I think it’s safe to say that we all want to feel good and be healthy.  We all want to be our best and thus, we eat right, exercise and try our hardest to maintain a positive and upbeat perspective on life.  I know I don’t feel any better than when I’m fueling my body with clean and nutritious foods, and staying active in both body and mind.  For that reason, when my friend introduced me to MonaVie (‘mo-na-vee’), I was mo’ than elated to give it a try.

My friend, Connie, was visiting from New York and wanted a group of us to sample these blends of fruit juices she had recently started promoting.  When she took out the product, I thought she was going to pour me a glass of wine.  The MonaVie blends come in these beautiful glass bottles with a sleek logo that would make you think you were imbibing on a fine merlot, versus a non-alcoholic fruit juice.  But after one sip, I knew this wasn’t any ordinary drink.  The blend of MonaVie that I sampled (which was the MonaVie Original), was thick and concentrated, yet delicious and refreshing.  Even with a small 3 – 4 oz. sample, I could immediately feel the potency of this drink flooding my system.  It was an immediate energy booster!  So I had to finally ask, what the heck is in this stuff?!

According to the MonaVie website:

• MonaVie’s extraordinary products feature a delicious blend of the Brazilian açai berry and 18 other body-beneficial fruits from around the world.

• MonaVie’s refreshing açai blends are products with a purpose. From powerful antioxidant support to joint and heart health, each formula delivers key nutrients to help you maintain a healthy and active lifestyle.

• MonaVie is a unique and delicious nutritional beverage. The açai berry is the foundation of the MonaVie blend, but with literally thousands of phytonutrients and antioxidants found in nature’s fresh fruits, MonaVie didn’t want to focus on just one at the expense of others.  This led to MonaVie’s selection of 18 additional fruits, each selected for its unique, beneficial properties and ability to contribute a variety of phytonutrients and antioxidants to MonaVie’s premier nutritional beverage.  Together, the synergistic effect of the fruits in the MonaVie blend reaches far beyond what any single fruit could accomplish.

• Designed for easy absorption in the body, just 2–4 ounces of MonaVie per day provides you with the phytonutrients and antioxidants found in many of the world’s most nutritious fruits—including açai.

• Açai contains concentrated levels of anthocyanins—a powerful family of antioxidants that assists in neutralizing the harmful effects free radicals can have on your body.  Through an exclusive freeze-drying process, MonaVie is able to capture the vital nutrients found in this delicate fruit.  MonaVie’s freeze-dried açai powder boasts an ORAC score (a measure of antioxidant power) higher than any other fruit or vegetable tested to date, on a gram-for-gram basis.

While I love my fruits and vegetables, I have to say that I’m not a huge juicer.  The thought of throwing back a glass of orange, grapefruit or even pomegranate juice (sorry, POM) just doesn’t do it for me.  I would much rather get my vitamins and nutrients by eating the fresh produce, not drinking it.  But, sometimes, I just don’t think I am getting enough of those nutritious properties.  Knowing that I can get the antioxidant capacity of approximately 13 servings of fruits and vegetables in just four ounces of MonaVie is appealing to me.  I’ll still continue to eat my produce, but if I can drink this fruit blend a couple times a day as a supplement to my healthy eating ways, I can’t fail!

Because I practice hot/power yoga close to a daily basis, Connie gave me a bottle of the MonaVie Active to take home and try.  She mentioned that this blend contained glucosamine, which promotes healthy joint function, targets mobility and flexibility and it is designed to support joint performance and recovery.  While I don’t have bad joints, nor do I experience many aches or pains, my muscles do tend to get tired and sore from yoga.  Thus, sampling a bottle of the MonaVie Active for a week was something I gladly volunteered to do.

When I drank my first 2 oz. ’shot’ of MonaVie active (a blend of Açai, white grape, apple, acerola, aronia, purple grape, cranberry, passion fruit, prune, kiwi, blueberry, bilberry, wolfberry, pomegranate, lychee fruit, camu camu, pear, banana, and cupuaçu), I wasn’t quite sure what to expect.  I had eaten pretty lightly during the day and was on my way out the door for an evening yoga class.  I figured drinking my juice blend couldn’t hurt and if anything, it would just be a tasty treat before exercising.  But, I had this enormous burst of energy.  My mind felt clear, my breathing was smooth and I wasn’t tired at all.  In fact, I was surprised when my class came to an end.  I felt as if I could go on for hours!  However, when I took my subsequent shots, I didn’t quite get the same effect.  Don’t get me wrong, they still tasted fantastic.  But, I just didn’t feel ‘different’.  I’m not quite sure if I was expecting to feel a significant surge in energy, or if I was expecting the MonaVie Active to transform me into a whole new person.  I just thought this fancy drink was going to do more than just taste fancy.  I emailed Connie to get her opinion and she wasn’t surprised by my reaction.  Her exact words were, “I think because you are a healthy gal to begin with, your body won’t have too many changes, but I can assure you that it is getting exactly what it needs.  Sometimes it takes a few weeks to feel major changes.  Preventative care and wellness should just feel good and normal.”  So true!  I guess I just never looked at it that way.  I thought the MonaVie was going to cast a magical spell on me.  But, when you’re already doing all the right things, the magic’s already there.

All in all, I really enjoyed MonaVie.  It has a unique taste, it’s chock full of fruits I wouldn’t even begin to know where to find and it’s good for me.  While it is a bit on the pricey side, I would recommend it.  Plus, when you know you’re starting your day (I decided to drink it with my breakfast) with something that is high in vitamins and nutrients as this little drink is, it certainly sets a positive tone.  When you start off healthy, you want to continue healthy, and do all the things that will prolong and accentuate that feeling.  Whether that feeling stems from exercising in the morning, having a shot of MonaVie or perhaps a practicing a morning meditation, it all begins with just taking that first step.  And I think we can all drink to that!

