five things i learned from my time at kripalu

August 14, 2016 by weightsandwatermelon

The Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health first came into my life last summer, when my work best friend Amy and I went there to see Gabrielle Bernstein speak. The old me was very skeptical of this place, as I envisioned a kooky commune of hippies. Boy, was I wrong. That weekend we spent there in 2015 changed my life, and I couldn’t wait to go back.

My husband and I were sitting on the couch a few months ago talking about places we wanted to visit, and it somehow came up that I had never taken a vacation by myself. He was SHOCKED that in my life I had never gone away somewhere alone, and it got me thinking. I hadn’t been on a big vacation since our honeymoon in 2014, so why not take one myself back to a place that changed my life? I immediately went online and booked a rest and relaxation retreat for the end of July, leading up to Gabrielle Bernstein’s annual weekend Spirit Junkie “summer camp.”

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strawberry sunset summer

June 26, 2016 by weightsandwatermelon

Summer is my FAVORITE season – especially in Boston! It’s especially nice to be active outside vs. having to workout inside during the cold winters in New England (luckily this year we were spared!).

During the week I typically take a peek at the upcoming weather forecast to help me decide on weekend plans. Earlier this week I saw that it was going to be spectacular weather, and with June coming to a close, why not go strawberry picking? Mike and I have talked about doing this every summer for the past two years, but we ALWAYS miss the picking season. Luckily my brain remembered this year before it was too late!

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i get by (cooking) with a little help from my friends

March 7, 2016 by weightsandwatermelon

March is National Nutrition Month – what better way to kick it off than with a healthy cooking class alongside my friends? My fellow advertising professional/friend/blogger Aimee has a fantastic food blog called Warm Up The Pan – if you haven’t checked it out, go there NOW! Aimee was gracious enough to host myself and two other friends from Boston this Saturday at her place to cook up some delicious, healthy meals while also giving us some cooking tips and knife skills. Aimee also went to culinary school in her past life, so I am always looking to gain whatever knowledge I can from her (she’s also the nicest person you will ever meet!).

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finding an answer to chronic pain

February 27, 2016 by weightsandwatermelon

Beginning in November 2014, I started to have constant pain in my right low back and hip. I chalked it up at the time to going “too fast too soon” in terms of working out – did I pull something in a tough workout and didn’t realize it? Was my body really not as strong as it used to be at age 29?

I’ve never dealt with chronic pain before, so having this issue was eye opening and depressing at the same time. No matter what I did, I couldn’t figure out what caused it, why it was continuing to happen, and how I could make it stop. As you may infer from my blog genre and beliefs on healthy living, it wasn’t ideal for me to pop 4 Tylenol a day or Vicodin (which one doctor tried to prescribe!). So, I began my long journey to find the cause, and cure, of my ongoing pain. Little did I know, the answer was quite simple.

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homemade date and cashew bars

February 15, 2016 by weightsandwatermelon

I’ve been in a funk since the holidays. Starting at Thanksgiving (and my 30th – that’s a whole other post!) through New Years I’ve let go of any healthy eating habits and didn’t work out much which is now catching up to me. My clothes are feeling tighter and my skin is acting crazy – so with a three day weekend upon me it was time for some serious meal prepping.

Anyone who knows me is aware of my obsession with Larabars. When I began my healthy eating journey, I went on a hunt to find a bar that tasted good and wasn’t filled with artificial ingredients/tons of sugar. Some snack bars on the market pack a whopping 27 grams of sugar in one bar – to put that into perspective that’s the same amount of sugar in 1/2 of a can of soda. Gross.

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