Healthy Chicks

As you know by now, fall is my absolute favorite season. But what’s even better is Boston in the fall. And this year, the city’s got a whole bunch of fitness activities lined up to get you in tiptop shape for the holiday season! Burn of those cider donuts, candy corns and pumpkin spice lattes, de-stress from the workweek and let out your inner kid this Halloween with these fun (and sweaty) workouts in & around Boston!

Halloween Zumba with Ali B 10/25, 6:30 p.m.: Join fitness rockstar Ali Baldassare for a Zumba party like no other! Come by yourself, or bring your friends and get ready to rock out to Halloween faves including Thriller. This free event will be held at Beacon Hill Athletic Club on Atlantic Ave. Free More Info

Ultimate Bootcamp Trick Or Treat Workout 10/26, 9:00 a.m.: During this super-sweaty 75-minute workout, you’ll sprint, squat and burn those Halloween treats off, and have fun doing it! Costumes are encouraged (there’s even a prize for the best-dressed), and participants will receive special treats like gift cards and swag throughout. $25, Registration Required More Info

TFW Boston x sweetgreen Fitness Club Crawl 10/26, 12:00 p.m.: Unleash your … Read More!

Good morning ladies! Now I know it’s been a while since I’ve posted a feature for Healthy Chicks in the Community, but I’m excited to get it going again this week with a very special lady.

As a past client of mine, this Healthy Chick always wows me with her strength, guts and drive to go after what she wants. Not only did she just start her own biz, but she also works full time at Harvard Business School. Talk about gettin’ stuff done! I’ll let Erica take it from here…I’m sure you’ll fall in love with her mission as I have.

[second to the right]

Name/Age: Erica Zendell, 23

Blog/Twitter: http://erica-zendell.blogspot.com, @ezendell

Current City: Boston, MA

Photo: I traveled to China on a recent work trip and met the lovely founders of the organization ‘Gluten-free Shanghai,’ whose resources made my time in a land of soy sauce and wheat buns so much easier!

What I do for work: I am balancing work as a research associate at Harvard Business School and starting a healthy snack food business, Zen Cookery!

Number one passion: Building my business, which seeks to help those with special diets in their desire to feel … Read More!

Oh, jealousy. As much as we try to avoid it, sometimes it creeps up when we least expect it. And no matter what, it’s always downright ugly.

For some reason, jealousy always reminds me of Ursula in The Little Mermaid. Envious of Arial, the evil sea witch attempts to steal Arial’s voice & transform into a beautiful human being in order to win over Prince Eric. And while Ursula manages to pull it off for some time, eventually her true colors shine through. In the end, jealously never wins.

They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, but when it stems from jealousy, comparison and negative thinking, it aint pretty.

A few months ago, one of my clients shared a quote with me that really stuck:

“The reason we struggle with insecurity is because we compare our behind-the-scenes with everyone else’s highlight reel.” —Steve Furtick

After all, we truly don’t know their story; we have no clue what’s going on behind the scenes. And while we all struggle with insecurities and “off days” from time to time, the absolute worst thing you can do is compare your lows to someone else’s highs. Trust me, I’ve definitely been there and … Read More!

If you don’t already know by now, I am a huge fan of eating with the seasons, that is as nature intended us to. When we eat foods that are naturally harvested that season it supports our body, and creates a sense of balance (mind, body & soul!).

Fall is one of my favorite times of year to play with seasonal food since everything is just so darn tasty! Here are 5 of my favorites to experiment with right now:

Pears: Add them into a salad with goat cheese, dip ’em in almond butter, chop them up into yogurt or oatmeal or eat as is. This crisp & slightly sweet fruit is perfect for autumn dining.

Make it: Asian Pear & Arugula Salad with Goat Cheese, Food & Wine

Fall Squashes: Fall squashes like butternut and spaghetti squash are my all-time favorites! Both sweet and savory, these gems are sure to satisfy your seasonal cravings. Roast ’em up with oil, salt & pepper, or tantalize your sweet tooth by adding maple syrup, cinnamon and nutmeg. Hosting pasta night at your place? Turn it into a “Spaghetti Squash” party instead for a healthier remake.