*If you’re interested in purchasing MonaVie, or in becoming a distributor of this amazing product (they have some pretty fantastic business opportunities), you can contact Connie through her website or via email at conx123[at]gmail.com

What’s one beauty ritual you must do every day?  What is one food that you swear makes you feel healthy as soon as you consume it?

Namasté,
Nicole

Image Credit – boston.com

Happy March everyone!  The beginning of a new month is always exciting for me.  There’s just something about seeing the number ‘1′ on the calendar.  In a sense, it gives me a fresh slate and resets the clock for me on all the things I can accomplish in one month.  To some, March can seem like a long month, being that there are 31 days and for most of March, it’s still winter with winter-like weather.  But, I like to think of March as the point where we’re moving towards the uphill side of things.  After all, in 20 days it will be the first day of spring, and spring to me signals the rebirth of Mother Nature.  Our days will get longer, the weather will get warmer, things will start appearing greener and flowers will begin to bloom.  So what’s there NOT to be excited about?  I wanted to dedicate this post to some of the things I am looking forward to (things happening in March and beyond) and things that just get me excited:

• Warmer weather! I’m getting rather sick of bundling up and can’t wait to just walk outside my door without having to worry about bringing my gloves
• Trying new recipes and making some inventive kitchen creations – I think you all can agree with me on that one!
• Longer days – Just being able to see the sun for a few minutes longer each day makes me smile.
• Yoga, yoga and more yoga – Check out Tina’s post about her yoga challenge.  I love reading about how more and more people are practicing yoga, loving yoga and making their practice a priority in their lives.
• March Madness – I like basketball, but my husband is obsessed loves it!  This is the month for NCAA mania and knowing that this is one of Patrick’s favorite times of the year, I’m excited for him.  Plus, his passion and zeal for this sport is contagious!
• The return of my car – After close to $2,000 worth of damages, she’s ready to come home!  All I can say is, thank goodness for insurance…
• Our existing projects (as well as some new ones) and the prospect of them launching and coming to fruition – More details on this soon to come…hopefully, very soon!

Image Credit – fishingforsoul.wordpress.com

What are some of the things you’re looking for to this month?  What are some of the things that get you excited?

Namasté,
Nicole

When I find something I like, I tend to get a tad bit obsessed. For example, after I took my first hot yoga class, I immediately signed-up for an unlimited membership to my studio and began practicing close to every day of the week.  When I was a youngster and fell hard for New Kids on the Block (they will never be N.K.O.T.B), I covered my walls with their posters, never missed a concert and bought every teen magazine that had their pictures plastered all over them (I also convinced myself that I was going to marry Jordan, but that’s a story for another time).  My first trip to Trader Joe’s led to about three more trips in that same week.  And then there’s food.  When I find something that tickles my fancy, watch out!  It’s almost as if I think the store is going to run out of my newly found item, or all of the sudden my taste buds are going to change and I will no longer fancy it.  As you already know, I’ve been known to hoard things, and if I’m in love with a new ‘flavor of the week’, then chances are there will be multiples of the item in my shopping cart.

Image Credit – survivaldigest.com

OK, I’m not that bad!

In one of my recent posts, I talked about how I ‘re-discovered’ Swiss chard.  I love the unique taste of this leafy green and the fact that it’s loaded with vitamins and nutrients.  Plus, it literally cooks up in a hot minute.  It’s also healthy for your wallet.  So really, what’s there not to like about this veggie?  I can’t seem to find a single darn thing.  Not sure if this is actually fact for me, or simply my justification for being obsessed with the chard of Swiss, but I can’t stop dreaming of new and creative ways to eat it.  I even challenged the Healthy Chow brain to come up with a little diddy using only the ingredients that existed in my fridge and cabinets.  My creation came out quite well.  I’m pretty sure you won’t be hatin’…

You Won’t Be Hatin’ POM, Swiss Chard, Chickpeas & Bacon
Serves 2 (as an entrée) or 4 (as a side dish)

• 1/3 cup of POM Wonderful 100% pomegranate juice
• 1/4 cup of chicken broth (I used Trader Joe’s Organic Low Sodium Chicken Broth)
• 1 TBSP of Worcestershire sauce
• few dashes of white pepper
• few dashes of onion powder
• 1/2 TSP of Dijon mustard
• 1/2 TSP of corn starch dissolved in 1 1/2 TBSP of warm water
• 1 bunch of Swiss chard, rinsed and chopped into bite-sized pieces
• 5 slices of turkey bacon (I used Jennie-O brand)
• 4-5 medium-sized white mushrooms, sliced
• 1/3 cup of chickpeas (I used canned)
• sea salt to taste

1) In a small saucepan, combine the POM juice, chicken broth, Worcestershire sauce, white pepper and onion powder.  Heat everything on medium/medium-high heat.  Keep stirring as it starts to come to a slow boil.

2) Add the Dijon mustard.  Mix until the Dijon mustard is well-blended (there will be little lumps of mustard, it won’t completely dissolve).  Add the cornstarch mixture to the pot and keep stirring until the sauce begins to thicken.  It should take about 3 – 5 minutes.  Turn the heat to low, cover and set aside.

3) Heat a large skillet on medium-high.  Once the skillet is hot to the touch, add the bacon in a single layer.  Allow the bacon to cook for about 3 minutes or until it begins to crisp.  Flip the bacon and cook on the other side for another few minutes.  Once it has reached your desired crispiness, drain on a paper towel-covered plate.

