions, and what we want for ourselves as the New Year begins. While chatting over a cup of good coffee & scrambled eggs with lots green veggies (one of our fave breakfasts) I realized something: we are … Read More!

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