Healthy Chicks

[colorful juices at Life Alive!]

Good morning ladies. I gave my blog a makeover yesterday: a facial, hairdo, the works! How do you like the new look? I’ve been looking for something a little more clean and fresh, that still shows off my fun, girly style and I think I found just that.

Last night, I met my friend Megan to celebrate her engagement! We started with hot yoga at Prana Power Yoga in Central Square for a Prana 2 Music class, which was an incredible 75-minute sweat fest. I loved the music, energy and general vibe of the class. Everyone was so concentrated on their particular practice, without any judgement or too much critique (I hate when the entire class is the teacher “fixing” your posture although I do appreciate some direction).

I set my intention for my practice to be ROCKING MY BUSINESS and wishing my boyfriend safe travels on his upcoming trip with his mother.  His mother has been battling Early Onset Alzheimer’s for the past seven years, and with numerous medications and treatments she has continued to get worse. That’s why my boyfriend decided to take matters into his own hands, and is going to take … Read More!

This morning, I was catching up with an old friend about life. When we started talking about our careers, I told her how I’m juggling a good amount of jobs right now to make some extra money/pay the bills while I build my business.

“Money sucks, doesn’t it?” she asked. “I wish we could all just barter.”

“I know, sometimes I wish it didn’t matter,” I replied. “We’d all do what we love and the world would be a much happier place.”

That got me thinking about money, the history of currency, and what reality has come to. In this day and age, hundreds of people “do what they gotta do” to pay those bills, even if it means sacrificing their own happiness.

Business executives work 60, 70, even 80 hours a week to support their families, young woman pass on their “dream job” in order to take something more “safe” (i.e. higher salary) and hundreds suffer from stress, anger, and even depression all over one thing: M-O-N-E-Y.

Imagine if we lived in a world where money wasn’t a thing, where everyone simply did what they loved and bartered their way through life. Mind you, that may be living … Read More!

This weekend, I was given the opportunity to cover the Institute for Integrative Nutrition’s October Fall Conference: IIN Live. Since I would be tweeting and blogging via Live Stream, I was able to watch the entire event (Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.) from the comfort of my own home.

Last year, I attended the event live in NYC, so a part of me wished I was there. But while my jealousy set in a few times (especially during the group massages at the end), I have to admit it was nice to be able to take a lunch break, get some tea and wear my sweats as I soaked up a multitude of new information.

For those of you who don’t know or are new to my blog, I graduated from IIN this past August as a Certified Holistic Health Coach. The school has been able to give me the chance to follow my dreams, start my own business, believe in myself, lose those last 10 pounds of baggage (plus some) and start an entirely new career path for myself.

Therefore, whenever I get the chance to hear from more speakers and listen to … Read More!

Halloween season is here: a time for jack-o-lanterns, hayrides and sugar-laden treats. But we’re all aware that the food and candy that often comes with this holiday is more like a TRICK, setting us back a few steps from reaching our goals. No need to fear…here are 7 ways to treat yourself well this holiday season.

1. Make an Orange Strawberry Dream Smoothie like the one in the photo above. (OK, maybe it’s more like an Orange-Green.) This morning, I used my new Vitamix to blend this Vitamin C packed smoothie with 1/2 c. unsweetened coconut milk, 1/2 banana, 1/2 orange, 6 frozen strawberries, 3 celery stalks, 1 carrot, couple apple slices, and 1 baby cucumber. The combination is great for your hair & skin, and gives you just the right amount of a.m. energy!

2. Read the Labels on all your favorite Halloween candies. You’d be shocked to find out how much sugar some of them pack on, like the whopping 32 grams in 19 pieces of candy corn. That’s almost 2 grams of added sugar per tiny corn, and we know how quickly that can add up!

3. Get…Sweaty. Change up your usual fall activity routine … Read More!

[the clan – me, dad, mom, cousin & husband, sister, and friend]

This past Saturday, my family and I woke up at in the wee hours of the morning at 5 a.m. to drive up to Newport, Rhode Island. The day of the Newport United Healthcare Half Marathon had finally come. It was hard to believe that it had already been one year since last year’s half marathon in Newport, which is now becoming a family tradition of sorts.

But this time was different than all the rest. This time I was determined to push myself, to run hard, to get after that PR. During my training runs, I realized something that I hadn’t known before: I could run faster. I am strong. I can do it. You see, I’ve always sort of held back and ran happily in my comfort zone during all my prior runs. I didn’t want to risk burning myself out too soon, and then not being able to finish a run, especially on race day. However, once I realized that I could pick up my speed and find a comfortable stride, I realized I wasn’t giving myself enough credit as a runner.

My first … Read More!

When I first began my personal path to wellness, I would often focus on the little things because I know just as much as the next girl that those BIG things can seem rather intimidating at times. You may often hear me say on this blog that healthy living is a lifestyle, not a quick overnight fix and I stand by this statement 100%.

You see, as women, we often strive for perfection try to be better. We push ourselves to be skinnier, prettier, more fit, more generous, a better mom, a better friend, etc. The list goes on and on. However, sometimes it’s better to just take a pause on the judgement for a second, and be the best we can be.

In order to do this, I recommend my clients (and readers) to create small, attainable goals for themselves and build from there. I didn’t start eating kale salads and running half marathons overnight. No, it took time, trial-and-error and patience. But you know what? I did it. And so can you. Because you know what? Those seemingly small changes are what lead to big, long-lasting results.

Here are some small changes you can add into your … Read More!

Happy Friday ladies! As I sit here finishing up some work in Starbucks, many thoughts are flowing through my head. I’m not sure you know this about me, but I am always thinking. I mean always, always. What can I say? I’m a girl of many (sometimes crazy) ideas. Here’s what’s going through my mind on this rainy Friday afternoon:

-There is a older man sitting next to me at Starbucks who has been writing on a napkin for the past hour. When I glanced over (I swear I’m not nosy) I saw that both sides of the napkin are completely covered with teeny-tiny scribbled handwriting. The hopeless romantic inside me likes to think he is writing a love letter to a long lost woman from his past.

-This grande medium roast with one pump of pumpkin may just be the perfect pick-me-up for a rainy, dreary day

-What if our dreams could be recorded and transformed into movies? Seriously, between my boyfriend and I, I think we’d be famous. But then again, would we really want to replay some of those dreams?

-There’s only two (plus some) months left until Christmas. When is it too early to watch Love … Read More!

I’m a huge advocate of eating with the seasons, as nature intended us to. After all, there’s a reason that berries come into season in the summertime to cool us off, and hearty vegetables like squash and potatoes become more available in the winter to provide insulation during the colder months.

Unfortunately, genetically modified crops and shipping food across the country makes every fruit, vegetable and grain available all season long. While some may think this is a good thing (watermelon in December!) I encourage you to take a step back and think about what this means. Is consuming blueberries in January, or bananas that have been shipped from South America natural? Does it really make sense to eat this way?

Now that we’re entering autumn, I challenge you to experiment eating with the seasons. Here are some fall staples to get you started:

• Pears: Mix them into a salad with spinach, quinoa and goat cheese for a delicious & easy lunch

• Cauliflower: Cut the calories in your “mashed potatoes” with cauliflower instead of potatoes, or roast it to make one of my favorites: Balsamic & Parmesan Roasted Cauliflower from Eating Well.

• Apples: Pick your own apples before