4) In the same skillet, add the Swiss chard and begin moving the Swiss chard around in order to mix in with the bacon drippings (because it’s turkey bacon, it won’t be very greasy).  Allow the Swiss chard to wilt a bit, it should take a couple of minutes.  Then, add the sliced mushrooms to the skillet.  Cook until the mushrooms begin to brown.  Add the white pepper and sea salt to taste.

5) Turn down the heat to medium.  Begin tearing the bacon into bite-sized pieces.  I left mine on the larger side for a more rustic look   Add the bacon to the skillet and stir until warmed.  Finally, add the chickpeas.

6) Add the pomegranate juice mixture to the skillet.  Mix until everything is well-blended and the juice reduces a bit. It should take another minute or so.

7) EAT!  This is great as a side dish, or as your main dish served over a hot bowl of brown rice or quinoa.  Heck, eat it in pita pocket if you want!

DEE-VINE!  I wasn’t quite sure what to expect when I began combing all of these ingredients together.  While I like the unique taste of Swiss chard, I know many are turned off by its mildly bitter taste.  Thus, I wanted to find something to cook the Swiss chard in that would remove or lessen some of that often considered undesirable taste.  Because POM juice is tart and semi-sweet, I figured it would be a good match.  The saltiness and smokiness from the turkey bacon rounded out this dish and added to the layers of flavor.  I threw in some chickpeas for an additional kick of protein, and mushrooms because I like the taste of mushrooms   If you’re wondering, the POM juice wasn’t overly tart or overbearing in this dish.  In fact, it nicely lightened the recipe without making it taste too fruit-like.  And, the POM juice made this recipe even more nutritious by adding a boost of antioxidants!

It’s safe to say that my obsession with Swiss chard won’t be going anywhere any time soon.  Even when I tossed various random ingredients with this vegetable, it still tasted great.  Actually, I didn’t even eat this recipe with any rice, quinoa or bread.  I ate it as soon as I plated it.  With all those beautiful colors and fabulous flavors, I just couldn’t resist.  I guess I’d just rather declare, “I’ll Be Loving You Forever” versus “Hangin’ Tough” and fighting my love for this mighty green!  (Oh yes, that was corny.  But like I said before, I was obsessed!)

Do you have any guilty pleasures?  Perhaps a cheesy TV show, band or movie?  Come on, I know you do…

Namasté,
Nicole

I really wish you could come to one of my yoga classes with me, especially yesterday morning’s class.  The class was taught by Daniel, a wonderful yoga teacher at the studio to which I belong who has recently taken his teaching to a whole new level.  To say that I look forward to each and every one of his classes would be a sheer understatement.  Daniel has this amazing way about him.  He’s upbeat, gentle, full of passion and his soft nature can make the grouchiest of people smile.  But, he can also teach a kickass class.  And yesterday’s class was exactly that.

Class started off pretty easy.  We did some breathing, moved onto some light stretching and then began flowing.  Within 15 minutes, the room become incredibly hot and I was starting to drip with sweat.  While we primarily focused on our hips and hamstrings yesterday, there was one series of stretches that blew my mind and nearly had me crying like a little baby.  I’m not sure if there were technical or sanskrit names for these poses (the word ‘insanity’ does comes to mind), but what I do know is that I felt every ounce of them.  Essentially, we did a series of quadriceps stretches with one leg bent and lunging forward, foot flat on the ground, and the other leg kneeling and bent backwards with the foot moving forwards.  It was supposed to look like this:

Image Credit – yogaplexus.com
(this is actually the teacher I talked about from this post)

Needless to say, these stretches were no cake walk.  In fact, I was in quite a bit of discomfort, if not pain.  We don’t usually do these stretches in class and therefore, my muscles were just not used to them.  As I was taking slow and deep breaths to calm my mind and to tell myself that I wasn’t in fact being tortured, my teacher chuckled and said, “the feeling you are experiencing right now is called enlightenment.”  While a good portion of us sort of laughed, most were still grimacing in distress.  Daniel went on to tell us that being able to find pleasure in pain and discomfort is what some would consider enlightenment.  To be able to find the beauty in what we so often see as disaster is how we transcend and grow as humans.  I thought about Daniel’s words for the rest of class and for the rest of the day.  What he told us in class made so much sense and really struck a nerve with me (HA!  I totally didn’t mean that one!).

Image Credit – chopra.com

As I looked back on my life, I tried to remember the times when I experienced the most pain, both emotional and physical.  Those times in my life certainly weren’t fun, and I certainly did not laugh as I was experiencing them.  But once I overcame the pain and worked through the severity in what I was feeling, I somehow felt better.  In a sense, I felt free.

I remember learning to ride my bike as a kid for the first time and how I constantly fell and got countless bumps and bruises.  It hurt and for awhile, I just didn’t want to ride.  I know think I may have even cursed my bike.  But soon enough, I learned how to ride without falling off and the bumps and bruises healed and were forgotten.  I also remember the pain of having my heart broken for the first time and how I never thought I would get over it.  Everything reminded me of him, and the thought of moving on just didn’t seem possible.  But as time passed, I did get over him and I did move on.  I also remember how I felt when I found out my parents were separating.  I never thought it could happen to me, and the realization that their story wasn’t going to be happily ever after, crushed me.  But seeing that they both are now in a better place and living happy and full lives brings me comfort, and makes me understand that things really do happen for a reason.  And when my grandmother passed away when I was 10 years-old, I discovered what grief was and what it was like to lose someone you love.  It was pain like I had never experienced, and made me see just how cruel life could be.  But feeling those raw emotions toughened me, and I learned that life is truly precious.