Make it: Spaghetti Squash Lasagna, … Read More!

For those of you who don’t yet know, yesterday something incredibly magical and life-changing happened for me: The Boy & I got engaged. And for those of you who don’t know, The Boy’s real name? Jason. Let’s call him “J.”

And now for the million-dollar question, How did he do it? Well ladies (and gents), I’m about to tell you…

On Friday evening we were out in Rockport celebrating our beautiful friends Ross and Megan’s wedding. While we were dancing (and perhaps after a tad too much wine), J asked me if I’d like to go for a run with him in the morning on the Charles before we took off for his mother’s 60th birthday celebration.

I immediately laughed at him and teased him for suddenly showing such interest in exercise. While he most definitely works out from time to time, usually I’m the one pushing we go on runs together more often. He snapped back at me that it’s only going to be fall for so long and we should take advantage of the weather while we can. So I agreed.

The next morning I woke up exhausted and somewhat hungover. J was no longer in bed, so … Read More!

Yesterday during my extra-sweaty yoga class at Sweat & Soul Yoga the teacher said something that really stood out to me. She had mentioned that most of the time we’re in our own head (very me-me-me!) and sometimes that can be hard to snap out of.

While it’s important to put ourselves first most of the time (and make our general wellbeing a top priority) sometimes we become too involved with ourselves.

An example the teacher gave during yoga was when you may think you’re all fine & dandy until someone cuts you off on the highway and suddenly it’s a full fledged road rage fest with lots of swearing & middle fingering. Not so fine & dandy after all, now are we?

Essentially getting out of your own head is realizing we’re all in this together. We all go through shitty days and we all have lucky, on-fire kinda days. We all suffer and we all feel love. We all get really angry, and we all know what it’s like to feel a sense of peace & calm. Essentially we’re all one…in this crazy beautiful world together…as equals.

Last week, I was on the train and it came to … Read More!

I’ve done hot yoga, Vinyasa, Slow Flow, Pranavayu and Bikram. I’ve been taken into deep 20-minute meditations and I’ve also had my ass kicked. I’ve done yoga at the beach, in the dead of winter and in the grass outside. But this past Monday, I took my yoga practice to a totally different level…or shall I say league.

On Monday evening, I was lucky enough to get my flow on right in Fenway Park, the home of the Red Sox! Sponsored by Equinox and Anue by New Balance, “FenwaYoga” was created to raise money for the Red Sox Foundation’s two main programs: the Scholars Program and RBI Youth Baseball & Softball.

I sported my brand new blue Temple Keyhole tank and black Spee capris, finished off with a super cozy heather tunic all from New Balance’s Anue fall yoga collection to stay warm and cozy throughout the evening.

I’m so glad I bundled up because it was definitely a chilly one…but that’s OK because we were doing yoga in Fenway Park.

Class started sharply at 6 p.m. on the warning track, just as the sun was going down.

It was lead by Boston’s beloved “Om Gal” … Read More!

Last Sunday, I was invited by Jen from Blog & Tweet Boston to attend one of Odyssey Boston’s Champagne & Chocolate Brunch Cruises. All I needed to hear was that there’d be complimentary brunch (including wine & beer) and I was sold. I decided to bring The Boy for my “Plus 1” seeing as though the past two cruises we’ve tried to go on were poured out. Hey, three times a charm, right?

When we woke up to 70-degree sunny weather in Boston, I knew we were in for a treat! The two-hour cruise took off from Rowes Wharf right outside the Boston Harbor Hotel, where all the cruisers congregated beforehand.

[happy campers!]

We boarded the boat about 45-minutes early, and went straight to the bar for our first complimentary drink. I went with a glass of white wine, and then hiked up to the top deck to soak up some extra sun.

Funny fact: There was actually a wedding reception aboard celebrating, so we tried to stay out of their way as much as possible!

After a little sunshine, we joined the rest of the bloggers downstairs for a brunch buffet. There was such a wonderful display of … Read More!