Healthy Chicks

Last night, I was reading the latest issue of Boston’s Natural Awakenings magazine and stumbled upon this quote by author Melody Beattie: “Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend.”

What a beautiful reminder to be thankful for what we have, and stretch yourself to find the beauty in the little things. I think we can all work on finding a little more gratitude, no matter what the circumstance.

This past week, I had been bumming out about money. While it would have been pretty sweet to have won the powerball, I reminded myself that money does not buy love. It does not bring happiness, peace or even success. It’s just a thing.

While there are many wealthy people out there who are successful and brilliant, there are an equal number of people who are are living by the week who are just as successful and brilliant.

So today, I want to express my gratitude for those things … Read More!

[“You Can Only Improve What You Measure”]

WellnessFX: What It’s All About

As you all know, I try to maintain a healthy lifestyle, both taking care of myself on the inside and out. I’ve always been a firm believer that what’s going on inside is just as (or even more) important than what’s happening on the outside. That’s why many people are sick or facing health roadblocks and may not even know it because they feel perfectly “fine,” or at least what they think is “fine.”

When I was introduced to WellnessFX, a web-based platform designed to produce deep insights into the state of your health all through a blood test, I knew it was up my alley. Who knew you could learn so much about what’s going on inside your body all through a few drops of blood? Pretty interesting, huh?

The Prep Work

First, I visited the WellnessFX website (which couldn’t be easier to navigate) and signed up for their Baseline Package. This option included:

• A blood draw at a lab near you
• 20-minute health consultation with practitioner of choice
• Personalized lab results loaded into your WellnessFX dashboard
• Satisfaction guaranteed (now that’s service with a smile!)

Since … Read More!

Last weekend, I took a spontaneous trip to Atlanta to visit my boyfriend and his mother at the Living Foods Institute (LFI). My boyfriend Jason and his mother Patty enrolled in the 17-day program to help treat Patty’s Early Onset Alzheimer’s holistically. You can read more about their journey here, or donate money to help support their cause here.

I hadn’t seen Jason for two weeks, so you could imagine how happy we were to be reunited at the airport on Friday night. Once they scooped me up, we went back to the hotel for lots of laughs and catching up. The next day, we woke up bright and early to drive to LFI and begin the day. Jason was SUPER excited to show me what he’d been up to the past couple of weeks.

We were pleasantly greeted with freshly juiced wheat grass shots, which tasted surprisingly good, and even a little on the sweet side. It’s amazing what a difference the fresh stuff can make! Wheat grass is especially helpful during a detox to help cleanse out your system and begin the healing process. They recommend to start with 1 oz. your first time, and gradually increase if … Read More!

Last week, we experienced the first snowfall of the season here in Boston, making it loud and clear that winter is on its way. It’s hard to believe that we’re already well into November, with the holiday season just around the corner.

While the holidays bring a great amount of joy, they also come with an extra dose of stress, temptation and guilt. From family gatherings to work cocktail outings, it’s easy to pack on those extra calories (and pounds) during this time of year. It’s no doubt that sometimes our cravings get the best of us, making us go for treats (i.e. those double fudge brownies) we’d normally pass on.

But instead of letting your cravings take control over you, this year you’re going to learn to take ownership of your cravings. The first step? Understanding and accepting the root cause behind those crazy cravings in the first place.

At the Institute for Integrative Nutrition, we’re trained to dig deep in order to understand what’s really going on inside our bodies, instead of merely treating the symptoms. So instead of feeling guilty over eating one extra serving of stuffing (or stuffing your face with grandma’s homemade chocolate chip … Read More!

This past Saturday, I attended Boston Event Guide’s Fall Wine Fest at Cyclorama on Tremont Street with my sister and some friends. I always love a good excuse to travel to the beautiful South End, and well, wine is a good excuse if you ask me.

We attended the matinee session, which went from 12 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. That gave us two and a half hours to sample as much wine as we could. When we checked in, we were given a wristband and a “passport” listing all of the companies that were there representing different countries around the world.

We started out at New Zealand, which my sister was especially excited about as she studied there for a year during college. We then made our way “around the world” with stops at Spain, Austria, Portugal, South Africa, Argentina, Greece, France, Italy, Australia, all the way to the USA with everything in between.

While we got to sample many different flavors and styles, a plethora of both reds and whites, beers, ciders and even meads, one of my favorites was The left Bank Meritage Red from South Africa. With dark cherries, plums and spicy fruit cake flavors, this red … Read More!

[photo credit: fourl photography]

Remember a few months ago when I posted about the Move100 Ambassador Search over here on Healthy Chicks? Well, I am proud to announce that I was chosen as one of the ambassadors to take part in their amazing initiative, that is encouraging people to stay fit and move more each day.

As a Move100 Ambassador, I was given some pretty cool tools to track my training, some dumbbells for strength training and a whole lotta love from the whole Move100 team, particularly Lynn and Bob, who I can’t thank enough for this incredible opportunity.

A few weeks after I was notified I’d be one of their ambassadors, I took a trip to South Hamilton for a photo-shoot, interview and video shoot. If you watch the video on the homepage, you can see some shots of me doing yoga, stretching and running. How cool is that? There’s also a blown up picture of me here on the “Moving Stories” page, where you can actually read my personal wellness story, including how I lost 30 pounds and found happiness.

They even filmed my interview, where you can watch in full here. I was a bit … Read More!

I am still with my family without power in CT, but am currently writing from Whole Foods. Granted it’s one of my favorite places in the whole wide world, I can’t really complain.

Anyway, this post is going to be a quickie but I wanted to fill you in on an exciting event happening in Boston this weekend, hosted by Boston Event Guide.

As you know, I love my wine (particularly a nice bold red paired with dark chocolate), so that’s why I was especially excited for this event…. The Fall Wine Fest!

On Saturday, 11/3, hundreds of New Englanders will gather at Cyclorama to sip on a variety of wine from around the world. Guests will enjoy tastings, food samples at select stops and music as they make their way “around the world.” You’ll even have the opportunity to take part in the Sushi Rolling & Sake class for an additional charge. There are three different time slots to fit your schedule best. For more information, pricing and ticket details, visit the event website here.

I will be there at the matinee session with my sister and some friends, so be sure to come say hi if … Read More!

Good morning ladies! I hope you are all safe and dry from the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy. Fortunately, the worst of it for me is losing power for a few days so I can’t really complain, but I’m praying for those whose homes have been flooded or destroyed.

I’m running out of power on my laptop, currently writing at Daybreak Coffee House (where I was pleased to run into the lovely Cait from Cait Plus Ate who is just the most bubbly, friendly girl!) This will have to do as my “office” for now, which I don’t mind AT ALL because this Pecan Roast & Vegetarian Egg Sandwich on sourdough is totally hitting the spot.

Anyway, I wanted to talk about a rather popular topic today on Healthy Chicks: motivation. That is, how to stay motivated even during those realllllllyyyy tough times.

Here are some tips to get you inspired, whether you need motivation to run that race or simply get out of bed an hour earlier!

1. First and foremost, you need to have a purpose. If you’re struggling to stay on a healthy diet and exercise regimen, ask yourself “Why do I want to eat well and … Read More!