Image Credit – lifevesting.com

In every situation, I experienced pain and while I didn’t think I could ever rise above it, I somehow flourished and emerged a stronger person.  There’s no doubt that while I was in the midst of my suffering, whether it was physical or emotional, there was pain.  It was real, and I certainly was not at ease.  But when we can find a shred of pleasure or comfort when we are in distress, we can somehow manage to find peace.  Pain doesn’t have to be something from which we hide; it can actually be something that brings out the true warrior in us.  We can conquer the pain by finding the power that lies within it, and use it to help us stand tall, versus standing in the darkness.  And when we find the key to accomplishing that, we have truly found enlightenment.

Image Credit – lenayoga.com

What moment in your life has taught you the most about yourself?  And if that’s too personal, what’s your favorite stretch or your favorite way to stretch?

***Interested in trying some delicious fruit snacks?  Check out Morgan’s giveaway – they really sound too good to be true!***

Namasté,
Nicole

I’ve been reading more and more about people challenging themselves with fitness goals.  The runners and cyclists out there have been signing up for races and thus, gearing up for their training.  Others have been hitting the gym hard. They’ve been trying to go as often as they can, taking classes varying from Body Pump, kickboxing, spinning and Budokon.  I’ve also encountered people who have been committing themselves to getting at least an hour of cardio close to every day, along with some strength training.  And then there are the ones who are challenging themselves to practicing yoga for a pre-determined set of days.  I love the perseverance and dedication from all the people I’ve been reading about – regardless of the activity they are committed to doing.  I don’t know if it’s because of New Year’s resolutions, if the winter doldrums are forcing people to want to be active in order to stay warm or if it’s because people are just in need to get into shape.  But whatever the reason is, I support it 100%.

Image Credit – walkmoreeatless.com

I guess the fitness fever is contagious because I’ve been doing my hardest to practice yoga as much as I can.  And when I say, ‘as much as I can’, that means every day.  I’ve been trying to get myself to the studio every day of the week to get my daily session of hot power yoga.  In theory, being able to get on my mat every chance I can get is a glorious thing.  But, that is theory, and not reality.  Because I’ve been without a car for the past few weeks, Patrick and I have been having to share his.  Thus, going to class whenever I want hasn’t been entirely possible.  Patrick and I have been working on several exciting projects and while I am grateful for that, I’ve been quite busy and have had to adjust my schedule.  And naturally, there are just some days when I’m tired, sore or just plain not in the mood to go to class.  In other words, I just haven’t been able to practice yoga as often as I would like.

Image Credit – ehow.com

When I couldn’t meet my self-prescribed challenge, I’ll have to admit I was a bit bummed.  I kept asking myself questions like, ‘what is wrong with me?’, ‘why can’t I do it?’, ‘why am I so lazy?’ and ‘why can everyone else complete their goals but me?’  But none of those questions were making me feel any better and they weren’t helping me accomplish my goals any faster.  In fact, I was feeling worse.

I love how I feel in my body, mind and soul when I’m practicing yoga.  I feel strong, happy, healthy, love for my self and for all those around me and I feel capable.  I’m relaxed when I’m on my mat and I’m at ease.  I’m not critiquing myself, I’m not upset if I don’t meet a certain mark and I’m not putting myself down.  In fact, I’m at peace with myself when I’m practicing yoga.  So why can’t I have these same emotions and feelings when I’m off the mat?  Why is it that when I’m not practicing, I can’t seem to achieve that same level of peace?

Image Credit – businesspundit.com

This dilemma has plagued me for quite some time, and I’m still not sure if I’ll ever have the complete answer.  But what I have come to realize is that there shouldn’t be a beginning and an end to one’s yoga practice.  Yoga should be something that is practiced everyday, but that doesn’t mean one needs to be on their mat.  The lessons we learn in class about life and about ourselves should be something we practice on a consistent basis, not just for 90 minutes a day in a bamboo-floored studio.  Just like the transitions we utilize in yoga flowing from pose-to- pose, our actions and thoughts we have on and off the mat should be seamless.  We grow and transcend when we can mimic what we accomplish in our yoga practice, in our daily lives.  As my yoga teacher tells us, “our mats should be a practice space, not a performance space.”  We shouldn’t reserve all of our positive energy and emotion just for the times that we are able to make it to class or to our mats, and shine for those short moments when we are in the studio.  By using the time when we can practice yoga as time to teach and prepare ourselves for our day-to-day lives, we are truly practicing.  And when we can make how we conduct ourselves while we’re practicing yoga be virtually the same as when we are not, then the need for making challenges and for criticizing ourselves when we aren’t able to meet our own standards suddenly aren’t as important.  We can practice every day because the practice of yoga is something that can be done in our minds.  We don’t need to be on our mats or in a studio, we just need our breath and the knowledge that peace can be achieved at any time and any place.

Image Credit – path2innerpeace.com

Do you like setting goals for yourself?  How do you keep yourself motivated?  What do you do when you can’t meet your goals?

