Healthy Chicks

Let’s have some real talk for a minute: How do you spend your final two hours before bed? 

Do you watch Netflix?

Are you up late working on your computer?

Texting your friends?

Social media stalking?

Are you stressed out? Rejuvenated? Tired? Energized?

Do you fall asleep easily or does it take some time?

Do you feel your best self?

If you asked me this question a couple months ago, my answer would have been completely different, and I would have sheepishly said “yes” to the first four questions. In realty, my evenings were spent zoning out with my husband binge-watching Netflix episodes, while simultaneously finishing up work, checking my instagram and texting my friends the latest and greatest.

To be completely honest, it didn’t feel good. My “evening routine” was actually pretty darn draining, and that’s so not what we want right before bed.  

With a little bit of trial and error and listening to my body, I have developed a new routine that works for me. Below I outline my evening ritual, which you can feel free to pull from to get started on your own!

7 Evening Ritual Tips for Mindful Sleep

1. Play With Essential Oils

Happy Friday, babes! I’ve had such a magical week focusing on connecting with other women — from tapping it back with my bestie at SoulCycle to attending the MetroWest Conference for Women yesterday. The energy I have soaked up this week has been truly incredible!

In the spirit of continuing those good vibes, I’m thrilled to introduce you to this week’s feature on Healthy Chicks in the Community, a weekly series highlighting rockstar Girl Bosses doing their thang in the wellness community and beyond.

Founder of Fit University Sarah Gaines is totally crushing it when it comes to bringing the wellness movement to the masses — in particular to college students. I love her energy, positivity and dedication to promoting health and wellness to students and young professionals (which is so needed in the world). I’ll let Sarah take it away from here!

NAME: Sarah Gaines

DESCRIBE YOUR BUSINESS/LINE OF WORK: I’m in the business of helping others (specifically college students + young professionals) live healthy + happy.

WHERE YOU LIVE: Boston, MA

HOW YOU SERVE THE COMMUNITY THROUGH YOUR WORK: I’m the founder of Fit University, a free community for college students who are passionate about living healthy. … Read More!

Last August, my husband and I journeyed to Greece for a friends wedding, traveling from Athens to the magical island of Lesbos to celebrate with my dear friends. While there, we were lucky enough to see the Acropolis, swim in the clear blue Aegean Sea, take a private boat ride to dive for sea urchins, dance the night away under the stars and sip on ouzo infused with fresh figs from their family farm.

But one of the things I miss most about Greece is the incredible food. From fresh feta cheese and Spanakopita to Moussaka and Stuffed Grape Leaves, it’s safe to say we ate our way through exploring this beautiful country.

One of the Greek staples hubby and I missed most when returning home was our daily dose of gyros. For just a couple bucks, we indulged in the incredible stuffed pitas with juicy meat and scratch-made tzatziki sauce on the regular. Most of the time they were loaded up with french fries too, which hubby especially loved!

Ever since going 100% gluten and dairy free, it’s been difficult to enjoy Greek-inspired food. After all, most of their dishes are made with bread and cheese!

When … Read More!

The first time I felt self-conscious about my body was when I started developing acne around 14 years old. This was followed by years of dieting, obsession with the scale and hating my thighs all throughout high school and well into my 20s.

While I’ve certainly come a long way and have learned to fall back in love with my body and discover joy around food, the journey wasn’t always easy. In fact, even I still have my off days from time to time where I don’t feel 100% confident with my body.

Because I’ve been there, I now make it my mission to empower women to break free from dieting and discover joy around food. A lot of this has to do with a woman’s overall confidence — inside and out.

While most of the woman I work with are in their 20s and 30s, it pains me to see that many young girls start feeling insecure about their bodies in some way as early as ten years old — or earlier! At my cousin’s 11th birthday last year, one of the girls was afraid to take off her shorts when she went swimming in the water … Read More!

Hey, friends! It’s been a while since I updated you on the latest and greatest with my thyroid journey, so I figured I’d check in to share what’s going on right now. (You can read Part 1 and Part 2 here to learn more about my journey with Hashimoto’s Disease and what’s been working well for me.)

Anyway, a lot has changed since I last checked in and I’ve hit some tricky setbacks along the way. For one, when I found out I was pregnant in July — which unfortunately ended in an early miscarriage — my thyroid hormones kind of went a little crazy. While they had been stable for months and actually improved drastically (my TSH dropped to a 2.66 in June!), my TSH shot back up to a 4 the week I found out I was pregnant. I’m not 100% sure it’s related, but in my gut I’m thinking it was.

Given my situation and the fact that your TSH should ideally be below a 2.5 during the first trimester, my Functional Medicine Doctor through Parsley Health prescribed me on a low dose Nature Desicated Thyroid hormone. I’ve also been working to maintain my stress levels and … Read More!

During the last seasonal self-care challenge I led, one of the challenges was to take a field trip to your local library, and scoop up a book to read throughout the rest of the program.

Remember when the library used to be such a magical place as a kid, filled with endless stories, secrets and enchantment? It’s time to bring that youthful joy back!

Not only are libraries a magical place, but reading is such a great way to relax, take time for yourself, melt away stress, boost your brain juice and oh so much more.

I listed a few book ideas below, but I encourage you to browse the library and pick something that really speaks to you! I starred the books I’ve read / am currently reading for you.

Healthy Chicks Summer Reading List

1. White Hot Truth, Danielle Laporte*
2. Big Magic, Elizabeth Gilbert*
3. Love Warrior, Glennon Doyle Melton
4. The Universe Has Your Back, Gabrielle Bernstein*
5. Eat Pray Love, Elizabeth Gilbert*
6. The Help, Kathryn Stockett*
7. The Art of Racing in The Rain, Garth Stein
8. The Red Tent, Anita Diamant*
9. Buddha’s Brain, Rick Hanson
10. Anatomy of the Spirit, Caroline Myss… Read More!

Happy Friday, babes! First and foremost, I want to thank all of you for your sweet words and support this past week. Since I published the story on my early miscarriage, I’ve been flooded with so much love from women in my community — through private messages, comments on my Instagram, texts and phone calls. I am beyond grateful, and this has been an enormous part of my healing journey so thank you.

“New beginnings are often disguised as painful endings” – Lao Tzu 

It was the Fourth of July, the day before my 30th birthday, and I was with my family celebrating and watching the fireworks at our happy place in New Hampshire. Beautiful colors burst through the dark sky forming different magical shapes — my favorite being the “weeping willow.” My mom reached over and held my hand tightly, and said “I was just thinking 30 years ago today I was in the hospital watching fireworks about to give birth to my little girl.”

My eyes began to swell with tears, not just because of what my mom said but also because I knew this would be the month — the month we were pregnant. We had been trying for five months now, and I just knew this was it. I felt it.

The next morning, I got up bright and early on my 30th birthday so I could sneak into the bathroom and take a test while the rest of the family was still asleep. While hubby showered, I sat their on the toilet waiting for the long, slow three minutes to go by. At three minutes, I lifted the … Read More!