Namasté,
Nicole

My lips are chapped.  My hands are starting to get that roughness that only comes around once a year.  I no longer have my summer glow.  My coats are no longer lightweight and stylish.  Gone are the sandals and here are the LL Bean bean boots (man, I can’t believe I’ve had the suckers since college).  And my zest for being outside is quickly dwindling…

Image Credit- llbean.com, ioffer.com and freefoto.com

Doesn’t this sound so sad? Well, I thought so…

If you’re not new to my blog, you’ll know I’m not much of a fan of winter.  I’ve mentioned it here and here.  And if you are new, first and foremost, welcome to Healthy Chow! And yes, I really do not like the winter.  But, crazy as it may sound, I live in Massachusetts.  Yes, I live in the Northeast.  I don’t live down south or far west where snow and freezing cold temperatures are less likely.  And no, I don’t ski, ice skate, snowboard, sled or build snowmen (or women) in my spare time.  In fact, I love the hot weather and I love summer.  For me, a bad day at the beach (which doesn’t happen IMHO) is way better than a great day on the slopes (sorry all you ski bunnies).  So why haven’t I moved, you ask?  Well, of course I’ve thought about it.  But, that bright idea only lasts about a minute or until I realize that I would miss my friends and family way too much to be miles and miles away from them.  So, what’s a gal to do?

Image Credit – zazzle.com

When I was at yoga class yesterday morning, I remembered being quite tired and sweaty by the time we got to the middle of class and saying to myself, “please don’t say dancer’s pose…please don’t…I really don’t have the energy…and I really don’t enjoy it…please, please, please.”  And of course, my teacher asked us to go into dancer’s pose.  The law of attraction brought it to me, versus taking it away, because I was focusing on it.  Duh! And that’s when I started wondering about some of the other wrong things on which I’ve been focusing my energy.  The first thing that sprang to my mind was winter.  Ever since our first snowfall this past Saturday, the snow, cold and the upcoming brutal weather are some of the main things taking over consuming my mind.

Image Credit – taiji-star.com

But as soon as I stopped thinking about how much I didn’t want to go into dancer’s pose and just went with the flow (pun intended) by just going into the pose, things seemed easier.  We ended up repeating the pose three times on each side, and each time I tried to not have any negative thoughts about it.  I told myself to find something I liked about the pose and that my distaste for the pose was just a waste of my time and energy.  I then focused on how open my chest felt in the pose and how deeply I could breathe and envisioned myself standing on top of a huge cliff overlooking the ocean.  In other words, I focused my mind and energy on something positive and soon my dislike for dancer’s pose shifted.

On my drive home, I realized that if I could shift my thinking and reaction to a yoga pose, perhaps I could shift my feelings about winter?  If the winter months and weather are going to last from now until early April, then why fight it? Winter in New England is pretty much the same every year.  It’s never going to be sans snow and it’s never going to be hot and balmy, no matter how much I bitch and moan.  That said, I’ve decided to try my hardest to change my thoughts on winter.  I’ve decided to try to find as much beauty as I can in these next few months and I’ve told myself that I would do my best to not complain.  Just as there are poses in yoga that are not my favorite and not the easiest for me to hold, both physically and mentally, I have to endure them because they are a part of my practice.  If I were a runner, I would imagine that there would be parts of my route that would be more challenging than others.  If I were a basketball player, I would imagine there would be some drills that would always get the best of me.  If I were a cyclist, I would imagine there would be hills that would take every ounce of my energy to conquer.  However, in all of those instances, I would never stop.  I wouldn’t stop because I would know that I would find joy on the other side of that challenge.  Similarly, there is spring and then summer on the other side of winter.  By embracing a challenge, a difficult time in one’s life, an unfavorable situation or even something as silly as winter, one can turn their mindset around.  This is exactly what I plan to do about my feelings on winter.

Image Credit – running-mom.com

By finding some charm in this change of season and by finding some positivity in my thinking, I believe I can change my attitude.  Telling myself that I hate the freezing wind, the ice, the cold, driving in the snow, shoveling the snow, walking the in the snow  and dressing for the snow, doesn’t help me one bit.  But reminding myself that we have winter for a reason and that it’s Mother Nature’s way of hibernating and preparing for the spring, helps me to better appreciate the earth’s ways.  And it helps me to release some of my negative tension, something that isn’t helpful to anyone.  I need to remind myself that I am the one that is in control of the way I feel.  I am the one who can ultimately make myself a happier person.  Thus, I am putting an end to my hatred towards winter!  I can’t say that I am going to automatically fall in love with the cold and snow, but at least I’m not going to keep telling myself how much I abhor it.  And hopefully, I’ll soon be able to identify with the term, ‘winter wonderland’.  Now, any one up for some hot cocoa?

What’s your fondest memory of winter?  Or, what’s your fondest memory of your favorite season?

Namasté,
Nicole

Do you ever get up and just have one of those mornings?  A morning that consists of you quickly slamming that snooze button more than a few times, but then slowly crawling out of bed because you know you just have to?  I think I managed to get about 6.5 hours of sleep last night but instead of going to bed with an empty stomach, I went to bed full.  Bad Healthy Chow, bad girl (she slaps herself on the wrist)! In fact, I ate so much that I woke up full.  Yeah, not good. You would think that that would have motivated me to jump out of my warm sheets and get my sweat on, but I even considered pulling the blankies over my head and sleeping until my fullness and general yuckiness dissipated.

Image Source – plaisirssimples.blogspot.com

This would be me if I were a golden retriever (Hi Colby!)

But then I heard a voice.  It was this little voice inside my head that kept me from closing my eyelids again.  Actually, I think it was Morgan’s voice (even though I don’t have a clue as to what Morgan’s voice sounds like) and she was telling me “remember in every situation, you have a choice.”  The other night when I was ‘meeting’ new bloggers, I came across Morgan’s post and it really resonated with me.  We can choose to be happy or unhappy, we can choose to work through all the pain and discomfort to get to the bliss, we can choose to be healthy or unhealthy and we can choose to make it a great day or just a day.  Yes, my dear bloggies, we have the power to make that choice!

Image Credit – thevoiceforschoolchoice.wordpress.com

So, with Morgan’s voice in my head and the sun shining through my window telling me to get the heck up, I shut off my alarm clock and got up.  I made that choice. I got dressed and made my way out the door for my morning yoga class.  And then I was greeted with so much traffic that I thought the cast of New Moon was somehow standing in the middle of  Commonwealth Avenue causing this major ruckus.  Nope. It was just the usual morning traffic jam that’s been going on for the past couple of months due to some sort of ‘necessary’ construction.  I moved about a foot in distance in about 15 minutes, and I was getting heated (which was a good thing since my car was not).  And then I remembered again that I had a choice.  Should I get angry and annoyed or choose to make the most out of my situation?  I chose the latter.  Here is how I kept myself preoccupied…and don’t worry, the car was definitely NOT moving!

Finally, I arrived at the yoga studio and made it just in time for class.  The class was packed with yogis needing as much de-stressing and detoxing as me, but together, with the guidance of our teacher, I managed to have one of the best classes I’ve had in quite some time.  I felt great!  However, I didn’t feel so hot (lame pun intended) at the beginning of class.  I kept thinking about all the food I had eaten the night before and why I can’t break this bad habit, and then I chose to let those negative and unhelpful thoughts go.  I focused on my breath and on feeling better and that is exactly what happened.  I felt better!  Just like I had to make my way through all that morning traffic to get to the studio and I had to drag myself out of my cocoon of a bed to get myself out the door, I felt better after I worked my body and mind through the ‘gunk’ that was inside of me.

So what are you going to choose today?  What decision will you make, big or small, to make it an extraordinary day versus just an ordinary day?

Image Credit – fotolog.com

Random Question: Do you wake up with an alarm clock?  Or, are you one of those amazing people that can wake up with their internal alarm clock?  If you’re like me and need an actual clock, do you wake up with music or with an alarm?

Namasté,
Nicole

***Find out the winner to my jewelry giveaway at the end of this post.  But if you like food, you won’t want to miss out on all my TDay dinner pics!***

Thanksgiving day started off much earlier than usual for me, as I got up before the crack of dawn to squeeze in two hot yoga classes.  I know what you’re thinking. You’re not the only person who thinks I’m crazy.  But if I don’t exercise before I knowingly have a big meal, then I just don’t feel right.  And because I love my aunt’s cooking and usually only get this one day out of the year to have her cooking, I wanted to be able to fully enjoy myself.  Thus, a sweaty workout was on the agenda!  While taking two challenging classes so early on in the day was tough, it was certainly worth it.  My Thanksgiving dinner was out-of-this-world delicious and I savored each and every bite.

When my mother and I (thanks for the ride, MHC!) arrived at my aunt and uncle’s house, we were immediately greeted by my family and the heavenly aroma of turkey and all the scrumptious side dishes whose deliciousness I could only imagine.  In order to hold our growing appetites down, we gladly nibbled on appetizers consisting of a crudité platter with spinach dip, roasted almonds, sushi (brought by MHC) and a traditional fried Chinese dumpling, which I haven’t had the pleasure of eating in several years.  Needless to say, we were all kept quite busy enjoying the appetizers and each other’s company as the main course was getting its final preparation.  My aunt and uncle have a beautiful home with a large open area kitchen and living room.  While the television may have been on in the background, it was certainly no comparison to the entertainment that was being held in the kitchen.  My aunt is a fabulous cook and watching her in her element is not only a treat, but also a terrific learning experience.  My cousin, Brendon, takes after his mother and is also a natural in the kitchen.  I’m glad I was able to capture some of the dinner magic in action!

As a Thanksgiving tradition, my cousins and I always take pictures around the turkey.  This year was no exception.  In fact, this was one of the first time in years that all of the cousins were present (there was always someone away at college).  My cousins are such characters; each one is hilarious and has a great personality.  I really enjoy the time I spend with them and can’t believe they are no longer the little ‘babies’ I used to help watch when I was younger.  In fact, my sister and I are the oldest and yet, we are now the shortest!  Too funny!

After our brief photography sesh, we happily sat down for dinner.  And boy, was it a spread!  While there were 14 guests at the dinner table, we had enough food to feed a small army.  I tried to sample a little bit of everything, but with dessert lurking in the background, I knew I had to pace myself and reserve some of that precious real estate.  Everything, as usual, was wonderful and cooked to perfection.  While the traditional Thanksgiving favorites like roasted turkey, mashed potatoes, puréed butternut squash, stuffing, corn and baked sweet and russet potatoes made appearances at the table, there were also some other delightful sides such as orzo with baby spinach, cremini mushrooms and pancetta, haricots verts with caramelized onions and roasted brussels sprouts with dried cranberries, pecans, chickpeas and got cheese (made by yours truly).  There were even three different kinds of cranberry sauce!  To say the least, our Thanksgiving dinner was like whoa!

My dinner plate (I had another piece of turkey and a scoop of orzo for seconds!)

And not to be out done by dinner, coffee and dessert took center stage just as we had enough time to digest our turkey and the fixings.  It’s safe to say that I didn’t need to eat anymore for the day, but when there’s a fresh apple pie with vanilla ice cream, personal-sized chocolate fallen cakes and apple crisps, double-ginger cupcakes, a custard pie, miniature pecan tarts and an apple-caramel cake, how can you resist?  Well, I certainly could not!  Everything was divine and intermingled quite nicely with the savory foods that were peacefully resting in my belly.

My dessert plate (I had a few bites of chocolate cake as well!)

As with every Thanksgiving, this one was filled with good laughs, fun times and delicious food.  I’m so grateful to have such a wonderful family and to be able to spend the holiday in their presence.  While many in this country have to travel, either by hours in a car, bus, train or plane, my family is local and always willing to host Thanksgiving dinner.  When you have great company and more than enough food, what more could you ask for?  Thanksgiving is about giving thanks for the amazing things for which we are thankful in our lives.  It’s too bad that we only have one day out of the year dedicated to this, when in reality it should be 365 days of the year.  I’m thankful for so much in my life and I’ll admit, sometimes I do forget to express my gratitude.  That said, I want to say to my aunt, uncle and cousin, I appreciate all that you do for our family every year and thanks for giving us a home to celebrate this special holiday.

***And finally, the winner of my earring giveaway is…***

Those are really pretty! So my go to outfit for the holiday season is a brown DVF wrap dress. These would actually look great with it!!

Congratulations Trish!  Please email me at healthychow@gmail.com with your contact information, so I can get your little sparklies to you just in time for your first holiday party!  Thanks to everyone for participating!  And if you didn’t win this time, don’t fret!  I’ll be sure to do another jewelry giveaway soon!

What’s your favorite holiday?  Why?  Are you looking forward to winter?

Namasté,
Nicole

Huh?  What’s that? Healthy Chow, are you making up words again?

Are these the questions you’re asking yourself right now after reading the title of my blog post?  Well, I wouldn’t be surprised if you said yes.  I, too, was wondering just what in the heck was ‘chaordic flow’ when I saw the class listed on my yoga studio’s schedule.  It certainly intrigued me, but since the class was being held at a time when I usually don’t practice, I didn’t think too much more about it.  However, when my own schedule went a bit topsy-turvy last week due to my cold, I had to tinker with my usual routine.  I wasn’t feeling so hot on Wednesday morning, but by Wednesday night, I felt well enough to attend a yoga class.  The only class that was available on Wednesday night was this chaordic flow class.  I had heard from people that it was a unique class and like no other yoga class that had been previously taught at the studio.  To me, unique can be good.  Since I’ve been practicing yoga for quite some time now, I thought that this class would be easy and that ‘unique’ just meant not as difficult as the regular vinyasa flow classes.  Uh yeah, WRONG!

Image Credit – innerstrengthyoga.com

When I walked into class, there were only a few students.  I didn’t recognize any of their faces and figured that they must be new to the studio.  And since I assumed they were new, I assumed that the class was going to be taught at a beginner’s level.  Yeah, not so much.  When the class started, the instructor, Aaron Cantor, introduced himself and told the class that this wasn’t going to be a traditional flow class and that it was going to be more of a body movement class.  Interesting…That said, class began and things started off pretty slow.  We practiced shifting our weight from one foot to the other and then from one arm to the other.  And then we were asked to close our eyes and balance on one foot and to keep switching back and forth from one side to the other.  And then with our eyes still closed and while standing on one leg, we had to bring the other leg to the front and then swing it to the back.  We did this for about a minute and then switched to the other side.  I felt so silly doing this and I immediately started to giggle.  While the idea of balancing on one leg and then the other with our eyes closed didn’t seem that difficult, in reality, it truly was.  Aaron said for us to feel as if we were ‘mildly drunk people’ trying to find our way.  This is exactly how I felt!  I kept stumbling over myself and having to drop my leg down to catch my balance.  I was embarrassed that I just couldn’t keep up.  While I was laughing on the outside, I was starting to panic on the inside.

Image Credit – theschoolfortao.com

After practicing a number of different sequences of balancing on one leg, we began getting lower to the ground.  We then started gliding back and forth on our hands and feet (think crab walk) and doing these moves that certainly did not remind me of yoga.  It felt more like a combination of breakdancing and capoeira, neither of which I know how to do or have ever practiced (well, I did bust a few pop n’ locks when I was about 10 years old, and not very well, but that doesn’t count).  Needless to say, I was lost and felt confused watching Aaron demonstrate these movements and then trying to recreate them myself.  My body just wasn’t used to moving that way and I felt awkward.  I was used to being in the front of the class and being able to nail just about every pose.  But in this class, the poses were nailing me (TWSS).  To top it all off, my heart began racing, my breathing quickened and I was sweating my buns off.  But Aaron kept reminding us that it was normal to feel out of place and that we often times try too hard to control our movements and our environment, and that when we let go and just let our bodies do their thing, it’s not easy.  Yowzers, you can say that again, Aaron! I felt like a jellyfish floating around in the ocean;  I was all over the place!

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Image Credits – runboard.com &  sites.google.com

This class that I thought was going to be ‘easy’, actually ended up being one of the toughest yoga classes I’ve ever taken.  The postures and sequences themselves were not difficult; I just wasn’t used to feeling out of control.  As Aaron had mentioned in class, much of the yoga that is taught in this country is very linear and static.  We tend to move from front-to-back and from pose-to-pose without there being much fluidity or flow in between.  Aaron’s goal was to help us find the balance within us, not by forcing it, but by really feeling it.  I’m used to putting my body into poses that I know I can do and with which I am familiar.  I wouldn’t say that I ‘force’ myself into my poses and into my flexibility, but I certainly have an idea in mind as to what I’m supposed to ‘look’ like.  Thus, while I was feeling my way through these new movements, I felt some chaos occurring in my body and in my mind.  But for me to be able to find my balance and to find some peace and order in my whole self, I had to just let myself go. Even my ujjayi breath, which I’m so conditioned to turn on as soon as I step foot on the mat, had to be changed.  It was humbling to feel like a complete beginner in class.  I had to truly devote myself to listening and learning.  Everything was new to me and I had to see the class with different eyes.  I had to take my skill and strength that I’ve developed over my years of practice and combine it with a desire to learn.   It wasn’t easy, but it’s certainly an act worth balancing.

Random Question: Do you like bagels?  If so, what is your favorite way to eat one?  Or, what is your favorite flavor of bagel?

***Wanna win ‘The Ultimate Indulgence Tower’?  If so, go check out One Fit Foodie and see how it can be yours!***

Namasté,
Nicole

***First and foremost, I want to say THANK YOU for all your sweet comments about the earrings I’m giving away. You are all so kind and I appreciate all of your compliments.  Seriously, I’m grinning from ear-to-ear!  And I think the consensus is that the ‘go-to’ holiday outfit is jeans, a fancy top/sweater with a pair of great boots!  That’s exactly what I’ll be wearing!***

If you read my post from last week, you’ll know that I’ve been operating at a lot a bit less than tip-top shape.  While I haven’t been completely bed-ridden, I haven’t been a ball of fire either.  If you’re a Healthy Chow follower, you’ll know that I love yoga and that I try my best to go to class just about every.single.day.  In the past seven days, I’ve only been to class twice.  Yeah.  I told you I was sick! Other than blogging and keeping up-to-date with my bloggie friends, all I’ve done is eat, rest and sleep.  I haven’t been this sick in years (coughing, sneezing, headache, body aches).  To say the least, it hasn’t been fun.  But instead of wallowing in self-pity, I’ve decided to be productive.  Instead of asking myself why I’ve been so sick, I’ve decided to ask myself what I’ve learned from my trip to the land way, way under the weather.  I was quite surprised as to what I discovered and for that reason, I wanted to share my revelations with you.

Revelations From a Less Healthy Chow:

• Life doesn’t always go as planned…
  After vacationing in Orlando and Miami and shortly after going to New York City for the weekend, I’ve been a tad lax with my eating habits.  Actually, I’ve been slacking more than I think I should for the past few months and it’s starting to catch-up with me.  That said, my plan after New York was to get back to my better eating habits and to really kick my butt hard with many hot and sweaty yoga classes.  I had it in mind that I was going to do as many double sessions of yoga classes as I could.  But when my throat started getting scratchy and my head was a throbbin’, I knew my plans would need some re-evaluating.

Image Credit – acupofjoy.wordpress.com

• We need to listen to our bodies…
  When I overeat and indulge on too many of foods/treats I should probably only have every now and then, my body feels crappy.  My skin doesn’t look so healthy, I feel bloated and my attitude on things is even affected.  I guess you really are what you eat! I’m not sure where and when I caught my cold, but I’m sure my overindulgent eating ways had something to do with my less than stellar health.  I haven’t felt like my usual Healthy Chow self, which should have indicated to me that something was on the horizon.  I’m not trying to say that we shouldn’t be allowed to have our favorite treats.  Life would be a bore if we deprived ourselves of a little indulgence.  However, with that said, we need to balance our eating by going back to our healthier eating habits after a few ‘vacation’ days (I like to think of my eating being on a balance scale – you can’t have too much on either side or else you will tip over!).

Image Credit – ehow.com

• Take the time you need, your body will thank you for it…
  Every morning I set the alarm to get up for my yoga class.  But for the past few days, instead of getting out of bed to greet the day, I’ve been shutting off the alarm (I usually hit the ’snooze’ button a few times) and pulling the covers over my head for an extra couple hours of sleep.  Instead of ignoring my symptoms and pretending I’m not that sick and going to yoga, I’ve let my body and mind rest.  And you know what happened?  All of the aches that I usually have from pushing myself in class seven days a week have suddenly disappeared.  The soreness that is usually in my left knee is completely gone.  Because I gave my body the chance to rest and heal, it rewarded me by taking away my pain.

Image Credit – lighterfootstep.com

• If you stop trying to put things in place, they will eventually fall into place…
  Before I came down with my cold, I told myself that I wanted to get my nutrition back in order and that I needed to be more intuitive with my eating.  Instead of just eating what is in front of me and what was easiest, I wanted to do a better job of giving my body what would make it the healthiest and what would make it run the smoothest.  But once I came down with ‘whatever I have’, my taste buds became dull and my appetite changed.  I no longer wanted to eat all the carbs I could get my hands on because my body told me I didn’t need them.  Instead, I craved fresh produce, healthy proteins and unprocessed whole grains.  My body wanted the things that would nourish me and help me recover from my cold.  My desire to want to eat more intuitively happened without me trying and without me even worrying about it happening.  I simply let nature takes its course and everything fell into place.  I guess that’s just what happens when you go with the flow!

Image Credit – ehow.com

So while I’m still not 100% recovered from my chest cold, I know my mind is in a much saner place.  I’m used to my body operating at full capacity and being able to take on anything to which I set my mind.  That said, when I’m sick and my routine is completely thrown off, I’m thrown off.  This time, I decided to not let my being taken off course derail me from everything in my life.  Instead of freaking out over not being able to exercise and not having the energy to do anything but sleep, I decided to make the most of my ‘down’ time.  And by accepting the fact that I was sick and that there wasn’t too much I could do about it, I was able to take better care of myself.  Our bodies have a unique way of telling us things and it’s our job to listen.  It’s just too bad that sometimes it takes a little bacterial infection to get our attention.  Or maybe a little bit of phlegm to save you from the bedlam? (boy, my rhyming is getting good!)

Has your body ever given you a sign or indication of something worse to come?  If so, what did it tell you?

***Techie WordPress Question: Why is it that sometimes I get notified of pingbacks/linkbacks to my blog and sometimes I don’t?  I don’t always get an email or notification in my WordPress.  Does anyone know why?***

Namasté,
Nicole